Meet your tour guide at Istanbul New Airport (IST) or Istanbul SAW Airport and start the Istanbul layover tour with the highlights of Istanbul. At the end of the tour, you will be transferred back to the airport to catch your flight.
Admire Hagia Sophia, built in the 6th century by Emperor Justinian. It played a very important role in the Christian and Islamic world. After the Ottoman conquest the bells, altar, iconostasis, and sacrificial vessels were removed, and many of the mosaics were eventually plastered over to convert the church into a mosque, then a museum in 1934. In July 2020 it is converted into a mosque again and it's the must-see point of daily Istanbul tours.
Nest stop will be the ancient Romans' hippodrome and the Blue Mosque. This amazing Mosque was built in the early 1600s for Sultan Ahmet I. It is truly a magnificent masterpiece of architecture with amazingly delicate proportions for a building of such massive scale and it's on the to-see list in Istanbul of every guest.
Stroll around the Grand Bazaar, one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world with over 4,000 shops selling spice, Turkish delight, jewelry, gold, leather products, carpet, and rugs. Remember that guided tours are best here to visit the Grand Bazaar, otherwise, you will get lost in its appealing streets. The last stop will be Topkapi Palace and Hagia Irene Church.
Local tour guide
Museum tickets
