2024 Istanbul Local Highlights Option - 8 Hours - Provided by Sea Song Tours
Guests will enjoy a pre-arranged sightseeing itinerary with a Private Car
and Guide to explore the following destination highlights.
You will meet your professional guide, holding a name sign, outside of the
terminal building at the port for a full day of private sightseeing.
Your private tour of Istanbul starts with a visit to the Byzantine
Hippodrome, which was one of the largest chariot race grounds of the
Byzantine Empire. Istanbul's Byzantine Hippodrome was the heart of
Constantinople's political and sporting life, and the scene of games and
riots throughout 500 years of Ottoman history as well. This was the largest
hippodrome of the ancient world with a design that was conceptually based
on the Circus Maximus in Rome. You will see Egyptian Obelisk, Serpentine
Column, and Constantine Column, which are remnants from the original
Hippodrome.
You will take a short walk to the Blue Mosque, completed in 1616, it is a
triumph of harmony, proportion, and elegance. The mosque was a part of a
complex also including, tombs, fountains, kitchens, and a bath. Its
colourful 260 windows enables the sunlight to reach inside. This makes the
interior unusually light. The blue Iznik Tiles covering the walls have given
the mosque its popular name.
After a short walk, you’ll enter the awe-inspiring Topkapi Palace Museum,
royal residence of the Ottoman sultans for the better part of four
centuries. There are four main courtyards which contain extensive gardens,
pavilions, fountains, royal gates, divans, kitchens, library, and mosques.
Steps away, a visit to the Harem section offers a revealing look into how
the sultans of the Ottoman Empire lived in private.
Lunch is suggested at the Seasons Restaurant which serves international
cuisine.
Next, you will visit one of the greatest buildings in the world: St Sophia
Mosque, it was built during the reign of Emperor Justinian (AD 537) and
remained the greatest church in Christendom until the conquest of
Constantinople in 1453 by Sultan Mehmet II who ordered to convert Hagia
Sophia into a Mosque.
Your last stop will be the famous Grand Bazaar. It is the largest and
oldest covered Bazaar in Turkey with more than 4,000 shops. A variety of
Turkish Handicrafts, Oriental carpets, rare jewels, and inexpensive
souvenirs all sold in small shops next to each other. The streets are named
according to the trades, such as gold and silver sellers, carpet sellers,
booksellers, etc. The most oriental atmosphere in Istanbul is found in the
bazaar.
At the end of your sightseeing, you will return to your ship.
Included:
-
Private Luxury Van (Mercedes Vito) with English-Speaking guide and
driver for 8 hours
-
Entrance fees for listed sights
-
Gratuities to guide and driver*
-
Bottled water in the vehicle
Excluded:
-
Cost of meals and refreshments other than bottled water
-
Items of personal nature
*Gratuities have been prepaid. Additional gratuities are at the guest’s
discretion.