Heritage of Ottomans and Byzantine

After your cruise docked to Istanbul port, on your meeting time, your guide will be waiting you in the arrival guest terminal with a sign that your booking name indicated. After he/she welcomes you and after getting on your luxury private van, your unforgettable day in Turkey stop starts.

After having approximately 15 minutes drive(according to the traffic jam depends), you reach to the historical peninsula Sultan Ahmet Square most of the important relics located such as; Hippodrome of Constantinapole,Hagia Sophia,Underground Cistern,Topkapı Palace,Blue Mosque,Grand Bazaar…

In this tour, the sites where you are going to be guided are kindly indicated below ;
The Hippodrome of Constantinapole ; This area was being used as a square for chariot races, athletic competitions and rebellions in Byzantium Era. After, in the Ottoman Period it was used for executions as well. Nowadays, it’s known as the heart of Sultanahmet where you see the four impressive monuments located; the GERMAN FOUNTAIN OF WILHELM II, the OBELISK OF THEDOSIUS, the bronze SERPENTINE COLUMN and the COLUMN OF CONSTANTINE and also most of the important sites are located around this area that makes your day easy as well..

Blue Mosque (Called Sultanahmet Camii in Turkish); The name “Blue” actually comes from the exquisite tiles that are over than 20,000 located inside the mosque. The areas above the tiles and the inside of the domes are decorated with paintwork. This imperial mosque is an example of classical Turkish architecture, and it is the only mosque that was originally built with six minarets. The architect was a student of Sinan, the greatest architect of classical Turkish architecture. He applied a plan used previously by his master, but on a larger scale. It started to be built in 1609 and was finished in 1616 during the rule of Sultan Ahmed I and with a very good condition still an active mosque by the prayers.

Topkapi Palace ; Topkapi Palace will be the place where you feel and learn the atmosphere of the life in Ottomans. Ottoman Empire was one of the largest and longest lasting Empires in history. It replaced the Byzantine Empire as the major power in the Eastern Mediterranean. The Ottoman period spanned more than 600 years and came to an end only in 1922, when it was replaced by the Turkish Republic. . Topkapi is the largest and oldest palace in the world to survive to our day. Following the conquest of the city in 1453, the young Sultan Mehmet moved the capital of the empire to Istanbul, His first palace was located in the middle of the town. The second palace, which he built in the 1470’s, was initially called the New Palace, but in recent times it came to be known as the Topkapi Palace. Topkapı is a classical example of Turkish palace architecture. It consists of tree- shaded courtyards, each serving a different purpose and opening onto one another with monumental gates. The courtyards are surrounded by functional buildings. From the time of its construction, the palace developed constantly with alterations and additions made by each sultan.

Hagia Sophia ; Hagia Sophia is the one of the most visited museums in the world in terms of art and the history of architecture that inspires you very much even when you just look from outside. This mysterious place used to be a church built by emperor Justinian then converted into a mosque and today as a museum attracts a lot of attention by all the visitors..Did you know that Hagia Sophia also mentions in the novel of Dan Brown called Inferno?
You are going to have a bit taste of both the Christian and Islamic effects at this impressive atmosphere…

Grand Bazaar ; Time for shopping for a while in one of the best shopping malls ever ! The world famous covered bazaar “The Grand Bazaar” (Kapalıçarsı) is, owing to its architecture, history, location, and sheer variety of merchandise, one of Istanbul’s most significant tourist sites. The Bazaar has eight different entrances, each of them facing one of the city’s most important historic monuments and there are more than 5000 shops located whether it be jewelers,antiques,carpets,copper or leather goods..

After you finish your visits in your program, the same way you drive back to port of Istanbul. Ending our services as saying goodbye to our guests with unforgettable memories and with the wishes to welcome them back again…

• During your visits in the sites highly recommanded to wear comfortable shoes because there going to be cobblestone and slippery surfaces, inclines and sometimes steps.
• If you prefer another Language speaking guide please let us know awhile you make your reservation.
• Sultanahmet area is historical area. It is closed to traffic becasue of that mostly all attractions are in walking distance so at the tour a moderate amount of walking is involved
• Some historical places, museums are closed on spesific days could be replaced with some others such as.

• During the tours having a hat and putting your sunscreens on highly recommended to avoid the problems in the hot temperatures.
• Unless it is not indicated in your itinerary, The Treasury and Harem sections are not included in the programs and are due to extra entrance fees.
• According to your request, we can skip some of the sights from the program.
• According to the crowds on the busy days, your experienced tour guide could change the rotation of the places to visit in your program to organise a much easier day for your comfort.
• Local currency is Turkish Liras(TL) but around the places where you visit, generally they do accept euros and dollars.
• 0-6 ages of children are free of charge as long as you bring the copies of their passports to show the officials at the enterances of each site.
• If there is a mosque visit in your program, you should bring a scarf to wear before you enter.