Istanbul Day Tours

Brief Information

Blue Mosque ( Turkish: Sultanahmet Camii )

Blue Mosque Was built by Sultan Ahmet I during 1609-1616 in the square carrying his name in Istanbul. It is the only mosque in Turkey with six minarets. The central dome is 43 m in height and is 33.4 m in diameter. 260 windows surround the mosque. Due to its beautiful blue, green and white tilings it has been named the "Blue Mosque" by Europeans. The inscriptions were made by Seyyid Kasım Gubari.

Roman Hippodrome and Obelisk ( Turkish: Obelisk )

The ancient Hippodrome, scene of chariot races and the centre of Byzantine civic life, stands in the area that is now in front of the Blue Mosque, and now part of Sultanahmet. Of the ornaments which once decorated it, only three remain: The Obelisk of Theodosius, the bronze Serpentine Column, and the Column of Constantine. Remains of the curved end of the Hippodrome wall can be seen on the southwest side of the three.

Hagia Sophia Basilica ( Turkish: Ayasofya )

The primary church in Constantinople, Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom), is inaugurated after being rebuilt by Emperor Justinian I (527-565). After the fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans in 1453 Hagia Sophia became a mosque and is now a museum. The church of Hagia Sophia was the most important church of the Christian East. It was also structurally the first of its design, with the biggest dome ever constructed for a church, which created a light, well illuminated interior. The same year Justinian ordered to build a new basilica, the one we can see today, and only five years later, 537 AD, it was opened to the public. In 1453, with the conquest of Istanbul, Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror converted the church into a mosque. Hagia Sophia Museum, the legacy of both Christian and Muslim culture, was opened for visits according to the order of Ataturk and decision of the Turkish Assembly of Ministers on the 1st of February, 1935.

Grand Covered Bazaar ( Turkish: Kapali Çarki)

This bazaar was first built by Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror and was expanded during the reign of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent (1520-1566), and reached its present form in 1701. Its extends over 65 streets, covering an area of 30.702 square meters. It contains a mosque, 21 inns, two vaulted bazaars, seven fountains, a well and 3300 shops. It possesses 18 gates, eight of them large, ten of then smaller. It has survived five fires, and has been restored and repaired and has reached our present times.

CLOSED

Spice Bazaar on Sunday / Replaced with Pierre Loti. Dolmabahce Palace on Monday and Thursday - Replaced with Kariye (St. Savior in Chora) Museum

Please take note of the following

• 30% discount for children below the age 7, free for the ages 0-2
• You are kindly requested to present your self at the pick up point 15 mnts before.

What's Included

Transfers

• Pick up and Drop off at hotel in Istanbul
• All Transportation

Tours

• Full Day Guided Byzantine Tour
• Museum Tickets
• Professional English Speaking Tour Guide
• All Transportation
• Hotel pick up and drop off in Istanbul

Taxes & Charges

• Local Taxes
• Service Charges