Istanbul Shore Excursion: Explore Blue Mosque & Hagia Sophia

Embark on an extraordinary shore excursion in Istanbul, exploring the heart of the city with a small group. Discover the treasures of Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, and the vibrant Grand Bazaar, immersing yourself in the rich history and vibrant present of this ancient city.

Duration: 5 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Galataport Istanbul - Meet your tour guide outside the cruise ship terminal’s second-floor exit at the designated time. Use the elevator or escalators to reach the second floor after following signs for the city center. Your guide will be awaiting your arrival, holding a sign displaying your name for easy recognition.
  • Hagia Sophia Mosque -…
What's Included
  • Local taxes included
  • Licensed English-speaking local guide
What's Not Included
  • Lunch
  • Tips
  • Public Transportation (Tram Passes)
  • Admission fees
  • Admission fees
Additional Information

Experience the heart of Istanbul like never before with our extraordinary shore excursion. By utilizing the efficient tram system in Istanbul, you’ll save at least an hour of travel time, allowing for more in-depth exploration of the city’s wonders. Embark on a journey that unveils the treasures of this ancient city, from the splendid Blue Mosque and…

Location
Galataport Istanbul
KIlIc Ali Pasa Mahallesi Meclis-i Mebusan Caddesi, No: 8 Karaköy Beyoğlu
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
5.0
(31 Ratings)
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Jodidh503
Jun 19, 2025
Great experience with Duygu! Highly Recommend! - We had a great time with Duygu ! She was knowledgeable and maximized our time while taking our interests into account. And she’s fun to be around. Highly recommend!!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Brianff3964ou
Jun 18, 2025
A superb guide who helped us avoid lines - Duygu was an amazing and very friendly tour guide. She made the day very interesting with discussions of the history of the Istanbul sites we visited. Duygu also helped us skip the ticket purchase lines by advance purchasing tickets to the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, and Topkapi Palace and by advising us to go early enough in the morning to avoid crowds. She also took us to a terrific kebab lunch place and gave us good advice before we went to the Grand Bazaar. I couldn’t recommend her more highly!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Paul
Jun 5, 2025
Excellent tour of Istanbul with a great personal guide. - Semih gave us an amazing tour of the old town. He was very knowledgeable about the history of Istanbul and provided us with a great education about Istanbul. He was considerate of our needs and gave us choices of what we were interested to see. Semih helped us skip lengthy queues to avoid us standing in the hot sun. We would highly recommend this personalised tour. Thank you once again for a wonderful day.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Daniel_s
Nov 4, 2024
Great Tour of the Highlights of Istanbul - Really enjoyed our tour of the Hagia Sophia, Basilica Cistern, Blue Mosque, hippodrome and Grand Bazaar. Our guide was even kind enough to take us by the Spice Market as well. Highly recommend. It was a great experience.
Review provided by Viator
Lvaccare
Sep 17, 2024
Fabulous Day in Istanbul! - We had a fantastic day with Ugur, who met us at the cruise terminal and took us around the major sites in Istanbul with smooth travels every step of the way. Entrance tickets were taken care of and we proceeded into the sites without delays. Ugur was very knowledgeable and truly made the experience immersive as we learned about the people, places, and culture (past and present). He took us to a great family-run restaurant with delicious food and traditional Turkish tea, helped us navigate the immensity of the Grand Bazaar, and ensured our day was truly memorable! Highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lorena_v
Sep 16, 2024
Fabulous Day in Istanbul! - We had a fantastic day with Ugur, who met us at the cruise terminal and took us around the major sites in Istanbul with smooth travels every step of the way. Entrance tickets were taken care of and we proceeded into the sites without delays. Ugur was very knowledgeable and truly made the experience immersive as we learned about the people, places, and culture (past and present). He took us to a great family-run restaurant with delicious food and traditional Turkish tea, helped us navigate the immensity of the Grand Bazaar, and ensured our day was truly memorable! Highly recommend!
Review provided by Viator
928fredg
Sep 14, 2024
More than 5 stars - Wonderful personalized tour. Semih was personable and knowledgeable. He went out of his way to make our experience wonderful. We highly recommend him for private or small group tours. The best tour experience we ever had.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Elizabeth_f
Sep 8, 2024
Awesome Overview of Istanbul. - Furkan was extremely knowledgeable, very friendly and flexible for what we wanted to do. He adjusted our tour to add breaks because we had two elderly people with us. He took us to a great restaurant and it was an awesome overview of the city, considering we only had one day in Istanbul.
Review provided by Viator
Traveloctopusco
Sep 2, 2024
Wonderful and Easy Day avoiding crowds! - We booked with Duygu so we could see the highlights of the city on a short port day. Definitely not enough time to do this marvelous city justice but she was so knowledgeable and passionate about the sites that we were able to navigate around the crowds and really maximize our time! We learned so much from her perspective as a local and as a cultural scholar. (and the lunch spot she took us to, AMAZING!) We will definitely plan a longer more indepth trip back to Turkey and can't wait to work with her on those deatils too! Definitely a good sampler day if you're on a cruise!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Andrew_f
Jul 29, 2024
Well worth doing - Tour was great, particularly the Cistern. Only disappointing bit was being taken to an outrageously overpriced cafe for a drink.
Review provided by Viator
From $31
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).