Sample itineraries / Istanbul, the Old City
Starting at 8-9am, finishing around 5-6pm, covering:
* Hippodrome (Roman-Byzantine, 1700 years old… a short photo stop on route and brief explanations since not much is left to this day),
* Blue Mosque (Ottoman, 400 years old… second largest of Istanbul after St. Sophia),
* Topkapi Palace & Harem Sections (Ottoman, 500 years old),
* St. / Hagia Sophia (Byzantine, 1500 years old),
* Basilica / Underground Cistern (Byzantine, 1500 years old) and
* Grand Bazaar (Ottoman, 500 years old).
Depending on the location of the hotel, this may be a walking tour day since
* Hippodrome is 5 minutes walking away from Blue Mosque
* Blue Mosque is 15 minutes walking away from Topkapi Palace
* St. Sophia is 10 minutes walking away from Topkapi Palace
* Basilica Cistern is across the street to St. Sophia
* Grand Bazaar is 15 minutes walking away from Basilica Cistern.
This may also be a walking tour day for guests arriving Istanbul on board cruise ships.
We simply jump in to a tram taking us to Old City in 20 minutes, the rest is walking and as the tour is over, we catch another tram back to the Port of Istanbul.
Istanbul, the Old City tour is one of those days you may expect to get the maximum of your tour guide since in one day only, we are covering Romans, Byzantines, Early Turks, Ottomans, Islamic understanding in our country and a bit of modern Turkey.
Please get in touch for details.