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 City Tours in Istanbul, Turkey

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Here are some sample Istanbul city tours, excursions and airport transfers.

(The actual programs of each tour company will vary from the descriptions below, but these samples give you an idea of what you may see.)

A half-day or full-day Istanbul city tour is a good way to get your bearings and a sense of the city's geography.

Turista Travel organizes out-of-the-ordinary small-group tours of Istanbul, stopping at places most tours never see, as well as at all the best-known sights. More...

Backpackers Travel offers innovative half-day tours to see some out-of-the-way Istanbul sights such as the City Walls,Yedikule (Fortress of the Seven Towers), Kariye Museum (Church of the Holy Savior in Chora), Pierre Loti café, Eyüp Sultan Mosque, Greek Orthodox patriarchate, and Egyptian Spice Bazaar for as little as €15. How can it cost so little? It's transportation only! More...
 

Byzantine Relics (3 hours)
See Istanbul's top Byzantine sights in this short tour which includes Aya Sofya (Hagia Sophia), the cathedral built by Emperor Justinian in 537 which was the largest church in Christendom for a thousand years. You'll also descend to the Sunken Palace Cistern (Yerebatan Sarniçi) where scenes from the James Bond movie From Russia With Love were filmed. Finally, you'll tour the Byzantine Hippodrome, with its various monuments including a 3500-year-old red granite obelisk brought from Egypt and erected here in 390 AD. Details & Reservations...

Ottoman Relics (4 hours)
The Ottoman Empire produced marvelous architecture and you'll see two of its finest works: Topkapi Palace, home of the sultans, and the famed Blue Mosque of Sultan Ahmet I. After a stroll through the Hippodrome, you'll venture into the labyrinthine Grand Bazaar for some shopping (carpets, antique jewelry, leather apparel, meerschaum and porcelain are specialties). Details & Reservations...

Istanbul Tour (8 hours)
This all-day tour is a combination of the two Istanbul half-day tours above: Byzantine Relics and Ottoman Relics. Details & Reservations...

Istanbul Sightseeing Tour (full day)
A variation of the full-day tour that operates from April through October only. Details & Reservations...

Bosphorus Cruise (4 hours)
Start at the Egyptian Market on the Golden Horn in Eminönü, at the foot of Galata Bridge. It's also known as the Spice Bazaar, and you'll see why! Board your Bosphorus cruise vessel for the voyage north toward the Black Sea, passing the sultan's palaces of Topkapi, Dolmabahçe, Yildiz, Beylerbeyi and Küçüksu, and the mighty castles of Rumeli Hisar and Anadolu Hisar. You'll have the opportunity to visit Rumeli Hisar, the larger fortress, and also the Sadberk Hanim Museum, one of Turkey's finest private collections housed partly in an Ottoman mansion. Details & Reservations...

Two Continents (4 hours)
Start with a tour of Dolmabahçe, the sultan's gigantic 19th-century palace, then drive across the lofty Bosphorus Bridge to enjoy views of the Bosphorus and the city. Your goal is Çamlica (CHAHM-luh-jah), the highest hill in the city, with its Ottoman-style coffeehouse and tea garden from which you'll enjoy panoramic views. Details & Reservations...

Istanbul by Night (3 hours)
Turks love nightlife, and if you do too, join in! Your Turkish night out includes a drive through Istanbul's illuminated streets to a supper club featuring Turkish and European cuisine. The floor show includes live traditional Turkish music, regional folk dance troupes, and—of course—a belly-dancer. Want to try it yourself? Get up there and dance! Details & Reservations...

Troy & Gallipoli Battlefields (2 days)
A driver/guide takes you by private car from your Istanbul hotel westward along the Sea of Marmara to the Dardanelles (Hellespont). Youl'' stay the night in the fortress town of Çanakkale on the Anatolian shore, but first you'll tour the ruins of legendary Troy, and probably not be able to resist snapping a photo of the reconstructed Trojan Horse. Gaze northward across the Troad (Plains of Troy) and you'll see the Gallipoli peninsula, site of the monumental World War 1 Gallipoli campaign conceived by Winston Churchill, but won by Mustafa Kemal (Atatürk). You'll tour the Gallipoli battlefields to see Anzac Cove, Lone Pine and other places hallowed by the heroism and sacrifice of half a million men. Details & Reservations...

Anzac Tours (6 days/5 nights)
The ANZAC Day ceremony, commemorated on the Gallipoli bttlefields on April 25th, is the centerpiece of this 6-day, 5-night tour departing from Istanbul. It includes the Troy & Gallipoli program (above) as well as a tour of Istanbul's major sights, and an excursion to Pergamum (Bergama) and its Asclepion. Details & Reservations...


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Aerial View, Istanbul, Turkey

Istanbul from an airplane.