A truly awe inspiring, 1,400 years old Byzantine cathedral which houses mosaics, relics and iron work. Hagia Sophia was, for nearly a thousand years, the largest enclosed space in the world, and is still seen as one of the world's most important architectural monuments. It is one of Turkey's most popular attractions, drawn by the sheer spectacle of its size, architecture, mosaics and art. It was built during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian in the 6th century AD.
Built during the reign of Sultan Ahmet I during 1609-1616. It is the only mosque in Turkey with six minarets. Due to its magnificent hand-dyed blue, green and white Iznik tiles it has been named the "Blue Mosque" by Europeans. The central dome is 43 m in height and is 33.4 m in diameter; it also boasts 260 windows.
Hippodrom square is the backdrop of chariot races and the center of Byzantine civic life. Of the ornaments which once decorated it, only three remain: The Obelisk of Theodosius, the bronze Serpentine Column, and the Column of Constantine. The Obelisk is in the Egyptian style and was erected in 1547 BC and stood 60m tall. The German Fountain is also within the hippodrome area, constructed in Germany to mark German Emperor Wilhelm II's second visit to Istanbul; it was imported and officially opened on January 1 1901. The fountain's three domes are decorated with gold mosaics.
The Basilica Cistern, or Cisterna Basilica Turkish: Yerebatan Sarnıcı or Yerebatan Saray, is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city of Istanbul, Turkey. The cistern, located 150 metres (490 ft) southwest of the Hagia Sophia on the historical peninsula of Sarayburnu, was built in the 6th century during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I.Today it is kept with little water, for public access inside the museum.
One of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with more than 58 covered streets and over 1,200 shops. Opened in 1461, it is well known for its jewelry, pottery, spice, and carpet shops. Many of the stalls in the bazaar are grouped by the type of goods, with special areas for leather coats, gold jewelry and the like. The bazaar contains two bedestens (domed masonry structures built for storage and safe keeping), the first of which was constructed between 1455 and 1461 by the order of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror.The grand bazaar consists of 12 major buildings and has 22 doors.
Emre was a wonderful tour guide. He was able to give the long and complex history of this country in a way that made it very understandable. He speaks in perfect English and was very patient with our mobility challenges.
A well conducted tour through the old city of Istanbul with an experienced tour guide fluent in English showing the small group all highlights of this wonderful city.
This was a fantastic experience. Emre - our tour expert- showed us everything about this beautiful city and country. Emre took us ok the Bosphorus tour, the streets of Istanbul, the food, the Mosques and Monuments, as well as a guided shopping experience. Highly recommend and will come back to Emre if we make another Turkey trip.
The trip was very well planned and timed. The tour guide Emre knew English very well. He was very clear and gave ALOT of eye opening information.He also helped me with finding a pretty hotel with a view after my office trip stay was over. - MOST IMPORTANTLY- He had a medical emergency last night but still came on time for the tour and was very patient with my questions . He also clicked a lot of pics for me. By far this is my best tour guide experience. BIG THANK YOU EMRE! 😊
This is a must for any visitor to Istanbul - Erme the tour guide was absolutely amazing (if I could give higher than 5 stars I would) - this was a perfect tour, well timed, Emre was professional, knowledgeable and personable that made the whole experience perfect. Picked up from Hotel, professionally done, experienced the best and most friend Turkish people ever - everyone was so friendly and it made this a cultural experience and not just a history lesson. Had great food at lunchtime. The Blue Mosque and Hagia.Sophia were amazing, my favorite was the Basicila Cisterns (especially if you are a Dan Brown fan or history nerd) - Grand bazaar was an experience that you have to do in Istanbul. Massively recommend this trip and if you are lucky enough to get Emre then you blessed!!!! Brilliant company and brilliant tour guide,
Guide was exceptional! So much history and knowledge and able to meet all my needs. Asked about the things I was interested in and wanted to do/see. Made sure those happened! Took me to a lovely lunch that was fresh and authentic. Helped me understand how to make purchases. So kind and helpful. Can’t say enough wonderful things about this experience!
We used this company for a private tour for four of us and can definitely recommend their tours. We told them our preferences and they tailor-made our program. They are absolutely professional and efficient in all they do.
Mr. Emre was very kind and showed us the main attractions of Istanbul in just a few hours. The tour all went very well, I recommend this Tour.
Today we had our one day tour of Istanbul with Selim, it was great, top performing guide, knew all the shortcuts to make the most of our day! Highly recommended 👍🏻!
Emrey is knowledgable, friendly, interested and interesting. Fantastic tour we learnt so much. Istanbul is massive, be sure to book a driving tour you simply won’t see everything otherwise!
Our guide Emre was very friendly, we quickly felt like home which made our stay more enjoyable the main thing was done and said in two days ! Highly recommanded
The experience was lovely, especially since we were visiting Istanbul for the first time. Our tour guide, Emre Onal, was incredible and fun to be with. He took us to Haga Sofia, the Blue Mosque, the Sultan Bazar Carpet wholesale shop, the highest point of Asia in Bursa side to see the panoramic view of Istanbul, the leather place and more. We felt welcome, well informed and got all the fun we deserve during this trip. We highly recommend having Emre be your tour guide and the offerings of his tour packages, as for us, we will definitely visit again and have him take us around.
