Start your tour with a ferry ride along the Golden Horn and see the skyline of Istanbul from this famous waterway. Learn from your guide as they explain the history of Constantinople, the conquest by the Ottomans, and the introduction of Jewish culture. Visit the extraordinary church of Mary Blachernae, and see the Ahrida Synagogue. Walk through the streets and markets of Balat through the splashes of color and the vibrancy of its street life. Take a break in this vibrant neighborhood and enjoy watching people in their everyday activities. End your tour in Fener after seeing the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, an essential part of this tour, as it is the most sacred site for the Orthodox people.

Meet your tour leader in the historical neighborhood of Balat, in the European side of the city. Choose your bike for the day then board the public boat to Uskudar. From the boat, admire views of the city skyline and take photos of Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, Maiden Tower, Süleymaniye Mosque, Bosphorus Bridge, and more. Arrive in Uskudar, which is on the Asian side of the city. Hop on your bike and pedal to Fenerbahce Park, stopping along the way to take in the sights and listen to your guide share information about the area. Once you’ve worked up a sweat from the bike ride, enjoy a refreshing cup of Turkish tea or coffee at a local cafe and admire the view of Princes’ Islands while you relax. Jump back on your bike and pedal to Kadıköy Pier for a boat ride to Karakoy. Next, cross over the Golden Horn Bay via the Metro Bridge then head back towards the tour’s meeting point in Balat. Tours usually finish around 2 PM, depending on the group’s cycling tempo. Afterwards, spend the day exploring the vibrant streets of Balat at your own leisure, and enjoy some fresh, local cuisine from one of the many street-side food vendors. During the experience all of the metioned monuments are only to be seen from outside.

Meet your guide at the Itimat Fabrika Satis yero/magazasi at the the entry gate of the Spice Market in the heart of Istanbul. From here you’ll take the local bus to Fener to discover Istanbul’s heritage. Travel by public bus to the colorful Fener/Balat district, one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods and at one time home to Istanbul’s Ottoman Orthodox and Jewish residents. See traces of Ottoman life, including wooden houses, mosques, churches, and synagogues, standing together and demonstrating the multicultural and religious ways of the Ottoman Empire. After walking along the cobblestoned streets of the Fener/Balat World Heritage area, you’ll continue along the historic Byzantine city walls that date to the 4th century A.D. and the time of Constantine the Great. See the exterior of the historic Eyüp mosque complex, a sacred area where pilgrims come to visit the mosques and the tombs of Muslim saints. From here you’ll take a short cable car ride up to the famous Pierre Loti Café, a popular meeting point for locals. Enjoy stunning panoramic views of Istanbul while sipping a drink in one of the cafés where French Poet Pierre Loti was inspired to write Aziyade, part biography and part love story about his escapades in Istanbul in the late 1800s. Walk back down to Eyüp to catch the local ferry for a cruise on the blue waters of the Golden Horn. See Ottoman houses, shipyards, the old and new Galata bridges, Ataturk Bridge, ancient city walls, mosques, churches, and other historic and modern sites. You’ll disembark at Karaköy Harbor, where the tour ends.

Istanbul has had a vibrant Jewish community for more than 1,000 years. After the Turkish conquest of Istanbul, Sultan Mehmet II encouraged immigration to repopulate the city. Over half a million Jews persecuted in Spain and Portugal were encouraged to establish themselves within the boundaries of the Ottoman Empire. In Istanbul, the new immigrants settled mostly near Galata – a quarter on the northern bank of the Golden Horn – where a Jewish community had existed since the early days of the Ottoman Era in Istanbul. On this tour, you'll walk around Galata, exploring its intriguing streets full of colorful life. The tour includes synagogues, the Jewish Museum, Jewish Apartments, the amazing story of Abraham Kamondo, and other Jewish heritage sites. Monday – Friday:  Jewish Museum, Ashkenazi Synagogue, Schneidertemple Synagogue, and outer visits to Georgian Synagogue, Neve Shalom Synagogue, Italian Synagogue, Jewish Apartments, Kamondo Buildings.

