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Istanbul

Highlights of Old Town Tour

Istanbul Daily Tours

This full day tour is a must for all first-time visitors. We explore all major sites in Istanbul’s Old Town traveling through time from Byzantium to Istanbul. The Hippodrome, The Hagia Sophia and the Underground Cistern are the highlights of the Byzantine Empire. Topkapi Palace walks us through the history of the Ottoman Empire while the Blue Mosque is the Empire’s corner stone of Islamic architecture.

The day starts with an introduction of the Hippodrome, the city’s oldest public area which competes with the Circus Maximus in Rome, following which we explore the legendary Hagia Sophia. An architectural marvel that witnessed the city’s last 1,500 years. Next, we visit the Underground Cistern which was one of the many underground cisterns of the city, distributing water that was transferred from natural sources to the city. Lunch will be at a local restaurant. In the afternoon we explore Topkapi Palace. Topkapi Palace is one of the best examples of oriental palaces and it served as the headquarters of the Ottoman Empire for almost 400 years. The palace’s exhibits, from jewelry to arms and armor, enables us to understand the grandeur of this world-renowned Empire. We then walk to the nearby Blue Mosque, also known as the Sultanahmet Mosque. The Blue Mosque is named after its interior tiles and it served as the great imperial mosque for the Ottoman Sultans for centuries after it was built due to its close location to Topkapi Palace. We end the day with a visit to the Grand Bazaar. This is one of the largest bazaars in the world that is made up of alley after alley with historical malls attached to each other.

This tour is available on any day except Tuesdays and Sundays.

Included services

Professional guiding
A la carte lunch with soft drinks
Admission fees to the museums and sights
Taxes

Excluded services

Transportation
Customary gratuities

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