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Istanbul Walking tours

Our most recommended Istanbul Walking tours

Istanbul: Topkapi Palace Guided Tour and Skip The Line

1. Istanbul: Topkapi Palace Guided Tour and Skip The Line

Skip the line and visit the most important museum of Turkey and the Balkan Peninsula. Discover how the Topkapi Palace was built between 1466 - 1478 and served for over 400 years as the residency and administrative headquarter of the Ottoman Sultans. The guide will explain to you the entire story of the Palace during a one hour tour. Marvel at the great architectural beauty of this important monument of the Ottoman Empire.

Istanbul: Dolmabahçe Palace Admission and Guided Tour

2. Istanbul: Dolmabahçe Palace Admission and Guided Tour

Explore Dolmabahçe Palace, the biggest royal residence of the Ottoman sultans and the imperial family. Check out incredible architecture and interior design as you learn about the palace's history from your guide. Meet your guide outside the monument and enter with your skip-the-line admission ticket. Begin a guided tour of the stunning interiors. Learn about how the palace was built by the orders of Sultan Abdülmecid I and opened in 1856. Admire the greatest collection of Baccarat and Bohemian chandeliers on the planet, including the biggest Bohemian chandelier ever. Marvel at the vast collection of gold inside, specifically on the ornate ceilings.  As you continue the tour, learn about the distinct differences between the Dolmabahçe Palace and the Topkapı Palace, from their architectural style to the use of furniture. Find out how the Dolmabahçe Palace was the last headquarters of the empire and was served until 1922. At the end of your tour, spend some time going around the Imperial Harem on your own.

Istanbul: Topkapi Palace & Harem Tour with Entry Ticket

3. Istanbul: Topkapi Palace & Harem Tour with Entry Ticket

Discover the Topkapi Palace on a guided tour with skip-the-line tickets. Learn about Ottoman history in the Palace and the life of Sultan's family in the harem. Explore the splendor of Topkapi Palace, the heart of the Ottoman Empire. Discover how the complex of buildings, pavilions, and courtyards was a self-contained city, which most inhabitants rarely left. Explore the outer-terraced gardens and admire the view over the Golden Horn. Immerse yourself in the heart of the great Ottoman Empire. Stroll through the palace, and imagine the ruling Sultans who lived in its hundreds of rooms with their vast families and countless servants. Visit the harem, ruled by the Queen Mother who wielded domestic and political power. The harem housed hundreds of women and family members as well as hundreds of eunuchs, who performed a wide range of duties. Take a moment to spot the cupboard doors inlaid with mother-of-pearl and tortoiseshell. Walk through the Harem is also the only way to see the very early, exceptionally-crafted Iznik tiles decorated with floral designs and verses from the Quran. The tour ends with a visit to the holy relics and the imperial kitchens.

Istanbul: Topkapi Palace & Harem Ticket, Tour & Audio Guide

4. Istanbul: Topkapi Palace & Harem Ticket, Tour & Audio Guide

Skip-the-line entry to the glorious Topkapi Palace of Istanbul. Explore the museum with a guide, then take the time to discover the treasures at your own pace with an audio guide. Learn all about the palace's opulent pavilions, jewel-filled Treasury, and sprawling Harem. Meet your guide in front of the museum and go directly to the entrance. Save 2 to 3 hours by skipping the line. If you choose the private option, purchase your ticket to the palace upon arrival. Following security checks, discover the council hall, arms and armory section, and holy relics with your guide. Learn about the palace's colorful history. Then, enjoy the palace at your own pace with an audio guide. Take a long coffee break while enjoying a spectacular view of the Bosphorus. You can see all of the palace in an hour, or you can choose to stay inside for several hours to explore fully at your leisure.

Hagia Sophia: Entry with Guided Tour

5. Hagia Sophia: Entry with Guided Tour

Travel back in time to experience the story of the ancient Hagia Sophia on a guided tour in Istanbul. Trace how this iconic site has transformed over time with a local guide. Uncover stunning details as you explore this architectural gem. Meet with your professional local guide in front of Hagia Sophia. Hear a short history of the Old City then start the Hagia Sophia tour.  Your guide will explain the mystery of the magnificent Hagia Sophia. Hagia Sophia is a great architectural beauty and an important monument both for the Byzantine and the Ottoman Empires. Once a church, later a mosque, the Hagia Sophia has always been a precious building for the locals.

