Full Day Byzantine and Ottoman Marvels with Lunch

Istanbul is such a nice area for the mosques and palace as well as the grand bazaar. We would have loved to be inside the blue mosque but Hagia Sophia is a wonder. Same as the palace. Grand bazaar is also a wonder but we could have skipped the leather showing since we are not interested in buying fake Burberry and Gucci leather jackets. Jan is a wonderful guide and the lunch was superb.

Our tour guide was Selcuk Ersan. He was very professional and happy to answer any question that we had. We were picked up right outside the cruise port. Our driver was very safe and courteous. We drove around Istanbul in a passenger van. We were able to get many places that a large bus could not get to. There were four of us on this tour and we were all impressed with his tour. Request Selcuk by name if you can. We had lunch at a lovely restaurant overlooking the Straight of Bosporus.

Salcuk arrived at our Hotel and it was one of the best excursions ever. I don’t know if it was by coincidence but he was also our guide for our second excursion that night. The first tour was very educational with plenty of time on our own. The second was a great meal and wonderful entertainment. Salcuk answered all our questions, nothing was off limits. True to their words, they do not cancel tours based on attendance. My wife and I were the only ones on the tour. My wife's wallet slipped from her coat in the van. We didn't discover it until we were at the crowded bazaar. Shamefully, our minds immediately thought she was pick pocketed but Salcuk assured us they do not have pick pockets. As we started tracing our steps, Salcuk called the van driver who searched the van and found it on the floor. Needless to say we were very relieved and grateful as this was our first full day on an over a month long vacation and there was a large amount of cash. Definitely recommend!

Although the historical cultural landmarks were right next to each other, did extensive walking on each one. The excursion was scheduled on a holiday where the Grand Bazaar was closed -- wife was disappointed about not getting the shopping experience, hubby was glad that travel weary feet could rest.

We were able to see all three major structures in Istanbul in one day. There were only two of us with one guide so we have very close contact throughout the tours. This would be impossible in some of the larger groups we saw. They guide had studied in England, but grew up in Istanbul. She really knew her stuff. She also kept us aware of the customs involved when entering a Muslim or Greek Orthodox house of worship. We never felt out of place. It was a great way to see it all in a day. (Don't do this on a Friday if possible because the Blue Mosque is closed for worship for a few hours mid day).

We had a private tour at the price of a group price! This was my favorite trip! Our guide was very charming and knowledgable! The restaurant he took us was amazing! The food and service was the best! I will recommend this trip to anybody!it was an unforgettable experience!

Very common excursion package. The guide was great and accommodating. I purchased from this site for its better price than cruise ships and for its small group size (12).