Things to do in Istanbul
Bosphorus Tours6 optionsHagia Sophia Tickets115 optionsIstanbul Cruise103 optionsIstanbul Airport Transfer27 optionsBasilica Cistern Tickets70 optionsMuseums39 optionsDay Trips from Istanbul31 optionsIstanbul City Tour Package18 optionsIstanbul Walking Tour126 optionsDolmabahce Palace Tickets87 optionsBlue Mosque Tours105 optionsIstanbul Layover6 options
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Istanbul: Galata Tower, Istiklal Street & Karaköy City WalkYou’ll wander Istanbul’s Galata hillside with a local guide who brings hidden stories to life—from sipping tea in Karaköy to tracing the curve of the Camondo Steps. Expect laughter over mispronounced words, glimpses into churches and passages along Istiklal Street, and moments that linger long after you’ve left the city behind.
Istanbul Europe to Asia Food Tour: Ferry & MarketsA food tour through Istanbul that starts on the European side in Karaköy, crosses the Bosphorus by ferry to the Asian district of Kadıköy, and ends in local markets—with more than five tastings in the first half and 10+ foods and drinks in the second, plus a professional English-speaking guide who explains the stories behind each stop. Food, drinks and return transport are not included in the price.Is it for me?Choose the private option if you want the guide's full attention and a pace you set together; the small group tour works better if you prefer to meet other travelers and share the cost. Either way, bring cash or cards for the foods and drinks you taste along the way—those are separate from the tour price.
Istanbul Balat & Fener: Walking Tour with Spice BazaarYou walk through Balat and Fener's sloped streets with a professional guide, starting at the Spice Bazaar and moving through neighborhoods shaped by Orthodox, Jewish, and Muslim heritage. You see the Cathedral Church of St. George and St. Stephan Bulgarian Church, stop at local cafes and artisan shops, and learn the history woven into the buildings themselves. All local taxes and guidance are included; the tour suits anyone comfortable with uneven cobblestones and a few hills.Is it for me?Book this if you want to understand Istanbul's layered religious and cultural history without a rushed itinerary—the walking pace and neighborhood focus mean you actually absorb the place instead of just checking sites off a list.
Istanbul: Dolmabahce Palace Tour & Bosphorus Yacht SunsetYou’ll walk through Dolmabahce Palace’s grand rooms with a local guide before boarding a yacht to cruise Istanbul’s Bosphorus at sunset. Expect Turkish tea, baklava, laughter with locals, and views of palaces and bridges you won’t forget easily. The mix of history inside and river breeze outside makes this day feel both rich and quietly personal.
Istanbul Sultanahmet: Private Walking Tour & Hagia SophiaYou walk Sultanahmet with a licensed guide who knows the history and the neighborhood, moving at your own pace through Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, the Basilica Cistern, and the Grand Bazaar. The guide handles route planning and gives you insider tips on where to eat; you choose how long to spend at each stop. Start early to avoid queues at Hagia Sophia, and wear shoes you can walk in all day.Is it for me?Book this if you want to see Sultanahmet's major sites without a fixed schedule or a group—your guide adjusts to your interests and pace, which is what makes a private tour worth the cost.
Bosphorus Night Cruise Istanbul: Dinner, Show & Hotel TransferA Bosphorus night cruise from Istanbul includes hotel pickup, a four-hour boat ride with dinner and unlimited soft drinks, and a live Turkish show featuring belly dancing, henna ceremony, folk and Romany dance, and a DJ. The boat departs from Viaport Marina and passes the Bosphorus Bridge and Besiktas District. A live guide speaks English, Spanish, Italian, French and six other languages.Is it for me?Everything flows seamlessly from your hotel to the boat to dinner and the show—no logistics to manage, just an evening on the water.
