Istanbul Old Town Tour: Explore Classics, Highlights & Discover Hidden Gems
5.0
36 Ratings
Fatih
Embark on an Istanbul Old Town Tour and uncover the city's classics, highlights, and hidden gems. Experience the chaos of Istanbul while exploring well-thought city routes and immersing yourself in the local culture.
Duration:
8 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
learn more
Highlights
- Hagia Sophia Mosque - We will learn about Hagia Sophia, which was an imperial worship place both for Islam and Christianity. No admission fee.
- Blue Mosque - This 17th-century mosque is worth to pay visit to get familiar with religion of Islam. It a complex of tomb, school and market place ‘Arasta Bazaar’ with small street full of little shops. There is a great variety of goods to buy great souvenirs. No admission fee for the mosque. It is suitable to carry a scarf to cover the head during the visit.
- Topkapi Palace - This visit to the 15th-century palace is very telling to understand the life and culture during Ottoman Empire that took Istanbul from Romans in 1453 and ruled until the foundation of Republic of Turkey in 1923.
There are 2 options here. You can either visit only the general palace or also harem section.
Topkapı Palace General Section Fee > 500 Lira
Topkapı Palace + Harem Section Fee > 650 Lira
- Hagia Irene Museum - Location for lunch is flexible! Next to Aya İrini there is a great restaurant with cool ambiance!
- Hippodrome - At Hippodrome Area we will learn about the culture and entertainment hub of Roman and Ottoman Empire and also learn the background story of the interesting monuments such as Serpent Column and Obelisk of Theodosius.
- Nakkas Oriental Rugs & Textiles - We are discovering underground Istanbul, here we will see the remains of a Byzantine cistern which is not really included to classic tours.
- Grand Bazaar - After a walk with highlights of the market and assistance for the specific product you intend to buy, we complete the trip in a special venue where we have a turkish coffee or a tea and a traditional dessert in a great ambiance.
What's Included
- All fees and taxes included
- Expert tour guidance service
What's Not Included
- Museum Fees
- Lunch
- Tips
Additional Information
Navigating the bustling energy of Istanbul can be quite an endeavor. Crafting a carefully planned urban itinerary that encompasses a variety of notable and lesser-known attractions provides an invaluable chance for exploration. Such planning not only conserves time for travelers but also enriches their encounter with local flavors. Delving into the latest happenings, fashionable waves, and cultural depth of the city might offer a more expansive perspective than that found in static blog entries or outdated YouTube vlogs.
Location
Alemdar Caddesi
we are meeting in front of the entrance of the Gulhane Park on Alemdar Street.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(36 Ratings)
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Jacksomm2023
Apr 9, 2024
A memorable tour with Tugce - Tugce is an amazing tour guide. She is very kind and easy going to answer all of my question about culture, history, daily life in her beloved city. The tour made me find out interesting facts of Turkey
Review provided by Tripadvisor
312amitt
Apr 2, 2024
Old city guided tour - We had a private tour arranged with Tuğçe for a half day tour in the old city including Ayasofia and Tapkapi Palace for friends and family.
The tour was very informative. Tuğçe was kind and understanding, keeping the whole tour exciting and fitting in our needs.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Fytravel
Nov 6, 2023
Istanbul on foot - We booked Tugce Rehber on the 25th Sept 2023 to tour the Golden Horn area of Istanbul - what an experience!!! Tugce, a young vibrant and very knowledgeable guide took us to see the Peirre Loti point and then walk down to visit several beautiful churches - the Bulgarian Iron Church and the Orthodox church in the Fenner area. We also went to the Eyub Sultan mosque with a tomb, sat in the square and enjoyed a local wrap !
We walked in the small streets passing by the colourful residential buildings ; the most fascinating part of of this day tour was Tugce introduced us to several local foods, a winter drink made from pickled vegetables. We ended our day with her in a nice roof top local restaurant with a wonderful spreed of the local cuisine.
I would recommend Tugce to anyone looking for a guide in Istanbul. Thank you Tugce
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416setus
Oct 5, 2023
Best experience in Istanbul - Tugce was phenomenal! She was extremely informative and we learned so much. She was patient, and very sweet. She took great pictures of me and my wife, answered all of our questions, and took us to a great place for Lunch !!
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Onair32261179373
Sep 16, 2023
A day off immersion in history and culture of Istanbul. - Tugce came highly recommended from friends and she certainly did not disappoint. From the moment she met us at our hotel to start our tour of magnificent Istanbul we knew we were in good hands. Her depth of knowledge about the history not only of landmarks of Istanbul, but also the surrounding regions, made the day far more meaningful. She has a passion for Istanbul, Turkey and its culture, and was equally curious to understand our culture (of Australia). She put her personal stamp on the tour by taking us to some of her favourite spots for traditional coffee snd lunch. It was truly a memorable and informative day - we highly recommend her.
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Scubagalme
Sep 11, 2023
Istanbul highlights with Tuğçe Uçar - Tuğçe Uçar is a wonderful tour guide. She is energetic, efficient, and has a very positive personality. She offers a wealth of information about history, culture, and food. She is also extremely personable and inquisitive. She loves learning about foreign cultures as much as she loves educating people about her Turkish culture and history. I appreciated that she was willing and able to customize the tour to meet my specific interests. It was a flawless and fun day.
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John
Sep 7, 2023
Istanbul Done Right - My wife and I booked a 2 day tour with Tuğçe and it was more informative, fun, and interesting than we ever could of imagined! She took us to a number of off the beaten path places where we learned a lot about the culture and lifestyles of the people of Istanbul. We would definitely recommend a tour with Tuğçe to anyone!
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869sallyd
Jul 23, 2023
Three.cheers for Tugce - Tugce is a super choice and was a valuable guide for a personal tour. A personal guide gets you past the ques and gives you a much more, well, personal experience! Tugce is fun energetic pocket rocket who helped us learn about what it’s like to be a you g person in modern Turkiye as well as all the cultural history. The latter is so much more interesting than just the history of conflicts and helped us understand our modern world so much better. Three cheers for Tugce.
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Wanderer248072
Jul 18, 2023
Istanbul with Tuğçe - Istanbul was on my travel list for a while and finally I got to see this beautiful, diverse and vibrant city this summer. A friend recommended her tour guide from last year and I am so glad Tuğçe had availability as it was last minute booking. She is very professional, knowledgeable and with a great sense of humor. I had 2 ten year old children with me and was worried that girls would get bored and tired to spend 6 hour walking and learning day. I was wrong as Tuğçe made the sightseeing so fun and intriguing for them with all the legends and stories from the past. She was able to adjust to their walking pace and answered tons of questions. I recommend visiting Istanbul and definitely advise Tuğçe as your personal tour guide while you do that. Travel Istanbul!
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E9080uwlouiseh
Jul 17, 2023
Must do!! - Absolute must to have a guide! We learnt so much. Tugçe drew our attention to things that we would have completely missed. Private tour also meant we could ask lots of questions. Highly recommend Tugçe she is so knowledgeable and passionate. Highlight of our Istanbul visit!
Review provided by Tripadvisor