Arrival in Istanbul & Old City Tour Lunch Included
Welcome to Turkey! Arrive into Galata Port. Our guide will welcome you at the port, lead you to the bus, and provide a brief overview as you begin your exploration of this vibrant city.
Our first stop will be the Hippodrome, the center of Byzantine entertainment where 30,000 civilians were killed by order of the queen with arrow rain during the Nika Revolt. Then we will visit the Blue Mosque, the best interior-designed mosque in Ottoman architecture with its 20,000 pieces of Iznik tiles, uniquely featuring 6 minarets.
Our next stop will be Hagia Sophia, the 4th biggest church in the world. Construction dates back to the 4th century and it was chosen as the 2nd best engineering structure in human history by the BBC. Time to discover the Grand Covered Bazaar, one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with more than 58 covered streets and over 4,000 shops attracting between 250,000 and half a million visitors daily. It is well known for its jewelry, pottery, spice, and carpet shops. We will visit a handmade Turkish carpets demonstration, followed by a lunch break.
OPTIONAL ENTRANCE (45 EURO PER PERSON): 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.