Guided tour

Istanbul: Fener/Balat Walking Tour, Pierre Loti Hill & Ferry

4.9 / 5

29 reviews

Activity provider: My Local Guide Istanbul
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    Guided tour

    Istanbul: Fener/Balat Walking Tour, Pierre Loti Hill & Ferry

    Activity provider: My Local Guide Istanbul

    From US$ 81.51 per person

    Explore the historic outer western area of Istanbul away from typical tourist routes. Experience the local culture and lifestyle, admire centuries-old Ottoman buildings, and cruise on the Golden Horn.

    About this activity

    Free cancellation
    Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
    Reserve now & pay later
    Keep your travel plans flexible — book your spot and pay nothing today.
    Covid-19 precautions
    Special health and safety measures are in place. Check your activity voucher once you book for full details.
    Duration 5 hours
    Check availability to see starting times.
    Skip the ticket line
    Live tour guide
    English
    Small group
    Limited to 10 participants

    Experience

    Highlights
    • Explore the Fener/Balat district and admire Ottoman houses, churches, mosques, and synagogues
    • Take a cable car up to historic Pierre Loti Café and take in the spectacular views of Istanbul
    • Enjoy a ferry ride on the waters of the Golden Horn, the world’s longest natural harbor
    Full description
    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.

    Includes
    • Entry tickets & places visited

      • •

        Istanbul Cable Car visit

    • Who you’ll be with

      • •

        Live tour guide: English

    • Transport

      • •

        Transport by public transport, tram, ferry

    • Food & drink

      • •

        Coffee, tea

      • Not included: alcoholic drinks

    Not suitable for
    • People with mobility impairments
    • Wheelchair users

    Select participants and date

    Participants

    Date

    Meeting point

    The meeting point is outside the entry gate of the Spice Market/Egyptian Bazzar in front of the dairy shop named "Itimat Satış Mağazası". The guide meet you there.

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    Important information

    What to bring

    • Comfortable shoes

    Not allowed

    • Pets
    Customer reviews

    Overall rating

    4.9 /5

    based on 29 reviews

    Review summary

    • Guide
      5/5
    • Transportation
      4.8/5
    • Value for money
      4.6/5
    • Safety
      5/5

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    Star rating:

    Beautiful tour and very friendly guide, although he did not speak entirely Spanish, he made an effort to make himself understood and was quite patient with the times to take photos. We made two stops for tea and coffee and even in one of them he brought us typical Turkish sweets, very good. On the way back by ferry, he invited us to another typical drink, very rich, a detail on his part.

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    November 15, 2022

    G
    GetYourGuide traveler – Spain Verified booking

    Helpful?

    Wonderful tour! Incredible. It's really worth it to know the history of other peoples that formed Istanbul, like the Greeks, Christians, Jews... Also, our guide Önder was wonderful. The whole tour made me fall in love with Istanbul even more! I recommend it to anyone who wants to take a tour beyond the standard.

    October 1, 2022

    J
    Jessica – Brazil Verified booking

    Helpful?

    Amazing experience! Highly recommended tour for everyone who wants to “meet” bit of real Istanbul! Fener is absolutely beautiful and rides on public transport makes the tour interesting! My only regret is that we did not take cable car ride to the Pierre Loti Café due to the long queue but on the other hand walking through the cemetery was historically interesting! Thanks to our amazing guide Salih we will not forget this day! Thanks

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    September 18, 2022

    G
    GetYourGuide traveler – Australia Verified booking

    Helpful?

    Product ID: 45417

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