Istanbul Byzantine and Ottoman Relics Tour

Istanbul Byzantine and Ottoman Relics Tour

Highlights of the Istanbul Byzantine and Ottoman Relics Tour

Byzantine and Ottoman Relics Tour is a full-day tour in the old city of Istanbul. Your tour is starting from your hotel with the morning pick-up from the mentioned specific part of Istanbul (Sultanahmet, Beyazit, Aksaray, Taksim, Sirkeci, Bayazit, Laleli, Karakoy, Findikzade), and during your tour, you will discover important Ottoman, Roman, and Byzantine Relics. Byzantine and Ottoman Relics tour is the highly recommended Istanbul Tours.

08:30 am – You will be picked from your hotel for the tour of Byzantine and Ottoman Relics. Join other tour participants and start the guided tour. It is a full-day tour that which you will visit historical sites of the old city of Istanbul.

Istanbul Visiting Sights:

• Hippodrome
• Hagia Sophia Mosque
• Blue Mosque
• Topkapi Palace Museum
• Grand Covered Bazaar

17:00 pm – At the end of the tour, transfer you back to your hotel. Tour ends.

Brief Information about the sites:
Hagia Sophia Mosque: This ancient basilica, built by Constantine the Great, in the 4th century and reconstructed by Justinian in the 6th century, is one of the architechtural marvels of all time.
(St. Sophia closed on Monday, replaced with Underground Cistern)

Blue Mosque: Across from St. Sophia built in the 17th century by the architect Mehmet, is known as the BLUE MOSQUE because of its magnificent interior decoration of blue Iznik tiles.
(Visit is not possible on Friday due to quite limited access because of the Friday Prayer)

Hippodrome: The scene of ancient chariot races, the ancient Hippodrome, with its four monuments; the GERMAN FOUNTAIN OF WILHELM II, the OBELISK OF THEODOSIUS, the bronze SERPENTINE COLUMN, and the COLUMN OF CONSTANTINE.

Grand Covered Bazaar: In this labyrinth of streets and passages are more than 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, onnyxware and meerschaum pipers.
(Grand Bazaar closed on Sunday)

Topkapi Palace: The great palace of the Ottoman sultans from the 15th to the 19th centuries, housing an exquisite collection of precious gems, jewelry thrones of sultans, robes are worn by the sultans, and their families; miniatures, the Holy Mantle; CHABER OF SACRED RELICS. (Harem is not included in the program and the visit is due to the extra entrance fee.)

Why would you join our Old City Tour instead of just walking around on your own?

Maybe we should first point out that the average age of the moments that you’re going to visit is over 1000 years in the Old City. Does it start to attract your attencion ? Imagine you’re in the Hagia Sophia on your own and reading your guidebook: “The marble jar was brought from Pergamon during the reign of Sultan Murad III. Orginally from the Hellenistic period, it was carved from single block of marble.” Which jar? Where it is? Don’t lough, it’s serios, you’re in a building over 2500 square meters. Or you’re in the Blue Mosque and still reading. “The most inportant element in the interior of the mosque is the hirab.” Well ! Is there a sing pointing to the mihrab?
These are only few examples to clarify a professional guide wold be how important while you’re visiting the Old City. But you should aslo consider about lo huge cue in front of the Hagia Sophia and Topkapı Palace ticket booth. This is surely annoying to spend hours in the cue if you’re visiting Istanbul for a limited time. But don’t worry ! You will override the cue once you enjoy our tour. We’re professional pass for museums to not stick in the cue.