Istanbul Old City Historical Walking Tour: Visit Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, and More

Immerse yourself in the rich history of Istanbul’s Old City on this historical walking tour. Explore iconic landmarks like Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, and discover the beauty of the Topkapi Palace. Don’t miss the chance to witness the city walls and visit a Leather atelier workshop. Join us for an unforgettable journey through Istanbul’s past.

Duration: 8 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Hagia Sophia Mosque - Officially the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque and formerly the Church of Hagia Sophia, is a Late Antique place of worship in Istanbul. Built in 537 as the patriarchal cathedral of the imperial capital of Constantinople, it was the largest Christian church of the eastern Roman Empire (the Byzantine Empire) and the Eastern Orthodox…
What's Included
  • Guidance by an English-speaking tour guide
What's Not Included
  • Lunch
  • Entrance Fees of Topkapi Palace Museum - (750 Turkish Liras)
  • Entrance Fee of Basilica Cistern - 450 Turkish Lira
Additional Information

We will be meeting with our guests at the gate of the Hagia Sophia and will start our walking tour with visiting Hagia Sophia, officially the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque and formerly the Church of Hagia Sophia is a Late Antique place of worship in Istanbul.
Afterward, we will visit Blue Mosque, A functioning mosque, it also attracts large numbers of…

Location
Ayasofya Muvakkithanesi
At Meydanı Caddesi
Our guide will be waiting for you at the gate of the Hagia Sophia Mosque at 09:30 a.m with Istanbul on Tour signed white umbrella .
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.6
(112 Ratings)
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1 star
Fedramoreno
Jun 6, 2025
Great experience… highly recommend - We had such a great time discovering the wonders of Istanbul during our tour! Highly recommend. Our guide was very attentive and knowledgeable about the sights. Loved the Hagia Sophia
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Parvezs74
Apr 19, 2025
Full dsy Istanbul City Tour with Illaya - Our trip with our tour guide Illaya was great. She cheered up the mood as soon as she stepped into the pickup bus. She had good commandv of English and explained everything really well. She had grrat knowledge. We really enjoyed our tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
447sunandad
Apr 19, 2025
Excellent tour of Istanbul and the Bosphorus - The tour operator was very responsive. The tour guide Elaida was excellent. Everything was explained with appropriate references to history. The tour was very good on time. There was no rushing. We are very happy.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lakshan
Apr 5, 2025
Unforgettable Istanbul Experience with the Exceptional İlayda Aluç - Absolutely outstanding experience with our Istanbul city tour guide, İlayda Aluç! From the moment the tour began, İlayda impressed us with her deep knowledge of the city’s rich history, vibrant culture, and hidden gems. Her storytelling brought every landmark to life—from the majestic Hagia Sophia to the buzzing streets of the Grand Bazaar. She was not only informative but also incredibly warm, patient, and engaging, making sure everyone felt included and comfortable throughout the day. Her passion for Istanbul shone through every explanation and recommendation. Thanks to İlayda, we didn’t just visit the city—we truly experienced it. Highly recommended for anyone wanting an unforgettable tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
51983
Apr 3, 2025
Wonderful Tour - Amazing tour we were lucky to have Ms llayda with us in mosques tour she was so friendly and clever and full of energy and lovely spirit thanks so much we enjoyed a lot
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Liliana
May 7, 2025
Great Guide but Organisation was Lacking - Fatih was great guide, informative and friendly. We went to the Hippodrome, Blue Mosque, had lunch and then went to the Topkapi Palace. For me the highlight was the Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace but we had very little time ie maybe 1 hour at the palace due to too long spent at lunch (slow to bring the meal) I would have preferred to have gotten a takeaway wrap so that I could really see the Palace as the entrance fee is very high ($88aud). On exiting we were given the option to go to the Grand Bazaar or Hagia sophia or Basilica Cistern however all of these were meant to be included and I would have stayed on at the palace if the choices were given prior to leaving the palace grounds. I continued on by myself to the other sites as it was my only opportunity to go. I enjoyed the Basilica cistern but feel the Hagia Sophia while wonderful nit as amazing as the Blue Mosque. Also beware the ticket salesman pressed me to also buy a ticket for the Hagia Sophia museum. It was good but really I was too tired to enjoy it and felt a bit conned.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mpilo_n
Apr 26, 2025
Interesting and... - Interesting and educational tour. Very long day. I recommend this to those with a genuine interest in walking tours, specifically. The interesting sites and historical information do make up for the long day on your feet.
Review provided by Viator
2014jay2014
May 9, 2025
Avoid, buy a guide book and use Google maps for a better experience - Ok, the tour guide was nice and a lovely man so it's difficult to give a terrible review. However, as I value honest reviews from others, I will try and be balanced. The tour did not last all day. Actual tour lasted about 4 hours. Started late as it was a group of 13 with some late as joining instructions was changed last minute and there was a general sense of chaos to start. Tour started at 10 and at 11 we were told that we would have lunch earlier to then be out when queues were shorter. So lunch at 11am! We hadn't booked lunch but sat with others. Food looked decidedly average, but it usually is on these tours. We had some very overpriced drinks. Then tour resumed slowly. Another couple of stops and the tour ended. So essentially the guide was a bit like Google maps on legs Took us to some spots, gave a bit of Information and that was it. My advice is buy a guide book, use Google maps and do it yourself. You will regret paying for this tour. We did. Will have definitely preferred doing this at our own pace. Also prices for visiting the Palace, museums etc are much more than on this and other websites so outdated. Budget for about 40% more cost Read more about - Private Half-Day Guided Walking Tour in Marrakech - https://www.viator.com/tours/Marrakech/Marrakech-4-hour-tour-Discover-the-city-on-foot-with-a-guide/d5408-367690P4?mcid=56757
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Erh58yorkshire
May 6, 2025
Worst Walking Tour we’ve ever done - We booked this trip via Trip Advisor a week before our trip to Istanbul. The full day walking tour was to include Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome, Topkapi Palace and the Basilica Cistern. The info said admission prices were not included but indicated that admission fee to Topkapi Palace was 750 TL and Basilica Cistern was 450 TL. We arrived at the Ayasofya and met our guide. We queued (long queues) to pay and then queued again to enter the mosque. The tour guide was very informative and we went to the Blue Mosque after which was free to enter, then onto the Hippodrome, (also free) and from there the guide took us to a designated restaurant for lunch. After an hour we walked with our guide to Topkapi Palace where we discovered that the entrance fee was not 750 TL but 2000 TL (approx £50 pp). We therefore chose to opt out of this visit due to the fact that the admission fee was not only unexpected but extortionate! The guide advised that the tour of the palace would be 2 hours at least and afterwards he would be taking the rest of the group ( who had already paid admission fees included in their tour) to the Grand Bazaar and could arrange to meet us there. No mention of the Basilica Cistern. We went to the Grand Bazaar under our own steam and did not reconnect with our tour guide again. We paid £31.50 per person for the tour and were very disappointed with its quality and itinerary info. The guide was very good but the rest of the tour was not!!!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Climber28474742290
May 2, 2025
Terrible - do not waste your money - A very bad experience, I do not recommend, do not waste your money. The meeting spot was not clear and I had to make multiple calls in order to find the guide. During the tour of the palace, the guide provided almost no information and spoke extremely quietly. He was simply stating this is the kitchen area, this is the third courtyard, and we looked ourselves. There was very little point paying as the guide offered no local insights and did not explain anything. The guide’s English was quite limited, which is not what I would expect for a tour in English. With the others on the tour we resorted to asking ChatGPT to explain to us. I left halfway through the day and showed myself around.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $42
up to 9 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).