Private Guided Highlights of Istanbul 1.5 Day Tour
10390P103
10390P103
10390P103
10390P103
10390P103
10390P103
10390P103
10390P103
10390P103
10390P103
10390P103
10390P103
Overview
• Private Tour for your family and friends
• You will decide on departure time
• Our tour guide will meet you at the Port/Hotel with your name sign,
• Our professional tour guide will be with you from arrival till departure,
• You will have flexibilty to spend how much time you want in each site and customize the itinerary,
• You do not have to wait for other group members
• You may stop to have pictures during your tour.
• You may stop for lunch in a local restaurant to taste famous Turkish Kebaps.
Tour at a glance
What's included
- GUARANTEED On Time Return to PORT
- Professional Licenced Tour guide
- Private tour for your family and Friends only
- Transportation with brand new air-conditioned minivan/minibus
Not included
- Any meals and drinks
- Entrance Fees ( Our guide will have pre-paid tickets to skip lines )
- meals
Day by day
- Istanbul Your tour guide will meet you at your hotel or Istanbul cruise port at the given time during your reservation.
- Hippodrome Our tour starts with Hippodrome Square where used to take place for chariot races and the Byzantine riots during Roman & Byzantine period.
- Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque Only a short walk away from Hippodrome Square, we will reach to Hagia Sophia which was built in 532 AD by Roman Emperor Justinian I. Update for St. Sophia interior visit : Live guiding is not allowed in St. Sophia after the 15th January 2024. Guests have to have their smart phones and headphones during their visit. The system is similar to audio guide system. Guests who does not have smart phones will follow the signs and the given informations on the signs .
- Blue Mosque Blue Mosque which is the one of the biggest mosques of Istanbul from 17th century architecture is one of the principal adornments on the skyline of Istanbul. Also famous for its blue tiles and 6 minarest.
- TopkapI Palace We will continue walking to Topkapi Palace, was not only the residence of the Ottoman sultans, but also the administrative and educational center of the state. It was constructed between 1460 and 1478 by Sultan Mehmed II, the conqueror of Constantinople. We will visit the Topkapi Palace including weapons section.
- Grand Bazaar Our Last stop is The Grand Bazaar is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with 61 covered streets and over 4,000 shops . Free time for souvenir hunting before back to our hotel / cruise port
- Istanbul Your guide will meet with you at your hotel or Istanbul cruise port.
- Basilica Cistern Our second day will start with Underground Cistern which was the largest covered water reservoir in Istanbul, built by Justinian I.
- Misir Carsisi After the visit to the cistern,you will have free time in Spice Bazaar (Egyptian Bazaar): The air here is filled with the enticing aromas of cinnamon, caraway, saffron, mint, thyme and every other conceivable herb and spice.
- Suleymaniye Mosque Süleymaniye Mosque the mosque of Süleyman the Magnificent was built between 1550 and 1557 by the famous architect Sinan whose wish was to surpass the builders of St. Sophia which is conspicuous from its great size, emphasized by the four minarets rising one from each corner of the courtyard.
- Istanbul Back to your hotel or cruise port. End of our services.
Meeting & pickup
Hotel pickup is included for all travellers.
Pick up from Listed hotels and Istanbul Cruise Terminal for cruise guests. Suggested pick up time will be given on your confirmation message. - You will have flexibilty to spend how much time you want in each site and make small changes on the itinerary. - You do not have to wait for other group members. - You will have a chance to make stops to have pictues during the tour. - Our Private tour rates are more reasonable than cruise shore tours. - Your guide will have pre-paid tickets to skip the lines - You will have several alternatives to taste famous Turkish Delicious foods, if you want to have lunch during your trip
Schedule
Good to know
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- During religious holidays the Spice market and Grand Bazaar will be closed. Arasta bazaar will be visited instead
- In the event of any museum closures, an alternative similar museum will be visited
- Not recommended for participants with walking difficulties
- Bare shoulders are not permitted in holy places of worship such as churches, monasteries, mosques and synagogues.
