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Istanbul Tour: Skip Museum Lines with Expert Guide
5.0
18 Ratings
Fatih
I am an officially licensed tour guide by the Minister of Culture and Tourism of Turkey, with over ten years of experience.
Born and raised in Istanbul, I still reside here and am eager to share my extensive knowledge of the city with you. With me, you’ll enjoy priority access to museums, bypassing the queues.
I am an officially licensed tour guide by the Minister of Culture and Tourism of Turkey, with over ten years of experience.
Born and raised in Istanbul, I still reside here and am eager to share my extensive knowledge of the city with you. With me, you’ll enjoy priority access to museums, bypassing the queues.
Duration:
6 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Hagia Sophia Mosque - This remarkable site, over 1500 years old, is not easily explored on one’s own due to its complexity and constant crowds. With an official licensed guide, visitors can bypass the ticket line, enjoying priority access and gaining insights from a guide with a decade of experience.
- Blue Mosque - Constructed between 1609 and…
- Hagia Sophia Mosque - This remarkable site, over 1500 years old, is not easily explored on one’s own due to its complexity and constant crowds. With an official licensed guide, visitors can bypass the ticket line, enjoying priority access and gaining insights from a guide with a decade of experience.
- Blue Mosque - Constructed between 1609 and 1616 by an Ottoman sultan, this stunning structure is renowned for its exquisite tiles. Visitors will learn about its magnificent history and observe the prayer practices inside.
- Basilica Cistern - The Basilica Cistern, or Cisterna Basilica, is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns beneath Istanbul, Turkey. Situated 150 meters (490 ft) southwest of the Hagia Sophia on the historic Sarayburnu peninsula, it was built in the 6th century during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I. Today, it contains minimal water, allowing public access.
- Hippodrome - The Hippodrome of Constantinople was a circus that served as the sporting and social hub of Constantinople, the Byzantine Empire’s capital. It is now a square in Istanbul, Turkey, known as Sultanahmet Square.
- Grand Bazaar - Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar is one of the world’s largest and oldest covered markets, featuring 61 covered streets and over 4,000 shops across 30,700 m2. It attracts 250,000 to 400,000 visitors daily and was ranked as the world’s most-visited tourist attraction in 2014, with 91,250,000 annual visitors. It is often considered one of the first shopping malls in the world.
- Sultanahmet Square - Located in the Binbirdirek neighborhood of Istanbul’s Fatih district, Sultanahmet Square is a historic area. Known as the Hippodrome during the Byzantine Empire and Atmeydanı during the Ottoman Empire, it was home to the Roman Circus and the Grand Palace, where the Blue Mosque now stands.
What's Included
- Skip all museum queue
- Guidance
- Fast track
- Skip all museum queue
- Guidance
- Fast track
What's Not Included
- basilica cistern admission fee (25 Euro)
- Private transportation
- topkapı palace (49 Euro)
- Hagia Sophia Entry (€25euro)
- basilica cistern admission fee (25 Euro)
- Private transportation
- topkapı palace (49 Euro)
- Hagia Sophia Entry (€25euro)
Location
Babı Hümayun Cd No:1
Babı Hümayun Caddesi
IN FRONT OF HAGIA SOPHIA MOSQUE
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
5.0
(18 Ratings)
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1 star
Guide19203058845
Mar 4, 2025
Terrific tour with Tanju! - Tanju was an excellent guide! He taught us so much about the history and culture in just a day, and had a great instinct for showing us the things we wanted to see without taking us through every single thing just because it's there. He also had plenty of fun tidbits about his life as a tour guide. I'd recommend him to anyone.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Trail25247585826
Aug 28, 2024
Excellent guide - Tanju gives a very thorough background stories of Hagia Sophia. Explaining all the various mozaics and construction details.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Amanda_b
Aug 23, 2024
INCREDIBLE! BOOK THIS TOUR IF YOU WANT THE BEST OF THE BEST! - Istanbul was on our "bucket list" but it was our tour guide, Tanju, that helped to make our time there a memory to truly cherish. Istanbul really is a magical city but without Tanju's expertise, wisdom and wit, we wouldn't have truly been able to experience the best of what Istanbul had to offer. Even before our trip, Tanju was kind enough to actively exchange with us on the details and was ready and waiting for us when we arrived for our tour. We saw several of the major landmarks (Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, etc) and in his capable hands, somehow managed to avert the lines - I am not overstating the fact that you will be made to feel like a VIP with how swiftly he navigates you through the crowd. He truly went above and beyond for us. Lastly but perhaps most importantly, being in his company is a pleasure - you rather feel like you are with a dear friend (who knows all about the history of Istanbul!) for an afternoon in the city versus an anonymous tourist. My husband and I can't rave enough about the experience so you can stop looking at other options ;-) and book this tour knowing you have found the best of the best. Thank you, Tanju, for making our time in Istanbul amazing.
Review provided by Viator
Trek81236
Aug 18, 2024
Amazing experience! A must do! - How beautiful is Turkey!! I enjoyed the short 2 day visit SO MUCH that I can’t wait to return to see and learn more! Had the most amazing tour guide! Tanju was extremely knowledgeable in the richness of history and culture. We had a full day of exploring Turkey by walking and subway, and taking in the beautiful views! All by way of first class treatment! No waiting in a line/queue to see all the amazing places. Tanju had wonderful suggestions on places to eat and other things to do. Next visit I will definitely try a Turkish bath!
Overall, best experience EVER! Definitely book a tour (ask for Tanju if you can) and GO VISIT TURKEY!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Andy78sk
Jul 11, 2024
Great experience in the old town of Istanbul! - We had a great tour in the old town visiting some of the must see places such as Hagia Sofia, Blue Mosque, Top Kapi palace and more. Tanju is a great guide, knowledgeable and very friendly. He knows the place inside out, saved us lots of time so we started tour in the right time, skipped the queues and could enjoy this wonderful places in our pace and without rush. Also he provided us with other valuable tips, showing us a great non touristy place to eat and other tips and tricks. Highly recommended!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jefferick
May 11, 2024
Competent and professional - Competent and professional, we had a wonderful day with Khadir, he organised everything for us. He was very patient since we had in group someone with Wheelchair. It was worth every penny
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mchombo
Apr 28, 2024
Private tour with Tanju in Istanbul - Istanbul is a beautiful city but with a private guide like Tanju I was able to discover more about its culture and the secrets that this city hides, it was truly a great experience, totally recommended. Thanks to our guide Tanju
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Silvenar2024
Apr 23, 2024
The best kept Istanbul secrets - Amazing knowledge, passion and dedication to all things Istanbul! Tanju is best kept Istanbul secrets holder. I can’t recommend him enough! Was alone, felt very welcomed and looked after very well, next time I will be with my family
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tour59873936172
Mar 26, 2024
Impressive and awesome experience - The views in Istanbul is amazing. Although we had limited time, we saw the diversified faces of Istanbul, including old and modern parts of the city. Thanks for our tour guide-Tanju. He led us to know the city by walk, train, taxi and ferry. Most important, he is familiar with the history of Istanbul and always have way to make everything smoothly. We are very happy to have this travel.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Trail50216492758
Mar 2, 2024
Best Istanbul guided tour ( complete) - Tanju was very professional, the tour was complete and very interesting, he also managed our Hotel/Airport transfert
He is very patient and available on WhatsApp to make sure everything is ok
I Recommend 100% !
Review provided by Tripadvisor
