Historic Istanbul Old City Tour: Visit Basilica Cistern, Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar

Immerse yourself in the rich history of Istanbul’s old town on this guided tour. Explore iconic landmarks, indulge in Turkish delights, and marvel at the breathtaking views from the Blue Mosque.

Duration: 4 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Basilica Cistern - Largest of several hundred ancient Byzantine cisterns built by Byzantine Emperor Justinian I (527-565). Huge underground Roman water source held up with 336 marble columns covering 9,800 sq. meters.
What's Included
  • Professional Guide
  • Small Group
What's Not Included
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

Explore the historic ‘old town’ of vibrant Istanbul on this tour. Capture stunning photos at Sultanahmet’s renowned religious landmarks, including the Underground Basilica Cistern and the Blue Mosque. Stroll through fragrant spice markets after delving into the Byzantine history of the Hippodrome. Experience the influences of the Roman, Byzantine, and…

Location
Foodie-ist Cafe and Brasserie
Muhterem Efendi Sokak
Meet your guide outside 'FOODIE-IST CAFE AND BRASSERIE,' just a 2-minute walk from the (T1) Sultanahmet tram stop. Your guide, easily identifiable by their tour guide badge, will be waiting for you at the cafe entrance.
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.8
(95 Ratings)
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Stuart
Apr 23, 2025
Basilica cystern - Was a great feat of engineering and the lighting and mood helps . The tour soundtrack is a must as it tells you all the areas as you walk . Its expensive for what it is but a must to do once .
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ingridcb5259mu
Apr 10, 2025
Very interesting place. - We did not use a guide. It is really not necessary. You can buy the tickets in advance and get to past the long line quicker. It is a really interesting place and well worth seeing.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Saralee_h
Apr 1, 2025
This was a great tour of... - This was a great tour of the ancient city of Constantinople. We loved the whole thing, and our tour guide, Erol, was excellent in knowledge and conversation as we moved around the city. I would highly recommend it and hope that you get the pleasure of having Erol as your guide.
Review provided by Viator
Ann
Mar 3, 2025
Fantastic tour - This was a great tour that really gave us a look at the history and culture of Istanbul. Erol was a fantastic tour guide. Very knowledgeable, added extra information and stories that made the tour fun! Highly recommend both the tour and Erol!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Stephen_p
Feb 21, 2025
Erol was a fantastic... - Erol was a fantastic guide--filled with information about the history of Istanbul/Constantinople and Islam
Review provided by Viator
Christophermy3284dg
Feb 17, 2025
Great Tour guide - Erol was a fantastic tour guide and he was very knowledgeable. He gave us many great recommendations for food and other places to see. Erol gave us plenty of time at each location to walk around and was happy to answer all of our questions.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Flyer570128
Jan 29, 2025
Erol for the win! - Tour was great. Erol Utgen was an absolute professional and very knowledgeable. He had a great personality and was filled with information.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Krystal_s
Jan 19, 2025
Erol is the perfect mix of fun and facts - Erol is a true gem. I basically booked this tour to do Basilica Cistern (with a guide) and had no interest in the other sights as we'd seen them before. Not only was Erol early to our meeting point , he was able to think on his feet and planned a different itinerary according to our needs that was still interesting and helped us end where we wanted. Erol gave us loads of interesting facts and was a cool guy to hang with who was really funny and very knowledgeable. We enjoyed our time with him and he made sure that we were okay throughout the day. Highly recommend him!
Review provided by Viator
Marcosarro
Jan 5, 2025
Excellent guide, very interesting and good pace tour! - Excellent tour with Ozturk, very enjoyable and dedicated person. He made our tour not only interesting touching all the key points but also not too heavy with right pace and breaks. We had a very cold rainy day during our tour and we had the opportunity to warm up with traditional turkish coffee offered to us. We could share also some archeological and historical knowledge on the Roman empire time, as we come originally from Italy, and this made our tour more interesting! Thank you Ozturk for your time and we do recommend this tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
David_h
Dec 20, 2024
Insightful, engaging, and highly recommended tour of Istanbul’s Old City - We had an incredible experience exploring Istanbul Old City with our expert guide, Tolga Kinas. Tolga’s deep knowledge, engaging storytelling, and ability to answer all our questions about Istanbul’s rich and fascinating history made the tour truly exceptional. We cannot recommend Tolga highly enough!
Review provided by Viator
From $27
up to 8 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).