- Shoes are not permitted in mosques
- In the event of any museum closures, an alternative similar museum will be visited. On Tuesdays : Topkapi Palace replaced by Underground Cistern, On Sundays: Grand Bazaar will be replaced by Spice Market. Grand Bazaar will be replaced by Arasta Bazaar when closed. On Fridays: Blue Mosque is open from 15.00 to 16.30
- Not recommended for travelers with walking disabilities
Cancellation policy
If you cancel at least 3 full day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a full refund.<br>If you cancel within 3 day(s) of the scheduled departure, you will receive a 0% refund.
Traveller reviews
Great experience - we came in to Istanbul on a Celebrity cruise ship and had an evening and next day tour. Seemless, educational and really well organized. Our guide was Ezgi she was amazing!
We recently had an excellent 2 day tour with Leyla, our private guide in Istanbul while on a cruise. She's incredibly knowledgeable about the history of the city and Turkey and imparted a lot of information during our time together. Personally, she's charming and interacted with us throughout, attentive to the schedule and sites we visited. She skillfully guided us through crowded places. Istanbul is city unlike any other we have visited, a combination of Europe/Asia and Leyla helped us appreciate its unique and distinctive qualities. Overall, we highly recommend her as well as Ephesus Shuttle, who allowed us to customize our tour and was incredibly fast in responding to any and all emails.
We booked directly with Ephesus Shuttle Private and Small Group Tours for a one and a half day private tour of Istanbul. It was excellent. We covered everything we wanted to see, and our driver was always there when it was time to change locations. It was convenient, comfortable, and a better price than anything else I found. They picked us up at the airport, took us on the first half day tour, took us to our cruise ship for an in port overnight, picked us up the next morning, and took us for a full day. Our guide, Tayfun, was fun and knowledgeable. I highly recommend Ephesus Shuttle and Tayfun. In fact, we used Ephesus Shuttle in Ephesus, also.
We had a very nice time while visiting Istanbul with our guide Leyla. We spent a day and a half with her and she took us to all of the major sites and to several out of the way treasures. Met us at our ship and had a clean van and driver to move us from site to site quickly and efficiently. Would recommend this service.
Istanbul is an amazing city. Our tour with Tayfun was incredible. We were picked up right at the port and immediately went to see the Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, Blue Mosque, the underground cistern and tour of the city. We went to the Grand Bazaar. We were dropped off at the hotel. Day 2 were were picked up at our hotel and took a boat ride on the Bosphorus which separates Europe and Asia, the spice market and the Dolmabahce Palace, which is a must see. I would highly recommend this tour company and Tayfun our guide.
Yasim was very knowledgeabe. He provided a a lot of excellent information. He was understanding of our individual needs; he was very flexible. Yasim was patient with the impatient 6 year old. All of us from the 6 year old to the 80 year old found this tour enjoyable. Yasim was excellent at getting us into places quickly and smoothly.
My wife and I arranged a day and a half tour of Istanbul with Leyla Yaşar. Leyla was fantastic. On two warm June days she paced our visit just right while sharing her exceptional knowledge of the city and Türkiye's history and culture. It was very educational, of course. More importantly, it was a wonderful person-to-person experience. Highlights included Topkapi Palace, Süleymaniye Mosque, Hagia Sophia and the Basilica Cistern. Highly recommended.
We got a Good overview of Istanbul and appreciated how knowledgeable Leyla was! The city and sights are truly fantastic!
Reviews are collected by Viator and Tripadvisor from verified travellers.
Frequently asked questions
How long does this experience last?
It lasts 2 days.
Is hotel pickup included?
Hotel pickup is included for all travellers.
Can I cancel for free?
A custom cancellation policy applies; see the cancellation section on this page.
Which languages is the guide available in?
Guide languages: EN
On which days does it run?
It runs Every day. Starts 08:30, 09:00, 09:30, 10:00 +8
How fast is the booking confirmed?
Instantly. Your e-ticket arrives by e-mail right after booking.
Is this a private tour?
Yes, this is a private experience for your group only.
Where do I complete the booking?
On viator.com, a Tripadvisor company, with live availability and secure payment. TourViaGo is a Global Partner of Viator.
Product code 10390P103
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