Best of Istanbul Tour (05 Days & 4 Nights)
Highlights: Hippodrome, Blue Mosque, St Sophia Museum, Topkapi Palace, Grand Bazaar, Rustem Pasha Mosque, Spice Bazaar, Golden Horn, Bosphorus Cruise, Camlica Hill, Dolmabahce Palace, Princess' Islands
Operates: All year-around / By coach
Package Rate: Please fill the form and tell us your travel dates & choice of hotels
Optional Tours: Turkish Bath (Hamam), Turkish Night Show & Whirling Dervishes Performance
Note: Best of Istanbul tour package is insuranced by TURSAB (Association of Turkish Travel Agencies)
Day 1 Arrival in Istanbul
Upon arrival to Istanbul Ataturk or Sabiha Gokcen Airport, you will be met by us and accompanied during your transfer to your hotel. You have the afternoon and evening free to relax and/or check out the city. Overnight in Istanbul.
Day 2 Istanbul City Tour
We will leave hotel in the morning to visit the Sultanahmet Square and the spectacular Blue Mosque decorated with beautiful 17th century Iznik tiles. Then stroll around the historical Hippodrome where chariot races were once held. Continue with the Hagia Sophia / St. Sophia and Museum. An early Christian church, later converted to a mosque under Ottoman rule, this magnificent temple now serving as a museum with all the artefacts from the Byzantine era intact, is especially famous for its mosaics. After lunch, we will visit the Topkapi Palace Museum, the residence of the legendary Ottoman Sultans, now converted into a museum. It consists of several exhibition halls, such as the Treasury, the porcelain section, Armoury and Holy Relics. We will complete this historical day with a visit to the Grand Bazaar (Kapalicarsi). Overnight in Istanbul.
Day 3 Bosphorus Cruise & Beylerbeyi Palace Tour
We will take you to Spice Market, still in use as one of the world’s largest spice bazaars since 1665. Next, we will board the ferries across the Bosphorus which will take us to both European and Asian sides of the city. This beautiful voyage will take you along the shores of Bosphorus and you will see the Rumeli Fortress from the 15th century as well as the seaside summer palaces and unique wooden houses of the area, as well as the natural beauty of the forests above. The last stop on the cruise is the fishing village of Sariyer, close to the Black Sea. From there on we will drive you by coach via the world’s only Intercontinental Bridge Bosphorus Bridge to take you to Camlica Hill on the Asian side. Camlica is the highest tip in Istanbul where you will enjoy breathtaking views of Istanbul. We will visit the Beylerbeyi Palace, the summer residence of the royal Ottoman family with original furniture and magnificent gardens. Overnight in Istanbul.
Day 4 Princess' Islands Cruise Tour
Today you will take a morning ferry ride to Buyukada, the biggest of the Princess Islands which used to be the summer resort for the wealthy non-Muslim community. There will be a tour of the Island by horse drawn carriages, a wonderful patio lunch and free time to do shopping, walking around the island (where there is no motor vehicles traffic). You will feel as though you have stepped back into a more leisured and gracious age, almost expecting grand 19th century ladies and gentlemen to come strolling down to the waterfront on an afternoon promenade. Or, you may just lie down in the sun and relax. Lunch will be at one of the many excellent traditional fish-restaurants on the waterfront, gazing across the water at the Asian shore of Istanbul, so close though it feels worlds away. A ferry ride in the evening will take us back to the city and drive to your hotel. Overnight in Istanbul.
Day 5 Istanbul / Home
Option to extend package with additional night(s) in Athens or we will arrange for the transfer to Athens International Airport for your return or onward flight.
What's Included:
* Hotel accommodations in choice of preferred class
* Professional Tour Guides licensed by the Ministry of Tourism
* Noted sightseeing tours on regular group or private guided basis
* Main entrance fees to sights mentioned by the itinerary
* Meals mentioned by the itinerary - Vegeterian meals available
* Required land transport including roundtrip airport transfers with A/C non-smoking minivans
* Local taxes & handling services