First tour: Meeting at İstanbul Airport
Touristanbul offers eight different tour programs for passengers who want to explore İstanbul. After selecting the tour that suits our transfer times and area of interest, all we need to do is go to the Hotel Desk at İstanbul Airport – We’re not expected to make a booking or register ahead of time for Touristanbul. We head to the tour bus with our guide, who meets us at the Hotel Desk at the time of the tour. Since it’s 08.30, we are still a bit sleepy, so we nap on the bus as we move towards the city. After a 45-minute drive, we are in the heart of the city, on the Historical Peninsula – and we’re ready for our Touristanbul.
Turkish breakfast, tea and coffee, and Sultanahmet Square
Before embarking on our Touristanbul, our first stop is a hearty breakfast. Together with our guide, we recharge on various breakfast items, tea and coffee in an authentic breakfast room. During the breakfast, which lasts about 30 minutes, we chat with other guests from different countries who have come to İstanbul. When we finish breakfast, we’re ready to explore, so we set out, following our guide. We are at the first Touristanbul address in Sultanahmet Square.
Our tour is T04, which is the full-day tour that starts at 08.30 in the morning and concludes around 18.00 in the evening. Our first stop is the Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Camii). The majestic 17th-century mosque was built by Sedefkar Mehmet Ağa, a student of Mimar Sinan, and is one of the city’s most spectacular structures. We admire its elegance and the 21,043 enormous İznik tiles on its walls and proceed towards the second stop, the Hippodrome.
Hippodrome Square, Serpent Column and Theodosius Obelisk
The Hippodrome – now called Sultanahmet Square – was used for chariot races during the Roman era. Within the area are three monuments, which our Touristanbul guide describes to us as we take photos. The elegantly domed (Alman Çeşmesi), was built to commemorate the visit of the German Emperor of the time, Kaiser Wilhelm II, during the reign of Sultan Abdulhamid II. The Serpent Column (Yılanlı Sütun), a bronze work depicting three entangled pythons, is an Ancient Greek artifact that has been in İstanbul since the 300s. Adjacent to the Serpent Column is the Theodosius Obelisk (Theodosius Dikilitaşı), an Ancient Egyptian obelisk. We leave the Square, where traces from different geographies of the world come together, with lots of new information and many pictures.
Museum Of Turkish And Islamic Arts
The next stop on this particular Touristanbul route is the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, the first museum in Türkiye exhibiting Turkish-Islamic works together. Set along the outer border of Sultanahmet Square across from the Hippodrome, the Museum features rare works of the Islamic world, from manuscripts to glass, stone and earthen objects. In addition, The Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts houses one of the most qualified carpet collections in the world. There’s a spacious café in the Museum’s courtyard, where ethnographic items related to Turkish daily life are displayed. After walking around the Museum for a while, we sip a coffee at the café and play with the cats strolling around the courtyard. Meanwhile, our Touristanbul friends are still in the Museum. After the visit, we’re a little hungry, so we finish our tour and go to the restaurant for lunch.
Lunch, Topkapı Palace, Spice Bazaar
There are numerous authentic restaurants in the vicinity so we enter the one selected for Touristanbul guests and take a breather. First our soups arrive at the table, followed by kebab varieties – one of the remarkable tastes of Turkish cuisine. After we’ve eaten our fill, our next address is Topkapı Palace. Without wasting time, we set off with our Touristanbul guide. Topkapı Palace, built by Fatih Sultan Mehmet after the conquest of İstanbul, is at the most distinguished point of the city and features a lush green garden. You know, the Ottoman Empire was ruled from Topkapı Palace for a significant part of its 600-year history. In the Palace, a popular destination for many local and foreign tourists visit, our guide provides important information and then gives us free time so that we can roam around. In this Touristanbul segment, we will conclude our short but satisfying İstanbul tour with a visit to the Spice Bazaar. The aromas of the Spice Bazaar reach us before we even get there.
Spice Bazaar
At the Spice Bazaar, one of the oldest and most important covered bazaars in İstanbul, history seems to have stood still. Located inside the New Mosque (Yeni Cami) Complex, the Spice Bazaar was opened with a ceremony in 1663-64 and has been an important trade center in the city since that time. The atmosphere of this authentic market, where fabrics, jewelry, spices and much more are sold, is spellbinding. We are preparing to depart İstanbul, but we leave a little bit of our hearts behind. We meet with our guide and say goodbye to Touristanbul and the city, to meet on a longer exploration tour.
