WALKING TOURS IN ISTANBUL
ISTANBUL OLD CITY BY WALK TOUR
EUR 80 / PER PERSON
OVERVIEW
Go back in time to the days of ancient Constantiopolis (East Rome) and Ottoman Empire on this walking tour of the historic Hippodrome, Blue Mosque, Topkapı Palace, Hagia Sophia and Grand Bazaar. Explore the streets of Istanbul’s Old City, visit its best attractions and learn about its amazing history.
If you are a foreigner and come to Istanbul for the first time, you should definitely take this tour to understand what kind of city you are in. If you are from Istanbul, I think you should also do this tour at least once a year. Because feeling the uniqueness of Istanbul will make us feel special and increase our commitment to our city.
Duration: 4 Hours
Live Guide: English
Pick-up and Drop – off Services is subject to extra payment.
Highlights & Itinerary
- From Sirkeci Station, we arrive at Gulhane, next to the Archeology Museum, and Topkapi Palace.
- After entering Topkapi Palace, we visit the Palace with the narration of our guide.
- Your professional tour guide will help you get your tickets from the museum counter without waiting in line. The harem part of the palace is not included in the regular tour program. Please inform Reviva Tourism beforehand, if you want to visit the harem as well.
- After completing our visit in Topkapı Palace, we exit the Bab-ı Hümayun gate of the Palace and walk towards Sultanahmet Square.
- In the square, we first make our visit to Hagia Sophia, which is a building of worship for 1660 years.
- After completing our visit to Hagia Sophia, we continue our walk in Sultan Ahmet Square.
- We visit the Blue Mosque, which was built approximately 1000 years after Hagia Sophia, with our guide.
- After visiting the hippodrome/at meydanı right next to the Blue Mosque and the historical monuments in this square, we walk towards the Grand Bazaar on the road known as the Divan road today and known as the Messe in Byzantine times.
- In the Grand Bazaar, we can completely surrender ourselves to the spirit of the city and lose ourselves while traveling through history. Our guide will keep an eye on you, don’t worry, even if you get lost, we will find you soon.
Includes
- Entrance Fees.
- Professional guided tour in English.
- Pick-up service from centrally located hotels.
X Drop-off service.
X Refreshments.
Meeting point
Pick up is available from centrally located hotels.
FENER-BALAT- AYVANSARAY BY WALK TOUR
OVERVIEW
Fener, Balat and Ayvansaray are adjacent to each other on the same axis. Here you can experience multicultural identity of Istanbul that no other place in the world have such a cultural richness. These neigborhoods was Istanbul’s Greek Orthodox and Jewish neighborhoods in Ottoman times and until the first decades of the Turkish Republic. Therefore, you can observe the heritages of those cultures and periods harmonized with Turkish Islamic culture. These neighborhoods are the best examples of intercultural harmony and peace. Beautiful old houses, churches, synagogues, mosques, schools, street tastes, cafes and restaurants in the ongoing daily life of the local inhabitants.
Duration: 6 Hours
Live Guide: English
Pick-up and Drop – off Services is subject to extra payment.
Highlights & Itinerary
- Meeting in front of Kadir Has University, which has an industrial heritage building of TEKEL Tobacco Factory.
- Gül Mosque (“Church of St. Theodosia”) – The so-called “Church of St. Theodosia”, now known as Gül Camii (Turkish ‘Rose Mosque’), was a Byzantine church in the quarter of Dexiokratous of Constantinople near the Golden Horn Walls.
- Church of St. George – The Church of St. George (Turkish: Aya Yorgi Kilisesi) is the principal Eastern Orthodox cathedral located in Istanbul. Church of St. George is the seat of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople (the senior patriarchate of the Greek Orthodox Church, who is the spiritual leader of the world’s Eastern Orthodox Christians) since 1600. You can light a candle and make a wish at this church, even if you’re not Greek Orthodox.
- Bulgarian St Stephen Church (Bulgarian: Църква “Свети Стефан”; Turkish: Sveti Stefan Kilisesi), also known as the Bulgarian Iron Church, is a Bulgarian Orthodox church in Balat. It is famous for being made of prefabricated cast iron elements in the neo-Byzantine style. The church belongs to the Bulgarian minority in the city.
- Phanar Greek Ortadox Collage: The oldest surviving Greek school in Istanbul, Ozel Fener Rum Lisesi, is found in Fener. The school was established in 1454.
- Saint Mary of the Mongols (Turkish name: Kanlı Kilise (meaning: Bloody Church), is an Eastern Orthodox church in Istanbul.
- Kantemir House – The Palace of Dimitrie Cantemir was a palace owned by the Prince of Moldavia Dimitrie Cantemir in Istanbul, located on the grounds of the present-day Ortaköy Mosque. He is famous with his contribution to Turkish classical music.
