Istanbul Old City Tour

If you have a limited time and want to see the most important places such as Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Hipodrom, Topkapı Palace and Grand Bazaar in Istanbul than we invite you to Istanbul Old City Tour.

About “ Istanbul Old City Tour”

Istanbul is a visiting card of Turkey and, indeed, if you have not been to Istanbul, then you have not seen the real colorful Turkey.
Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, it is the economic, historical and cultural center of the country.
Istanbul is located between two seas – Marmara and Black.
The population of Istanbul is about 15 million people.

A lot has been said and written about Istanbul.
The bridge city, the city of cats, the city of hammams, tulips, contrasts and smells .. and that every tourist should visit Istanbul.

Eras, rulers, emperors, cultures, religions change and wars take place, and this amazing city, having been the capital of the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman empires, managed to preserve the main heritage of those eras.
We offer you a unique tour ” Istanbul Old City Tour”!

Hagia Sophia

Millions of tourist from all over the World are visiting Hagia Sophia every year. Hagia Sophia is the greatest architectural structure and one of the most visited cultural monuments in the world. Due to its unique architecture and the fact that it is the largest place of worship in the world, it is also recognized as the eighth wonder of the world.

Previously, the cathedral was a church, a mosque, a museum, and since 2020 it has been officially declared a mosque again.

Aya Sophia, as the Hagia Sophia is also called, is located in the very center of Istanbul – the Sultanahmet district. Built in 325, this famous monument of Byzantine architecture was the largest church in the Christian world for more than a thousand years. The temple was destroyed twice, currently the Hagia Sophia is the third building and differs in architectural style from the original version.

The temple strikes with luxury and grandeur, the interior decoration is made of mosaics and gilding, the church is decorated with 8 green jasper columns from the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, as well as a “weeping column” covered with copper. Since the temple was both a Christian church and a mosque, one can now see biblical scenes and lines from the Koran on its ancient walls.

Everyone should visit Hagia Sophia at least once. This is a place of interweaving of stories and religions, a place of worship and reconciliation, solidarity and mercy.

Blue Mosque

Blue Mosque was constructed in 1550 by Architect Sinan by the order of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent and it is in UNESCO heritage site.

The height of the dome is 53 m, the diameter is 27.5 m, 4 minarets (Sultan Suleiman was the fourth emperor after the conquest of Istanbul), the minarets have 10 balconies (Sultan Suleiman was the tenth emperor from the Ottoman dynasty).

Suleymaniye includes a social and educational complex: a mosque, hakhams, madrasahs, kitchens, libraries, hospitals, a cemetery and an observatory. The Suleymaniye Library is considered one of the largest oriental libraries in the world with manuscripts from the 18th and 19th centuries.

For fans of Turkish cinema art about the times of the Magnificent Age, the excursion “Istanbul Old City tour” will be interesting to walk along the burial places of Sultan Suleiman, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan and Mihrimah Sultan.

The excursion ” Istanbul Old City Tour ” includes access to the Suleymaniye Mosque almost completely. Only in the prayer hall there are restrictions – you can only be in the guest area, alas, you cannot go to the mihrab, the wall of the Kaaba, the minbar and the prayer area of ​​​​the Sultan.

Suleymaniye will be of interest to you even in terms of architecture – a square-shaped mosque. Many windows and stained-glass windows create bright illumination for Ottoman mosques.

According to Istanbulites, Suleymaniye is the most beautiful mosque in Turkey.

Hippodrome

Walking in the Footsteps of the Sultan, you will visit not only palaces and mosques, but also the most popular places among the Ottoman elite, one of which is the Hippodrome of Constantinople. It was here that the epicenter of social life was located, all sports and cultural events, meetings of high society were held at the Constantinople Hippodrome.

Currently, part of the hippodrome is located on Sultanahmet Square and is interesting for such monuments as the Obelisk of Constantine, the Egyptian Obelisk, the Serpent Column, the German Fountain. Tourists from all over the world tend to come here to touch the ancient relics and get closer to the history of the great state.

Grand Bazaar

Grand Bazaar was designed by architect Sinan and called in Turkish as Kapalıçarşı. Grand Bazaar is the grandest of all architects of Sinan, beyond his time. Grand Bazaar is the most popular shopping center in Istanbul. We will have enough time in Bazaar and you can lots of product types from spices to textile.

If you like the content of the Istanbul Old City Tour, you can contact us or book it online.