Istanbul tours highlight some of the grandest places in the city. There are lots of tour schedule that will meet your needs as you travel to Turkey.
Here are some of the highlight you can follow for a one-day tour plus tips and tricks to get the best out of the city.
City tour in Istanbul
- Hippodrome
- Haghia Sophia
- Topkapi Palace
- Blue Mosque
- Grand Bazaar
- Egyptian Market
- Rustem Pasha Mosque
- Bosphorus cruise
The lists are based on the route trip by road. It is already calculated that these places are the convenient way to explore Turkey in a day.
- Hippodrome
Early in the morning after you have your breakfast at the hotel, the Turkey guide will take you to the Hippodrome. Now, there is not much review about Hippodrome but that doesn’t lessen the essential historical background behind the Horse race track. The royal family used to watch horse races in the Hippodrome. The U shape was design conveniently for the emperor to enter and sit on the VIP seats along with others royal members.
A passage was built from the palace to the Hippodrome for the king’s entrance. As you get here, you will notice obelisk erected at one edge of the hippodrome. The stone obelisk was used to be covered with bronze plaque but the Crusade war made it sacked. Today the obelisk is called Walled Obelisk.
On another side, an Egypt obelisk brought by Theodesius The Great stands to greet the visitors. The rich tales and the charm of the hippodrome attract hundreds of visitors each year.
- Haghia Sophia
The holy place is very unique as it has served three beliefs. The Pagans, the Moslems and the Christians. The Ottoman sultans used the holy place as mosque, but today it is a museum opened for public as church St. Sophia of Holy wisdom.
- Topkapi Palace
After enjoying the great Hippodrome, you will travel to Topkapi Palace, the resident of the Ottoman family during their reign. The prime resident was built with luxurious decoration and unbelievably huge area. Although the façade underwent renovation due to fire and earthquake, it does not diminish the grandeur of the interior that was built centuries ago.
Painted in off white, the exterior portray a green garden surrounds the palace. On the interior, you will witness the great empire by its lavish decoration in each of the room, very Turkish. The couch, the tiles, the curtains and the carpets are all well preserved.
This palace is very huge and it takes quite some time to wander around the historical site. Topkapi Sarayi was very important before the emperor built another palace called Dolmahbace. There are several rooms such as Hareem and treasure rooms that require extra money to enter but definitely worth the money.
There are of course, some other palaces worth the visit. The Turkey package tours are sometimes flexible according to your needs. If they have the time, they can drop you to other palaces along the way and explain to you a brief history behind each of them.
- Blue mosque
Along the way, the tour will stop by the blue mosque. The mosque is tiled with bluish floral colors that dance along with the calligraphy. Mehmed Aga, who construct the façade used Iznik tiles to create the wonderful interior. The two stories mosque is still in used today.
Lies in a big complex, near the mosque is hospital, school, and madrasas. The tomb of Sultan Ahmed can also be witnessed here.
The design of the mosque is looking like the Haghia Sophia. With 6 minarets, the dome richly resembles styles in Byzantium era. While you are here, enjoy the classic sceneries and the peaceful atmosphere.
Don’t forget to wear proper dress as you enter the holy place.
- Grand Bazaar
The Grand Bazaar houses some of the antiques ware and ethnic jewelries. A place where you can get great price for a unique Turkish souvenir. The train station ceiling lets you have the atmosphere of entering a new world as you step in the crowded place.
It has many passages and fountains long enough to get you lost and found. Turkish has been selling goods since decades ago and the Grand Bazaar was an essential element in the country’s trading economy. As the biggest market place in the universe, Grand Bazaar accommodates more than 4000 shops that sell any kinds of things from carpets to foods.
Feeling thirsty? Sit around at the café nearby as you watch people selling and buying rich collections in front of you.
- Egyptian Market
The market not far away from the Grand Bazaar is the Egyptian market. This market is popularly known as the spice market. The interior is not different from the grand bazaar but what distinguishes this market from the previous one is the incredibly unique smell of spices.
Yes, this is the place of any kinds of spices from western to the one used in Turkish dish. You might need to bargain the price as most of the shops sell the same thing. You can also ask a favor of your Istanbul guide to do the bargaining for you. The sellers are very friendly.
The market has served the commerce in Turkey since decades ago.
- Rustem Pasha Mosque
Although it is not the prime mosque in Turkey, but it has a wonderful interior that people will be in awe as they see this. This mosque has an intriguing history behind the construction. The greedy son in law of the Sultan ordered the Sultan’s favorite architect to build this mosque for him.
It contains iznik and mosaic art with some calligraphy. The beauty of this mosque lies in the construction above the shops that has served Turkish for decades. Due to the fact that it was not the Sultan’s grand mosque, it was considered inappropriate to build a rival mosque. Thus, this mosque was built in a remote place but visitors continue to find the concealed staircase and step in to the new world.
- Bosphorus cruise
In the afternoon, you can enjoy the view of Bosphorus strait by cruising along the way. The Bosphorus strait is strategically located between two continents, Europe and Asia. As you cruise along, you can view Sultan’s palaces such as Rumelian castle, Beylerbeyi, Topkapi and Dolmahbace. Viewing the big castles is like an experience living in a fairytales.
You can also see the Bosphorus bridge that stretches above the water. The bridge has an important role since long ago as Rusia used the bridge to enter Turkey. A third bridge is going to be built.
Taking ferry is the cheapest way to cross the Bosphorus. The ferries go from Anadolu to Eminou and the other way round. Other way to explore is via seabuses that transport people to Prince Island. If you don’t wish to take a ferry you can enjoy the sceneries from the restaurants nearby while sipping your Turkish kahve.
For private tours, your Istanbul guided tour will usually pick you up from your hotel with their vehicle. For group tours, the Turkey tour operator will plan for you as the vehicle will be much bigger than the one for private. The more people the cheaper the price.
Few tips to visit Istanbul
There are loads of places to visit as you stay in Istanbul. A week is probably not enough to explore the city and its surrounding. Not to mention other villages such as Cappadocia and Ephesus.
- Arrange your schedule wisely as to where you wish to go. You can search for Turkey tours from the internet and see which suits you and your group.
- Turkey has a warm weather during the day. The best way is to come in summer and bring along your casual outfits such as t-shirts and pants.
- As you will be entering several holy places, it is better that you prepare scarves and long pants to enter the mosques
- Some museums don’t allow taking pictures.
- Taking taxi is recommended as sometimes the buses can be very confusing. There are lots of routes in and out of the city. You need to carefully pick the right metrobus.
- Trams are available in Taksim square. Traditional tram takes you to sightseeing around the Istanbul modern square.
- Don’t be afraid to bargain. The Turks are friendly people, but as tourists attractions become booming, they increase the rate of what they sell. Especially in traditional market, you have to be clever in bargaining the goods you want to buy.
- It is recommended that you read brief history about Turkey. The history, the tales and the myths are always fascinating to see as you know a thing or two before you arrive.
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