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Istanbul Highlights: Hagia Sophia & More
4.9
361 Ratings
Fatih
Join a 3-hour guided tour to explore Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, and the Basilica Cistern. Enjoy the experience in small groups with skip-the-line tickets provided. Discover the fascinating Ottoman and Byzantine history of Istanbul.
Join a 3-hour guided tour to explore Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, and the Basilica Cistern. Enjoy the experience in small groups with skip-the-line tickets provided. Discover the fascinating Ottoman and Byzantine history of Istanbul.
Duration:
3 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- German Fountain - Located in Istanbul’s Sultanahmet Square, the German Fountain is a neo-Byzantine style monument, presented by Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1901, and is celebrated for its golden mosaic dome.
- Sultanahmet Square - As the historic center of Istanbul, Sultanahmet Square was once the Hippodrome of Constantinople and now hosts iconic…
- German Fountain - Located in Istanbul’s Sultanahmet Square, the German Fountain is a neo-Byzantine style monument, presented by Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1901, and is celebrated for its golden mosaic dome.
- Sultanahmet Square - As the historic center of Istanbul, Sultanahmet Square was once the Hippodrome of Constantinople and now hosts iconic landmarks such as the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, and the German Fountain.
- Blue Mosque - Known as the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, the Blue Mosque is Istanbul’s most renowned mosque, constructed in the 17th century. It is famous for its six minarets, grand dome, and exquisite blue İznik tiles.
- Hagia Sophia Mosque - Hagia Sophia stands as Istanbul’s most iconic monument, initially built as a Byzantine cathedral in 537. It later served as an Ottoman mosque, then a museum, and is currently a functioning mosque, admired for its vast dome and beautiful mosaics.
- Basilica Cistern - The Basilica Cistern is an underground marvel in Istanbul, constructed in the 6th century to supply water to the Byzantine Empire. It is renowned for its forest of marble columns, atmospheric lighting, and the enigmatic Medusa head bases.
What's Included
- Priority admission tickets to Basilica Cistern (if option is selected)
- Small-group tour for a more personal experience
- Professional licensed tour guide
- 3 hrs guided tour of Istanbul’s most iconic sites
- Priority admission tickets to Hagia Sophia
- Priority admission tickets to Basilica Cistern (if option is selected)
- Small-group tour for a more personal experience
- Professional licensed tour guide
- 3 hrs guided tour of Istanbul’s most iconic sites
- Priority admission tickets to Hagia Sophia
What's Not Included
- Food and drinks
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Food and drinks
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
Additional Information
- A headscarf is required for women when visiting the Hagia Sophia Mosque.
- The Blue Mosque is an active place of worship; visitors may need to wait outside during prayer times.
- Please arrive at the meeting point on time. If you are more than 5 minutes late, the guide will not be able to wait. For the sake of the tour’s atmosphere and flow, we cannot…
- A headscarf is required for women when visiting the Hagia Sophia Mosque.
- The Blue Mosque is an active place of worship; visitors may need to wait outside during prayer times.
- Please arrive at the meeting point on time. If you are more than 5 minutes late, the guide will not be able to wait. For the sake of the tour’s atmosphere and flow, we cannot allow late arrivals to join once the tour has started.
- Please be aware that once the tour begins, the guide will be fully focused on leading the group and cannot answer phone calls or assist latecomers.
- Thank you for your understanding, and we look forward to welcoming you on the tour!
Location
German Fountain
At Meydanı Caddesi
Please meet at the German Foutnain, Our guide will hold a sign of Tourmania.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(361 Ratings)
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Brian_c
May 9, 2026
Wonderful tour, crowded sites - Our tour guide was awesome and shared so much great information. She navigated the crowds well, kept all participants together and got us to each site in a timely a manner as possible. I give her 5 stars. I believe her company just started using new communication boxes that I didn’t love. They hooked over your ear and held the little speaker close to your ear. Didn’t work great with my husbands hearing aides, and didn’t seem to work well With my glasses either. So, I didn’t love them, but made it work, and again, not the tour leaders fault. Also , crowds were tough. Long lines, even with the skip the line prebought tickets by the tour company. So, just be aware that the tour, which with no lines might take 2 hours, may take you as long as five. Again, not the leader’s fault- she kept a great attitude and navigated through it all as best she could. We were there on a Saturday at the beginning of high season (May 9). She noted the lines can be twice as long as we experienced- so just plan on it. The sites were amazing and not to be missed. You can obviously prebuy tickets and do these sites yourself, but you will miss so much of the history, insider knowledge of best photo spots etc and how to navigate through the crowds. Take the tour and enjoy.
