Old Istanbul Highlights Tour
Pick up from your hotel.
Walk to the old part of Istanbul and visit the following landmarks:
Hagia Sophia
The Church of Holy Wisdom, Hagia Sophia is one of the most prominent monuments in the world in terms of art and architectural history. It was used as a mosque during the Ottoman period, and nowadays it is one of the most visited museums in the world.Byzantine Hippodrome
The Hippodrome provided an unrivalled opportunity to show the emperor's power, wealth, and generosity through lavish public entertainments that often lasted for days and coincided with public holidays. The Egyptian Obelisk, the Serpentine Column, and Wilhelm II's German Fountain are among the sites to be visited here.Blue Mosque
Its official name is the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, but it is more popularly known as the Blue Mosque because of the blue tiles decorating its interior walls. There are around 20,000 handmade ceramic tiles, whose quality decreased over time because the sultan fixed the price in advance without taking inflation into account.Grand Bazaar
The oldest and largest covered marketplace in the world, with more than 4,000 shops selling handmade carpets, jewellery, leather goods, and souvenirs.Topkapı Palace
The former imperial residence of the Ottoman sultans and one of the oldest and largest remaining palaces in the world. Today, it is used as a museum exhibiting works of art and many priceless artifacts. The harem section is not included in this tour.Underground Cistern
Known in Byzantium as the Basilica Cistern, it was founded by Justinian after the Nika Revolt in 532. As the population of Constantinople increased and water supply became a problem, the Basilica Cistern was used to store water for the Great Palace.
