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, where you can marvel at the superb mosaics and the marble decorations.

Departing Hagia Sophia you will next visit the world renowned Blue Mosque. The Blue Mosque was commissioned by Sultan Ahmet I when he was only 19 years old. It was built near the Hagia Sophia, over the site of the ancient hippodrome and Byzantine imperial palace (whose mosaics can be seen in the nearby Mosaic Museum). Construction work began in 1609 and took seven years. Next, visit the Hippodrome, originally the home of sports games in the Byzantine period. The Hippodrome was later converted into a park and the Grand Bazaar. The Grand Bazaar is one oldest shopping areas in the World, now housing over 3,000 shops. Departing the Grand Bazaar you will return to the ship pier.

Please note: The covered area of the Grand Bazaar is closed on Sunday.