After breakfast between 8:00 AM & 09:30 AM you will be picked up from your hotel. Today you will depart for “Full Day Istanbul City Tour”. On this tour we cover all important sightseeings of Istanbul such as Hippodrome & Obelisk. Hagia Sophia, Sultan Ahmet Mosque, Topkapi Palace & Grand Bazaar. In the heart of the “Old City” you will visit:
Hagia Sophia (Aya Sofya): a UNESCO-listed museum that contains Ottoman and Byzantine works. From the Golden Age of Byzantine Empire, this once a Christian church is one of the most extraordinary buildings in the history of architecture. Listen to its history and examine the architecture together with a professional guide.
Next stop is Topkapi Palace, the largest and oldest palace in the world to survive to our day and also was the primary residence of the Ottoman sultans for approximately 400 years.
Then, make a visit to the Blue Mosque with six minarets, which was built at the bequest of Sultan Ahmet I, and is one of the best preserved and most significant examples of Ottoman architecture.
Continue to Istanbul Hippodrome where chariot races were held. It was the center of Byzantium’s life for 1000 years and of Ottoman life for another 400 years and has been the scene of countless political dramas.
The last stop of your journey is the Grand Bazaar, one of the oldest and largest covered markets in the world. Its numerous shops are bursting with everything you can imagine, from jewelry to silk clothing, and traditional copperware to exotic, Oriental imports and many more hidden gems.