Private Istanbul Old City Shore Excursion with On-Time Return

Your private guide meets you at the cruise port and travels with you by tram to the historic Old City. The tram avoids heavy traffic, saves valuable sightseeing time and helps ensure a timely return to your ship.

You will visit:

• Topkapi Palace: the former home and seat of government of the Ottoman sultans. Walk through its imperial courtyards and discover the history of an empire ruled from here for centuries.
• Sultanahmet Square: the site of the Byzantine Hippodrome, once famous for chariot races and public ceremonies, with the Egyptian Obelisk and the German Fountain.
• Hagia Sophia: one of Istanbul's most famous monuments, built in the 6th century under Emperor Justinian. Its vast dome, historic mosaics and Islamic details reflect both Byzantine and Ottoman heritage.
• Blue Mosque: a graceful 17th-century mosque known for its six minarets, cascading domes and elegant interior decorated with blue tiles.
• Basilica Cistern: step below the city into an atmospheric Byzantine reservoir, where lit columns and reflections on the water create a memorable scene.
• Grand Bazaar: one of the oldest covered markets in the world, full of shops selling carpets, ceramics, leather, jewellery, textiles and traditional souvenirs.

After the tour your guide returns with you to the cruise port by tram, so you avoid the traffic and are back comfortably before your ship departs.

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