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Half - Day Morning Istanbul City Tour – Byzantine Relics
On a half-day tour, you will discover some of the most glorious places of historic Istanbul, in touch with the historical wonders of the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires, and uncover the roots of today’s Turkish culture.
Live Turkey’s Byzantine and Ottoman eras during this half-day guided Istanbul city tour in the Sultanahmet district. Visit the top sites of Istanbul with this guided tour which takes you through centuries of history. Explore the beauties of the Hagia Sophia Museum, Blue Mosque, Hippodrome, and be surprised to unique bargains at the Grand Bazaar.
This half-day tour is a short but deep look into the heritages of Byzantine and Ottoman Empires. We walk from one site to another and feel the atmosphere of that era. If you have quite a short time in Istanbul, you still have a chance to admire the city with our guided Byzantium relics tour. On our Byzantium relics tour, we visit Blue Mosque, Hippodrome, Hagia Sophia Museum, and Grand Bazaar, which will make your stay in Istanbul a great memory. Our local tour guide will give you all the cultural and historical information about the city as well.
Tour Highlights
Hagia Sophia Museum, Hippodrome, Serpent Column, Obelisk, German Fountain, Million Stone, Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar
Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Camii in Turkish)
Opposite the Hagia Sophia is the Blue Mosque, famous for its blue iconic tiles and 6 minarets built in the name of Sultan Ahmet. Because of blue tiles surrounding the walls of interior design, it is known as the Blue Mosque. It is one of the biggest mosques of the city from 17th-century architecture is one of the principal adornments on the skyline of Istanbul.
Byzantine Hippodrome
The most important social center of the city. Such famous venues as the Hippodrome hosted events involving magnificent processions, exotic animal and gladiator fightings, chariot races, and even mock naval battles.
Hagia Sophia
An ancient architectural wonder, a basilica built by Emperor Justinian in the 6th century. Hagia Sophia, considered as a unique architectural structure in the history of world architecture, is one of the most important monuments that have survived to the present day with its dome and bearing system features. The Hagia Sophia, the biggest church built by the East Roman Empire in Istanbul, has been built 3 times in the same location. The Church of Holy Wisdom undoubtedly is one of the best architectural creations in the Planet. It used as a mosque during The Ottoman Empire. Today it is serving as a museum.
Grand Bazaar
It is one of the largest and oldest covered bazaars in the world built by Fatih (The conqueror ) Sultan Mehmet. The Grand Bazaar is a unique must-see center in Istanbul hosting 64 streets, 16 inns, 22 gates, approximately 3600 shops. It has an indoor area of 45000 square meters, employs approximately 20000 people, and receives between 300 – 500 thousand visitors per day depending on the season. Learn how traditional handmade Turkish carpet is made!
Program
09:00 am
We collect you from your hotel by our travel team in the morning. Sultanahmet district, the center of Old Town of the city, has hosted the spectacular landmarks of Byzantine & Ottoman Empires for hundreds of years. In that tour, we’ll step from one site to another to feel the atmosphere of that age and admire the great architectural charms. The day begins with the pick up from hotels or pre-advised points and drives to Sultanahmet Square. The first visit will be to Hippodrome, where we shall see Theodosius Obelisk, German Fountain, Serpent Column, and Million Stone. Then we shall get into the Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Cami), famous for its charming architecture and blue tiles inside.
Just opposite this magnificent mosque, we have the great Hagia Sophia Museum, the former Byzantine Church, and the Ottoman Mosque serving as a museum now stands in the heart of Old Town and exhibits the symbols and mosaics of Christianity and Islam. Lastly, we will walk to Grand Bazaar, the oldest shopping mall in the world. Your guide will give you brief information about the history of the bazaar and some tips about how to do shopping there.
13:00
End of tour. Tour will finish at Grand Bazaar.
Included Services
- Hotel Pick up (From Central Hotels)
- Guiding Service During the Tour
- Entrance Fees to the sights
- Transportation by air-conditioned non-smoking tour coaches
- Parking and Road tolls
- Local Taxes
Excluded Services
- Hotel Drop Off
- Personal Expenses
- Tips (optional)
Additional information
- Confirmation is going to be received at the time of booking for this tour
- 0-4 years free / 5-8 years %30 discount
- Blue Mosque: Visit isn’t possible on Friday Prayer time.
- Hagia Sophia: Closed on MONDAY, it will be replaced by Underground Cistern
- Grand Bazaar: Closed on SUNDAYS, it will be replaced by Arasta Bazaar.
Other Tours
Istanbul Travel Guide