Istanbul Old City is one of the best places available in the world to travel back in time. Anyone exploring Istanbul should take a look at the Old City and go on a journey all the way back to the 6th Century. There are lots of attractions available for you to explore in the Old City as well. Therefore, you will be able to keep yourself occupied throughout the day.
Throughout the journey to the Old City, you will be getting the help of a private tour guide. You just need to visit the attractions, and your tour guide will buy tickets, explain the background of attractions, and take care of everything.
What to experience in Istanbul Old City?
You can start off your journey by visiting the Hippodrome. We will pick you from the hotel and take you there. This is where you will be able to see the venue that hosted major sporting activities and political events during the Byzantine and Roman Empires. During your stay at the Hippodrome, you will figure out how it is like to be a sports fan on ancient Istanbul.
Next, you can head over to Hagia Sophia. It is also known as the Church of Holy Wisdom or the Church of St. Sophia. This is one of the most outstanding architectural masterpieces that you can find out there in the world as of now. It was initially a mosque, but was later converted to a museum, and converted again to a mosque in the recent past.
After exploring Hagia Sophia, you can continue to the Blue Mosque. This is where you can take a closer look at the icon of the city. The Blue Mosque is well known for the amazing Iznik tiles. These are the graceful minarets that you can see in the city. You will be able to discover them from numerous parts of the city as well. This is among the best places to visit in Istanbul.
Then you can head over to explore the narrow lanes in Grand Bazaar. On the way to the Grand Bazaar, we will be stopping by a historical madrasah, where you can enjoy Turkish tea or coffee. The Grand Bazaar is linked along with the Old Book Bazaar. This is the biggest covered market that you can find out there in the world. There is no other market in the world like this one. At the market, you can discover over 4,000 different shops. These shops offer something for everyone. Among products that are available for sale at the shops, you can find leather work, decorative jewelry, carpets, and souvenirs. If you want to buy something to take back home, you should explore this market. Your tour guide can share a list of the best shops to buy what you want!
At the end of the day, you can visit the traditional Turkish café located within the Old City. It will provide a perfect ending to your old city tour. The café offers some of the most refreshing foods and beverages. It is a perfect opportunity to indulge yourself in the authentic food cuisine of old Turkey. During the day, our tour guide will help you with exploring a Byzantine cistern in Istanbul as well.
Important things to keep in mind
It is important to keep in mind that the Grand Bazaar is closed on every Sunday. If you want to do some shopping, you should avoid Sundays as much as possible. On the other hand, you should bring cash along with you to do shopping in the bazaar as well.
Cost and Duration
The duration for Istanbul Old City tour is 4 hours. We will be covering all the major attractions in the Old City as mentioned above.
The cost for Istanbul old City tour is starting from 120 USD per person. A minimum of two individuals are required for the tour. In return, we can provide you with the best tour guide in Istanbul.
