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

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.

Sultanahmet District

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.

Germa Fountain / Alman Çeşmesi

Sultanahmet Square

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

• 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.
• 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.

• 3-Day Private Guided Tour
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  3-Day Private Guided Tour
  Pickup included
• 1-Day Private Guide & Van Tour
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  Private Guide & Mercedes Vito
  Pickup included
• 1-Day Private Guided Tour
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  Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace Museum, Blue Mosque, Hippodrome, Grand Bazaar.
  Pickup included
• 2-Day Private Guided Tour
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  2-Day Program:Day 1: Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, Grand Bazaar, Hippodrome.Day 2: Spice Market, Bosphorus Cruise, Dolmabahce Palace, Taksim Square, Istiklal Street.
  Pickup included

• Professional local guide
• Private tour
• Guide meets you at central hotels

• Transportation (from/back to hotel, between sites (unless option selected)
• Museum/Ferry/Cable Car Tickets
• Lunch
• Gratitude (suggested)

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• This Tour is Provided by Guided Istanbul Tours.
• Tour Timezone & Starts at Europe/Istanbul.
• Mobile or paper ticket accepted.
• For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
• This Tour is Rated 5 Stars based on 6691 valid reviews on VIATOR.
• Minimum 1 Travelers is required to book.
• Maximum 8 Travelers is accepted for booking.