Istanbul Classics and Highlights: Full Day with Lunch
Istanbul, Turkey
- 7 hours 30 minutes to 8 hours 20 minutes (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Uncover Istanbul’s centuries of history during this full-day small-group guided walking tour. You’ll explore the amazing UNESCO World Heritage–listed Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, which exemplify Istanbul’s mix of eastern and western traditions. Enjoy a walk through Topkapi Palace, admire the Hagia Irene’s Byzantine architecture, and stroll through the medieval Grand Bazaar to browse stalls of handicrafts created by local artisans.
- Receive personalized attention on a small-group tour
- Explore the backstreets and bazaars of Istanbul without getting lost
- Includes lunch, some entry fees, and hotel transfers
- Provides a great introduction to Istanbul for first-time visitors
What's Included
- Lunch
- Local guide
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- All Fees and Taxes
- Entrance fee of Topkapı Palace and Hagia Irene
- Drinks
- Personal expenses
Meeting and Pickup
You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup
Operating hours.9:00 am
Itinerary
Meet your guide at the central meeting point or enjoy a pickup by minibus at your central Istanbul hotel. Begin with a walk to the stunning Hagia Sophia. Learn how this monument began as the world’s largest church and was then converted into a mosque. Marvel at the incredible architecture that supports the Hagia Sophia’s immense dome and learn about its Byzantine and Ottoman influences.
Next, head across Sultanahmet Square to admire the German Fountain, a 19th century tribute from General Emperor Wilhelm. Onward to the location of political and sporting life, the Hippodrome. Learn about the chariot races and riots that once took place here during the Ottoman Empire.
Walk to the nearby Blue Mosque and admire the six towering minarets that add to Istanbul’s fantastic skyline. Then step inside the mosque and listen to stories of Sultan Ahmet I, who, at just 19 years old, order the mosque's construction. Gaze up at the detailed blue Iznik tiles that cover the ceiling.
Afterward, break for a tasty Turkish lunch, then traverse Sultanahmet’s beautiful landscape on foot to Topkapi Palace Museum. Not only is this one of the world’s oldest and biggest palaces, but it’s also Turkey’s most popular museum. Step inside and move through its four courtyards to observe historical artifacts and antiquities. Hear lore of the sultans who resided here from the 15th and 19th centuries and observe the elegant Fountain of Sultan Ahmet III.
Following your 2-hour tour of Topkapi Palace, continue on to the former Eastern Orthodox church, Hagia Irene. Admire its beautiful architecture as you gain insight about Istanbul’s oldest Christian place of worship. Finally, visit the largest covered market in Turkey and one of the largest in the world, the Grand Bazaar. As you roam with your guide and pass bustling shops and stalls, witness local artists create traditional crafts. Then return to your hotel or the original starting point, where your tour ends.
Note that the order of attractions might differ on the day.
Next, head across Sultanahmet Square to admire the German Fountain, a 19th century tribute from General Emperor Wilhelm. Onward to the location of political and sporting life, the Hippodrome. Learn about the chariot races and riots that once took place here during the Ottoman Empire.
Walk to the nearby Blue Mosque and admire the six towering minarets that add to Istanbul’s fantastic skyline. Then step inside the mosque and listen to stories of Sultan Ahmet I, who, at just 19 years old, order the mosque's construction. Gaze up at the detailed blue Iznik tiles that cover the ceiling.
Afterward, break for a tasty Turkish lunch, then traverse Sultanahmet’s beautiful landscape on foot to Topkapi Palace Museum. Not only is this one of the world’s oldest and biggest palaces, but it’s also Turkey’s most popular museum. Step inside and move through its four courtyards to observe historical artifacts and antiquities. Hear lore of the sultans who resided here from the 15th and 19th centuries and observe the elegant Fountain of Sultan Ahmet III.
Following your 2-hour tour of Topkapi Palace, continue on to the former Eastern Orthodox church, Hagia Irene. Admire its beautiful architecture as you gain insight about Istanbul’s oldest Christian place of worship. Finally, visit the largest covered market in Turkey and one of the largest in the world, the Grand Bazaar. As you roam with your guide and pass bustling shops and stalls, witness local artists create traditional crafts. Then return to your hotel or the original starting point, where your tour ends.
Note that the order of attractions might differ on the day.
1
Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
2
German Fountain
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
3
Hippodrome
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
4
Blue Mosque
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
5
Deraliye
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
6
Grand Bazaar
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
7
Hagia Irene Museum
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
8
TopkapI Palace
2 hours • Admission Ticket Included
9
Sogukcesme Sokak
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Grand Bazaar is closed on Sunday.
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 5 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Gopalan_N
It was an excellent trip, Guide Mr Littfik was very knowledgeable person, friendly and down to earth person, we all enjoyed the trip, he has taken us local restaurant for lunch it was amazing. we recommend this Istanbul walking tour which covers most of the main attractions.
