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Best of Istanbul 1, 2 or 3-Day Private Guided Istanbul Tour

By Guided Istanbul Tours
10 out of 10
Exceptional
Free cancellation available
Price is AU$283 per adult* *Get lower prices by selecting more than 2 adults
See tickets
Features
  • Free cancellation available
  • 21h
  • Mobile voucher
  • Instant confirmation
  • Selective hotel pickup
  • Multiple languages
Overview

Visit highlights of Istanbul with your private tour guide in 1, 2 or 3 days with a flexible itinerary.

Day 1 - Highlights of Topkapi Palace Museum, Byzantine Hippodrome / Sultanahmet Square, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Grand Bazaar.

Day 2 - Bosphorus Cruise by Public Ferry, Dolmabahce Palace, Taksim Square, Istiklal Street, Cicek Passage, Galata Tower (from outside), Spice Market.

Day 3 - Suleymaniye Mosque, Fener and Balat Districts, St. Stephen Church (Iron Church), Pierre Lotti Panoramic Hill by Cable Car, Chora Church (or alternative sites).

Important Notes:

  • Skip the line service is not available for active mosques - there is a queue for the entrance.

  • If one of the mosques is not visited, Basilica Cistern will be visited as a replacement.

  • For the tours that start later than 11 am, kindly note that you may have to skip one/a couple of sites as the sites are closed by 7 pm. Your guide will adjust the programme according to your priorities.

Activity location
  • Sultanahmet District
    • 34122, Istanbul, Turkiye
Meeting/Redemption Point
  • Galataport Istanbul
    • No: 8 Meclis-i Mebusan Caddesi
    • 34433, Kılıçali Paşa, İstanbul, Turkiye

Multiple meeting/redemption points available, see location information for full list

Check availability

1-Day Private Guided Tour
  • Activity duration is 21 hours21h
    21h
  • English

Duration: 7 hours: Hagia Sophia, Highlights of Topkapi Palace Museum, Blue Mosque, Hippodrome, Grand Bazaar.
Walking Tour In Old Town: The suggested itinerary does not require transport.
Hotel/port information needed: Guide will meet you at Galataport, your hotel or Airbnb if they are centrally located. (No transport included.)
Pickup included

Starting time: 2:00 PM
Price details
AU$282.76 x 1 AdultAU$282.76
Total
Price is AU$282.76
2 Days Private Guide-Van Tour
  • Activity duration is 21 hours21h
    21h
  • English

A private van will be assigned throughout the tour.
Mercedes Vito/Sprinter
Pickup included

Starting time: 1:30 PM
Price details
AU$989.66 x 1 AdultAU$989.66
Total
Price is AU$989.66

What's included, what's not

  • What's includedWhat's included
    Professional Licensed Guide
  • What's includedWhat's included
    Private tour
  • What's includedWhat's included
    Guide meets you at central hotels
  • What's excludedWhat's excluded
    Transport (from/back to hotel, between sites unless van is booked)
  • What's excludedWhat's excluded
    Museum/Ferry/Cable Car Tickets
  • What's excludedWhat's excluded
    Lunch
  • What's excludedWhat's excluded
    Service charge (suggested)

Know before you book

  • Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
  • Service animals allowed
  • Public transport options are available nearby
  • Specialised infant seats are available
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels
  • The suggested first-day tour is designed as a walking tour, with transport needed only between the hotel and the Old Town if the hotel is outside old town.
  • The suggested second-day tour can be easily managed by public transport
  • Topkapi Palace is closed on Tuesdays can be replaced with alternatives such as Turkish And Islamic Arts Museum or Archaeological Museum or Basilica Cistern.
  • If one of the mosques or museums is not visited, Basilica Cistern will be visited as a replacement.
  • Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays and replaced with Spice Market.
  • Dolmabahce Palace is closed on Mondays. Due to museum regulations, live guide service is not available at Dolmabahce Palace.
  • For the tours that start later than 11 am, kindly note that you may have to skip one/a couple of sites as the sites are closed by 7 pm. Your guide will adjust the programme according to your priorities.
  • On Fridays, Blue Mosque will be visited in the afternoon.
  • Grand Bazaar and Spice Market is closed during Eid. (March 20-22, May 27-30 in 2026)

