Private 7-Hour Tour of Istanbul's Iconic Landmarks

7 hours 15 minutes Free CancellationPickup availableInstant confirmationPrivate tourGuided Operated by PrivateTripTurkey 5.0 from 284 reviews

Why we love it?

This Private Istanbul Tour offers a comprehensive shore excursion ideal for cruise passengers seeking to explore the city’s historic heart with a licensed guide. You’ll visit the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, the Blue Mosque, and Sultanahmet Square, where the Serpent Column and the Obelisk of Theodosius stand as ancient landmarks. Your tour includes admission to the Topkapi Palace Museum, allowing time to discover the former Ottoman imperial residence. The itinerary also provides the opportunity to browse authentic Turkish handcrafts and purchase souvenirs at the Grand Bazaar and around the Sultanahmet District. With skip-the-line ticketing arranged for Topkapi Palace and Basilica Cistern, this private tour balances key cultural sites with flexibility to move at your own pace before returning to your ship on time.

Inclusions

  • Professional Licensed Tour Guide
  • Public Transportation - From Cruise Port ( Pick up /Drop Off& TOUR)
  • We will skip the line to buy the tickets for Topkapi palace and Basilica Cistern
  • Unique time to discover Turkish Handcrafts: (Carpet -Leather-Ceramic and Jewelry)

Exclusions

  • Lunch
  • Gratitude (suggested)
  • Admisson/Entrance fee - Topkapi Palace
  • Admisson/Entrance fee - Basilica Cistern
  • Transportation by VAN - UNLESS OPTION SELECTED (Pick up/Drop Off&Tour ALL DAY)

Itinerary

Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque

Hagia Sophia Museum / Ayasofya / Santa Sofia Built in the 6th century by Emperor Justinian, played a very important role in the Christian and Islamic World. After the Ottoman conquest the bells, altar, iconoclastic, and sacrificial vessels were removed, and many of the mosaics were eventually plastered over to convert the church into a mosque then a museum and now it’s a mosque for the second time. The most important stop of an Istanbul tour is operated in Old City Istanbul / Constantinople. *Please note that as it's not a museum anymore, tour guides don't have skip-the-line priority there. You may need to wait in the security line, in order to avoid queues we suggest departing at 8:30am or 9:00am.

The Basilica Cistern, or Cisterna Basilica (Greek: Βασιλική Κινστέρνα, Turkish: Yerebatan Sarnıcı or Yerebatan Saray, "Subterranean Cistern" or "Subterranean Palace"), is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city of Istanbul, Turkey. The cistern, located 150 metres (490 ft) southwest of the Hagia Sophia on the historical peninsula of Sarayburnu, was built in the 6th century during the reign of Byzantine emperor Justinian I. Today it is kept with little water, for public access inside the space.

Topkapi Palace Museum

The Blue Mosque

The Serpent Column (Ancient Greek: Τρικάρηνος Ὄφις Τrikarenos Οphis "Three-headed Serpent"; Turkish: Yılanlı Sütun "Serpentine Column"), also known as the Serpentine Column, Plataean Tripod or Delphi Tripod, is an ancient bronze column at the Hippodrome of Constantinople (known as Atmeydanı "Horse Square" in the Ottoman period) in what is now Istanbul, Turkey

The Hippodrome of Constantinople (Greek: Ἱππόδρομος τῆς Κωνσταντινουπόλεως, romanized: Hippódromos tēs Kōnstantinoupóleōs; Latin: Circus Maximus Constantinopolitanus; Turkish: Hipodrom), was a circus that was the sporting and social centre of Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire. Today it is a square in Istanbul, Turkey, known as Sultanahmet Square (Turkish: Sultanahmet Meydanı).

Obelisk of Theodosius

Grand Bazaar

Please Note

  • Wheelchair accessible
  • Not stroller accessible
  • Not suitable for pets
  • Infants must not sit on laps
  • Infant seats unavailable
  • Wheelchair accessible
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Guaranteed On-Time Return To Your Ship Traveler pickup is offered. Guaranteed On-Time Return To Your Ship FOR LAST MINUTE BOOKINGS AND LATE DEPARTURES, as museums and some sites will be closed around 17:00 pm, alternative tour sites will be advised by the tour guide during the tour. Tour guide meets you at central Istanbul hotels or Galata Port. If the hotel is not centrally located, the meeting point will be in front of the Binbirdirek, **GERMAN FOUNTAIN**, Fatih/İstanbul,
  • If van service is not chosen your guide will pick you up at centrally located hotels on foot. We pick up all guests from CRUISE PORT Ports:
  • Istanbul Cruise Port
  • Galataport Istanbul, Kılıçali Paşa Mah. Meclis-i Mebusan Cad. No: 8 İç Kapı No: 102, Kılıçali Paşa, 34433 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Türkiye Hotel pickup is offered. View the hotel list on our checkout page to see if yours is included among the pickup points.

Know Before You Go

  • Public transportation nearby

Cancellation Policy

Fully refundable until 1 day before start

Non-refundable after 1 day before start