Reviews
4.0
based on 44 reviews
LarAntonni_T, Feb 2020
John (Can) the tour guide made the whole experience worthwhile. He was funny and very knowledgeable about Istanbul's history.
Response from Host, Feb 2020
We glad to see you happy during your tour and thank you for your positive comments, we hope to see you again in İstanbul.
Sincerely,
Gopalan_N, Jan 2020
It was an excellent trip, Guide Mr Littfik was very knowledgeable person, friendly and down to earth person, we all enjoyed the trip, he has taken us local restaurant for lunch it was amazing. we recommend this Istanbul walking tour which covers most of the main attractions.
Response from Host, Jan 2020
Thank you for you excellent comments and compliments to our guide Ludvig. We hope to see you again in İstanbul.
Sincerely,
Bilal Uğur
Gopalan_N, Jan 2020
It was an excellent tour, guide was super ,very knowledgeable person, we recommend this tour which covers most of the main attractions
Response from Host, Jan 2020
Thank you for your good comments and compliments for our guide. We glad to see you happy with your tour. We hope to see you again in Istanbul.
Sincerely,
Bilal Uğur
maria_g, Aug 2019
The Istanbul Small-Group Walking Tour is an easy way to see the highlights Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace and Grand Bazaar. Becareful, the palace is closed on Tuesday and when I found out, they changed the tour date for me. We stayed at the palace after the tour so we could see the harmen that's extra. The lunch was delicious.
Response from Host, Nov 2019
Thank you for your good comments, we glad to see you happy with tour. We hope to see you again in Istanbul.
Sincerely
Duane M, Sep 2017
Our guide, Ahmet, was incredibly well-informed on the highlights of the old city. I would definitely recommend this tour, early-on, during a trip to Istanbul. I only wished I had more time to spend there.
David A, May 2017
Walking tour of most of the major attractions in the old city. The guide was very good knowledgeable, interesting and able to communicate. However, the attractions are really not that attractive resulting in a blah feeling. Caution - the walk is very long approx 5 miles mostly over uneven cobblestones.
GR_M, Jul 2016
All you need to see on a short visit, Our guide Hami, was pleasant and well-informed about the history of the city. She pointed out little details of the places and monuments that we would otherwise have missed. Pleasant lunch with her company with stories of everyday life in Istanbul. A bit pressed for time as there was so much to take in on a first visit to a very old city.
Weatherford T, Aug 2015
It was good. I learned some new things about history and Turkey. It was a little heavy on quantity of people. The guide is good, Muhammar I think his name was. The tour company could be better on first impressions logistics, introductions, coordinating and synchronising meeting points. I did two tours with this company. They are pretty good, but could use improvement on the aforementioned... Furthermore, I wish Viator would list reviews in a fully chronological manner. Unless there's been a change, I know my four star review will be buried under every single five star review that was written at an earlier date.
Titus T, Jul 2015
Make sure your guide makes you visit the Blue Mosc, they usually do avoid the long lines.
Taranveer S, Jun 2015
Oh what a day it was. Our guide Muharrem was an immensely charming fellow. Always smiling and ever ready to answer any question. The tour covered a lot of ground and included a yummy local lunch and a visit to a Turkish Carpet factory. You get hardly half an hour at the Grand Bazaar though, so treat this tour as a refresher introductory visit to Grand Bazaar and plan a later trip by yourself if you want to shop. Over all, I had a great experience thanks to Muharrem and the well planned itinerary.
p.s. - wear the best and the most comfortable walking shoes you can find.
Lillian W, Jun 2015
Our guide was friendly but the tour was badly organised, and there were huge numbers of people - about 30 at one point during the day! This is not what I would call a 'small' group. Lunch was pretty average, in a bland international hotel. The stop over in a carpet shop was not ideal.
Stafford V, Jun 2015
The worst part about this trip was the harassment from the company Viator after it occurred. I've tried on numerous occasions to unsubscribe from their mailing list, but I get spam emails from them every couple of weeks. I would strongly encourage everyone NOT to purchase any trips from Viator.
Wing Man Mari C, May 2015
Informative and professional guide. But the hotel pick up is a bit tricky as they do not contact you real time after booking
RAAS, Apr 2015
The subject antiquities were great. However the Tour Guide had communication problems, both with no radio headphones leaving the group with hearing problems and her English communication skills could have been better. Her knowledge was obviously there.
Further we were not advised when booking that Topkapi Palace was not available on our tour day. We should have been provided with entry tickets for another day, but had to travel there again on our own at our own expense on another day, which is not very attentive or professional for Viator.
