Best of Istanbul 1, 2 or 3-Day Private Guided Istanbul Tour

Best of Istanbul 1, 2 or 3-Day Private Guided Istanbul Tour

By Guided Istanbul Tours

Exceptional

Free cancellation available

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Features

Free cancellation available
21h
Mobile voucher
Instant confirmation
Selective hotel pickup
Multiple languages

Overview

Visit highlights of Istanbul with your private tour guide in 1, 2 or 3 days with a flexible itinerary.

Day 1 - Highlights of Topkapi Palace Museum, Byzantine Hippodrome / Sultanahmet Square, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Grand Bazaar.

Day 2 - Bosphorus Cruise by Public Ferry, Dolmabahce Palace, Taksim Square, Istiklal Street, Cicek Passage, Galata Tower (from outside), Spice Market.

Day 3 - Suleymaniye Mosque, Fener and Balat Districts, St. Stephen Church (Iron Church), Pierre Lotti Panoramic Hill by Cable Car, Chora Church (or alternative sites).

Important Notes:

Skip the line service is not available for active mosques - there is a queue for the entrance.
If one of the mosques is not visited, Basilica Cistern will be visited as a replacement.
For the tours that start later than 11 am, kindly note that you may have to skip one/a couple of sites as the sites are closed by 7 pm. Your guide will adjust the program according to your priorities.

Activity location

Sultanahmet District
- 34122, Istanbul, Turkiye

Meeting/Redemption Point

Galataport Istanbul
- No: 8 Meclis-i Mebusan Caddesi
- 34433, Kılıçali Paşa, İstanbul, Turkiye

Multiple meeting/redemption points available, see location information for full list

Check availability

1-Day Without Transportation

21h
English

Hotel/port information needed: Guide will meet you at Galataport, your hotel or Airbnb if they are centrally located. (No transportation included.)

Travellers

Languages available

Starting time

Price details

RM 791.24 x 1 AdultRM 791.24

Total

1-Day Private Guide & Van Tour

21h
English

Van will not be used in the Old Town due to closures, but only for pick-up and drop-off, unless the itinerary is changed.
Duration: 7 hours: Van will be assigned for 7 hours and the tour is customizable.
Mercedes Vito/Sprinter
Pickup included

Travellers

Languages available

Starting time

Price details

RM 1,384.67 x 1 AdultRM 1,384.67

Total

2-Day Without Transportation

21h
English

Duration: 7 hours: 2 Day Tour(7 hours each day)
Hotel/port information needed: Guide will meet you at Galataport, your hotel or Airbnb if they are centrally located. (No transportation included.)

Travellers

Languages available

Starting time

Price details

RM 1,582.48 x 1 AdultRM 1,582.48

Total

3-Day Without Transportation

21h
English

Duration: 7 hours: 3 Day Tour(7 hours each day)
Hotel/port information needed: The guide will meet you at Galataport, your hotel or Airbnb if they are centrally located. (No transportation included.)

Travellers

Languages available

Starting time

Price details

RM 2,373.72 x 1 AdultRM 2,373.72

Total

2 Days Private Guide-Van Tour

21h
English

A private van will be assigned throughout the tour.
Mercedes Vito/Sprinter
Pickup included

Travellers

Languages available

Starting time

Price details

RM 2,769.34 x 1 AdultRM 2,769.34

Total

3 Days Private Guide-Van Tour

21h
English

A private van will be assigned throughout the tour.
Mercedes Vito/Sprinter
Pickup included

Travellers

Languages available

Starting time

Price details

RM 4,154.01 x 1 AdultRM 4,154.01

Total

What's included, what's not

Professional Licensed Guide
Private tour
Guide meets you at central hotels
Transportation (from/back to hotel, between sites unless van is booked)
Museum/Ferry/Cable Car Tickets
Lunch
Gratuity (suggested)

Know before you book

Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Specialized infant seats are available
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
The suggested first-day tour is designed as a walking tour, with transportation needed only between the hotel and the Old Town if the hotel is outside old town.
The suggested second-day tour can be easily managed by public transportation
Topkapi Palace is closed on Tuesdays can be replaced with alternatives such as Turkish And Islamic Arts Museum or Archaeological Museum or Basilica Cistern.
If one of the mosques or museums is not visited, Basilica Cistern will be visited as a replacement.
Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays and replaced with Spice Market.
Dolmabahce Palace is closed on Mondays. Due to museum regulations, live guide service is not available at Dolmabahce Palace.
For the tours that start later than 11 am, kindly note that you may have to skip one/a couple of sites as the sites are closed by 7 pm. Your guide will adjust the program according to your priorities.
On Fridays, Blue Mosque will be visited in the afternoon.
Grand Bazaar and Spice Market is closed during Eid. (March 20-22, May 27-30 in 2026)

Activity itinerary

Sultanahmet District

15m

Sultanahmet District

Hippodrome

15m

Hippodrome Square / Atmeydanı Hippodrome; where the chariot races were held in the Roman Empire times, Egyptian Column from Byzantine Empire time and today German Fountain is the main cornerstone of the square of Ottoman Empire.

German Fountain

15m

Germa Fountain / Alman Çeşmesi

Sultanahmet Square

15m

Sultanahmet Square

Hagia Sophia Mosque

1h
Admission ticket not included

Hagia Sophia Museum / Ayasofya / Santa Sofia Built in the 6th century by Emperor Justinian, played a very important role in the Christian and Islamic World. After the Ottoman conquest the bells, altar, iconoclastic, and sacrificial vessels were removed, and many of the mosaics were eventually plastered over to convert the church into a mosque then a museum and now it’s a mosque for the second time. The most important stop of an Istanbul tour is operated in Old City Istanbul / Constantinople. *Please note that as it's not a museum anymore, tour guides don't have skip-the-line priority there. You may need to wait in the security line, in order to avoid queues we suggest departing at 8:30am or 9:00am.

