Your private tour guide will meet you at your hotel reception at 9:00AM, and together you will either walk or catch public transportation to the Old City. Your private Istanbul Old City walk is a full-day walking tour that covers the main highlights of the city such as the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace and the Grand Bazaar. You will start your tour with a visit to the Topkapi Palace, which was the home and seat of the government of the Ottomans for nearly 400 years. It’s the heart of the great Ottoman Empire, ruled by the monarch who lived in Topkapi’s Harem section with a huge family and servants. You will then visit the Blue Mosque, which is the second largest mosque in Istanbul and was built during the regime of Sultan Ahmet. It is known for its 16th century blue Iznik tiles and 6 minarets. After this, you will have a lunch break and continue to the Hagia Sophia, the church of divine wisdom. Built as a church by the Byzantines and decorated with mosaic tile icons, it served as a mosque during the Ottoman era. It is still today one of the most popular museums in the city. Your tour will end with a visit to the Grand Bazaar, which was built in the second half of the 15th century and is the largest covered bazaar in the world with its more than 4000 shops.