Istanbul Highlights: Skip-the-Line Museum Tour

Efficiently explore the major highlights of historical Istanbul with a guided tour of Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, and Basilica Cistern. Skip the lines and gain insights into the rich history and fascinating architecture of these iconic attractions.

Duration: 4 hours, 15 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Sultanahmet District - Meet your expert guide and join your small-group walking tour in the heart of Istanbul’s old town Sultanahmet to visit the Basilica Cistern, Hagia Sophia, and Topkapi Palace.
  • Basilica Cistern - Make the most of your time in Istanbul with a skip-the-line entry to the Basilica Cistern. Explore the famous Basilica Cistern…
What's Included
  • Professional expert guide for insider’s knowledge
  • Small group tour for 4 hours at a relaxed pace
  • Pre-reserved tickets for the Harem
  • Pre-reserved ticket for Hagia Sophia
  • Pre-reserved tickets for the Basilica Cistern
  • Pre-reserved tickets for Topkapi Palace
  • Headsets to hear the guide better
What's Not Included
  • Guided tour of the Harem inside Topkapi Palace
Additional Information

This well-organized tour includes all tickets. Enjoy priority access to museums, bypassing the queues to maximize your time. Discover the key highlights of historic Istanbul on a guided tour that covers the essential attractions. With a knowledgeable guide, enter the stunning Hagia Sophia and delve into its fascinating history. Visit the Basilica…

Location
Ersoy Bufe
At Meydanı Caddesi
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.7
(107 Ratings)
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399lindsayk
May 2, 2025
Holy wisdom indeed! - Melissa was a fantastic guide, a walking encyclopedia. Even when we had to wait out in the security line for 45 minutes, Melissa used the time expertly to give us in depth knowledge of the site. This only enhanced our experience. She is extremely kind and goes above and beyond with recommendations.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Roberta_b
Apr 30, 2025
Wonderful! - Wonderful way to explore the main historical attractions in Istanbul. Our guide (Melissa?) was extremely well prepared, passionate, took time to delve into the details and answer any questions with visible care and attention. Really grateful for this experience.
Review provided by Viator
Maria_m
Apr 29, 2025
Excellent tour - Excellent tour, worth the money paid, our tour guide was very knowledgeable, took the time to answer all of our questions. The meeting point was tricky to get to, we almost lost the tour.
Review provided by Viator
Nancy_n
Apr 24, 2025
A Turkish Delightful Tour - Terrific tour! Humut was very knowledgeable and personable. We enjoyed his commentary and terrific sense of humor. His English was clear and he has a great command of the language. This was our best tour experience in the weeks we spent abroad. Highly recommend and get Humut if you can!!!
Review provided by Viator
Stewart_c
Apr 23, 2025
Walking in the footsteps of history - In depth experience with very knowledgeable guide who brought history to life. Disruptiion due to earthquake and cancellation of cistern visit did not detract from overall experience. Out guide was flexible and still produced a full programme.
Review provided by Viator
Sebastian
Apr 22, 2025
Perfect guided tour with detailed information - Emre, our guide has made the tour a perfect experience. With humor and detailed information about the sights. The advantage, because of the guided group we didn't have to queue anywhere and could thus fully use the time in the cultural assets. Emre could answer all questions about Istanbul. He took very good care of the group. Highly recommended.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Graham_b
Apr 20, 2025
None - Our guide looked after us and was very knowledgeable. It was a holiday weekend and the crowds were huge. Our guide managed it very well and put in extra time for us.
Review provided by Viator
Vivian_g
Apr 18, 2025
Must do in Istanbul - Great tour! Our guide was knowledgeable and engaging, kept a great pace, and skip-the-line was a plus. Strongly recommend this tour!
Review provided by Viator
Kurt_r
Apr 16, 2025
Best Half Day Walking Tour and Tour Guide - This is a very densely packed 3+ hour tour that delivers a lot of insight into the history of Istanbul, the Eastern Roman Empire, the Ottoman Empire, Orthodox Christianity and Islam by touring through Hagia Sophia, the Basilica Cistern, and the Topkapi Palace. If you only have half a day for a walking tour, this the one to do and Marek is the best possible guide to get for it. He is an extremely knowledgable and personable professional.
Review provided by Viator
Tina_b
Apr 15, 2025
Great tour! - Elif was an excellent guide. She gave us interesting historical insight into the sites we visited. We had skip the line tickets which saved us a lot of time!
Review provided by Viator
From $111
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).