To add further issues, when visiting a Carper/Rug premises, the issue of purchasing should not be part of the tour, but scheduled for after the event, as this absorbed our afternoon, so much so that our tour was shorter. We had to attend the sites again on our own. So much promised by Viator but so little delivered! This was disappointing for our entire group, given the subject sites were noteworthy.
Eman D, Mar 2015
I booked a full day trip. However I left after lunch. I would definitely recommend to do every thing by your own. Just get the headphones guide is better. This company misleaded me. They said online tour including Topkapi. Which it was the main attraction I was going to see. However it was closed.
Dina S, Mar 2015
The tour did not go to the Grand Bazaar as advertised, but went to a carpet shop instead. Aside from that it had a very knowledgable and nice tour guide. Lunch was very good and they even had a vegetarian option.
Sarah M, Mar 2015
Highly recommended, in all aspects: the OMG sights, interesting information, organization, lunch (yummo!) not to mention the LOVELY guide who was engaged and passionate about the history, art and culture - a perfect intro to Istanbul.
Catherine J, Feb 2015
A great day spent with a very knowledgeable and fun guide! Amazing places visited and enjoyed learning about these very special and significant sights. Big thanks to Istanbul Walking Tours
Armando E, Jan 2015
We had a great great time! Abdullah was a really nice, relaxed, and knowledgeable tour guide. We happened to be a very mixed group with people from India, Brazil, Nigeria and us from Honduras. Delicious food and would highly recommend it!
StMilla, Dec 2014
The sites on the tour was really amazing. I enjoyed them a lot, and our guide knew a lot about the different locations and the history around them. The Grand Bazaar do not need to be on the tour, however, it is too little time to look around. I would have preferred it if it was not a part of the experience.
The lunch was all right. Not a culinary treat, but tasted good. I reccomend that you have With you a little snack or two, and a waterbottle.
There were a lot of walking, so I am glad I had my sneakers on. The only problematic part for me was finding a toilet/short breaks. Because of the heat, I had to drink a lot of water.
Joseph D, Oct 2014
The tour guide was very knowledgeable and the tour covers the main sites in Istanbul. Too much info given at each stop leaving many in the group saying how bored they were. Would be better if guide shared info when walking to the sites. Also skip little Sophia mosque when closed. Felt pointless.
lauren.storey, Jun 2014
Great guide saw all the sites and you get to skip the long lines.
Godwi, May 2014
This tour gave us a look at all the must-sees - and it was great not to have to buy tickets for each separate place we visited. Wear comfortable shoes, take a scarf to cover your head if you're a woman, and enjoy the day.
Karen I, May 2014
Our guide was wonderful. His knowledge of the subject matter was impressive and he was easy to understand.
David P, Oct 2013
Great tour if you have very little time in Istanbul and want to see the major sites in Sultanhamet in one day. Our guide was very good, had all the answers to our questions and really knew his history of all the major sites.Made the history come to life. Lunch was very nice at a restaurant within walking distance of our hotel. It is a long day so be prepared to be on your feet for most of the day but it is not strenuous at all. Highly recommend this tour.
jackstph, Oct 2013
Our tour guide was friendly and knowledgeable and the sights were fantastic. This was a great way to see the main sights of Istanbul.
Cornelia R, Oct 2013
I was happy to join a group for the visit of those stunning sites. But:
Hagia Sophia was closed. Actually there is always one site closed depending on the day. This should be shared!
It was then not a walking tour... We were taking a bus several times.
The food was really poor... For that price -
Ian_H, Oct 2013
All of these sites are worth visiting, but this particular tour on the day we did it was doomed from the start. There were at least three problems. Firstly we were an hour late getting started because the pickups from the hotels were late. They blamed traffic but they have to factor that in. Secondly the group was much too big. It was at least 20 people, and to me small group means no more than 12 (ideally 8 to 10). Thirdly some people who had booked the tour complained about the amount of walking (even though it was described as a walking tour!), and some people went missing from the group a couple of times, so we all waited while the guide looked for them. The guide worked hard to make it a good experience and arranged for a bus to help cover the movement between sites more quickly and catch up time but she was always struggling to recover the lost time. There is a lot of ground to cover so be prepared for the walking required. Our visit to the Grand Bazaar was extremely short (only 10 minutes), but I don't know if that is usual or because of the other problems. If you plan on making this your visit to the Grand Bazaar, then I suggest you think again. Hard to grade this tour because of the problems, some caused by the company and others by people who had booked the tour. I think they should include the Basilica Cistern on this tour, and exclude the Grand Bazaar which really needs quite a lot of time to wander at your own leisure. Fortunately we were in Istanbul for several days so were able to do them all, but for someone on limited time, this would have been a disappointing experience.
Basim A, Sep 2013
Was very good a bit costly. The guide 'yuke' was excellent as a guide.
Diana_M, Aug 2013
Was good but a little bit slow. They also took as to see a carpet demonstration which was not included in the program.
From $448.02
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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