We will see as many churches as we can see from outside.
Our day starts with the visit of St. Saviour of Chora from outside. Built originally as a part of a monastery complex in the 4th century, transformed to a mosque at the beginning of 16th century, became a museum in 1945, and recently retransformed to a mosque again. We will continue with Tekfur Palace, a late 13th-century Byzantine palace. Next stop is the Church of St. Mary of Blachernae, an Eastern Orthodox church. We will see the Church of Saint Mary of the Mongols from 7th century. And the oldest surviving and most prestigious Greek Orthodox school in Istanbul, Phanar Greek Orthodox College. Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople is also on our itinerary. We will finish our tour with Monastery of the Pantocrator, the most typical example of architecture of the Byzantine middle period in Constantinople. And finally we will see the remains of the Church of St. Polyeuctus, from the 6th century.
Posted By : robert I
We essentially toured slums. Churches were not seen even from exterior. Lunch was offered in a slum and my wife and I got sick. Will never use viator or trip advisor again
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Posted On : 2022-09-25 09:20:37 
Posted By : George_C
Diana was an outstanding guide. She knew her subject matter very well and was very professional. Also could explain things in context of the current situation
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Posted On : 2022-05-12 15:31:46 
Posted By : kingsongeo
Wow! Wow! And wow!
This is one of the best experience to have in Istanbul.
It takes an excellent guide, and be prepared with your extended distance walking shoes.
Lutfallah, the guide, skillfully navigated the city.
Superb!
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Posted On : 2020-02-06 16:45:20
Posted By : Suzanne2303
Our guide Lutfi picked us up from our hotel as arranged. My husband and I were the only ones on the tour which made it very special.
We started with the highlight- Chora church mosaics. If you are interested in beautiful art, the mosaics in the Chora church will blow you away. The walls and ceilings were covered in mosaics mostly of reasonable quality. Absolutely fantastic to see! Lutfi told us the story of all the mosaics and gave us plenty of time to take photos.
I was a bit disappointed that we started with the Chora mosaics as everything after would fade in comparison, but in hindsight it was better to start with this while we were fresh and unaffected by the heat. The tour comprises a lot of walking ( around 12km) and in the heat it is quite exhausting!
The rest of the tour was great in that as well as looking at Byzantine mosques and monasteries which had mostly been converted from churches, we wandered the streets where few tourists go. It gave us an insight into another side of Istanbul.
Our guide was very knowledgeable and helpful.
Lunch was authentic Turkish fare ( but not tourist kebabs or pide as explained by Lutfi) and extremely filling!
This was a remarkable tour for us, but may not appeal to everyone.
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Posted On : 2019-07-10 11:17:47
Posted By : Cynthia_K
We enjoyed this tour very much. Our guide Ilker was incredibly knowledgeable. His enthusiasm and warmth made this tour particularly memorable. We enjoyed a wonderful meal with Ilker at a restaurant in the Fatih district. He could not have chosen a better itinerary or restaurant.
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Posted On : 2019-05-16 18:54:23
Posted By : Mattias R
Marvelous! Absolutely marveIous! I was in luck since I was the only one having booked the tour that day. So a small-group tour turned into a private tour for me. And this tour was the highlight of my trip. After having experienced the big tourist attractions I wanted to find the hidden historical gems... and this tour did not disappoint! My tour guide was extremely friendly and he was also extremely knowledgable, and imparted the knowledge in really fun ways! I highly recommend this tour if you have visited all the big attractions Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque etc and want something a little different.
Oh, and the lunch included? Absolutely fantastic! Normally an included lunch is fairly standard, more filling than anything, but this lunch was at a restaurant with home cooked anatolian food.
One fair bit of warning for this tour though, there is much walking involved so if you are not prepared for that this tour might not be for you.
Posted By : Gerchih C
My tour guide Serhat is very knowledgeable and friendly.
Posted By : gigiwieringa
Great tour guide. We were able to see and experience the remaining gems of the old Byzantine Monasteries. Not much remains intact, but if you enjoy history and wandering through the old streets to piece together the clues, it is a fun time.
Posted By : Brent G
My day with Ilker was the best part of my trip to Istanbul. He was very knowledgeable about Christian sites and history, but also took time to explain many Muslim traditions and practices as well. Overall I could not have had a better day. Thank you!
Posted By : Eugene O
Illcare (phonetic spelling), the Guide, was a very knowledgeable and friendly person who took his time to explain the background to each church, mosque or space we visited in a packed and thoroughly enjoyable itinerary. Thanks to the company "Istanbul Walks".
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