Istanbul Private Old Town and Shopping Tour in Grand Bazaar

5.0 (4 reviews) Istanbul, Turkey
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Duration4h - 6h
Free cancellationFull refund up to 24 hours before
Instant confirmationYour booking is confirmed right away
TicketMobile or paper ticket accepted
LanguagesEnglish, Turkish
Private tourOnly your group will participate

Overview

Do you want to have a Private Tour for the History and Legends of Istanbul and have the chance to have a Personal Shopper in the Grand Bazaar?

Instead of being only a guide to tell stories I am looking forward to add personal interactions to the tour and curate routes for your needs in the Grand Bazaar (only if you want to shop)

In this tour everything is adjustable, we can add or remove the stops as you like.

We will learn the unknown details hidden behind the walls:

- Why only one Angel’s face is open but three other Angel’s faces are covered in Hagia Sophia?
- Who was Istanbul’s secret Viking visitor and what did he leave as a note to us?
- What is behind the walls of the Hippodrome?
- Which door was made of Noah’s Ark?
- Why there are more than 30.000 dead bodies under the main square of the city?
- Which minaret was made of jewelry?

All these questions and even more will be answered and covered with great storytelling.

What's included

  • Coffee and Tea and Water during the tour will be on me.

What to expect

  1. Gulhane Park
    20m
    This amazing park with full of roses and tulips was once the backyard of Ottomans, here we can take lovely pictures and breathe the atmosphere of a royal family garden.
  2. Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque
    20m · Admission ticket not included
    Hagia Sophia is the most remarkable historical site of the city. There are too many legends to talk about here, I will tell you the brief story of the temple and then go into details, one by one.

    The entrance of the place is 25 Euros and is not included in the price of the tour. If you want to go, you have to let me know beforehand so I can get the tickets in advance to avoid the lines. Then you will pay me the ticket prices in cash when we meet.
  3. Sultanahmet Square
    30m
    This square was the main square of two big Empires, Roman Empire and Ottoman Empire and it still has the significant importance. I will tell you the whole story of it starting from Constantine the Great to nowadays. We will go on a terrace for taking pictures and talking generally about the whole history of the area.
  4. Blue Mosque
    20m
    We will go into the Blue Mosque to envy the amazing tiles of the place and talk about the history of it.
  5. Hippodrome
    20m
    We will be standing on the site of historical hipodrome and I will show you the remaining of the hipodome. Plus, there are going to be some interesting stories that I will be telling about whatever has happened on the area.
  6. Basilica Cistern
    20m · Admission ticket not included
    See the amazing underground water storage a.k.a Basilica Cistern, where you will feel like being in an underground palace. This place hides lots of beauties and sculptures with hidden stories behind that you will unveil with us!

    The tickets for this venue is 35 Euros, so please let me know beforehand so that we can purchase together as its not included in the price
  7. Column of Constantine
    10m
    The Avenue of Constantine the Great, we will learn why there is a column and what happened to the statue on it.
  8. Grand Bazaar
    15m
    4.000 store marketplace. Almost 600 years old history. One of the most remarkable places in Istanbul.

    Here, you have a choice. If you were already planning to come to Grand Bazaar for shopping anyways, as I am an expert guide on the bazaar (You can see I have another tour just focusing on Shopping in Grand Bazaar), I will help you with your shopping and once your shopping is done we will end the tour here. In my expertise, the shortest shopping takes 2 hours.

    If you are not interested in shopping, then we will go on with the other places that are after here.

    However, in case you want to do shopping, you have to let me know beforehand so I can curate a personalized route for you in the bazaar. Of course, I will recommend you amazing stores with great quality and help you bargain.

    (Most of the guides do not bargain, just leave you at random stores and wait outside, I act more like a personal shopper.)
  9. Beyazit Square
    10m
    In case you decide to not do shopping and go on with the other places to see, we will see one of the main squares of the Roman Empire and where Istanbul University is located now. We will be talking about the history around here and we will see so many cats on the venue.
  10. Suleymaniye Mosque
    30m
    The Balcony of Istanbul. One of the most important and best viewed Imperial Mosques of Istanbul. We will finish our tour while resting with the beautiful view here. Again, we will only come here if you want to not do shopping in the bazaar.

Meeting and pickup

Meeting point

We will meet at the entrance of Gülhane Park, there are different entrances of the park, we will be meeting at the entrance that faces the tram line, where there is also a stop called as Gülhane.

End point

We are ending at Süleymaniye Mosque, a.k.a the balcony of Istanbul.

Additional information

  • Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Cancellation policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Reviews

5.0 (4)
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Operated by Private Istanbul Curated Walking and Shopping Tours · Booked through Viator
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