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Istanbul Tours
Private Half-day Tour: Imperial Istanbul - Hagia Sophia, Basilica Cistern and Grand Bazaar
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Private Half-day Tour: Imperial Istanbul - Hagia Sophia, Basilica Cistern and Grand Bazaar

By Neon Tours
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Ages 0-99
Duration: 4h
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: English
More


  • Hotel pickup and drop off
  • Local guide
  • Transport by private vehicle
  • Entry/Admission - Hagia Sophia Mosque
  • Entry/Admission - Basilica Cistern
What's not included
  • Gratuities
  • Food and drinks, unless specified


Start:Multiple pickup locations offered.
  • Ottoman Hotel Imperial, Sultanahmet, Cankurtaran, Caferiye Sk. No:6/1, 34122 Fatih/İstanbul, Türkiye
Hotel pickup offered
During checkout you will be able to select from the list of included hotels.
    End:This activity ends back at the meeting point.

      • Not wheelchair accessible
      • Infants must sit on laps
      If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 3795IST_P06

      • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
      • In the event of any museum closures, an alternative similar museum will be visited
      • Not recommended for children aged 4 and under
      • Children 18 years and under must be accompanied by an adult
      • During religious holidays (September 1-4, 2017) the spice market and Grand Bazaar are closed
      • Not recommended for travellers with back problems
      • Not recommended for pregnant travellers
      • Travellers should have a moderate physical fitness level
      • This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

      • For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.

      If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 3795IST_P06

      From
      AU$399.66
      per adult (price varies by group size)
      Select date and travellers
      Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.

