Topkapı Palace, Blue Mosque, Hippodrome and Spice Bazaar
Depart at 08:30 for your Istanbul city tour.
Make your first stop at Topkapı Palace, the grand palace of the Ottoman sultans from the 15th to the 19th centuries. It houses an exquisite collection of crystal, silver, and Chinese porcelain, robes worn by the sultans and their families, the famous jewels of the Imperial Treasury, miniatures, and the Holy Mantle enshrining relics of the Prophet Mohammed.
See the Sultanahmet Imperial Mosque, situated across from St. Sophia. It is known as the Blue Mosque because of its magnificent interior decoration of blue Iznik tiles.
Admire the Hippodrome, the ancient scene of chariot races, with its three monuments: the Obelisk of Theodosius, the bronze Serpentine Column, and the Column of Constantine.
Take a lunch break.
Head to the Grand Spice Bazaar, a unique atmosphere with reasonable prices for exotic spices and herbs, Turkish baklava, Turkish delights, Turkish coffee, nuts and fruits, and small souvenirs such as ceramic handicrafts, evil eye totems, all-natural olive oil, soaps, and many other goods in the souvenir shops and stores.
Appreciate the rest of the evening, which is yours to enjoy in Istanbul.
Overnight in Istanbul.
