Tour Highlights:
Explore Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, and the Basilica Cistern in Istanbul in one of our small group or private guided tours. Skip the longest lines with priority admission at the ticket office, and start learning about the fascinating lives of the Ottomans sooner.
Meet your guide in the Sultanahmet neighborhood and then stroll towards the Basilica Cistern. Wander together to the “Subterranean Palace,” where you’ll learn about Byzantine architecture and the area’s intriguing history as you gaze upon underground pillars. Walk on the wooden walkways over the water with an eye out for the famous upside-down Medusa heads.
Next, visit the Hagia Sophia, the most significant site of the Greek Orthodox religion in Istanbul. As you explore the interior, learn how it was converted into a mosque after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople. Admire the stunning monument and its mixed elements mosque and a church coexisting side by side. Admire the basilica’s stunning dome, minarets, countless mosaics, paintings, and Roman columns. Discover how the impressive İznik tiles were added over time in the Mosque, how the stunning Virgin Mary mosaic was created, and why the Ottomans chose to bury their sultans in the courtyard.
Continue to Topkapi Palace to gaze upon the splendor of the Ottoman Empire. Your guide will explain that the complex of buildings, pavilions, and courtyards was less like a palace and more like a self-contained city whose inhabitants rarely left. Exit the palace briefly to see the outer terraced gardens and admire the view over the Golden Horn.
At the end of our guided tour, choose to visit the Harem, at your own leisure.
Transport to the meeting spot
Guided tour of the Harem at Topkapi Palace ( you can choose to visit the Harem at your own leisure)