Full-Day Guided Tour of Istanbul Highlights with Lunch

Visit all the major landmarks in Istanbul on this highlights tour with a licensed English-speaking tour guide. Get picked up in an AC vehicle from your hotel and make your way to your first destination, the Hippodrome.

Byzantine and Ottoman Landmarks

The Hippodrome was an ancient stadium during the Byzantine era that could hold 100,000 spectators, where an Egyptian obelisk and a bronze sculpture of 3 entwined serpents from Delphi reside. Listen to stories and facts about horse and chariot racing held here from your guide. Your next stop will be the Blue Mosque, also known as the Sultan Ahmed Mosque. Admire the blue tiles of the interior, 6 towering minarets, and 260 windows that reflect the architectural genius of the Byzantine era.

Shop in the Streets of the Grand Bazaar

Stop by the Topkapi Palace and learn about the Ottoman Sultans who lived here, and enter the Palace at your own cost to stroll across the pavilions and courtyards. This tour is not complete without a visit to Hagia Sophia with several small buildings that look like miniature mosques and contain lavishly-decorated tombs of 5 sultans and their extended families.

Take home memorable souvenirs from this tour by shopping at the Grand Bazaar. With nearly 4000 shops selling antiques, jewelry, pottery, leather goods, and carpets, this is one of the world’s largest covered markets! End your tour by enjoying a full-course sumptuous lunch at an authentic Turkish restaurant.