Taste of Turkey

After breakfast you will start your day with a drive to Sultanahmet. Your exploration will begin at the Hagia Sofia, which is also an individually recognized UNESCO World Heritage Site, in addition to being located within the UNESCO Site of Historical Istanbul. Completed in 537AD to be the Roman State Church of Constantinople, this magnificent structure has been a church, a mosque, a museum, and now again a mosque.


The incredible scale and the complexity of engineering design is highlighted by the stunning interior and beautiful art found all over the complex, while the great central dome defies description.


From here you will enjoy a leisurely 300-foot walk across Sultanahmet Square (Hippodrome of Constantinople), stopping to admire various attractions along the way, such as the Obelisk of Thutmose III. This 3500-year-old red granite obelisk from the great Karnak Temple was transported here by the Romans in the fourth century in 3 pieces and re-erected in the Hippodrome. Only the top portion of the original structure now survives, but even that is 84 feet tall including its base and is in excellent condition along with the hieroglyphs carved on its sides.


Arrive at the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque) and proceed inside after taking some time to admire the beautiful architecture – the massive building has 5 main domes and 8 secondary domes, as well as 4 minarets on the main building and 2 more minarets on the forecourt of the complex. The interior of the mosque is a visual delight with details such as 20,000 plus Iznik ceramic tiles with more than 50 different tulip designs. 200 gorgeous stained-glass windows assist the chandeliers in adding light to the interior.


A 5-minute walk from here will bring you to the sprawling Topkapi Palace complex (closed on Tuesdays), also a part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Historical Istanbul. Construction of the palace complex started in 1459 and the massive complex was expanded over the next few centuries – today there are four main structures and scores of smaller structures spread across a compound of gardens and cobbled walkways. There are great views of the Golden Horn and Bosphorus to be had from various vantage points. You will explore the most interesting parts of the palace, including the Royal Harem, Palace Kitchen and Porcelain Collection, the Imperial treasury, Circumcision Room, and more.


Lunch can be at the delightful café in Topkapi Palace – the food is very good and the views are fantastic.


In the mid-afternoon you will walk a few minutes to the Basilica Cistern. The city of Istanbul has hundreds of underground cisterns and this is the grandest and largest of them all. Built in the 6th century, this was the source of water for the royal section of Constantinople, and later on the Ottoman Empire. This surreal and beautiful underground structure is about 453 by 2013 feet and can store about 2.8 million cubic feet of water. The ceiling of the cistern is supported by 336 thirty-foot-high marble columns, many of which have Ionic and Corinthian decorations.


A 10 to 12-minute walk through historic Sultanahmet will bring you to Istanbul’s famous Grand Bazaar. With over 330,000 square feet and with 64 covered streets and 4000 shops, and at almost 600 years of age since its core was constructed, it is quite possibly the oldest indoor shopping mall on our planet! Between a quarter to half a million people visit the bazaar every day, some to buy daily essentials, while tourists come in to explore and buy Turkish craftsmanship articles and souvenirs. Your guide will walk you through a few of the sections of the bazaar, and select the sections based on your preferences. After this exploration, you will return to your hotel.