Istanbul & Cappadocia: 10-Day Turkey Tour Troy EphesusYou spend ten days moving through Turkey's major historical sites and landscapes — from Istanbul's mosques and palaces through the Gallipoli Battlefields, Troy, Ephesus, and Pamukkale's thermal pools, ending in Cappadocia's underground cities and fairy chimneys. The tour includes nine nights in boutique hotels, all entrance fees, transport in a private vehicle, and a professional guide who stays with your group the entire time, so you never repeat an introduction or lose the thread of the story. You return to Istanbul for your departure transfer, having seen the country without arranging a single detail yourself.Is it for me?Choose this tour if you want to see Turkey's major historical and natural sites in one trip without arranging transport, hotels, entrance fees, or a guide — the fixed 10-day itinerary and included professional guide mean you move through the country at a steady pace, staying in one place long enough to absorb it before moving on.
Istanbul: Dolmabahçe Palace Tour & Sunset Bosphorus YachtYou’ll step through Dolmabahçe Palace’s ornate halls with a local guide sharing stories you won’t find in any brochure, then board a yacht for a slow sunset cruise along the Bosphorus Strait. Expect Turkish tea and baklava as Istanbul glows around you—plus those small moments you can’t plan for but always remember.
Istanbul: Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque & Bosphorus Boat TourYou’ll wander Istanbul’s Balat neighborhood with its wild colors and iron church, step into sacred spaces like Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, cruise between continents on a Bosphorus boat tour with your local guide—and share lunch along the way. Expect laughter, small surprises, and moments that linger long after you leave.
Istanbul: Old City Small Group Tour with Lunch & All TicketsYou’ll feel Istanbul’s energy up close on this small group day trip—skip ticket lines at Hagia Sophia and Topkapi Palace, wander ancient squares with your guide, pause for a traditional lunch, and end among centuries-old mosaics. Expect laughter, good food, and moments you’ll remember long after you’ve left Sultanahmet behind.
Istanbul to Cappadocia & Ephesus: 7-Day Turkey TourYou arrive in Istanbul and skip the airport scramble; a guide meets you and walks you through the week. Over seven days you visit Hagia Sophia and the Grand Bazaar, fly to Cappadocia to explore underground cities and fairy-chimney valleys, tour Ephesus's ancient temples and the House of the Virgin Mary, and soak in Pamukkale's thermal pools. All flights, hotels, meals, entrance fees and ground transport are included, so you move through four regions without arranging any of it yourself.Is it for me?Book this if you want to see Turkey's four main regions in one week without arranging flights, hotels, meals or entry tickets yourself — the fixed itinerary and included transport are what make four destinations fit into seven days.
Fener & Balat Walking Tour Istanbul: Hidden Gems & Turkish CoffeeA guided walking tour through the historic neighborhoods of Fener and Balat in Istanbul, where you explore centuries of Greek, Armenian, Jewish, Bulgarian and Ottoman heritage across colorful streets, religious landmarks and beautifully preserved houses. The tour includes entrance fees to the sites, a professional English-speaking guide, and ends with traditional Turkish coffee at a local café. Arrive on time—the guide cannot wait for latecomers once the tour begins.Is it for me?Book the private tour if you want the guide's full attention and the flexibility to linger at sites that interest you most; choose the small group option if you prefer to share the experience and the cost with other travelers following the same route.
Istanbul: Cappadocia, Ephesus & Pamukkale 4-Day TourYou fly from Istanbul to Cappadocia and spend two days hiking through valleys, exploring underground cities, and visiting cave churches and monasteries. A flight takes you to the Aegean coast, where you walk the marble streets of Ephesus and swim in the thermal pools of Pamukkale before flying back to Istanbul. Your guide, hotels, meals, and all entrance fees are included, so you move through the itinerary without arranging transport or tickets yourself.Is it for me?Book this if you have four days and want to see Cappadocia, Ephesus, and Pamukkale without arranging flights, hotels, or entrance fees separately—the fixed itinerary and included transport are what make three major regions possible in one trip.
Istanbul: Private Day Tour Hagia Sophia, Bazaar & Blue MosqueYou’ll step inside Hagia Sophia’s silent grandeur, hear stories beneath Blue Mosque’s domes, wander through ancient columns in the Basilica Cistern, and taste coffee in the Grand Bazaar maze—all guided by someone who knows Istanbul’s rhythms by heart. Expect small surprises and honest moments that stay with you long after you’ve left.
