Most first visits to Istanbul go wrong in the same way: everything is booked for the same three days, and half of it is spent crossing the city.
Start on the peninsula
Topkapi, Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome and the Grand Bazaar are within a few minutes of each other. Doing them as one guided day is the difference between seeing them and queueing for them.
Our Old City tour runs every day except Sunday and Tuesday, and includes the entrance tickets, which are the part people underestimate.
Then see the city from the water
Istanbul makes more sense from the Bosphorus than from any road. The palaces, the wooden waterfront houses and the bridges were all built to be seen from a boat.
There is a cruise for whatever time you have left in the day: morning with breakfast, afternoon with lunch, sunset, or dinner with the full night show.
Give one day to the other side
The Asian side is where the city stops performing for visitors. Camlica Hill, Uskudar and the Maiden's Tower are an easy half day, and the two-continent tour covers both sides by bus and boat.
Keep one day loose
Bursa, Sapanca or the Princess Islands are all a day trip. Book that one last, once you know how tired you are.
Practical notes
- Hotel pick-up is included on our day tours; the window is on each tour page
- Guides work in English, and several tours also run in Russian or Spanish
- Children under three travel free on most day tours, and three to six at a thirty percent discount
- Tell us in advance about dietary needs and we will arrange them