I can’t think of anything that hasn’t been said about Emre! What a wonderful human being! We spent the whole day with Emre going around old town Istanbul. He presented us with every little detail about the history of the places and told us stories. Emre was funny and made us laugh alot. Thankyou for a fun filled day and we hope to see you soon Emre!
Emre was recommended to me by a friend, and I am so happy he was because I had an amazing private tour of Istanbul! Emre was on time, knowledgeable, and took me to the main sights
I was really satisfied with my visit in French with lunch included. Mr. Emer is a very good guide and very professional. I only have words of thanks for making me have a wonderful day.
All was done good and interesting, no delay and postponed thinks. We spent nice time and visited planned items
Excellent experience with Mr. Emre Onal for Istanbul Tour, his explanation of historical aapect of each place was owesome and well understandable.
My private tour guide Mr.Emre Onal was a great personality with a lot humor and incredible knowledge. He made my day a fantastic experience. He knows everybody in every touristic spot which made everything so easy and safe.
A beautiful experience on the bike in Istanbul entourages..we sow many things and good places thanks to our guide Mari! She is nice, professional and friendly..super! 👍🏼 Salvo and Paola from Italy
Istanbul sightseeing tours is a must! They were fun, pleasant and affordable! I hope to use them again on my next visit to Turkey!
First visit in Istanbul and I had the chance to have the best tour guy learning me all the historic details!With his good plan, in one day I managed to see the majority of the sightseeing, the local stores and having an excellent launch with good quality! Definitely, in my next visit I will choose him again!
Last Saturday was our first visit to the ancient Istanbul city. A local reliable colleague recommended this tour agency to us and we enjoyed the highlights day-tour with our friendly knowledgeable tour guide. We would rather to come back having a two-day tour next time when the weather gets warmer. Thanks Mr. Emre, it was impressive and delightful tour for us.
This tour will give you just the main landmark highlights in Istanbul, but if you have enough time in the city better to do the landmark visits on your own. Cost of the tour is 70 euros with lunch included, lunch was not worth 5 euros. If you do it by your own maximum you will spend 30 usd with a good lunch I won’t recommend to take this tour at all, better you explore the city by yourself and avoid being scammed by this agency. The tour sucks. Nothing against the tourist guide he was nice and very helpful.
<p>Our private tour (booked as group) was great and included Blue Mosque area, shops and restaurants around the Grand Bazaar, Old City tour and Sultans Palace. All tickets and lunch are included. Our tour guide Galat (sp) was friendly and knowledgeable. Five stars!! Have fun!!</p>
Muy buen tour, Kenan B. He was an excellent guide, helped us buy tickets for HagiaSofia. We went to eat in a small budget street place and explained each place very well. As well as the spice bazaar tour.
Superb 3-4 hour tour of the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia Basilica, Basilica cistern and the Grand Bazaar. Beautiful discovery with our guide Emre Önal, who explained everything well and taught us lots of interesting historical information. I strongly advise
Funny, facts about Istanbul and Turkey yesterday and today, incredible motorist, knows the city and people know him,
Our EMRE guide was really great, he made us discover in one day (well beyond the scheduled time) many wonders of Istanbul. In addition to the story, he also told us many curiosities and gave interesting news about Istanbul yesterday and today. Great sympathy, kindness and helpfulness. He knows how to move as best as possible to optimize time, with him we did not queue practically anywhere!! it is a guarantee! It was a pleasure to meet him and if I return to Istanbul I would still rely on him. Thank you Emre!
Emre our guide was super. Very good and helpful explained us very well throughout the tour. He made himself available to pick us up at our hotel even though at the time of booking our area was not among the countries that provided pickup. He was very kind and courteous. Would highly recommend
Excellent Italian guide in Istanbul. He accompanied us on a wonderful tour among the main attractions of the city giving us great tips!
Our guide Emra gave us a fantastic tour of Istanbul’s highlights. While taking us from the hotel to the historic center, he showed us many other curiosities of the city. The tour was well directed, with interesting and complete information. The lunch was nice. We recommend!
In early September 2019 we visited the main points of interest with Mr. Emre Onal. It 'was a wonderful experience both for the magnificent city, a wonderful time and especially for the professionalism, helpfulness and kindness of Mr. Emre that we thank heartily for the beautiful day spent in his company. And of course we must congratulate him on a very good Italian that he showed off, allowing us to fully appreciate the city and its history. Thank you, Emre.
We saw in 1 day everything that was planned from the tour and even more... The availability is the professionalism of Emre is unsurpassed, if you want to visit the center of Istanbul, the mosques the cisterns and the bazaar and have a typical lunch, taste coffee and see the processing of carpets... you can not choose that Emre a name a guarantee, timely prepared quick in explaining the history of the monuments, leave time to take pictures, respond to all questions and needs of the group, we were just glad to have known him. Thanks Emre, a greeting from Laura and Fabry
Full day tour in Italian with our guide Emre, who was very courteous and professional. We visited all the city's main attractions in one day, with museum/mosque entrances already included skipping all the lines. The information given by Emre (in Italian) was detailed and interesting Even the lunch (included in the package) was worthy of the rest Highly recommended.
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