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      About the operator
      Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
      • Neon Tours
        556
        Istanbul, Türkiye
        Joined in November 2010
      • Tourist09911010529
        0 contributions
        1.0 of 5 bubbles
        Terrible
        Don’t book the inclusive ticket, the tour was terrible, the company did not handle any of our concerns, and we were left extremely dissatisfied Couple of notable issues though there were many: Lunch was not properly scheduled and we ate extremely late Tour guide didn’t accompany us into rooms even though other groups had guides in there Tour guide lied to us and told us toilets weren’t available and only when we saw signs ourselves did we realise Company implied we were lying when we brought up our issues Grouped with people who didn’t have the inclusive ticket so we still had to queue in the sun to get their tickets and then queue again for entrance Hagia Sophia is not included and this is not made clear (to us at least)
        Written 26 October 2024
      • barrylloyd
        0 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        14 day tour of Turkey
        Wondefull tour with Char our guide and driver. Char has given us a great education on current day Turkey as well as its rich history. Our driver had a great sense of humor and we always felt safe in some challenging driving conditions.
        Written 23 October 2024
      • simoncW850HY
        0 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        An excellent historical tour of Turkey.
        My wife and I booked this last year so we had been looking forward to it for a long time and we were not disappointed. We are both quite interested in history and were especially looking forward to visiting a number of classic sites as we had not been to Turkey before. We had an excellent guide in Zafer who really knows his stuff and was also very friendly. His commentary was detailed and he was willing to engage with our questions and discussion. We also were fortunate that the other 11 passengers on the bus were quite friendly. Rather than go through the itinerary, which is set out in the brochure, I will pick out a few things that my wife and I both enjoyed but first I would like to point out some things that would be important for people considering taking this trip. Firstly it is mainly a tour of historical sites, which in Turkey especially means visiting the sites of ancient cities. It might seem obvious but you are really there and these places are famous because they are not just single buildings...they are some of the most extensive and best preserved sites from the Greek and Roman world so you need to walk a bit. So there is a fair amount of walking, which is moderately difficult and only become an issue on a day that was quite hot. The tour starts in Istanbul, a city of 18 million people which operates at a frenetic pace. Our first day foot tour of Istanbul kept to that frenetic pace. As the tour covers geographically spaced places there is a fair amount of travelling time. This was not a criticism from our point of view as we were expecting it but you need to know that the tour emphasises seeing as much as possible in a limited amount of time. The advantage is you do see a lot! The hotels we stayed at were all pretty good, and many had extensive facilities we unfortunately could not take advantage of as we generally arrived in the early evening and left early in the morning. There were two stops that each had two nights at the same hotel, with some limited free time. In our tour the guests were divided between two different hotels each night so there was a element of time wasting in pick ups between these hotels, but I understand this has now been changed. We paid for the slightly cheaper level of accomodation but didn't notice the difference, In fact the hotel Utopia in Cappadocia that we stayed at prior to the hot air balloon ride was without doubt one of the best and most interesting hotels we have ever stayed at and had excellent food and staff service to boot. Breakfasts and dinners at the hotels were at least OK to very good. I think lunch options need to be improved, bearing in mind we are often in the middle of the countryside. Personally I was looking forward to the whole trip but had a long time bucket list of Ephesus and the museum of underwater archaeology in Bodrum, which did not disappoint. I was pleasantly surprised by the city of Perge, which I had not really heard of before. This is an amazingly well preserved city where the streets practically come alive in front of you as you travel up the main street. Its stadium is also in an excellent state of preservation. This a good example of the fact that even if you have prepared for the trip you will be amazed and surprised by something you did not expect. Some time, but not a lot, is set aside for handicraft shops, pottery ,carpets etc. Others have complained about this but it's in the itinerary. I had no interest in these whatsoever so just enjoyed a bit of solitude. Some other passengers really enjoyed these stops and made purchases, they don't spoil the trip. All in all a great holiday.
        Written 15 October 2024
      • 471kavitap
        0 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        Highly recommend
        Private transfer from Antalya to Pammukale Hotel and then 2 days later transfer to Antalya hotel. Service was fantastic, can not highly recommend. driver very friendly and spoke English. top tier service and comfort.
        Written 26 September 2024
      • Guide12378432584
        0 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        Amazing Istanbul Day Tour with Sevilay
        Our intimate tour of Istanbul’s sites with Sevilay Tokmak was incredible. She made sure we were taken care of and answered all of our questions and curiosities with insightful facts about Istanbul and the culture. My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed the day with her and appreciate all of her knowledge about this beautiful city. We highly recommend using Neon Tours for a tour of the grand sites of Istanbul!!
        Written 25 September 2024
      • 580murielw
        0 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        Great time
        We had such a wonderful time with this walking tour! In one day, we were able to see so much of the Sultanahmet with our guide, Nadriye. We learned so much and had the best time walking around the city!
        Written 10 September 2024
      • 345gerryw
        0 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        Pilgrimage to ANZAC Cove and Gallipoli
        Excellent - all went very well - the minibus from Istanbul was comfortable and our guide to ANZAC Cove etc was excellent, and very knowledgeable A very pleasant and informative day..
        Written 25 July 2024
      • 67kaneb
        0 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        Beautiful sites rich with History. Our tour guide Paul was professional and well informed.
        Stunning and Beautiful location. Turkey is Rich with History and was well articulated by our tour guide Paul. Our driver Mr Salehetin drove us safely and was very professional. Beautiful sites rich with History.
        Written 10 July 2024
      • Journey143018
        0 contributions
        4.0 of 5 bubbles
        CHAUHAN family turkey 2024
        Our tour guide Paul was absolutely amazing!!! Very knowledgeable , kind and really took care of everyone. We would definitely recommend your company to our friends and family . The bus was great and comfortable. The hotel selection was good except the Double Tree in Çanakkale and the Adempira in Pamukkale were both very disappointing and definitely NOT 5 star. In some places, we did not get any choice for dinner. Dinner in Grand Mecure was a set menu with only one option of chicken (very bland and tasteless). If you include dinner in your itinerary then it should have choices.
        Written 10 July 2024
      • dulcep411
        0 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        An Amazing Istanbul tour
        Me and my sister enjoyed an amazing tour of the old city of Istanbul in a small group given by Miss Arzu Tuna. She had a lot of interesting things to say about the city whilst also keeping us engaged in conversation and making sure that we had some of our own time during the tour to explore! Thanks again for the amazing day and showing us all the main and wonderful highlights of Istanbul!
        Written 9 July 2024
      • 720sajidam
        0 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        Amazing
        Great tour! Sevilay Tokmak, the tour guide was amazing. She was a treasure trove of information. And not only that, she showed us some really good, authentic art and crafts shops in the area. Best of all, she is great with the photography, specially those of us soli travellers!
        Written 20 June 2024
      • Katti F
        0 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        Great tour!
        This is one of the most interesting tours I have ever taken. Sevilay our tour guide for the day was very kind, knowledgeable, and detailed oriented. She made us feel very welcome. The highlight of my day was the Blue Mosque… breathtaking! This tour was very well organized to take advantage of every minute. Sevilay gave us a great recommendation to try local and fresh food at lunch time! I highly recommend this tour. Thanks so much for an amazing day!
        Written 13 June 2024
      • Safari48380
        0 contributions
        2.0 of 5 bubbles
        Bad experience of shopping at places shown by neon tours
        I took 11 nights tour through make my trip. The tour guide was knowledgeable and the driver and bus condition were excellent. Hotels were good too. However, me and my co passengers found that there are so many commercial places visited where we were told that this is original manufacturer etc. These so called original manufacturer will give the price AT LEAST 5 times more than outside prices. Since tourists don't know anything in turkey and they see places only what Neon tour shows end up paying very big price. Neon tour operators know this but is done for obvious reasons. Lot of time is also wasted in this at the cost of reducing time at places of tourist interest as we are rushed in early morning and cut time in important places or skipping some. This shopping stops are nothing but ripping places for innocent tourists as the first price is always 5 times the normal quote. We come to turkey to directly join the tour and end of tour we return to our country. This makes us ignorant about prices and is exploited since we have to buy things for family and friends.
        Written 30 May 2024
      • John E
        0 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        A fantastic small group walking tour of Istanbul. Very good value for money .
        Our guide collected us from our hotel and took us on a full day walking tour of the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia , the Topkapi Palace and Harem. the Grand Bazaar and a pottery workshop. He was very friendly knowledgeable and interesting. There were only 5 people in our group. We had lunch in a rooftop restaurant with a view of the Bosphorus. This tour included the entrance fees and skip the line and lunch. It was a highly enjoyable walking tour with a great guide which we highly recommend if you are in Istanbul.
        Written 22 May 2024
      • LaGalette2014
        0 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        Trip of a lifetime
        My Canadian travel agent booked Neon Tours through a Toronto-based company, Dan Tours. The itinerary included a 15-day tour, beginning/ending in Istanbul, including Gallipoli, Troy, Izmir, Pamukkale, Bodrum, Antalya, Konya, Cappadoccia, and Ankara. The tour guide, Hakan Kocaturk, was extremely well-informed, personable, and focussed on given the 5 people on our tour the very best experience possible. In popular sites, he able steered us around crowds to corners where we could interact without feeling pressed or rushed. when we stopped for meals, it was always some small establishment offering local fare, far away from other tourists. Hakan adapted the itinerary to focus on our interests rather than insist on the printed route; for example, he substituted time at Rumi’s lodge in Konya – which we all were interested in – in lieu of crawling around in an underground city – which none of us was keen on. Hakan’s attention to detail; his personable and responsive approach; his collegial relationship with our driver, Akif; all of his many positive attributes made this the trip of a lifetime for all of us. He was an able problem-solver when challenges arose and went above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that we were well-taken care of. I am grateful for this
        Written 21 May 2024
      See all 556 reviews
      These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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      Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.