Discover the beauty of the historic Golden Horn estuary in Istanbul on this guided day tour with hotel pickup and drop-off from the Sultanahmet, Faih or Taksim areas. Admire panoramic views of the city with the included cable car ride to Pierre Loti Hill. Hop aboard an air-conditioned car and take in views of the Golden Horn which ahs been a trading harbor since the Byzantine-era. Start with a stop at St. George’s Cathedral, a 16th-century, neo-classical church which was the seat of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.  Take a look inside the lavish interiors of the cathedral before heading to the Phanar Greek Orthodox College to see one of the oldest educational institutions in Turkey.  Head to the districts of Fener and Balat, which are steeped in history and culture. Follow your guide around the cobblestone streets and take in the colorful Ottoman architecture. Stop for lunch in one of the local restaurants in Balat before heading to the Bulgarian St. Stephen Church. View the church's design features of prefabricated cast iron elements that are in the neo-Byzantine style. Appreciate at the intricate details of the church before making your way to Pierre Loti Hill. Board a cable car and take in the stunning 360-degree views of the Golden Horn as you make your ascent. Once you reach the hill itself, capture pictures of the breathtaking views of the city below. Return to your hotel or meeting point at the end of the tour. 

Join us on a small group tour of Istanbul that takes you to some of the city's most iconic and interesting sights. We will begin our tour at the Binbirdirek Cistern, an underground chamber that was once used to store water for the city. This fascinating site offers a glimpse into Istanbul's history and is a great place to take some unique photos. Next, we will visit the Grand Bazaar, one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world. Here, you can browse and shop for souvenirs and traditional Turkish goods, and perhaps haggle with the vendors for the best price. After some time at the Grand Bazaar, we will make our way to the Suleymaniye Mosque, a grand and ornate place of worship that is a key landmark in Istanbul. We will learn about the mosque's history and architecture, and have the opportunity to observe the local Muslim community as they go about their daily prayers. Next, we will head to the Spice Market, where you can sample and purchase a variety of aromatic spices and other ingredients that are used in Turkish cuisine. This colorful and lively market is a great place to immerse yourself in the sights and smells of Istanbul.

Explore the Jewish history of Istanbul on a full-day private tour with multilingual guide. You will be met off your cruise ship in Istanbul Port (or from your hotel on request), and transferred by Mercedes vehicle to the heart of the city. Go to the Balat district to see the Ahrida Synagogue, one of the oldest and most prominent of Istanbul’s synagogues. Visit the Neve Shalom Synagogue in Karaköy, built in response to an increase in the Jewish population in the Galata neighborhood. Continue to Ashkenazi Synagogue, the only active Ashkenazi synagogue in Istanbul open to visits. At the heart of Jewish Istanbul, in the old Galata district, you will visit the Jewish Museum, established in 2001 on the 500th anniversary of the arrival of Sephardic Jews to the Ottoman Empire. Remodeled in the former Zülfaris Synagogue, the museum features artifacts, relics, letters and torah scrolls that tell the story of the Jews in Istanbul and Anatolia. There will also be time to see the former mosque and Byzantine church of Hagia Sophia, now considered one of the world’s architectural masterpieces. End in the Grand Bazaar, and bargain for handmade carpets, jewelry and leather souvenirs before your transfer back to the port (or your hotel on request).

Enjoy a really local tour of Istanbul with a guide who has an in-depth knowledge of the city. The full-day tour begins at around 08.30 with a pick up at your hotel, followed by breakfast in a small village located on the shores of the Black Sea. Visit a 17th-century castle and enjoy the amazing views. Stop to admire the Rumeli Fortress that looks out over the Bosporus – one of the unique monuments of Istanbul. Continue on with a drive to the Asian side of the city, where you’ll visit the Kucuksu Palace, used as a hunting lodge and summer mansion during the 18th century. Your guide will also take you to see the Balat/Fener area, which was the center of Greek Orthodox life in the time of the Ottoman Empire.