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).