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      4.0
      4.0 of 5 bubbles3 reviews
      Excellent
      2
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      0
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      0
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      1
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      0

      A&A
      North Palm Beach, FL10 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Aug 2019 • Couples
      Sevi gave us a thorough explanation of the amazing sights of ancient Constantinople. From Roman, ottoman and moderna eras, I Finally feel I have grasp of its history.!
      Written 3 August 2019
      This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
      Dear Farrellai, It's a great pleasure to read your compliments. We'll make sure to deliver them to our guide. Neon Tours
      Written 5 August 2019
      This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

      Connector39762919837
      10 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Tour was fantastic and the guide was very knowledgeable on everything. Spoke great english and also gave us time to look around.
      Written 20 July 2019
      This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
      Dear our valued guest, We're more than happy to known that you enjoyed our tour and our guide satisfied you expectations. We'd be glad to to be in your service again, Neon Tours
      Written 22 July 2019
      This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

      Hope
      1 contribution
      2.0 of 5 bubbles
      Aug 2019 • Family
      We signed up to go o n a tour l. In the beginning it went well and the churches were beautiful and at the last stop of our tour we went to somewhat of a flea market where we were brought into a carpet store for some someone to teach us about carpets. Our tour guide left us there for 30 minutes, and then we were asked if we wanted to buy a carpet as a souvenir which was very akward, we then visited other stores with the tour guide were clearly she knew it was for them to ask us to purchase items. Was extremely packed and full of cigarette smoke. She walked so fast and was so disturbing for us considering we knew nothing about this country and was more of a way to have us purchase items we did not ask or wanted
      Written 4 August 2019
      This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
      Dear Jeanette, Thank you four your feedback about our tour. We really appreciate it. Handmade carpets are part of our culture and we included a carpet demonstration on our program to show it. This part is not mandatory but we can't remove it from the program since some guests wishes to see it. We'll take into consideration your feedback and will try to find ways to improve this part of our tour. Thank you, Neon Tours
      Written 5 August 2019
      This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
      *Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.

      Private Half-day Tour: Imperial Istanbul - Hagia Sophia, Basilica Cistern and Grand Bazaar provided by Neon Tours

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