Private Guided Basilica Cistern and Topkapi Palace with Skip Line
Recommended by 100% of travelers
Istanbul, Turkey
- 2 hours 40 minutes (approx.)
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Topkapi Palace, home of sultans for almost four centuries, and the Basilica Cistern, a subterranean marvel, are two of Istanbul’s top sights with often long lines. Enjoy skip-the-line entry (at your own expense) on this private tour. Your private guide tailors explanations to your interests, ensuring a fully personalized experience. This tour is not recommended for pregnant travelers or those with heart problems or serious medical conditions.
- Your private guide ensures you don’t miss a thing at the vast Topkapi Palace
- Capture gorgeous photos of lush gardens and reflected columns
- Save hours of waiting time with skip-the-line entry (own expense)
- Choose between morning or afternoon visits to suit your schedule
What's Included
- Basilica Cistern Guided Tour
- Topkapi Palace with Harem Guided Tour
- Professional Licensed Tour Guide Fee
- Hotel pickup
- Entrance fee - Topkapi Palace with HaremTRY2,750.00 per person
- Entrance fee - Basilica CisternTRY2,250.00 per person
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Basilica CisternAlemdar, Yerebatan Cd. 1/3, 34110 Fatih/İstanbul, Türkiye
Meet your tour guide at the entrance of Basilica Cistern ( We will contact to you before your starts for more information )
End point
- Topkapi Palace MuseumCankurtaran, Babı Hümayun Cad No: 1, 34122 Fatih/İstanbul, Türkiye
The 4th courtyard of The Topkapi Palace is end of the tour.
Itinerary
1
Basilica Cistern
40 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
2
TopkapI Palace
2 hours • Admission Ticket Not Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Most travelers can participate
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
5.0
based on 279 reviews
Review summary
Last 12 months
24 reviews
Select a theme to learn more
Travelers appreciate the tour guides for their thorough explanations, deep historical knowledge, and engaging storytelling, which enhance the educational and enjoyable experience. Key attractions such as Topkapi Palace, the Harem, and the Basilica Cistern receive frequent praise for their captivating history and visual appeal. The combination of knowledgeable guides and memorable sites contributes to a well-regarded exploration of Istanbul's cultural heritage.
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Erdam our guide was right there when we arrived at the Basilica Cistern when we arrived about 10 minutes early. He did a wonderful job at getting us right in to that attraction as well as the Topkapi Palace, and supplied us with so many interesting facts, as well as a few family experiences. Highly recommend this tour!
Just before we met up with the guide, there were other people trying to get our attention and pretending to be our guide near the meeting point. Once we found him, he took us in and made us feel safe. Very knowledgeable. He did his best to explain everything even though he was losing his voice a bit that day. Basilica Cistern was so beautiful. He was also able to point us to the best spot to take photos. Palace was a lot of walking, he helped us to skip the lines a few times, which I really appreciate. He really took his time to explain the history of the palace and answered all the questions we had. Highly recommend this tour. Price is definitely worth the quality of the service. A lot of walking in the Palace area, so be prepared.
Viator’s guide was excellent. He knew vast details and was friendly, lively and engaging. He was also very kind accommodating my last minute scheduling hiccup. He clearly loves his home Istanbul and that shines throughout his tour.
Good tour, informative guide.the Cistern was amazing and our guide gave us lots of info about both the palace and the cistern.
Both sites are absolutely worth visiting. The Basilica is extraordinary and getting the information about it from the guide was really useful. The palace and grounds also amazing however it was very busy. The guide was able to ‘fast track’ us through queues legitimately but even so it was busy everywhere. Guide was knowledgeable on history, geography and current affairs.
Murat was an excellent tour guide. He had very good humor very good personality. He had a good grasp of the history
Both the Topkapi Palace and Basilica Cistern were amazing, and you observe and learn much more with a guide vs. doing it on your own. Huseyin was an excellent guide, providing great insights and then delving deeper based on our questions. He kept us on an appropriate pace without rushing us, and I would highly recommend him to others.
The only thing I would change is to tell people that they can purchase Basilica tickets with a credit card. That will prevent them from bringing more currency than necessary.
Also, patrons should beware of hawkers outside the Cistern trying to misdirect you. Somebody tried that with us, but fortunately Huseyin had been in communication with us and even shared a picture of himself so we know who to look for.
We arranged a private tour with Viator. Our guide was Murat.
We had arranged to visit the Bascillia Cistern and Topaki Palace. Murat arrived on time. He was professional, courteous and knowledgeable. We learnt a great deal about the ancient history of Instanbul but also life in the current day.
We would highly recommend him.
I had a guided tour with Murat today and he was excellent! I’ve been on many tours throughout Europe, and this one stood out. I was with my partner and toddler, and Murat paced everything perfectly, engaging with my daughter to keep her interested as best he could. Across Topkapi Palace, the Harem, and the Basilica Cistern, he was a wealth of knowledge and insight, helping us really get a feel for the deep history of each. We never felt rushed at any point, and were encouraged to explore in short bursts after being given context on each area.
