Day 1 – Arrival in Istanbul Dinner Included
Welcome to Turkey! Arrive into Istanbul. Transfer from airport & check in to your hotel. You will be given your room key and the rest of the day is yours to explore the vibrant city.
After your check-in we will pick you up and take you to Taksim Square. The Taksim Monument will be seen in Taksim Square, which is the starting point of our tour. Our guide will explain the monument's history and the meaning of Taksim. Then you’ll see the Hagia Triada Church and move down Istiklal Street. There are many historical inns and buildings in this region where Europeans lived during the Ottoman period. In addition to many restaurants serving traditional Turkish food, there are also historical dessert shops on this street.
Our guide will take you around the side streets of this region, which also has modern shopping opportunities. Çiçek Pasajı, the flower passage, which is a magnificent historical passage, will be visited. St. Anthony of Padua Church with its magnificent architecture will be visited. The last stop will be the Galata Tower (no entrance). You will arrive at the front of the famous Galata Tower by walking through the magnificent historical streets of Beyoğlu and Galata, then you’ll have free time until evening.
Day 2 – Istanbul – Old City Tour & Dinner Bosphorus Cruise Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included
Morning: having breakfast in the hotel, pick-up time for the tour at 09:00 to enjoy a full day tour in Istanbul. First stop will be Hagia Sophia: the 4th biggest church in the world. Construction dates to the 4th century and it was chosen as the 2nd best engineering structure of human history by the BBC.
After that, visit Topkapi Palace, the great palace of the Ottoman sultans from the 15th to the 19th centuries housing an exquisite collection of crystal, silver, and Chinese porcelain, robes worn by the sultans and their families, the famous jewels of the Imperial Treasury, miniatures, and the Holy Mantle enshrining relics of the Prophet Mohammed.
Blue Mosque: the best interior-designed mosque in Ottoman architecture with its 20,000 pieces of İznik tiles, unique with its 6 minarets. Moving on with the Hippodrome: the center of Byzantine entertainment where 30,000 civilians were killed by order of the queen with arrow rain inside it during the Nika Revolt. Lunch break. After the lunch, we will get back to the hotel for some rest. Time to discover the Grand Covered Bazaar.
In the evening between 19:30 – 20:00 you will be picked up from your hotel and transferred to the boat for a Dinner Cruise on the Bosphorus, with a drop-off back to the hotel at the end of the tour. During the tour you will be able to see historical places like Dolmabahçe Palace, Ortaköy Mosque, Maiden's Tower, Rumeli Fortress, Bosphorus Bridge, Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, Beylerbeyi Palace, etc. After dinner you can dance the night away to entertaining music provided by a professional DJ and traditional show programs or simply relax with a drink and enjoy the view. We combine a delicious meal with unparalleled views of Istanbul and live entertainment to create Istanbul's leading Bosphorus Dinner Cruise. End of entertainment at about midnight 12:00 PM, transfer to your hotel. Overnight in Istanbul.
Day 3 – Istanbul – Basilica Cistern & Grand Bazaar & Transfer to Airport Breakfast & Lunch Included
After breakfast we will check-out from the hotel and our first stop is the Basilica Cistern. This subterranean cistern was called Basilica because it was located under a large public square, the Stoa Basilica, on the First Hill of Constantinople. Prior to its construction, a great basilica stood on the spot. It had been built during the Early Roman Age between the 3rd and 4th centuries as a commercial, legal, and artistic centre. The basilica was reconstructed by Illus after a fire in 476.
We will visit the New Mosque. Time to discover the Egyptian Bazaar (Spice Bazaar). One of Grandoria's adventures comes to an end. We hope you have enjoyed your travel to Turkey; we wish you all the best and a great flight.