Around 8:30 am, you will be picked up at your hotel. Your guide will take you around in Istanbul.You will visit the following iconic sites of the Ottoman and Byzantine Empires:
Hagia Sophia (Aya Sofya) is a truly awe-inspiring, 1,400 years old Byzantine cathedral that houses mosaics, relics, and ironwork. Hagia Sophia was, for nearly a thousand years, the largest enclosed space in the world, and is still seen as one of the world’s most important architectural monuments. It is one of Turkey’s most popular attractions, drawn by the sheer spectacle of its size, architecture, mosaics, and art. It was built during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian in the 6th century AD.
Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Mosque – Camii) was built during the reign of Sultan Ahmet I during 1609-1616. It is the only mosque in Turkey with six minarets. Due to its magnificent hand-dyed blue, green, and white Iznik tiles, it has been named the “Blue Mosque” by Europeans. The central dome is 43 m in height and 33.4 m in diameter; it also boasts 260 windows.
Hippodrome (At Meydani) is the backdrop of chariot races and the center of Byzantine civic life. Of the ornaments which once decorated it, only three remain The Obelisk of Theodosius, the bronze Serpentine Column, and the Column of Constantine.
The Obelisk is in the Egyptian style and was erected in 1547 BC and stood 60m tall. The German Fountain is also within the hippodrome area, constructed in Germany to mark German Emperor Wilhelm II’s second visit to Istanbul; it was imported and officially opened on January 1 1901. The fountain’s three domes are decorated with gold mosaics.
The Grand Bazaar (Kapali Carsi) is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with more than 58 covered streets and over 1,200 shops. Opened in 1461, it is well known for its jewelry, pottery, spice, and carpet shops. Many of the stalls in the bazaar are grouped by the type of goods, with special areas for leather coats, gold jewelry, and the like. The bazaar contains two bedestens (domed masonry structures built for storage and safekeeping), the first of which was constructed between 1455 and 1461 by the order of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror. The grand bazaar consists of 12 major buildings and has 22 doors.
* We have lunch in a traditional local fish restaurant then continue the afternoon tour.
City Walls the first breach of the walls was by the Fourth Crusade in 1204, second by the cannons and troops of Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror in 1453.
Golden Horn as a natural and extremely secure harbor, the Golden Horn has played an important role in the development of Istanbul. The inlet separates the European shore into two. It is approximately 8 km long, and the widest part is the entrance from the Bosphorus. Two streams drain into this inlet at its far end.
Cable Car & Pierre Loti Hill was named after the famous French writer, you will enjoy the magnificent scenery of the Golden Horn and the city.
Bosphorus Cruise is an amazing cruise between the two continents, Europe and Asia, along the Bosphorus by the Dolmabahce and Beylerbeyi Palace, wooden villas, and mansions up to the Rumeli Fortress.
Rumeli Fortress will see from the sea. Istanbul had been besieged many times before Mehmet the Conqueror took the city in 1453, but it managed to defend itself with help of the Roman city walls.
The Leander`s (Maiden) Tower we will see it from the sea. This is a small and attractive tower built on an islet at the entrance of the Bosphorus. It is one of the symbols of Istanbul. Used in the past as a watchtower and a lighthouse, it has been preserved in its 19th Century appearance.
Around 17.00 pm we`ll be back at the hotel.
Your Hotel
3 Hours Before Flight Time
Curabitur blandit tempus porttitor. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Cras mattis consectetur purus sit amet fermentum. Etiam porta sem malesuada magna mollis euismod. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
Maecenas sed diam eget risus varius blandit sit amet non magna. Morbi leo risus, porta ac consectetur ac, vestibulum at eros. Nullam id dolor id nibh ultricies vehicula ut id elit. Donec ullamcorper nulla non metus auctor fringilla.
