FULL DAY HISTORICAL ISTANBUL EXCURSION

Your professional tour guide and a deluxe air-conditioned vehicle will meet you and your party at the Istanbul Cruise-Ship Pier or your hotel. You will first visit Misir Carsisi [known as The Spice Bazaar or the Egyptian Bazaar], one of the oldest bazaars [from the Turkish word “Pazar”, which means marketplace] in Istanbul and the second largest one after the Grand Covered Bazaar. Misir Carsisi was built in 1660 to help support the upkeep of the adjacent mosque, Yeni Cami (New Mosque). It is filled with exotic spices, as well as stores selling Turkish Delights, Turkish coffee and teas, caviar, dried fruits, and other food items, in addition to souvenirs. Afterwards, your guide will take you to the Hippodrome Square where ancient chariot races used to take place. You will next visit the Blue Mosque, distinctive with its six minarets and its interior decoration of beautiful Iznik tiles. Then, you will be visiting the famous St. Sophia Church (Museum), which was built in the 6th Century and for a long time remained as the largest Christian Church in the world. There will be a lunch stop at the Konyali Restaurant, located on the grounds of the Topkapi Palace (Museum), overlooking the view where The Marmara Sea meets The Bosphorus Straits.

After lunch, you will tour much of the Topkapi Palace (Museum), the former Imperial Residence of Ottoman Sultans, where you can see displays of priceless displays of imperial artifacts, jewelry, and rare porcelain collections. [Do not miss the giant Kasikci Diamond or the famous dagger that was featured in the movie, Topkapi]. From there, the excursion will continue on to the
Underground Cistern (Yerebatan Sarayi), which had been used to store water during the Byzantine and Ottoman periods. You might be surprised to see the ancient Head of Medusa carving that serves as a column base, and might even see some fish swimming in the water as you hear classical music in the background. [So different from the scenes of the famous James Bond movie, From Russia With Love, that were shot at the same location]. There will be a shopping opportunity in the Grand Covered Bazaar (Kapali Carsi) area, before returning to your Cruise Ship or your hotel.