Istanbul: Hagia Sophia & Topkapi Combo Tour (English Guide)

6. Istanbul: Hagia Sophia & Topkapi Combo Tour (English Guide)

Visiting Topkapi Palace requires standing in 2 lines: one for the ticket, and one for the security check. With this combo tour, you skip the ticket lines and enter the Topkapi Palace as fast as possible, giving you more time to spend inside museums. At Hagia Sophia you can not skip the line and need to wait for the security check on the way along the security check the tour guide will share with you the most important historical facts about Istanbul. To use your voucher, meet your local host at the entrance of Hürrem Sultan Hamam across the Hagia Sophia or the Topkapi Cafe, next to the main entrance of the Topkapi Palace. Your guides are available at the time selected during the booking process at a very visible meeting point.  With this combo tour, you can visit each attraction one time. You can visit both attractions in one day or you can visit each location on different days.

Istanbul: Basilica Cistern Tour and Skip The Line with Guide

7. Istanbul: Basilica Cistern Tour and Skip The Line with Guide

Discover the Basilica Cistern under the streets of Istanbul on a guided tour. Be amazed by the stunning architecture of the cistern during the tour and gaze at the Medusa Heads. Skip-the-line and avoid the long queue, as you follow your guide through history. Meet your guide in front of the exit gate of the Basilica Cistern and enter together. Skip the long lines and enjoy a highlights tour and learn interesting facts about the water cistern with an audio guide. Marvel at the engineering of the cistern while hearing the history with a downloadable audio guide. After your guided tour, stay and explore the building at your own pace. 

Istanbul: Basilica Cistern Skip-the-Line Guided Tour

8. Istanbul: Basilica Cistern Skip-the-Line Guided Tour

Visit the Basilica Cistern, built in the 4th century and enlarged in 532 AD, used as water storage during Byzantine times. Listen to your guide as they explain the mystery of Medusa heads from Greek mythology. Explore this cathedral-size cistern, built during the reign of Emperor Justinian I in 532 A.D. to supply water to the Great Palace. It stores up to 80,000 cubic meters of water, delivered via 20 kilometers of aqueducts from a reservoir near the Black Sea. Descend the fifty-two stone steps into the entrance of the cistern. The cistern is surrounded by a firebrick wall with a thickness of 4 meters, coated with a waterproofing mortar. Hear how the Basilica Cistern's water comes from the Eğrikapı Water Distribution Center in the Belgrade Forest and travels through the 971-meter-long Valens Aqueduct and the 115-meter-long Mağlova Aqueduct, built by the Emperor Justinian.

Istanbul: Hagia Sophia, Topkapi, and Basilica Combo Tour

9. Istanbul: Hagia Sophia, Topkapi, and Basilica Combo Tour

Be free to visit the Basilica Cistern, Topkapi Palace, and Hagia Sophia at any time for three consecutive days. Skip the ticket lines and browse through the fascinating museums at your own pace. Uncover the secrets of each location with the help of an informative audioguide. You can choose to visit all 3 museums in 1 day, or the three of them separately on different days. Once inside the museums, get tips on how to discover the museums in the best way. Afterward, you can stroll through the museums at your own pace as you listen to your audio guide app and explore for as long as you like. If you have any questions about the Hagia Sophia, the Topkapi Palace, the Cisterna Basilica, or Istanbul in general, please do not hesitate to ask your English-speaking tour guide.

İstanbul: Topkapi Palace & Harem Tour with Historian Guide

10. İstanbul: Topkapi Palace & Harem Tour with Historian Guide

Learn all about Istanbul’s Ottoman heritage, and visit one of the city’s top landmarks, on this small-group tour of the Topkapi Palace and the Harem chambers. Avoid the queues with fast track entry and explore the sprawling 15th Century palace and its expansive museum with an expert guide. Explore the extensive complex that winds down towards the Bosphorus. The palace itself is a balance of huge courtyards, cavernous council chambers and winding secret passageways, which were built to ensure the Ottoman sultans and their families could enjoy maximum privacy and discretion. A highlight of the tour is the Imperial Harem, comprising over 400 chambers in one of the sultan’s private apartments. The rooms are characterized by colorful mosaic floors and stained glass windows, and provide incredible insight into the private world of the Ottoman court.

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What people are saying about Istanbul

Overall rating

4.4 / 5

based on 2,133 reviews

Guide was very knowledgeable and spoke very good English. We skipped the line probably saving 20-30 minutes on a sunny Sunday afternoon. We got a very nice 1 minute description of the cistern from one spot inside, then were free to tour as long as we wanted. Definitely worth it to skip the line lone but the lesson she gave us was worth it alone as well.

My travel guide was here on time. Took us around the palace and explained everything. Me and my family enjoyed the tour a lot. I would really recommend this tour.

A skilled guide really makes a difference when you have to visit something very special - and we had such a guide.

It was a nice experience. I enjoyed it a lot. The guide was very fluent and gave us all the necessary information.

Ilke is great and very knowledgeable. Would definitely recommend her. Again