DAILY ISTANBUL TOUR - Old İstanbul Walk

Istanbul has been capital of the Eastern Roman and Ottoman Empires for more than 1000 years and presenting the heritage of many other civilizations as well. At Woop Woop Travel, based on your requests and our suggestions, we have created tailor-made tours. Our tours are available as small group tours or private tours.

DAILY ISTANBUL TOUR (Regular - Group)

 


Old Istanbul Walk;
·  Topkapi Palace
·  Basilica Cistern
·  Hippodrome and Obelisks
·  Lunch
·  Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya Church)
·  Blue Mosque
·  Million Stone
·  Tomb of Sultan Mahmud
·  Cemberlitas (Column of Constantine)
·  Grand Bazaar

First time in Istanbul? This is our most popular itinerary chosen by many of our guests, showing the highlights of the historical city.

We will pick you up from your hotel in Sultanahmet area around 08.30 and your day begins with a visit to the amazing Topkapi Palace – home to the Ottoman Sultans for almost 400 years. Today, the palace houses amazing artifacts from the Ottoman period as well as many religious pieces and the famous Harem. The Basilica Cistern is our next stop – also known as the Sunken Water Palace, the Cistern has 336 marble columns and was built in 532 A.D. On to the Roman Hippodrome – this Byzantine scene was home to Constantinople's sporting and political life. Today we can see many monuments including a 3500 year old Egyptian Obelisk. The center for entertainment, amusement and sports in the city during the Roman and Byzantine Empires. The Egyptian Obelisk, the serpentine column and the German fountain of Willhelm II are sites to be visited.   Our next destination is a local restaurant for lunch.

After lunch, we continue with our walking tour by visiting the famous Aya Sofia (Hagia Sophia) museum – this architectural wonder was built in 360 A.D. and was used as a house of worship by different religions until finally being converted to a museum in 1935. The Church of Holy Wisdom, undoubtedly one of the greatest architectural creations in the world, was used as a mosque during Ottomans and now serves as a museum.  The next stop is the Sultanahmet Mosque, also known as the Blue Mosque – built in the 16th century, this working mosque gets its names from the intricate blue Iznik tiles which adorn the inside. The Sultan Ahmed Mosque, one of the most revered masterpieces of the Islamic world, is famous with its blue ceramic tiles and six minarets. We continue on to the Tomb of Sultan Mahmud and the ancient Ottoman cemetery, the Cemberlitas – known as the Banded Column and finally onto the Grand Bazaar. The Grand Bazaar – the ultimate Old World shopping center with some 4000 shops. The tour will end in the Grand Bazaar around 16:30 and the guide will give you information on how to get back to your hotel (an easy 5 to 10 minute walk to the hotels in Sultanahmet).



Hagia Sophia is closed on Monday; Topkapi Palace is closed on Tuesday and Grand Bazaar is closed on Sunday. We will visit Chora Church on Mondays and Archaelogy Museum on Tuesdays.