Blue Mosque

1h

Blue Mosque / Sultanahmet Camii Built in the early 1600s for Sultan Ahmet I of the Ottoman Empire, the Blue Mosque is truly a magnificent masterpiece of architecture with amazingly delicate proportions for a building of such massive scale.

Grand Bazaar

1h

Grand Bazaar / Kapalı Çarşı One of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world with over 4,000 shops with colorful products of ceramic, leather, rugs, carpets, handicrafts, clothes, silver, and gold.

Bosphorus Strait

2h
Admission ticket not included

Bosphorus Cruise by Public Ferry or Private Cruise ( if option is chosen) Take the public ferry for Bosphorus Cruise to see both Istanbul’s European and Asian sides, Galata Tower, Dolmabahce Palace, Beylerbeyi Palace, the Rumeli Fortress, old Ottoman villas, Bosphorus bridges, mosques. Your best Istanbul tour memories will definitely include the Bosphorus.

Dolmabahce Palace

1h
Admission ticket not included

Dolmabahce Palace / Dolmabahçe Sarayı Elegance and beauty with the most luxury decoration, chandeliers, rugs, crystals, ceramic fireplaces. Beautiful palace, right on the Bosphorus with gorgeous furnishings, paintings, porcelains made in particular to Dolmabahce.

Taksim Square

1h

Taksim Square / Taksim Meydanı A great place defining modern Turkey which witnessed important historical moments. Close to Istiklal Street (Istiklal Caddesi) and Galata Tower along with embassies of European countries in Taxim. Cicek Passage has very good food joints, cafes, shops, bars, night clubs around Taksim.

Topkapi Palace

2h
Admission ticket not included

Topkapi Palace Museum / Topkapı Sarayı More than just an Imperial Residence of Ottoman Sultans, it was the seat of the Supreme Executive and Judiciary Council for almost 400 years long. Topkapi Palace is a great monument of Oriental architecture which resembles the power of the Ottoman Empire.

Istiklal Caddesi

45m

Istiklal Street is the modern and colorful face of Turkey with churches, modern art galeries, embassies, pubs, cafes and shops selling different kind of products.

Galata Tower

10m
Admission ticket not included

We will see the tower FROM OUTSIDE, due to the regulations unfortunately tour guides don't have skip the line priority here so it takes long time to wait queue. Your tour guide will make you explanation about tower.

Misir Carsisi (Spice Market)

45m

Spice Market / Mısır Çarşısı Egyptian Bazaar is a colorful indoor bazaar and has lots of shops offering a variety of spices, purses, flavored teas, Turkish delight, nuts, as well as ceramics, and small souvenirs. Spice Bazaar is located in Eminonu Square which is the connection point of Bosphorus and Golden Horn.

Cicek Pasaji

10m

Cicek Passage / Flower Passage Originally named as Cite de Pera, a combined structure of traditional and modern construction methods and architectural style by Ottoman Empire is reflected and today we see the small shops and cafes here.

Suleymaniye Mosque

1h

Suleymaniye Mosque / Süleymaniye Camii is the largest mosque in Istanbul and is as impressive on the inside as it is on the outside. In the garden behind the mosque, the Suleymaniye terrace offers lovely views of the Golden Horn and Bosphorus.

Balat

2h

Fener-Balat Neighborhood backstreet walk Continue exploring Istanbul’s rich religious history with a stop at the Church of St. George. Since the 1600s, the church has been the location of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and is recognized as the spiritual leader of the Eastern Orthodox Religion. Balat District; lines of drying laundry stretch across steep, winding streets. Century-old Ottoman houses lean against each other in a combination of reds, blues, and greens. And art galleries and design shops dot the area along the water.

Fener Rum Patrikhanesi

45m

Orthodox Patriarch

Historic Areas of Istanbul

10m

Historic Areas of Istanbul

Pierre Loti Tepesi

30m
Admission ticket not included

Pierre Loti Hill and Cable Car are some of the most popular sights to visit since it offers great views for visitors. Take the cable car to reach the top and enjoy the beautiful scenery while sipping your Turkish coffee or tea.

Chora Museum

1h 30m
Admission ticket not included

Formerly Church of St. Saviour in Chora is renowned worldwide for its well-preserved mosaics and frescoes. It presents important and beautiful examples of East Roman painting in its last period. The idea of depth in mosaics and the moving style in figures are of outstanding artistic significance in the Middle Ages, foretelling the Renaissance period.

Halic

30m
Admission ticket not included

Golden Horn region which is one of the oldest settlements of the city of Constantinople.

Bulgarian Orthodox Church

45m

St. Stephen Church; Located on the shore of the Golden Horn, the church is also known as the Iron Church due to the fact that it’s made entirely of prefabricated cast iron in 19th century.

Location

Activity location

Sultanahmet District
- 34122, Istanbul, Turkiye

Meeting/Redemption Point

Galataport Istanbul
- No: 8 Meclis-i Mebusan Caddesi
- 34433, Kılıçali Paşa, İstanbul, Turkiye
German Fountain
- At Meydanı Caddesi
- 34122, Binbirdirek, İstanbul, Turkiye

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