Activity itinerary

Sultanahmet District
  • 15m
Sultanahmet District
Hippodrome
  • 15m
Hippodrome Square / Atmeydanı Hippodrome; where the chariot races were held in the Roman Empire times, Egyptian Column from Byzantine Empire time and today German Fountain is the main cornerstone of the square of Ottoman Empire.
German Fountain
  • 15m
Germa Fountain / Alman Çeşmesi
Sultanahmet Square
  • 15m
Sultanahmet Square
Hagia Sophia Mosque
  • 1h
  • Admission ticket not included
Hagia Sophia Museum / Ayasofya / Santa Sofia Built in the 6th century by Emperor Justinian, played a very important role in the Christian and Islamic World. After the Ottoman conquest the bells, altar, iconoclastic, and sacrificial vessels were removed, and many of the mosaics were eventually plastered over to convert the church into a mosque then a museum and now it’s a mosque for the second time. The most important stop of an Istanbul tour is operated in Old City Istanbul / Constantinople. *Please note that as it's not a museum anymore, tour guides don't have skip-the-line priority there. You may need to wait in the security line, in order to avoid queues we suggest departing at 8:30am or 9:00am.
Blue Mosque
  • 1h
Blue Mosque / Sultanahmet Camii Built in the early 1600s for Sultan Ahmet I of the Ottoman Empire, the Blue Mosque is truly a magnificent masterpiece of architecture with amazingly delicate proportions for a building of such massive scale.
Grand Bazaar
  • 1h
Grand Bazaar / Kapalı Çarşı One of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world with over 4,000 shops with colourful products of ceramic, leather, rugs, carpets, handicrafts, clothes, silver, and gold.
Bosphorus Strait
  • 2h
  • Admission ticket not included
Bosphorus Cruise by Public Ferry or Private Cruise ( if option is chosen) Take the public ferry for Bosphorus Cruise to see both Istanbul’s European and Asian sides, Galata Tower, Dolmabahce Palace, Beylerbeyi Palace, the Rumeli Fortress, old Ottoman villas, Bosphorus bridges, mosques. Your best Istanbul tour memories will definitely include the Bosphorus.
Dolmabahce Palace
  • 1h
  • Admission ticket not included
Dolmabahce Palace / Dolmabahçe Sarayı Elegance and beauty with the most luxury decoration, chandeliers, rugs, crystals, ceramic fireplaces. Beautiful palace, right on the Bosphorus with gorgeous furnishings, paintings, porcelains made in particular to Dolmabahce.
Taksim Square
  • 1h
Taksim Square / Taksim Meydanı A great place defining modern Turkey which witnessed important historical moments. Close to Istiklal Street (Istiklal Caddesi) and Galata Tower along with embassies of European countries in Taxim. Cicek Passage has very good food joints, cafes, shops, bars, night clubs around Taksim.
Topkapi Palace
  • 2h
  • Admission ticket not included
Topkapi Palace Museum / Topkapı Sarayı More than just an Imperial Residence of Ottoman Sultans, it was the seat of the Supreme Executive and Judiciary Council for almost 400 years long. Topkapi Palace is a great monument of Oriental architecture which resembles the power of the Ottoman Empire.
Istiklal Caddesi
  • 45m
Istiklal Street is the modern and colourful face of Turkey with churches, modern art galeries, embassies, pubs, cafes and shops selling different kind of products.
Galata Tower
  • 10m
  • Admission ticket not included
We will see the tower FROM OUTSIDE, due to the regulations unfortunately tour guides don't have skip the line priority here so it takes long time to wait queue. Your tour guide will make you explanation about tower.
Misir Carsisi (Spice Market)
  • 45m
Spice Market / Mısır Çarşısı Egyptian Bazaar is a colourful indoor bazaar and has lots of shops offering a variety of spices, handbags, flavoured teas, Turkish delight, nuts, as well as ceramics, and small souvenirs. Spice Bazaar is located in Eminonu Square which is the connection point of Bosphorus and Golden Horn.
Cicek Pasaji
  • 10m
Cicek Passage / Flower Passage Originally named as Cite de Pera, a combined structure of traditional and modern construction methods and architectural style by Ottoman Empire is reflected and today we see the small shops and cafes here.
Suleymaniye Mosque
  • 1h
Suleymaniye Mosque / Süleymaniye Camii is the largest mosque in Istanbul and is as impressive on the inside as it is on the outside. In the garden behind the mosque, the Suleymaniye terrace offers lovely views of the Golden Horn and Bosphorus.
Balat
  • 2h
Fener-Balat Area backstreet walk Continue exploring Istanbul’s rich religious history with a stop at the Church of St. George. Since the 1600s, the church has been the location of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and is recognised as the spiritual leader of the Eastern Orthodox Religion. Balat District; lines of drying laundry stretch across steep, winding streets. Century-old Ottoman houses lean against each other in a combination of reds, blues, and greens. And art galleries and design shops dot the area along the water.
Fener Rum Patrikhanesi
  • 45m
Orthodox Patriarch
Historic Areas of Istanbul
  • 10m
Historic Areas of Istanbul
Pierre Loti Tepesi
  • 30m
  • Admission ticket not included
Pierre Loti Hill and Cable Car are some of the most popular sights to visit since it offers great views for visitors. Take the cable car to reach the top and enjoy the beautiful scenery while sipping your Turkish coffee or tea.
Chora Museum
  • 1h 30m
  • Admission ticket not included
Formerly Church of St. Saviour in Chora is renowned worldwide for its well-preserved mosaics and frescoes. It presents important and beautiful examples of East Roman painting in its last period. The idea of depth in mosaics and the moving style in figures are of outstanding artistic significance in the Middle Ages, foretelling the Renaissance period.
Halic
  • 30m
  • Admission ticket not included
Golden Horn region which is one of the oldest settlements of the city of Constantinople.
Bulgarian Orthodox Church
  • 45m
St. Stephen Church; Located on the shore of the Golden Horn, the church is also known as the Iron Church due to the fact that it’s made entirely of prefabricated cast iron in 19th century.

Location

Activity location
  • LOB_ACTIVITIESLOB_ACTIVITIES
    Sultanahmet District
    • 34122, Istanbul, Turkiye
Meeting/Redemption Point
  • PEOPLEPEOPLE
    Galataport Istanbul
    • No: 8 Meclis-i Mebusan Caddesi
    • 34433, Kılıçali Paşa, İstanbul, Turkiye
  • PEOPLEPEOPLE
    German Fountain
    • At Meydanı Caddesi
    • 34122, Binbirdirek, İstanbul, Turkiye

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