- 2 Hours
Skip the lines and enter the Hagia Sophia without delay! Enjoy a tour with an expert guide and learn about Byzantine architecture.
Tour Highlights:
- Visit the two major highlights of historical Istanbul with a small group of maximum 8 people
- See the Hagia Sophia from inside out and enjoy the mozaics gallery
- Learn about the Ottomans as you walk through the Topkapi Palace and visit the Harem as well
- Have the privilege of a professional and local guide for priority admission and skip-the-lines
Tour Hagia Sophia and the Topkapi Palace
Meet your professional and local guide at a central Sultanahmet location, from where you will enjoy skip-the-line admission tickets to visit the famous Hagia Sophia and see its glory from the 6th Century.
You can climb up the gallery with your guide to see the mosaics surviving from this ancient church, former mosque, and now internationally famous museum. Continue your journey to Topkapi Palace, the second stop for the day. Here you can explore the palace grounds, courtyards and its Harem on a guided tour. Marvel at its opulence and mystery and learn about this period in Istanbul’s history.
Later on, you will visit the harem, ruled by the Queen Mother who wielded domestic and political power. The harem housed hundreds of women and family members as well as hundreds of eunuchs, who performed a wide range of duties. Admire cupboard doors inlaid with mother of pearl and tortoiseshell and stunning Iznik tiles with verses from the Quran. Your tour will end with a visit to the holy relics and the imperial kitchens.
Itinerary
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Hagia Sophia alone justifies a visit to Istanbul. The church of the Divine Wisdom is eternally impressive and important, with its extraordinary dimensions and daunting beauty.
Its dome was a daring engineering feat in the sixth century, and engineers still marvel at the building’s many innovations. It remains the most popular museum in the city. All of our guides love Hagia Sophia personally, so you can expect to have in-depth explanations of the monument as part of your tour.
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Witness the glory of the Ottomans!
Topkapı Palace is a place of opulence, complexity, and mystery that inspires awe and is a must-see in our Istanbul walking tour.
Topkapı Palace was the home and seat of the government of the Ottomans for nearly 400 years. It’s the heart of the great Ottoman Empire, ruled by the monarch who lived in Topkapı’s hundreds of rooms with a grand family and servants.
Our tour includes the Harem and the outer terraced gardens (not covered in any other tour), where flowerbeds blaze with tulips of many colors, and we climb the high terrace to admire the view over the Golden Horn.
Tour Details
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- Skip-the-line admission tickets to Hagia Sophia
- Skip-the-line admission tickets to Topkapi Palace and the Harem
- Professional and local guide with a license
- Small group tour (maximum 8 people)
- Walking tour
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- Lunch
- Transport to the meeting spot
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- We meet at the House of Medusa Restaurant in Sultanahmet
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- This tour runs Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, 09:30 – 13:30 and 13:30 – 17:30
- Topkapı is closed on Tuesdays.