Private Tour: Istanbul’s Ottoman Experience Including Topkapi Palace and Blue Mosque
Istanbul, Turkey
Private Tour: Istanbul’s Ottoman Experience Including Topkapi Palace and Blue Mosque
Recommended by 94% of travelers
Istanbul, Turkey
- 4 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Overview
Marvel at Istanbul’s best Ottoman sites during this 4-hour private guided tour of the Hippodrome, Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace. This tour captures the essence of why the Sultanahmet district is a UNESCO World Heritage site. You will learn about the history of Istanbul dating back to its former Ottoman days as Constantinople. Plus, hear old stories about the reign of sultans from your expert guide and admire architecture and ancient relics within each famous attraction.
- Private half-day tour of Istanbul’s Ottoman landmarks
- Explore three historical attractions around Sultanahmet, a UNESCO World Heritage site
- Walk around Istanbul’s Hippodrome and see the Obelisk of Theodosius
- Visit the Blue Mosque and marvel at its colorful Iznik tiles and minarets
- Explore Topkapi Palace while learning about the sultans and harems who once called the building home
What's Included
Meeting and Pickup
Itinerary
Additional Info
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.6
based on 17 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Helene_R, Jul 2023
Excellent tour guide made it special Very informative Interesting Places were beatiful Tour was worth it
Kelly B, Oct 2015
We did a number of tours this trip through Viator and all of them were excellent. The best of all was this private tour in Instanbul. Our tour guide Tibet was first class. She was there on time and knew that we had very little time to see a lot. She quickly worked with us to priortize, figure out the timing so that we would be efficient and was just wonderful in not only getting us around to see the most important sites--but was a pleasure and a lot of fun to be with. She even gave us directions and ideas as to what to do later in the day on our own which worked out perfectly. Tibet made it for us!!!! She was so professional and personable and gave us a great sense of the culture in the city!!
Calitlin F, Oct 2015
This tour was a great way to kick off our few days in Istanbul, it gave us a nice kick start to the trip. Hakan was a knowledgeable and terrific guide. He knew the best times to arrive at each place and we covered a lot of territory and avoided a lot of lines in a half day with him. He then sent us off with recommendations and ideas for the rest of the day.
Cindy C R, Sep 2015
The guide was very knowledgeable about the sites, and was flexible with his schedule to meet our needs.
Mrs S Duffield D, Jun 2015
Knowledgeable and experienced guide As a result we wasted no time in getting into any of the sights. Both sights well worth visiting but needed more time at the Topkapi Palace so requested that we did not return to our hotel but rather stay on at the Palace.
rosenbaum, May 2015
Often, it is all up to luck and who you get as a guide. In this case we scored and had a wonderful experience by a personable, informed, educated guide.
James H, Mar 2015
We had a great time. Tibet was our guide and she was so thorough. She even gave us the bonus of visiting a rug maker she knows. She was completely knowledgable and spoke excellent English. She has a nice sense of humor. She gave us some free time to look at things on our own which was nice. I would definitely recommend this tour and feel Viator is the most reliable booking agency. We booked the private tour and were picked up at the door of our hotel. Our guide arrived promptly. Everything was very organized.
April T, Nov 2014
Although the weather was not very cooperative, we enjoyed our half day tour of Istanbul with our private guide from Neon Tours. She was a wealth of information and even helped us find a good place to eat lunch and told us how to get to the Grand Bazaar. Our driver even gave us his umbrella!
Virginia L, Aug 2014
my guide named Gualy (pronounced July) was fantastic. Blue Mosque was crazy busy that day so instead of waiting for hours she suggested to go to H. Sophia, which used our time much more efficiently. She was passionate about her city and shared her love of history and art with us.
Nicole L, May 2014
I felt very rushed while touring Topkapi Palace, and this was a private tour! We had about an hour at Blue Mosque. Most of the tours in Istanbul felt very rushed.
loola93, Mar 2014
Amazing tour. Take comfortable shoes for walking.
Diane L, Jan 2014
Our guide Mahmet was excellent and we enjoyed the day very much.
Regina M, Jun 2013
Our guide was really knowledgeable and very easy to tour these sites with. I will say our crowd was a little less interested in all the details of the vast history and more interested in the overall story. Its hard to gauge I know. Our group is just not used to standing and listening to someone talk for long periods of time. Our guide did a great job and we really enjoyed the trip. We'd do it again and have already recommended it to friends.
Jay J, Jul 2009
Very much enjoyed our guide & tour. Would have liked to have the harem rooms included at Topkapi Palace instead of the Grand Bazaar, which we ended up doing on our own.
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