- Ahrida Synagogue – It was built by Romaniotes (Macedonian Jews), dating back to the 1430s.The synagogue building, one of the two ancient synagogues in Istanbul’s Golden Horn, was renovated in 1992 by the Quincentennial Foundation, in celebration of the 500th anniversary of Sephardic Jews’ arrival in the Ottoman Empire. Ahrida Synagogue is known for its boat-shaped tevah (the reading platform, known in Ashkenazi communities as a bimah). Ahrida Synagogue is also the only synagogue in Istanbul at which Sabbatai Zevi, founder of the Jewish Sabbatean movement, prayed.
- Ioannis Prodromos Church (Tur-ı Sinai Monastery) – Like many Orthodox churches in Istanbul, it is affiliated to the Consulate General of Sinai, not to the Fener Patriarchate, and is the Metokhion of the Saint Katerlina Monastery on Mount Sinai. It was made at the request of the church priest who helped Yavuz Sultan Selim Han in the Egyptian campaign in the Sinai desert. In addition, the hand depiction on the door Hz. It has been verbally stated that Muhammad represents his hand.
- Armenian Church of Surp Hıreşdagabet – It is a Greek church that was handed over to the Armenians in one of 1628, 1631 or 1636 after the conquest of Istanbul.
- Church of St. Mary of Blachernae and the Hagiasma (fountain of holy water) – Blakernai was a district in the northwestern part of Constantinople. It is the Holy water place of Eastern Christianity and many prominent churches was built here. In particular, the most well-known is the Church of the Virgin Mary (Panagia Blacherniotissa), this church was built by Empress Pulcheria in about 450, expanded by Emperor Leo I, and renovated by Justinian I in the 6th century.
Today, this area is known as Ayvansaray. The holy spring identified with the Virgin Mary is still visited and called the Ayazma in Turkish. The word is derived from the Greek word hagiasma, meaning “holy water”.
Agora Meyhanesi, Forno, Balat Sahil Restaurant, Balat İşkembecisi are some of the special places of mediterranean cuisine in this area that we may taste upon your request.
Includes
- Entrance Fees.
- Professional guided tour in English.
- Pick-up service from centrally located hotels.
X Drop-off service.
X Refreshments.
Meeting point is Kadir Has University
Pick up service is subject to extra payment.
SHOPPING TOUR
OVERVIEW
There are incredible options for shopping in Istanbul, which has been one of the most important attraction centers in the world for centuries and welcomes as many visitors as its own population in every year.
The Grand Bazaar offers you countless options such as carpets, jewellery, antiques, bags, shoes, furnishings, souvenirs and Turkish delight.
If you wonder where local people’s shopping preferences; Mahmutpaşa, Tahtakale and Spice Bazaar are very close to the Grand Bazaar.
One of the indispensable options for shopping in Istanbul is the neighborhood markets; Neighborhood markets in Fatih, Beşiktaş, Bakırköy and Kadıköy are among the must-visit markets with variety of options for shopping.
Istanbul also has many shopping malls that house the stores of big, famous brands. It is possible to find very advantageous prices when compared to the prices in your own country.
Duration: 4 Hours
Live Guide: English
Pick-up and Drop – off Services is subject to extra payment.
Highlights & Itinerary
- Walk through history of shopping at Grand Bazaar which has 61 covered streets and over 4,000 shops on a total area of 30,700 m².
- Walk the streets of Mahmutpaşa, Spice Bazaar, Eminönü and Tahtakale, where local people shops at more affordable prices.
- We can plan our neighborhood markets visit according to the day that you want to have your tour. Because those neighborhood markets are open on definite days of the week, they are not open all along the weekdays.
- Shopping mall visit may also be arranged according to your shopping list and requirements, we may share our advises and you may choose where to go.
Includes
- Entrance Fees.
- Professional guided tour in English.
- Pick-up service from centrally located hotels.
Pick-up and Drop – off Services is subject to extra payment.
GASTRO TOURS
OVERVIEW
Gastronomy tourism is a tourism activity characterized by visitors’ experience of food-related products and events while traveling. Besides authentic, traditional and/or innovative culinary experiences, Gastronomy Tourism may also include other related activities such as visiting local producers, attending food festivals and attending cooking classes (WTO).
“Istanbul Cuisine”; It is a combination of Turkish Cuisine, Ottoman Palace Cuisine and the cuisines of communities that have lived in the city for centuries. In the Istanbul Cuisine, which includes gastronomic riches, “delicacies with olive oil, appetizers, fish dishes, Ottoman Cuisine dishes cooked with dried fruits and nuts, and a rich breakfast culture including Turkish Tea and Turkish Coffee” stand out as distinctive tastes.
Highlights & Itinerary
- Meet early in the morning and have a Turkish breakfast first. The word for breakfast in Turkish is kahvaltı. It can be translated as kahve–altı being under-coffee, meaning the food you eat before drinking coffee. The choices you will taste at breakfast is countless in Turkey, lets try the best and most traditional ones.
- Walking after breakfast will aid our digestion after the breakfast.
- We may taste street foods such as doner kebab, kokoreç, stuffed mussels, boza, pilaf with chickpea, chestnut, simit… while we walk the Istanbul streets.
