Istanbul Mosques & Palaces Tour

Istanbul Mosques & Palaces Tour

At 8:30 am, we'll meet at the German Fountain to start this tour of the mosques and palaces of Istanbul. We'll discover all the secrets of Ottoman architecture and the city's most representative buildings!

The first stop of the tour will be, of course, the Hagia Sophia Basilica. Since its construction in the 6th century, this temple has passed through both Christian and Muslim hands, being used as a basilica, Orthodox church, and mosque. Today, Hagia Sophia is a veritable museum of the confluence of religions that have coexisted for centuries in Turkey and whose beauty amazes any visitor.

We'll admire the amazing exterior architecture of the basilica, with its imposing central dome, surrounded by semi-domes, and its impressive minarets. After seeing this marvel, we'll head to the Blue Mosque, named after the beautiful blue mosaics that decorate its structure.

The next stop will be at the Topkapi Palace, a luxurious building that the Ottoman sultans used to centralize administrative power between the 15th and 16th centuries. We'll learn about its interesting history and then head to a local restaurant for lunch.

After the lunch break, we'll resume the route passing by the Hippodrome and the Obelisk of Theodosius, which was commissioned by the Egyptian Pharaoh Thutmose II. We'll then continue to the Suleiman Mosque, one of the masterpieces of the 16th-century imperial architect Mimar Sinan.

Finally, the tour of Istanbul's mosques and palaces will end at 4 pm at the Grand Bazaar, one of the largest covered markets in the world. Here, you can continue to learn about Turkish culture and do some shopping.