Second tour: Meeting at İstanbul Airport
Like our first Touristanbul tour, our starting point for the second Touristanbul tour is the Hotel Desk at İstanbul Airport. In fact, the starting point for all Touristanbul tours is the Hotel Desk at İstanbul Airport. We select the most suitable itinerary from the eight Touristanbul programs and, at the designated tour time, our guide greets us at the Hotel Desk. One by one, our names are read off a list. After making sure that all the guests are there, our guide accompanies us to our bus. Touristanbul begins, as we set off to explore the most beautiful corners of İstanbul.
Yedikule Fortress, Byzantine Walls, Galata Bridge
Our Touristanbul adventure kicks off with the famous Yedikule Fortress and the İstanbul Walls. On the bus, our guide describes the history of Yedikule Fortress. Dating to the fifth century, Yedikule Fortress was erected during the Byzantine Empire to defend the city against attacks from the sea. In Yedikule, which was expanded with the addition of new walls and gates over the years, the renowned “Golden Gate (Altın Kapı)” was built to welcome emperors returning from victorious battles. Armed with this information, we leave one of the most historical points in İstanbul. There are many interesting stops ahead of us.
Before moving on to our next Touristanbul stop, we take a break at the Galata Bridge, one of İstanbul’s most iconic structures. The two-level Galata Bridge features a magnificent view of Eminönü, as well as seafood restaurants on its lower level. The upper level of the Bridge has wide walking paths on both sides of the vehicle road; in these areas, there are pedestrians and people fishing off the sides. It is impossible not to take photos in this incredible scenic location.
Lunch and Pierre Loti Hill
We head to the Eyüpsultan district to eat lunch amid the unique beauty of the Historic Peninsula. The unspoiled old İstanbul texture of the district, with its artisans and tiny shops, is really impressive. We pass by rows of restaurants and head towards the eatery selected by Touristanbul for us. There, we dine on traditional Turkish dishes and then depart to continue our tour.
The next stop is a traditional Turkish tea in Eyüpsultan. Our Touristanbul guide takes us to Pierre Loti, a very pleasant spot at the top of the district, for our tea break. This hill is named for the French writer Pierre Loti, who once lived in Eyüpsultan, İstanbul, and came often to the hill to enjoy the unique view.
Although the tour bus will drive up the hill, our Touristanbul guide gives us the option to ascend Pierre Loti Hill via the cable car, free of charge. We recommend the cable car, which offers a splendid view of the Golden Horn. When we reach the top, an observation terrace, along with freshly brewed tea and warm salep – a creamy beverage made from orchid roots – awaits us. The drinks and the view are magnificent, and we are ready for our next stop.
Bulgarian St. Stephen Church and Balat
Our next Touristanbul stop is St. Stephen (Sveti Stefan) Church, also known as the Bulgarian Iron Church, standing in all its splendor along the Golden Horn. One of İstanbul’s most important structures, St. Stephen Church was erected by the Ottoman-era Bulgarian community, who did not want to be tied to the Fener Greek Patriarchate. The Bulgarian Exarchate was established in 1850, with the Bulgarian community leader Stefan Vogoridis donating his residence and three other buildings for the construction of the church. The original wooden structure was destroyed in a fire; the current church, which features Neo-Byzantine and Neo-Baroque elements, is made of iron and is one of the world’s few surviving prefabricated cast iron churches.
Afterward, we go into Balat with our guide. In this segment of our Touristanbul, our guide lets us explore freely. We gaze at the hilltop Church of Saint Mary of the Mongols (Bloody Church / Kırmızı Mektep) and take a stroll through the authentic streets of Balat, lined with colorful houses. The unique atmosphere of Balat offers us a nostalgic and memorable tour as we discover its modest venues and unique culture.
Farewell: Return to İstanbul Airport
After completing our delightful Touristanbul trip, we return to the buses and set off for İstanbul Airport. We arrive at the airport and thank our guide. And then, our group disperses, each to their different corner of the airport, to complete their journey.
