Explore Istanbul at your own pace on board a double-decker, open-top, hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus. See all the famous landmarks, from the Hagia…
Wander through the opulent rooms and gardens of the Dolmabahçe Palace. Led by and expert guide and in intimate groups, learn the stories behind this…
Discover the magic of Istanbul on a private 1 or 2-day walking tour. Enjoy a river cruise and guided tour of the city highlights, including the Blue…
Visit the fascinating Dolmabahce Palace, stunning Bosphorus Bridge and Camlica Hill with an local expert guide.
Visit magnificent Dolmabahce Palace, the principal residence and the administration center of the Turkish Ottoman Empire during the 19th century.…
Cruise along the Golden Horn on this full-day tour with a stroll around the ancient Byzantine walls on Pierre Loti Hill, where you'll also encounter…
Explore the city with a private guide. Choose from a wide range of sites and enjoy a unique, personalized experience.
See the Ottoman, Byzantine and everyday sights of Istanbul with a private guide for 1-3 days, in your own language. Discover Ottoman palaces and…
Begin the tour with a fantastic cruise along the Bosphorus providing marvelous views of the European and Asian sides of Istanbul. Marvel at the…
Istanbul
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Dolmabahce Palace sits imposingly on the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul, and is a stunning example of Ottoman architecture. To get the fuller context of Istanbul's multi-layered history, here are other sights and experiences you should incorporate into your visit there.
The palace itself serves as a museum, bringing Istanbul's story to life. View the rooms where Ataturk spent his last days, as well as a whole host of antique furniture and art.
How many times have you been on two continents in one day? Every year, people rise to the challenge of swimming across the Bosphorus Strait. If you don't want to get your feet wet, you can simply take a ferry!
Sultan Mehmed II built Rumeli Castle in 1451, back when Istanbul was still known as Constantinople. It has retained its rustic charm, which can be viewed from the Bosphorus Strait!
In addition to its Islamic heritage, Istanbul has also been home to Jewish and Christian communities over the centuries. Walk the deep, turreted city walls which were built under Roman Emperor Constantine in order to guard against sea and land attacks.
Panoramic views and cultivated gardens characterize Camlica Hill, where you can spend an afternoon away from Istanbul's hustle and bustle but still take in the astounding beauty of the region.
If you plan to drive across the bridge, bear in mind that there's a toll to cross from Europe to Asia, but not vice versa
If you want to walk between the continents, there's a chance to do that once a year during the marathon!
In the southern European heat, staying adequately protected from the sun is essential! Make sure you stay in the shade around midday, and reapply sunscreen.
To enter Turkey as a US passport holder, you need to pay $30 for a 90-day visa. You can pay on arrival or easily purchase it online before your trip. Other nationalities may need to check beforehand for entry conditions.
Pluses - Very interesting routes. Staff was helpful and explained well. Boat trip was great. Minuses - Blue route comes one every hour and the last bus was at 16.00.
This was my first time in Istanbul, so having two days with a guide was essential for understanding this amazing city and its history. On my own I could not have found my way to so many places, or learned so much. Saban Sezer was an excellent guide; I always have questions to ask that many visitors would not, as I am interested in Islamic architecture and as I live in Egypt and am interested in how in the past Turkish traditions have transferred to Egypt, Saban was patient with my questions and with me wanting to spend longer in some places that interested me. He gave information even about places you don't have time to visit in your first two days, places we just passed on the cruise, and that makes me want to return for more exploring of Istanbul.
This guided walk was the highlight of my visit to Istanbul. The enthusiasm and flexibility of the guide were genuinely commendable. I could not have asked for a more committed guide, we set off at 0900 and finished at about 1800. We walked, rode in trams, the funicular (cable) cars, sat and drank tea among the old Turkish men, visited the Hagia Sophia Mosque, drank coffee at the Federal Galata coffee shop and walked through large bazaars and markets. Interestingly, one of the more memorable things we did was to explore several Han. These are two or three storey buildings, which house small workshops for artisans. If you are thinking about a visit to Istanbul, then I wholeheartedly recommend using this organisation. Also, despite the world political situation, I found Istanbul to be a safe city, where no more than the usual security issues of travelling seemed to exist.
I want to thank him from the bottom of my heart. We learned so much. He really listened to our interests. He took us to local reputable locations that we could trust. I'm a photographer so he gave us great locations for my photos. Two days of of total safe fun. He was kind and considerate of our needs. We not only learned about Istanbul, we have a new friend. Thank you so much for making our trip so memorable. We recommend this tour to everyone.
Our tour was wonderful. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable, pleasant and engaged. She made the tour an unforgettable one. The contact information that were sent to me by mail contained the wrong contact details (name and mobile number) of our guide and this is why we had to wait for 15 minutes to get the right details of our guide who was actually already there but because we did not have the right information, we could not identify her.