Review provided by Viator
G4496vwfionab
May 7, 2026
Recommend Tourmania and Daphne - We booked through get your guide but it was a company called Tourmania who organised the trip. We lucked out with our guide Daphne. She was very knowledgeable about ancient and modern history so we had a good grounding before we went into the Blue Mosque. I had a below knee skirt but be advised that this is still too short so wear trousers/long skirt. The mosque can loan for free if you don't have a head covering or like me too short skirt. Daphne gave us a tour inside the mosque and gave us plenty time to explore ourselves. Next it was Hagia Sophia and again Daphne gave us a history before we went in. It is on the 2nd floor so think it might be too hard going if you have breathing problems or mobility problems, it did seem a long way up. Daphne ensured we saw all the mosaics and gave us a more in depth history lesson. We were a group of 10 but she made sure we were all able to hear her and see the exhibits. She is one of the best tour guides we've had.
On a slight negative it gives the option on get your guide to include basillica cistern which I really wanted to see but has an important note saying that from 24th April it may be closed and in which case you would see something else. Our guide knew nothing about this so am a bit disappointed I didn't see this today and as my time is limited will not see this trip
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sevencon
May 7, 2026
Wonderful - We had Egemen as our tour guide and he was wonderful. He communicated very well and told us just enough background about the places we visited. We saw The Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia as well as Basilica Cistern. We appreciated that it was a small group of 5. We also were able to skip the line at Basilica Cistern.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Denisejpac
May 7, 2026
Highly recommend this tour - Dafne was a wonderful and informative guide! We learned so much. We loved the history and noticed things with her help we would not have appreciated without her. Thank you for a nice experience ❤️
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Passenger35181581707
May 6, 2026
Beautiful - Very informative tour. Our lovely guide this day was Ece - she is really knowledgeable and friendly spirited. Great experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Leeias2026
May 6, 2026
Best organization and perfect guide - She was the best guide so far i had. The informations and insights she shared was mindblowing. Defne is definitely a guide that you would like to listen to the history of istanbul and turkish culture. The organization and fast track service was delivered by all means thanks to the manager ive contacted after booking and answered everything and the meeting point is easy to find you cant miss it its literally at the center of everything, our guide indeed made it possible because the busy season is messy all around the world. This is my 5th time of visiting İstanbul and of all my trips ive taken so far she was the best who can read hieroglyphics. She approached history by not simple tales but realistic facts which makes the tour even more trustworthy and enjoyable for a history nerd like me.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lucasblue7
May 6, 2026
Great combo tour, highly recommended - Egemen was a perfect guide, giving us a balance of information, site seeing, guidance and humor. And he loves cats like we do. He was able to answer our questions about history and recent news. I’d highly recommend this combination tour. The tickets were all taken care of so entry was a breeze. And he gave some inside tips on nearby places with great views, and fair prices. Thanks Egemen!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
T9497hzruthb
May 4, 2026
An interesting & worthwhile tour - Ereman was knowledgeable and the group was small enough so we could stay together easily. It was a holiday weekend and extremely busy, so we still had to wait in some lines — being with a guide helped to reduce our waiting times. All of the sites we visited were interesting and the tour was very worthwhile. I particularly enjoyed the Basilica Cisterna and recommend a visit to that site.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Fani_b
May 8, 2026
The tour of Hagia Sophia... - The tour of Hagia Sophia could be altogether skipped. Not interested in touring to see scaffolding, cranes and other construction equipments … for a fee.
Review provided by Viator
Mariacz2026bd
May 4, 2026
Istanbul .... at the borders of Europe - Nice experience even if the weather was inclement
To see certainly the residence Topkapi and the Domabaçe palace really beautiful
All very expensive x tourists and traffic incomparable
I would avoid the Bosphorus cruise at night... wasted money and you can't see anything
Review provided by Tripadvisor
