Best of Istanbul: 1, 2 or 3-Day Private Guided Istanbul Tour

based on 5417 reviews

Duration:7 hours to 21 hours (approx.)
Location: Istanbul, Turkey

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Visit highlights of Istanbul with your private tour guide in 1, 2 or 3 days with a flexible itinerary.

Day 1 - Highlights of Topkapi Palace Museum, Byzantine Hippodrome / Sultanahmet Square, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Grand Bazaar.

Day 2 - Bosphorus Cruise by Public Ferry, Dolmabahce Palace, Taksim Square, Istiklal Street, Cicek Passage, Galata Tower (from outside), Spice Market.

Day 3 - Suleymaniye Mosque, Fener and Balat Districts, St. Stephen Church (Iron Church), Pierre Lotti Panoramic Hill by Cable Car, Rahmi Koc Museum (or alternative sites).

Important Notes:

- Skip the line service is not available for active mosques - there is a queue for the entrance.

- If one of the mosques is not visited, Basilica Cistern will be visited as a replacement.

- For the tours that start later than 11 am, kindly note that you may have to skip one/a couple of sites as the sites are closed by 7 pm. Your guide will adjust the program according to your priorities.

WHAT'S INCLUDED

WHAT TO EXPECT

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Sultanahmet District
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Hippodrome Square / Atmeydanı Hippodrome; where the chariot races were held in the Roman Empire times, Egyptian Column from Byzantine Empire time and today German Fountain is the main cornerstone of the square of Ottoman Empire.
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Germa Fountain / Alman Çeşmesi
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Sultanahmet Square
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Hagia Sophia Museum / Ayasofya / Santa Sofia Built in the 6th century by Emperor Justinian, played a very important role in the Christian and Islamic World. After the Ottoman conquest the bells, altar, iconoclastic, and sacrificial vessels were removed, and many of the mosaics were eventually plastered over to convert the church into a mosque then a museum and now it’s a mosque for the second time. The most important stop of an Istanbul tour is operated in Old City Istanbul / Constantinople. *Please note that as it's not a museum anymore, tour guides don't have skip-the-line priority there. You may need to wait in the security line, in order to avoid queues we suggest departing at 8:30am or 9:00am.
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Blue Mosque / Sultanahmet Camii Built in the early 1600s for Sultan Ahmet I of the Ottoman Empire, the Blue Mosque is truly a magnificent masterpiece of architecture with amazingly delicate proportions for a building of such massive scale.
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Have to skip one of the mosques to save time to visit the interior of The Basilica Cistern. A former water storage chamber and one of Istanbul's greatest surviving Byzantine sites.
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Grand Bazaar / Kapalı Çarşı One of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world with over 4,000 shops with colorful products of ceramic, leather, rugs, carpets, handicrafts, clothes, silver, and gold.
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Bosphorus Cruise by Public Ferry or Private Cruise ( if option is chosen) Take the public ferry for Bosphorus Cruise to see both Istanbul’s European and Asian sides, Galata Tower, Dolmabahce Palace, Beylerbeyi Palace, the Rumeli Fortress, old Ottoman villas, Bosphorus bridges, mosques. Your best Istanbul tour memories will definitely include the Bosphorus.
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Dolmabahce Palace / Dolmabahçe Sarayı Elegance and beauty with the most luxury decoration, chandeliers, rugs, crystals, ceramic fireplaces. Beautiful palace, right on the Bosphorus with gorgeous furnishings, paintings, porcelains made in particular to Dolmabahce.
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Taksim Square / Taksim Meydanı A great place defining modern Turkey which witnessed important historical moments. Close to Istiklal Street (Istiklal Caddesi) and Galata Tower along with embassies of European countries in Taxim. Cicek Passage has very good food joints, cafes, shops, bars, night clubs around Taksim.
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Topkapi Palace Museum / Topkapı Sarayı More than just an Imperial Residence of Ottoman Sultans, it was the seat of the Supreme Executive and Judiciary Council for almost 400 years long. Topkapi Palace is a great monument of Oriental architecture which resembles the power of the Ottoman Empire.
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Istiklal Street is the modern and colorful face of Turkey with churches, modern art galeries, embassies, pubs, cafes and shops selling different kind of products.
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We will see the tower FROM OUTSIDE, due to the regulations unfortunately tour guides don't have skip the line priority here so it takes long time to wait queue. Your tour guide will make you explanation about tower.
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Spice Market / Mısır Çarşısı Egyptian Bazaar is a colorful indoor bazaar and has lots of shops offering a variety of spices, purses, flavored teas, Turkish delight, nuts, as well as ceramics, and small souvenirs. Spice Bazaar is located in Eminonu Square which is the connection point of Bosphorus and Golden Horn.
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Cicek Passage / Flower Passage Originally named as Cite de Pera, a combined structure of traditional and modern construction methods and architectural style by Ottoman Empire is reflected and today we see the small shops and cafes here.
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Suleymaniye Mosque / Süleymaniye Camii is the largest mosque in Istanbul and is as impressive on the inside as it is on the outside. In the garden behind the mosque, the Suleymaniye terrace offers lovely views of the Golden Horn and Bosphorus.
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Fener-Balat Neighborhood backstreet walk Continue exploring Istanbul’s rich religious history with a stop at the Church of St. George. Since the 1600s, the church has been the location of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and is recognized as the spiritual leader of the Eastern Orthodox Religion. Balat District; lines of drying laundry stretch across steep, winding streets. Century-old Ottoman houses lean against each other in a combination of reds, blues, and greens. And art galleries and design shops dot the area along the water.
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Orthodox Patriarch
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Historic Areas of Istanbul
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Pierre Loti Hill and Cable Car are some of the most popular sights to visit since it offers great views for visitors. Take the cable car to reach the top and enjoy the beautiful scenery while sipping your Turkish coffee or tea.
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Kadikoy's Fish Market and its well-known "Bahariye Street" are the best places to visit in Istanbul's Asian side, Kadikoy
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Golden Horn region which is one of the oldest settlements of the city of Constantinople.
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St. Stephen Church; Located on the shore of the Golden Horn, the church is also known as the Iron Church due to the fact that it’s made entirely of prefabricated cast iron in 19th century.