- We may have our lunch at one of the Istanbul’s rich ethnic cuisine restaurants such as Greek, Armenian, Syrian, Uzbek…
- After the luch we may have another street walk to get ready for the dinner.
- Istanbul has world class fine dining restaurants. We may try one of these or we may have “rakı balık” at a Turkish classical meyhane where you may also listen Turkish “fasıl” music.
Duration: 10 Hours
Includes
- Professional guided tour in English.
Pick-up and Drop – off Services is subject to extra payment.
RELIGIOUS MYSTIC TOUR
200 TL / KİŞİ BAŞI
OVERVIEW
Üç imparatorluğa başkentlik yapan Istanbul aynı zamanda üç büyük dinin bir arada barış ve huzur içinde yaşandığı bir dünya başkentidir. Müslimanlar, Hiristiyanlar ve Museviler bu şehirde belkide dünyanın hiçbir yerinde olmadığı kadar özgürce dinlerini yaşayabilmektedirler. Bu şehrin sahip olduğu en büyük zenginlik ve mistizim belkide budur.
Highlights & Itinerary
We start our tour from Kuzguncuk, which is of great importance in terms of showing how three great religions can live together in peace. The mosque, church and synagogue lined up on the same street in Kuzguncuk attracts the attention of those who see it. Kuzguncuk, where 3 faiths live together, stands out with its culture of tolerance. The tolerance district, where the mosque and the church are almost in the same garden. Kuzguncuk also offers great alternatives in terms of street tastes.
Aziz Mahmud Hüdayi Tomb is one of the important places among the spiritual places in Istanbul that must be visited. Aziz Mahmud Hüdayi earned the respect of many Ottoman Sultans in Istanbul and established a throne in the hearts of the people. For this reason, his tomb is visited by many people.
Hagia Sophia-i Kebir Mosque, which is among the most important monuments in the history of world architecture that has survived until today; It has an important place in the art world with its architecture, magnificence, size and functionality.
This magnificent work is the largest church built by the Eastern Roman Empire in Istanbul and was built three times in the same place. Today’s Hagia Sophia-i Kebir Mosque was built by Emperor Justinianos, two important architects of the period, Anthemios from Tralles (Aydın) and Isidoros from Miletos (Balat). The building, which was open to worship as a church for 916 years, was converted into a mosque when Fatih Sultan Mehmed conquered Istanbul in 1453.
Sultan Ahmet Mosque was built by Sultan Ahmet I in the 17th century by Sedefkar Mehmet Ağa, one of the students trained by Mimar Sinan. The mosque is also known as the Blue Mosque, as there are intense blue colored Iznik tiles on the walls of the mosque. There are 21 thousand 43 eye-catching Iznik tiles on the walls of the mosque.
It is the churches of the Pantokrator Monastery belonging to the Byzantine period and was established on a large land arranged with terraces on a hill overlooking the Golden Horn. The names of the three adjacent churches that make up the mosque in the Byzantine period are Îsâ Messiah (Christos Pantokrator), the Ruler of the Universe, Archangel Michael (Arangelos Mikhail) and the Compassionate Virgin Mary (Theotokos Elaiusa).
Saint George's Church and Ecumenical Patriarchate (Aya Yorgi Rum Kilisesi ve Fener Rum Patrikhanesi)
The ‘Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarchate’, also known as the ‘Fener Patriarchate’ since it is located in the ‘Fener’ district of Istanbul. Patriarchate has a special place in Ortadox Christianity.
According to legend, Bulgarians living in Istanbul wanted to leave the Greek Patriarchate in the 19th century and have an independent church built for themselves. They present their wishes to the Ottoman sultan of the time. However, Sultan Abdulaziz does not want the Bulgarians to build an independent church from the Fener Patriarchate. In order not to directly reject the demands of the Bulgarians, “I will give permission on the condition that the church construction is completed within three months”
Sinagoga de Ahrida was built at the beginning of the 15th century and has the name the city of Ohrid in North Macedonia, where its founders immigrated to Istanbul. It is still the largest synagogue in Istanbul today. Founded by the Romaniotes, this synagogue became a Sephardic synagogue over time, as the Romaniotes assimilated under the Sephardi.
One of the most important spiritual places to visit in Istanbul is Eyüp Sultan Mosque and Tomb. The tomb of Khalid b. Zayd (Abu Ayyub al-Ansari), who hosted Hz. Muhammad in his home when the Prophet migrated to Medina and was also the writing clerk of revelation, makes the tomb and its surroundings a sacred place.
Pierre Loti Hill, located on the ridges of Eyüp Sultan Mosque, is the place where the Golden Horn view can be seen best. When you climb this hill, Pierre Loti Coffee House, where the French writer Pierre Loti sat for hours and watched the Golden Horn with dreamy eyes and now bears his name, welcomes you.
Duration: 9 Hours
Live Guide: English
Includes
- Entrance Fees.
- Professional guided tour in English.
- Pick-up service from centrally located hotels.
X Drop-off service.
X Refreshments.