I’d recommend this to anyone who’s considering it. It’s been the cherry on top of a fantastic first trip to Istanbul, one I’d been planning for years. Credit to Murat for a brilliant tour; he was top tier!
PS - he takes great photos too!
We booked this tour on Viator and were given tour guide named Murat. He was very friendly and knowledgeable. We were the only people in his tour, it was not a group which was very nice. He took us through the Basilica Cistern and told us all the history. He then walked us to Topkapi and gave us a guided tour of the whole property. The property is very large so it does take some time to go through the whole space. The tour is about 3 hours so I would recommend eating before hand. We loved this tour so much. You get to see the Sultan’s palace, living quarters, and much more. If you love history and conversation you should support a local and book this tour!
First of all, Kemal Aslan did an excellent job as our guide. He made
the Basilica Cistern come to life as we walked through it in awe. Then his commentary on the history, culture, and architecture of Topkapi Palace was fascinating. We learned so much and had a full, lovely morning. Highly recommend!
Unbelievable sights and history! Fascinated by the Cistern and the history around it. A must see in Istanbul! Small two person tour made it very intimate and personal. Thanks, highly recommend!
Erdem was very knowledgeable and able to answer all questions I had. Would absolutely recommend you book this. Ask to have Erdem as your guide.
Erdem was a wonderful guide, and we saved so much time touring the cistern and the palace this way. Great communication ahead of time on WhatsApp, and it was easy to find Erdem at the start of the tour.
Murat was very knowledgeable about every place we went. You can tell he really enjoys doing it to. He also took his time explaining everything so I could understand it. I would request him on my next tour.
Had a private tour with Murat of the Cistern and the Palace. The morning of the tour Murat contact us to give more details about the upcoming tour which was nice. He meet us early and the agreed time and gave us an excellent tour. Would highly recommend anyone coming to Istanbul to book him for a private tour.
We had an awesome day with Murat. He has excellent knowledge on both sites but also beyond that when we asked more questions on other historical sites and the history of Turkey to the finest of details. He was very kind and friendly. He made it so interesting as if we were reliving the past moments of these beautiful historical sites. Would highly recommend this travel tour group. Thanks Murat you are a phenomenal tour guide!
We had a wonderful experience with Murat as our tour guide. He was extremely knowledgeable and shared detailed information that was very helpful for our visit. He was thorough in his explanations and very attentive to our interests and questions throughout the tour. His professionalism and passion made the experience both seamless and enjoyable. Plus, the entire booking and meeting point experience was extremely easy and smooth. I would highly recommend Murat to anyone looking for an engaging and informative tour.
Topkapi Palace and Basilica Cistern are the Highlights of Istanbul //
Marathon, the personal guide was tremendius! He took care of everything and explained clearly.
Very interesting and beautiful palace. The cistern was truly amazing. All your of us had a good time and learned a lot.
Great experience with a very informative guide With our skip the line tickets it meant we had little waiting
You have to buy your tickets on the day of the visit - cistern by credit but Topaki with cash.
Murat was an excellent guide. Knowledgeable, organized and happy to answer questions.
It was a very interesting tour. Heusian was an excellent tour guide. He let you set the pace and was very knowledgeable.
We had a great experience with our tour guide, Erdem. Our situation was very unusual in that my mother fell five minutes into our tour and had to be driven to the hospital for stitches. Erdem stayed with us the entire time, securing a taxi to follow the ambulance to the hospital, and acting as translator and advocate with clinic staff to get updates on Mom's condition. When Mom was released from the ER, Erdem helped is at the pharmacy and then found another taxi to drive us back tour hotel. (He had to run up the street, asking no fewer than three taxi drivers before he found someone willing to take us!) After we got Mom back to the hotel to rest, Erdem worked hard to salvage the remainder of the day. He joined us for lunch and then modified the planned tour so the rest of us were still able to see the Tokpapi Palace. Erdem's English is excellent and his knowledge of Istanbul/Turkish history is exceptional. He took time to answer our many questions and gave an enjoyable and informative tour of the entire palace complex. We are all so grateful for his patience, professionalism, and assistance with a very stressful day. He really turned it around for us!!
The experience was personal & wonderful…our guide Murat was fluent, knowledgeable & left us with a great understanding of both the sites visited .
Highly recommended. Erdem was an excellent guide, with plentiful knowledge of both places. His insight and stories made the tour really special. He was also friendly and punctual. Ask for Erdem when you make the booking-- you won't regret it.
Huseyin was very informative on our tours of Basilica Cistern & Topkapi palace. Kept a great pace getting ahead of the lines. Wonderful time!
Very nice experience. Hussain was a great guide. He was very knowledgeable and gave us great insight into both locations. He answered all our questions. We learned a lot. The intrigues of palace life were explained in detail. He expertly moved us to the front of the line saving us a lot of time. We had time to wander around the palace on our own afterwards. Thank you for a great tour.
His run was an Amazing guide and so good! Skip the line was awesome. I knew a decent amount of info but learn tons from him and took us to the best parts.
A must see. This is the oldest cisterns in the world. Is impeccably condition's. It’s just beautiful
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