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What's included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Professional English speaking guide
- Food and drinks
- Tips to guide and driver
- Stop at
- Stop at
- Stop at
- Stop at
Misir Carsisi (Spice Market)
Dolmabahce Palace
Rumeli Fortress
Neon Tours
Choose from a morning or afternoon tour, and then start your experience with a pickup from your European-side Istanbul hotel. As you travel through the city, sit back and relax as your onboard guide talks about Istanbul’s Spice Bazaar— your first destination of the tour. One of the city’s most colorful and bustling attractions, the market has operated since the 17th century and remains as popular with locals as it is with visitors. Hop out of your coach and head inside the market while breathing in its heady aromas of fragrant spices and herbs. Hear tips for interesting stalls to visit from your guide, and then enjoy roughly 45 minutes of free time to explore and shop at leisure. After shopping and sightseeing around the famous souk, travel by coach to the banks of the Bosphorus Strait for your cruise. Learn about the famous stretch of water that straddles both the Asian and European continents as you travel, and then board your sightseeing boat for the cruise. Take a seat out on deck or inside the cabin, and cruise past an impressive selection of Istanbul’s showpiece sights. Look out for Dolmabahçe Palace with its decadent façade as well as 15th-century Rumeli Hisarı Fortress and Beylerbeyi Palace where Ottoman-era sultans spent their summer vacations. Your route takes in sights on both the European and Asian shores and, in addition to Istanbul’s big-name attractions, the cruise also passes some of the city’s lesser-known gems: mosques, fortresses, palaces and more. Having admired the sights of the Bosphorus Strait from the water, return to land and finally finish your experience with a hotel drop-off.
Duration: 1 minute
Admission Ticket Free
More about this tour
For either the morning or afternoon tour, meet your guide for a pickup at your Istanbul hotel (European-side only). Then, begin your adventure with a drive to Istanbul’s Spice Bazaar. During the ride, listen to commentary about this lively and fragrant marketplace that has been in operation since the 17th century.
Arrive and start with a walk through the colorful corridors filled with stalls emanating aromatic herbs and spices. Then, listen to insightful information from your guide to help you find the best stalls as you venture off for 45 minutes of free time. During your stroll, experience why the Spice Bazaar is popular with both visitors and locals.
Depart the marketplace and drive to the waterfront for your Bosphorus Strait cruise. Hear how this historic expanse of water links the European and Asian continents. Then, climb aboard, find a seat, and set off for your memorable journey. As your vessel cruises by the Dolmabahçe Palace admire its elegant façade. Then, see one of the largest Ottoman palaces Beylerbeyi Palace and learn about the sultans who spent time off here. Continue along the European side and observe the impressive 15th century Rumeli Hisari. As the boat U-turns and strolls back along the Asian side, enjoy glimpses of less visited fortresses, mosques, palaces, and more that speckle the Bosphorus Strait’s coastline.
After the boat has docked hop back in your vehicle for a simple transfer to your hotel where your tour finishes.
Children aged 18 years and under must be accompanied by an adult
During religious holidays on July 28, 29 and 30 and October 4, 5, 6 and 7, 2014, the Spice Bazaar will be closed
Not wheelchair accessible
Infants must sit on laps
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers
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