Secrets of Istanbul - half day walking tour - Off The Tourist Trails

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: Blue Mosque, Sultanahmet Mah At Meydani Cad No 7, Istanbul 34122 Turkey

We visit this mosque from inside where you see a mosque have been serving a place for praying for 400 years. Mosque has an impressive 17 century architecture and has the best examples of the handmade Iznik tiles and Islamic calligraphies.

Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Hippodrome (At Meydani), Istanbul Turkey

This is the Hippodrome which was built in 4 century A.D by Roman emperor Constantine for the chariots races. The hippodrome hasn’t survived but monuments from the Spina section ( Egyptian obelisk, Serpent column, Constantine column and German fountain ) have managed to survived despite the invasions and earthquakes. Your guide will give you historic information about the hippodrome and the city how the Greeks found their city Byzantium here in 7 B.C till today.

Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Forum of Constantine, Istanbul Turkey

We will walk on the ancient road of the Romans where the modern tram rail is built on top of it today. We will have a break at the forum of Constantine the Great where the true cross and many belongs to early Christians brought from Jerusalem by Helena and were buried underneath of the column which have survived.

Duration: 15 minutes

Stop At: Grand Bazaar Jewelers, Alemdar Mah. Bab-I Ali Cad. Guran Han No:34 D. 4 Fatih, Istanbul 34110 Turkey

We will have walk through the Grand Bazaar without a shopping break! Our aim is not the shopping here but to show you the hidden parts of the bazaar amongst 4000 shops, and the tip on bargaining culture.

Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Corlulu Ali Pasa Medresesi, Mollafenari Mh., Istanbul Turkey

We will have a tea/coffee and a shisha/hookah break here. We will also grab some local pastry on our way to here from a local pastry maker to eat it with your drink. The cafe is the former Medressa ( religion school ) and now it is a place where locals get social. Hookah smoking is optional here so please don’t think that you have to.

Duration: 30 minutes

Pass By: Sahaflar Carsisi, Istanbul 34430 Turkey

This is the historic book maker where the books were printed for ten first time in Arabic letters.

Pass By: Istanbul Universitesi Rektorlugu, Fuat Pasa Cad. Beyazit, Istanbul Turkey

This used to be Roman palace dates back to 4 century A.D. After the Ottoman concurred the city in 1453, they turned it to a Ottoman palace, later a military training center and now Istanbul university. We will have a break here to talk about the history of the palace and education system in modern Turkey.

Stop At: Suleymaniye Mosque, Prof. SIddIk Sami Onar Cd. No:1 Süleymaniye Mah, Istanbul 34116 Turkey

We will visit this lovely mosque from inside. The mosque was built on top of one of the seven hills of Istanbul and offers a spectacular view of Asian side, Bosporus strait and Golden Horn, Galata and Bosporus bridged, Galata and Maiden’s Tower and more..

Duration: 30 minutes

Pass By: Tahtakale District, Istanbul Turkey

We will walk down form Suleymaniye mosque and pass through the Tahtakale local market. This helps to see and understand the difference between the Grand Bazaar where local no longer shop and market where locals comes and shop daily.

Stop At: Misir Carsisi (Spice Market), Rustem Pasa Mahallesi, Erzak Ambari Sok. No:92 Eminonu - Fatih, Istanbul 34116 Turkey

Misir Carisi is the Spice market which was built in 1664 by the Sultan’s mother in order to provide the world spices. It is an aromatic market and the small of the species is welcoming. Addition to spices Turkish delight, herbal teas, natural oils, nuts and many of the jewelry shops are the part of it. We will have break at a shop to sample Turkish delight and learn about the spices.

Duration: 30 minutes