Istanbul Classics Tour

Our driver will meet you at your hotel and drive you to the tour’s starting point between 07:45 - 08:00 am according to your hotel’s location. The first stop will be the heart of the Old City, Sultanahmet Square. In this tour you will see three of the most important attractions in Istanbul ; The Hippodrome, which was once the social center of Istanbul. The Blue Mosque, with its beautiful hand painted tiles and Hagia Sophia, one of the greatest masterpieces ever built. The tour ends with a visit to Grand Covered Bazaar where you will see the incredible Turkish arts and crafts. You will fall in love with Istanbul instantly.

This tour is a half day morning tour and departs everyday.

07:45 - 08:00   Pick up from your hotel and drive to the meeting point to depart for the tour.

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• Hagia Sophia
• (Can be visited as a mosque since 2019)
• One of the greatest marvels of architecture, Hagia Sophia was founded as a basilica in the 6th century. Built by the order of Byzantine Emperor Justinianus, St.Sophia was the largest cathedral in the world for nearly a thousand years; it is considered the masterpiece of Byzantine architecture. After being considered the Patriarchal Basilica of Constantinople, it was converted into a mosque in 1453 by Sultan Mehmed II, The Conqueror, which led to adding the minarets, tombs and fountains. In 1935 it was turned into a museum by Ataturk, and in 2019 it was turned into a mosque again.

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• Blue Mosque
• ( Closed on Friday Mornings because of Friday Pray )
• Facing Hagia Sophia, famous for its blue Iznik tiles and its unique six minarets, the Blue Mosque was built in the name of Sultan Ahmet. This is the last great imperial mosque of the classical period. The name for which is commonly now known, “Blue Mosque”, comes from the 20.000 marvellous blue-toned Iznik tiles decorating the interior walls.

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• Hippodrome and Obelisks
• It’s a former center of sportive events (chariot races, for example) and political activities of the old city. The Obelisk of Theodosius, the Serpentine Column, and the German Fountain of Wilhelm II are the monuments that you can find and learn more about while visiting the Hippodrome.

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• Grand Covered Bazaar
• ( Closed on Sundays, replaced with Arasta Bazaar)
• In this labyrinth of streets and passages are more then 4,000 shops with each trade having its own area: the goldsmiths' street, the carpet sellers, Turkish arts and crafts, such as handpainted ceramic plates, hand-honed copperware, brassware and trays, water ewers, onyx-ware and meerschaum pipes