ADDITIONAL INFO

• Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Specialized infant seats are available
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels
• Skip the line service is not available for active mosques - there is a queue for the entrance.
• If one of the mosques is not visited, Basilica Cistern will be visited as a replacement.
• On Fridays, Hagia Sophia or Blue Mosque will be visited from outside because of the worship.
• Dolmabahce Palace is closed on Mondays. Due to museum regulations, live guide service is not available at Dolmabahce Palace.
• Tour guides don't have skip-the-line priority in Hagia Sophia. You may need to wait in the security line, in order to avoid queues we suggest departing at 8:30am or 9:00am.
• Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays can be replaced with Spice Market.
• Topkapi Palace is closed on Tuesdays can be replaced with alternatives.
• For the tours that start later than 11 am, kindly note that you may have to skip one/a couple of sites as the sites are closed by 7 pm. Your guide will adjust the program according to your priorities.

CANCELLATION POLICY

Posted By : Sbqazi
We had an amazing three day tour in Istanbul thanks to our guide Atahan. He was extremely knowledgeable about all the sites we saw and a natural story teller. He custom tailored our stops to our interests and gave us the best recommendations for food in the various neighborhoods we visited. He also taught us the ins and outs of the city so we could feel confident navigating on our own. In reality we got a food and culture and history and life of a local tour, all in one and I can't recommend this tour enough.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-07-01 11:58:55

Posted By : Samantha K
Ali was fabulous!!! We had the best day in Istanbul’s city -he showed us everything we wanted and more !! He had so much knowledge of history and the area - we shopped and ate yummy food — a perfect day today!
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-07-01 10:58:49

Posted By : H8233JKfernandot
Fantastic, really makes a difference when someone is knowledgeable. Tolga really showed us around, and helped us make the most of our time. Really informative and friendly.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-07-01 09:01:58

Posted By : Dennis_M
We had a wonderful time on our 2 day private, custom tour of Istanbul! Our tour guide, Rubil, was very knowledgeable about the history and culture on Istanbul and also gave us excellent recommendations for food and shopping throughout the two days.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-07-01 05:31:06

Posted By : Stuart_L
Visited Istanbul as part of a cruise with a family of 5 adults. Our guide, Eda, was great and
I would highly recommend her as a guide for anyone considering a guided tour of Istanbul. First of all, Istanbul is best seen by public transport/walking. Traffic is awful and the trams take you to most places tourists want to see. Our visit included seeing the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, Basilica Cisterns, a great lunch, and the Grand Bazaar. All along the way, Eda provided information and answered any questions we had. I highly recommend using Best of Istanbul tours and especially Eda as a guide.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-06-30 16:06:43

Posted By : Kcbg
We had a great experience with Ozan. Tour company was really prompt in responding to our questions. Ozan was really experienced, was very flexible and made recommendations that well suited our group. We will definitely recommend him to others.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-06-30 12:19:03

Posted By : LJN815
30JUN24

Absorbing Istanbul over a two-day period can be quite daunting. But Cumhur, our gifted guide, delivered on every level. He is tireless in his drive to educate and inspire. His wit, insights, and deep knowledge of the city he loves and its people is evident, and infectious.

Thank you, Cumhur! Tesekkurler ederim, Cumhur!
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-06-30 11:34:34

Posted By : MYTH7612
The whole experience was wonderful. I travelled with my elderly parents, but Kerim, our guide, was very knowledgeable, friendly, and accommodated to my parents' needs. We were introduced to some very amazing restaurants in Istanbul. We covered all of the top attractions(Hagia Sofia, blue mosque, Taksim Square etc) , and Kerim explained every attraction with profounding knowledge and interesting facts. Highly recommended for hiring a private guide when travelling Istanbul, it made navigating around the city much easier for first-timers.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-06-30 10:34:27

Posted By : Luisa C
My guide Ekrem was always checking in to ensure we were covering my main items of interest and had great local knowledge.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-06-30 10:20:00

Posted By : I889CQericf
Tarik was an incredible personal tour guide for our family. We had one full day in Istanbul and Tarik picked us up at our hotel and took us on an efficient walking tour to all the major sights. He was extremely knowledgeable on all periods of Turkish history and shared really interesting stories about many features in the sites. We highly recommend hiring him for a private tour, because unlike a group tour, he comes right inside every room and explains each detail while you see it. Also the agency buys all your tickets and saves time waiting in lines.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-06-30 05:32:35