After meeting your professionally-trained guide on the pier, you will begin an orientation drive through the business center of the modern city, across the Galata Bridge, along the banks of the Golden Horn and under the Byzantine Aqueduct of Valens. Along the way, you will see the Süleymaniye Mosque, dedicated to Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent. You will continue around the mighty city walls, which once protected Constantinople from the many invasions and attacks it incurred over the centuries.

In the Old City, your first visit will be to the Hagia Sophia, the Byzantine Church of Divine Wisdom. Originally built as an Orthodox basilica, it later was used as a mosque, and now is a museum. Built in 537 on the orders of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian, it served as the cathedral of Constantinople and was the largest cathedral in the world for nearly a thousand years. Upon the conquering of Constantinople by the Ottomans in 1453, it became a mosque and was used as such until 1931. It was opened as a museum in 1935.

Departing Hagia Sophia you will next visit the world renowned Blue Mosque finished in 1616. The Blue Mosque was commissioned by Sultan Ahmet I when he was only 19 years old. The interior of the mosque is lined with more than 20,000 handmade ceramic tiles in more than fifty different tulip designs. The tiles at lower levels are traditional in design, while in the galleries they become flamboyant with representations of flowers, fruit and trees.

Next, visit the Hippodrome, originally the home of sports games in the Byzantine period. It is estimated that the Hippodrome of Constantine was about 1,476 feet long and 427 feet wide, and capable of holding 100,000 spectators. The track was U-shaped, and the emperor's box was located at the eastern end of the track.

You will then proceed to the nearby Grand Bazaar which dates from 1461. Well known for its jewelery, pottery, spice, and carpet shops, it also has areas where stalls are grouped by the type of goods the sell, such as leather coats or gold jewelry. What started as one main building has grown into a sprawling complex consists of 12 major buildings accessed through 22 doors. It is thought to have more than 5,000 shops / stalls, two mosques, two hamams, and many restaurants and cafes. You will be treated to a carpet demonstration and explore the shops filled with jewelry, carpets, leather ware, and copper goods. After free time in the Bazaar, you will return to the ship pier.

Please note: The covered area of the Grand Bazaar is closed on Sunday. A visit to the Spice Market will be substituted. Hagia Sophia is closed on Monday. A visit to Topkopi Palace will be substituted.