Tour Duration :
6,5 - 7 hrs
Min.# of guests :
2 guests
Max.# of guests :
300 guests
Meals :
Yes
Refreshments :
No
Walking Level :
Medium
Dress Code :
Comfortable
walking shoes with rubber
sole is reccommended. |
|
Departure from the pier for a tour that will really give you a feel for Istanbul and all it has seen through the centuries...
You’ll start your program with a visit to the Blue Mosque, fantastic inside and out, with 30 domes and six fluted minarets, and covered inside by 21,000 17th century Iznik tiles. You really must go inside to experience the inexplicable feeling of peace that resonates through this marvellously spacious and beautifully decorated mosque.
Then continue to the Hippodrome, which once seated 100,000 spectators for Byzantine events including gladiatorial bouts and chariot races, as well as being an important scene for some rowdy civic unrest.
Then to the Haghia Sophia (Church of Divine Wisdom), which was first erected by Constantine in 325 and later rebuilt by Holy Roman Emperor Justinian, has been nominated the 8th Wonder of the World by many historians.
The tour continues right across the street to the Topkapi Palace, powerful seat of the Ottoman Empire for 400 years. Walk in the footsteps of Courtesans and Eunuchs, Grand Viziers and Sultans, and glimpse a way of life that redefines decadence. Today you can only imagine the activities of the cast of characters who played a part in one of the world’s most powerful dynasties. You can, however, feast your eyes on where the Ottoman potentates lived, on gilded swords, ornate crowns, over 12,000 pieces of porcelain, and ravishing displays of jewellery, including one of the world’s biggest diamonds. Wander around the Harem and Treasury, gaze at sacred religious relics including hand-written letters from the Prophet Mohammed as well as his cloak, swords, and hairs from his beard, the rod of Moses and the sword of David, peek into the circumcision room, or simply sit in the peaceful gardens and contemplate the majesty of it all.
Finally, visit the Grand Bazaar (always bustling with life except on Sundays, when it’s closed), which is owing its world known fame to its architecture, history, location, and sheer variety of merchandise, one of Istanbul’s most significant tourist sites. Built at the command of Sultan Mehmed the, Conqueror in 1461, the Bazaar initially consisted of just two warehouses (bedesten). In time, merchants began to set up their own stalls and workshops in the surrounding area. Dignitaries furthered the expansion with the addition of numerous caravanserais, so that soon the place had become a focus for trading goods from all over the empire. At the end of the program, return to the ship or to the hotel.
NOTE : Depending on the size of the group, lunch will be either served at a nice restaurant or at one of the good hotels’ restaurant in the area |
