Istanbul Express is a half-day (approx. 4 hours) private guided tour of the city by car. If your time is limited, this tour will allow you to visit all the must-see monuments of Istanbul. You will be picked up from your hotel, or from your place of arrival (pier or airport) and guided to discover the best the city has to offer. Besides sightseeing, you will have the chance to gain an insight of Istanbul's daily life, seeing some aspects of the city which tourists normally miss. In an unforgettable day, you will learn a lot about the history, culture, and traditions of ancient and present-day Istanbul.
Thanks to the privilege of the car, you will enjoy great comfort and full flexibility throughout the tour.

Please note that being a private tour, the itinerary program will be tailor-made to suit your specific needs and wishes.

Itinerary

This is just a recommended itinerary which can be adjusted to suit your needs and wishes.

- Hippodrome
- Blue Mosque (cannot be visited on Friday before 3 p. m. )
- Hagia Sophia Museum (closed on Monday)
- Grand Bazaar (closed on Sunday)

Itinerary description
The Hippodrome dates back to the foundation of Constantinople. Here the Emperor and his people enjoyed themselves watching the horsed-chariots races. The mysterious obelisks and columns, remains of classical times, are still standing in the square.

The Blue Mosque is a masterpiece of architecture, combining Islamic and Byzantine elements. The name is due to the beautiful blue tiles of its interior.

Hagia Sophia embodies the mixing of the 3 great civilizations: Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman, which made Istanbul the capital of their empires.

The Grand Bazaar is one of the oldest and largest closed markets in the world. In its maze of galleries, you can bargain for traditional crafts and listen out for the babble of 100 languages.

Meeting Location + Tour Duration

Meeting location: Reception of your hotel, apartment, cruise ship terminal or in front of "Hagia Sophia Museum".
The tour price should be updated in case of your address is located on the Asian side of Istanbul (contact me to request an updated price).

End location: Same as meeting location

Duration: 4 hours

Duration can be affected by traffic and weather conditions

Transportation

Private car with airconditioning

What’s Included

Professional Guide Service (in English, Italian or Spanish)
Private Car with driver (only for pick up and return transfers)

Estimated Local Cash Needed

100 Turkish Lira - Estimated local payment is given just for the payments of museum tickets (per person) because in restaurants and stores credit card is mostly accepted.
In restaurans the avarage tip rate is %10 and can be paid in Usd. or Euro as well.
If you don't have any opportunity to change your money before the tour, don't worry about it, we can change easily in change office as you need with the best rate.

What’s Extra

Entrance fees
Hagia Sophia Museum: 12 Usd. per person
Lunch

A Recent Review of this tour

An amazing one day tour in Istanbul ! We only had about five hours in Istanbul on a layover but Cem made sure we made the most of it. He took us to the sites we wanted to see - allowing us to skip the ones we did not want to. Had a fabulous lunch… And we brought home some authentic Turkish items. We truly felt immersed in the Turkish culture even though it was such a short time we were there. I highly recommend Cem! Do not hesitate to book. He is kind and knowledgeable. We felt completely safe!
Marcie Girolamo