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Arrive in Istanbul airport, meet your escort and transfer to your hotel. Dinner at guests' expense.
After breakfast, Visits the Highlights of the city: Hagia Sophia Church, built in the 6th century AD by Justinian and became the largest church in the world for many centuries until its conversion into a mosque by the Ottoman Sultan where you can see beautiful mosaics of Byzantine art; Byzantine Hippodrome where horses and chariots raced once upon a time; Blue Mosque, famous for its tiles and interior decorations, the most important mosque of the city; Topkapi Palace, the residence of the Ottoman Sultans for about 400 years; and Grand Bazaar for a leisure afternoon with more than 3,000 shops. (B-L)
After breakfast, visit the Egyptian Bazaar or Spice Market to smell and buy hundreds of lively colored spices; then take a ferry for a cruise on the Bosphorus Strait, while sailing along the European and Asian shores enjoy viewing palaces, fortresses, Ottoman wooden houses, and suspension bridges. Lunch in a restaurant along the Bosphorus. After lunch, take the Intercontinental Suspension Bridge and set your foot on Asia with a pleasant panoramic drive. Visit also Beylerbeyi Palace on this side, which was the summer residence of the last Ottoman Sultans housing original furniture, curtains and carpets showing luxurious life of the ancient rulers. Transfer back to your hotel at the end of the day. (B-L)
After breakfast, transfer to the airport. End of the services. (B)
(B) Breakfast - (L) Lunch
Please note: This tour is a Guaranteed Departure Tour and run any day of the week. Additional nights can be arranged at extra cost, or you can combine it with Cappadocia Mini Package or Izmir Mini Package group tours. Order of the visits may be changed for the convenience of the tour. Hagia Sophia is closed on Mondays, Topkapi Palace on Tuesdays, Beylerbeyi Palace on Mondays & Thursdays, Grand Bazaar on Sundays & Turkish public and religious holidays. On these specific days they'll be substituted with other museums or sites depending on the convenience of the program and schedule. We use four star (first class) category hotels during the regular tours.
Important Note: All travel services in Turkey such as tours, hotel bookings, rent-a-car, transfers etc. are provided by an official & reliable local travel agency working with licensed tour guides, in order to secure your customer rights and fulfilling local regulations. Most of the regular tours are conducted in English, Italian and Spanish, but other languages can be arranged upon request on private basis. Please contact us for prices, quotes and other information.