Istanbul Guided Tour: Hagia Sophia, Basilica Cistern and More!

Recommended by 100% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

Istanbul, Turkey

Great choice

5+ bookings last month.

5 to 7 hours (approx.)
Group discounts
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Why travelers loved this

5.0

· Jason_M ·

Jul 2026

This was exactly what we wanted. We saw the top spots. Had a very informative guide that managed our time really well. Very thoughtful. Highly recommend. He made a special effort to point out things he thought we'd be interested in seeing. Helped us find a souvenir coin for our child who collects coins from countries we visit.

· gpolidori ·

Jun 2026

This tour with Ebru was absolutely wonderful! She texted us the day before so we had her WhatsApp number. She was incredibly patient, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic throughout the tour. No matter how many questions we asked, she always took the time to answer them thoroughly and provide fascinating historical context and insights. we highly recommend her!!

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Overview

What's Included

Guidance
All Taxes
Priority to buy tickets (without paying commission)
Coffee and/or Tea
Bottled water
Sweet and Spice Tasting for Free

Gratuities
Tickets
Lunch

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

German Fountain
Binbirdirek, At Meydanı Cd, 34122 Fatih/İstanbul, Türkiye
German Fountain is our meeting place.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Blue Mosque

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Hippodrome

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

German Fountain

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Obelisk of Theodosius

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Serpent Column

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Walled Obelisk

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

TopkapI Palace

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Basilica Cistern

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Nuruosmaniye Mosque

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Grand Bazaar

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Column of Constantine

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Near public transportation

Infants must sit on laps
Most travelers can participate
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

5.0

based on 64 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Sort by: Most insightful

Really nice private tour

Jason_M, Jul 2026

Response from Host, Jul 2026

Nice to hear that. I hope to see you again.

Most Amazing Tour Guide!

Pilar_T, Jun 2026

Ebru was absolutely amazing today, kind, beautiful and very knowledgeable, she made my day wonderful. Thank you! Thank you!! Thank you!!!

Response from Host, Jun 2026

Nice to hear that. I hope to see you again.

Wonderful!

gpolidori, Jun 2026

Response from Host, Jun 2026

Thank you so much!

Right to the point. Essential Istanbul in 1 day.

Denis_G, May 2026

Volkan met us on time at the German Fountain. Overall, we spent about 6 hours walking around Istanbul and stopped only because we became tired. The tour was very interesting. Volkan was talking about history and modern Turkey and is a very friendly and nice person. We highly recommend.

Response from Host, May 2026

So glad to hear of that :) I hope to see you again!

Ebru was great!

Sharon_B, Dec 2025

Ebru was amazing she paid attention to what was important to us and was a walking historian which we loved!

Response from Host, Dec 2025

We are happy to hear of that. I hope we will see you again.

Best guide Ebru!

Radha_S, Dec 2025

We had a great experience! Our guide Ebru was amazing. She made our trip memorable. Her knowledge and all the information she shared was amazing. She also gave us a lot of information about the current life in Istanbul. She also took us to a nice coffee and dessert place. Ebru is the best guide you'll have.

Response from Host, Dec 2025

We are happy to hear of that. I hope we will see you again :)

A Perfect Day in Istanbul

George_S, Oct 2025

We had one day available to us, and we knew what we wanted to see. Our guide, Alp, was the perfect guide for our needs, so accommodating and willing to work with our needs. He was great.

Response from Host, Oct 2025

We are happy to hear of that. I hope we will see you again :)

Loved this tour

Diane_K, Sep 2025

Ebru was a wonderful tour guide. I know there were a number of places listed on the tour description but when we asked her to show us a few different things instead, she was more than happy to do it. Very knowledgeable and personable, she never pushed us to go too fast and listened when we needed a break. She was great. Best part was the cistern tour!

Response from Host, Sep 2025

We are delighted by your satisfaction. I hope to see you again :)

Excellent Educational Istanbul Tour

tom_f, Sep 2025

I spent way too much shopping around for an Istanbul tour and finally had to make a decision. I am so thankful I settled on the one I did. It was excellent. Ahsen, our tour guide gave us a college level informational tour with so much supporting information for each of our stops. She did a wonderful job. It was flexible in terms of how much time at each stop sometimes we wanted to move on other times we wanted to linger. Her love of ancient Greek & Roman history as well as her lifelong being a native from Istanbul enabled her to give us an excellent experience which we will ever remember. Thank you for making our trip special.

Response from Host, Sep 2025

We are also happy that you are satisfied. We hope to see you again.

First-rate Istanbul tour

jeremy_a, Mar 2025

We had a fantastic tour of several of the major historical sites in Istanbul with Ms. Ebru - she was flexible about timing and about prioritizing what we wanted to see (we covered the Hippodrome, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, and Basilica Cistern, along with a stop for lunch). Our guide was extremely knowledgable and engaging about the history and context of everything we saw and took the time to answer all of our questions. We will plan to schedule a follow up tour with her the next time we pass through Istanbul and will recommend her to our friends/family as well. The tour structure itself seems similar to that of most of the historical Istanbul tours on Viator (most of the sites of interest are in the same part of the city). I can't speak to the other tours on offer, but this one easily let us see everything that was important to us with just a half-day of free time available.

Response from Host, Mar 2025

Thank you for your wonderful thought. See you next time :)

Great place with a great guide

NANDAN_N, Aug 2024

The best way to experience Istanbul is with Emrullah as your guide! His extensive knowledge and flexibility allowed us to explore at our own pace, making the tour both informative and enjoyable. I highly recommend this tour—Emrullah even took us to a fantastic Turkish restaurant. His deep understanding of the local area, detailed historical insights, and excellent English made the tour truly exceptional. He tailored the itinerary to our interests while ensuring we visited key landmarks like the Hippodrome, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Underground Basilica Cistern, Grand Bazaar, and Spice Bazaar. Emrullah’s engaging approach really brought Istanbul to life. Highly recommended from my side!!