Glorious Istanbul Tour Package

Duration: 06 Days / 05 Nights
Highlights: Hippodrome, Blue Mosque, St Sophia Museum, Topkapi Palace, Grand Bazaar, Rustem Pasha Mosque, Golden Horn, Spice Bazaar, Bosphorus Cruise, Beylerbeyi Palace, Camlica Hill, Princes' Islands Cruise, Taksim, Istiklal Street, Pera, Galata Tower, Galata Bridge
Departure Dates: Everyday
Note: All Istanbul tour packages are modular and you can use these itineraries as a starting point and we can help modify this itineraries to accommodate your personal requirements and desires to find your perfect holiday.

Day 01 Arrival in Istanbul
Upon arrival to Istanbul Ataturk Airport, you will be met by our staff and accompanied during the transfer to your hotel. You have the afternoon and evening free to relax and/or check out the city.

Day 02 Istanbul City Sightseeing Tour
After breakfast, join a full day Istanbul sightseing tour to discover the Byzantian and Ottoman Relics. Visit Saint Sophia Museum, one of the world s greatest architectural marvels, built by Constantine the Great in the 4th Century and reconstructed by Justinian in the 6th century, then visit the Sultanahmet Mosque, built in the 16th century, unique with 6 minarets and its magnificent interior decoration of the blue Iznik tiles. The Ancient Hippodrome, the scene of chariot races with three monuments, the Obelisk of Theodosius, the bronze Serpentine column and the column of Constantine. Before lunch visit the Grand covered bazaar within over 4,000 tiny shops. Visit Royal Topkapi palace, the great palace of the Ottoman Sultan s from the 15th to the 19th centuries. End the day tour with a visit to Rustem Pasha Mosque.

Day 03 Istanbul Bosphorus Cruise Tour
After breakfast, you will join a driving journey along the Golden Horn, the arm of the Bosphorus peninsula which separates the old and new cities of Istanbul. After a brief visit to the 17th Century Spice Bazaar, we embark on breathtaking cruise along the Bosphorus, the beautiful strait that divides Europe from Asia. Enjoy the Bosphorus Cruise, through the waterway separating the two continents, Europe and Asia, with a possibility to take photographs of marble palaces, ancient wooden villas of Ottoman architecture besides modern residentials and luxurious apartments. After the cruise lunch will be served in a local restaurant which will be followed with a visit to the Beylerbeyi Palace, which was the summer residence of the Ottoman Sultans . Day will concule with a great panoramic view of the Istanbul & Bosphorus from the Camlic Hill, which is the highest point of the Istanbul.

Day 04 Princes' Islands Cruise Tour
Take the ferry to one of the Princes' Islands, Buyukada, is a quiet sea front town and summer holiday escape from the city. Leaving the Golden Horn you will round Sarayburnu (Seraglio Point), the headland on which the domes and minarets of Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque can be seen. Upon arrival to the island, you will see the lavish Ottoman mansions and other beautiful Victorian summer villas around the island by horse-drawn carriage tour - one of the islands only means of transport, for motorvehicles are strictly prohibited. There are colorful fruit trees, beautiful gardens, wooded areas and exotic flowers to be seen everywhere. Afterwards, you can enjoy a delicious lunch in a cozy sea-side fish restaurant and relax looking back at the domes and minarets among skyscrapers of modern Istanbul's skyline. Return by ferry and drop off to hotel.

Day 05 Orients of Istanbul Tour
Meet the guide and continue to Taksim Square and walk to Istiklal Caddesi (Independence Avenue). When 19th-century travellers spoke of Constantinople (Istanbul) as the Paris of the East, they were thinking of the Grande Rue de Pera (Istiklal Caddesi) and its half-European, half-Asian culture. Halfway along the avenue toward the southwest is Galatasaray Square, easily recognizable by the grand gates to Galatasaray Lisesi, the first European-style lycée (high school) erected by the Ottoman government. See the Church of St. Anthony, established in 1725 to serve transient foreigners and the many families who stayed on in the Sultan's dominions. Afterwards, walk to the historic Pera Palas Hotel, built to accommodate the pampered travellers arriving aboard the Orient Express including Agatha Christie. Afterwards walk to the Galata district and see the Galata Tower, which has dominated Beyoglu's skyline since 1348 and still offers stunning panoramic views of the city. You then take the tram built in 1875, which is Europe's 2nd oldest and perhaps the world's shortest subway Tunel, 573 meters, the trip takes 1.5 minutes rather than a 20 minute walk down the steepest streets of Istanbul. From there we walk back to hotel via Galata Bridge and Sirkeci Train Station.

Day 06 Departure Transfer
Option to extend package with additional night(s) in Istanbul or transfer directly on to Istanbul Airport for return international flight