How Much Is an Istanbul Tour? 2027 Prices for Iranian Travellers

How much is an Istanbul tour? The short answer is that the price of an "Istanbul tour" sold in Iran usually covers only the return flight, the hotel, airport transfers and insurance, and the sightseeing is extra. In Istanbul itself, a small-group guided outing starts at $75 per person, a half-day Old City tour with the Hagia Sophia ticket costs $120, and our private 4-day Istanbul package with hotel, transfers and guide starts from $699 per person. All prices on this page are our own 2027 prices, checked in Aban 1405 (October 2026).

We wrote this guide for travellers who have bought an agency tour, or are comparing them, and want to know how much they will spend on day tours, transfers and museum tickets once they land in Istanbul. We are a TÜRSAB-licensed travel agency in Istanbul and run Istanbul tours every day.

What does an Iranian agency's "Istanbul tour" actually include?

In Iran, when someone asks how much an Istanbul tour costs, they almost always mean a flight-and-hotel bundle: a return ticket from Tehran, Tabriz or another city, three or four nights in a hotel with breakfast, a shared airport transfer, travel insurance and sometimes a tour leader who meets the group at the airport. The price agencies quote depends more on the hotel, the airline and the season than on Istanbul itself.

What most of these bundles leave out is the city sightseeing. Most programmes say "excursions optional", which means the tour leader offers day tours separately in Istanbul and you pay for them in cash. Museum tickets such as Hagia Sophia and Topkapı Palace are usually extra too. Before you sign, ask the agency four questions: are both arrival and departure transfers included, what is the insurance cover, is the city tour included or optional, and who pays for museum tickets.

Private Istanbul city tour package, 4 days, from $699 per person

If you want everything clear from day one, book the tours yourself in advance. Our Istanbul tours page lists all our day tours at fixed dollar prices, so you know before you travel what is included.

How much do Istanbul city tours cost? 2027 price table

This table shows Istanbul tour prices from our own booking system. Small-group tours run in English; if you want a Persian-speaking guide, you need a private tour, which we explain in the next section.

On the Old City tours, museum tickets are included in the price, which matters when you compare them with the tour leader's optional excursions. For reference: the Topkapı Palace combined ticket (palace, Harem and Hagia Irene) for foreign visitors is 2,750 TL, the Hagia Sophia upper gallery for foreigners is €25 and the Basilica Cistern is about 1,950 TL (October 2026).

Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque and Grand Bazaar tour, from $120 per person

In the evening, most Iranian travellers choose the Bosphorus dinner cruise. On our cruise, dinner, the Turkish night show and transfers from central hotels are all in the $90 price.

Bosphorus dinner cruise and Turkish night show, from $90 per person

For a slower day, the Princes' Islands are a good choice: a ferry from the pier, cycling or walking on Büyükada, and lunch.

Princes' Islands full-day tour by ferry with lunch, from $90 per person

Private tour with car, driver and a Persian-speaking guide

For families and groups, a private Istanbul tour often works out cheaper than a group tour, because the price is per vehicle, not per person. Our private city tour by Mercedes Vito for 1 to 6 people and 8 hours costs from $220 for the whole group. If you also want a guide, the Best of Istanbul private guided tour for 1 to 3 days, 7 hours a day, starts at $199 per group, and the classic private Istanbul tour covering Byzantine and Ottoman sights starts at $200.

We have licensed, Persian-speaking guides for private tours; our guides hold the official guide card of Turkey's Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and the guide's name and language are confirmed in writing before you pay. Mention this when you enquire, because the number of Persian-speaking guides is limited in high season.

For getting in from the airport, our private airport transfer by Vito costs from $60 for the whole vehicle. If your Iranian tour has a shared transfer and your flight lands late, this option removes the wait at the airport.

Private Istanbul airport transfer by Mercedes Vito, from $60 per group

Our Istanbul packages: 4 to 10 days

If you buy the flight yourself and want the rest of the trip sorted in one go, our Istanbul tour packages include the hotel, airport transfers, guided tour days and lunch on tour days. The international flight is not included in these packages.

The main difference from an agency tour is that the tours are not optional; they are in the price. The final price depends on the date, the hotel and the number of travellers and is confirmed in writing before payment.

Istanbul and Trabzon tour: combining the two cities

An Istanbul and Trabzon tour is popular with Iranians: a few days of city sightseeing and shopping, then the green Black Sea countryside. The domestic flight from Istanbul to Trabzon takes about 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours. We do not have a fixed Istanbul and Trabzon package, but we combine the Istanbul package with private Trabzon tours; the details are on our Istanbul and Trabzon trip page.

Uzungöl private day trip from Trabzon, from $80 per person

Sumela Monastery full-day tour from Trabzon, from $120 per person

Two-day Istanbul tour: a sample 2 to 3-day plan

Many people buy a two-day Istanbul tour or a three-night one, and one day goes on arriving and leaving. With this plan you see the main sights in two full days, and the third day is left for shopping.

Day 1, the Old City: the full-day Old City tour with lunch; the Hippodrome, Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Basilica Cistern and the Grand Bazaar. Our guides usually start this route at the Hippodrome before 09:00 so the Hagia Sophia queue is shorter. If day one is a Tuesday, move Topkapı to another day because it is closed on Tuesdays.

Istanbul full-day Old City tour with tickets and lunch, from $199 per person

Day 2, the Bosphorus: a Bosphorus lunch cruise in the morning, Dolmabahçe Palace or a walk in Ortaköy in the afternoon, and the dinner cruise with Turkish show in the evening. A private car is enough for this day as well.

Day 3, shopping or nature: the Spice Bazaar and İstiklal Street, or one of the Bursa or Sapanca day trips. If you go on to Trabzon after Istanbul, this is your domestic flight day.

The total for these two days per person with our group tours: $199 for the Old City, $75 for the lunch cruise and $90 for the dinner cruise, that is $364 including museum tickets and two meals. All of these tours can be booked on our Istanbul tours page.

Visa, flights and cash: notes for Iranian travellers

Visa: holders of ordinary Iranian passports do not need a visa for tourist travel to Turkey and can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period (checked October 2026). Agencies advise that the passport should be valid for at least six months. Carry your hotel booking and return ticket, as you may be asked for them at the airport.

Flights: the flight from Tehran to Istanbul takes about 3 to 3.5 hours. Turkish Airlines, Pegasus, Iran Air, Mahan and Qeshm Air are among the carriers that have flown this route, but schedules from Tabriz, Mashhad and Shiraz have changed several times in recent years; before you buy, check the schedule for your flight day with the airline. Most flights land at Istanbul Airport (IST), and Pegasus at Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) on the Asian side.

Cash: Iranian bank cards do not work in Turkey, so bring cash in dollars or euros and change it into lira at exchange offices in town; airport exchange rates are usually worse. For paying for our tours and packages, ask about the payment method on WhatsApp before booking so it is confirmed in writing.

Museum tickets and extra costs

If you buy tours without tickets or explore on your own, budget for these separately: Topkapı with the Harem 2,750 TL, the Hagia Sophia upper gallery €25 and the Basilica Cistern about 1,950 TL per person. Public transport runs on the Istanbulkart, which you buy and top up at machines in metro and tram stations.

When comparing agencies' Istanbul tour prices, these costs are what gets added later. A cheap tour with expensive optional excursions can end up costing more than an Istanbul package with the tours included. We have a fuller comparison of tour types on our Istanbul tour prices page.

To book a tour for today or tomorrow, confirm a Persian-speaking guide or get a package price for your travel dates, message us: WhatsApp +90 545 307 67 88. We usually reply the same day and send the final price in writing before any payment.

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