Private Istanbul Heritage Tour: Ottoman & Byzantine Highlights

Your private guide meets you at your hotel or cruise port to begin the tour of the city's highlights.

• Highlights of Topkapi Palace Museum: more than a royal residence, it was the seat of the Imperial Council and the highest court for almost 400 years. Today this great monument of Oriental architecture displays art, calligraphy, jewels, porcelain, costumes, the Imperial Treasury and the Holy Relics of the Prophet Muhammad.
• Hippodrome / Sultanahmet Square: the square where chariot races were held in Roman times, home to the Egyptian Obelisk from the Byzantine era and, today, the German Fountain.
• Hagia Sophia: here the ancient cultures of East and West speak with one voice. Built in the 6th century by Emperor Justinian, it has played a key role in both the Christian and Islamic worlds. After the Ottoman conquest the bells, altar and sacred vessels were removed and many mosaics were plastered over when it became a mosque. It became a museum in 1934 and a mosque again in July 2020, and it remains a highlight of every Istanbul tour.
• Blue Mosque: built in the early 1600s for Sultan Ahmed I, a magnificent building whose proportions feel remarkably light for its size. Thousands of blue Iznik tiles give it its popular name, and its six minarets make it instantly recognisable.
• Basilica Cistern: one of the most impressive underground structures of Byzantine Constantinople, built in the 6th century to supply the city with water. Its forest of marble columns, soft lighting and reflections on the water create an unforgettable atmosphere.
• Grand Bazaar: one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with more than 4,000 shops. Built in the 15th century, it became the commercial hub between Asia and Europe, and it is easy to lose yourself happily in its lanes.

At the end of the tour your guide accompanies you back to your hotel or port.

This is the end of our service. Thank you for travelling with us; we look forward to welcoming you again.

• Topkapi Palace is closed on Tuesdays.
• The Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays; on that day the Spice Market is visited instead.
• Children aged 7 and under are free. Please bring copies of their passports, as museums check ages for free tickets.
• If one of the mosques cannot be visited, the Basilica Cistern is visited instead.
• On Fridays entry to Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque is restricted between 12:30 pm and 2:30 pm for Friday prayers.