Full day tour:
starts: 09:00 a.m., finishes: 05:30 p.m.
Tour features:
Ancient Hippodrome, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia Basilica (closed on Monday), Topkapi Palace Complex (closed on Tuesday), Grand Bazaar (closed on Sunday)
Program:
Your private licensed tour guide will meet you at your hotel or cruise ship and accompany you to the Sultanahmet District, in the heart of old Istanbul. Transportation is via modern, comfortable air-conditioned car, van or mini-bus, appropriate to the size of your group. Start with a visit to the ancient Hippodrome, an area that was once the centre of Byzantine civic life, with as many as 10,000 zealous fans witnessing chariot races, executions, and mock battles. Continue to Sultan Ahmet Mosque, more familiarly known as the Blue Mosque because its interior gleams with a magnificent paneling of blue and white 17th century Iznik tiles. Next, visit Hagia Sophia, often described as the greatest work of Byzantine architecture. Once the Church of Holy Wisdom, Christendom’s crowning glory, and now a museum, this church once glittered with mosaics, and art treasures filled every corner.
Our next stop is Topkapi Palace. We suggest Konyali restaurant within the complex for lunch (lunch on your own) before starting our tour of the palace. We will spend time exploring this former imperial residence from where the great Ottoman Empire was ruled for 400 years. Today, it is a spectacular museum with one of the largest collections of Chinese and Japanese porcelain and the very famous treasury of the Ottoman Sultans.
Our final visit today is to the famous Grand Covered Bazaar. In addition to its historical importance, this bazaar will tempt even non-shoppers with nearly four thousand shops exhibiting a rich collection of precious handmade carpets, jewelry, leather, antiques, and souvenirs. Here, our tour will end, and we will return with our guide to the hotel or cruise ship.
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