Istanbul: Blue Mosque & Topkapi Palace Small Group TourYou’ll slip into Istanbul’s living history alongside locals: wrap your scarf for the Blue Mosque’s quiet beauty, skip lines at Topkapi Palace with your guide’s stories swirling around you, and wander Sultanahmet Square where centuries collide. Expect laughter, unexpected flavors on the breeze, and moments that linger long after you leave.
Fener and Balat walking tour: Old Greek and Jewish quartersThis afternoon walking tour of Fener and Balat takes you through the historic Greek and Jewish quarters of Istanbul, neighborhoods far from the main tourist precincts where locals still gather in cafes and markets. You'll ride the tram, walk past colorful Ottoman houses by the Golden Horn, visit two churches, sip Turkish tea at a local cafe, and hear the history of Constantinople's fall to the Ottomans in 1453 from a licensed English-speaking guide. The tour runs three hours and suits all fitness levels; children are welcome from age 5.Is it for me?Book this tour if you want to spend an afternoon in the neighborhoods where Istanbulites actually live, not in the main tourist zones—small groups and a local guide mean you'll move at a pace that lets you sit in cafes and notice the streets instead of rushing between sites.
5-Day Aegean Tour: Gallipoli, Troy, Ephesus, PamukkaleThis 5-day guided tour from Istanbul travels the Aegean coast to Gallipoli, Troy, Ephesus and Pamukkale, with an English-speaking guide, 4-star hotel stays, daily meals and transport included. You walk the World War I battlefields and memorials at Gallipoli, explore the UNESCO-listed ruins of Troy and its museum, tour the ancient city of Ephesus and the Temple of Artemis site, and soak in the thermal pools of Pamukkale among Roman-era columns. A domestic flight returns you to Istanbul on day five. Children from age 8 are welcome; the itinerary suits all fitness levels.Is it for me?Five days is long enough to move through five major sites without rushing any of them, but short enough to fit into a week-long trip. If you have more time, you'll want to linger in Ephesus or add a separate Istanbul itinerary; if you have less, you'll need to choose between the Aegean sites and skip some. The fixed schedule and included transport mean the logistics hold together without you building them.
Private Shopping in Grand Bazaar Istanbul with Personal ShopperA private shopping tour of Istanbul's Grand Bazaar with a personal shopper who curates a route matched to what you want to find — jewelry, carpets, scarves, towels, ceramics, lamps, bags or souvenirs. You'll visit handpicked stores where you're treated respectfully, not pushed, and tea or Turkish coffee arrives at every stop. The shopper handles the negotiation and knows which places give the best prices.Is it for me?Book this if you have a few hours in Istanbul and want to find specific things in the Grand Bazaar without navigating the chaos alone — the shopper's route and relationships mean you see quality stores, get fair prices and stay calm the whole time.
Bursa Day Trip from Istanbul: Green Mosque & Cable CarA full-day small-group tour from Istanbul to Bursa, the Ottoman Empire's first capital, with a local guide, hotel pickup, ferry ride across the Sea of Marmara, and lunch at a mountain restaurant. The tour includes a 30-minute cable car ride into Bursa's city centre (not a chairlift), visits to the Green Mosque with its distinctive green tile decoration and the Green Mausoleum, and a stop at a 600-year-old plane tree. Groups stay under 25 people. Return to Istanbul is by ferry or highway depending on traffic, with arrival typically late evening.Is it for me?Book the Cable Car option if you want the full Bursa experience with the cable car descent and a meal included; choose No Cable Car if you prefer a shorter day and plan to eat on your own, though you'll still see the Green Mosque and the plane tree. Either way, the ferry crossing and guide are the same, so the choice is really about whether the cable car and lunch matter to your day.
Istanbul: Grand Bazaar Mosaic Lamp Workshop & TeaYou’ll sit elbow-to-elbow with locals and travelers inside Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar, piecing together your own mosaic lamp while sipping endless Turkish tea. Friendly artisans guide you through every step—even if your fingers get messy—and you’ll leave with new skills, stories, and maybe a colorful lamp to light up your home (just remember there’s a small fee for that part).
