Turkey · MARKET TOURS IN ISTANBUL
Good market tours in Istanbul fill up weeks ahead; the great ones go first. Below: the 13 to book early, what each includes and how they differ.
A guided Istanbul Grand Bazaar tour with exclusive rooftop access, secret passages, artisan workshops, and East-West history in 2 to 2.5 hours for $31.
“Great overview of the grand bazaar with many hidden treasures. The guide was kind and very informative. Booking this tour made the grand bazaar seem less crazy.”
Half-day Istanbul Old City tour of Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Hippodrome and Grand Bazaar with pickup, skip-the-line, English guide.
“This tour was incredible. Exactly as advertised and then some! Our tour guide Baris was amazing. He was so knowledgeable about every single thing we did. An it felt like I could ask him anything about ANYTHING an he knew the answer immediately. What a wonderful experience. He also took us to some local favorite food spots and shops and honestly I would do it all over again!”
3-hour Istanbul small-group tour pairing the Spice Bazaar with a Bosphorus cruise past palaces, forts, and two continents.
“The transportation to and from was good. The guide was not very good and basically dumped us! The bazaar was teeming with people and we almost lost him a number of times even after asking him to slow down. There was no narration on the cruise, so we didn't really know what we were seeing.”
Guided 5-hour Istanbul walk to Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Basilica Cistern, and Grand Bazaar with fast-track access and an expert guide.
“Our guide was really funny and a great storyteller. Could honestly just stand there listening to him talking and it would have been worth the money. At any rate, we were well taken care of and we would do it again in a heartbeat. Highlight of our trip.”
See Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Hippodrome area, and the Grand Bazaar in a 4-hour guided loop with pickup and skip-line entry.
“Barish is a highly responsible guide. He takes good care of all his guests, making sure no one is left behind, and that we have good photo locations. We especially love his guts in telling off other visitors in the line who were smoking in the non-smoking area. In addition, he provides good recommendations for visiting that are not included in the tour. Thank you, Barish.”
Walk Sultanahmet with a licensed guide, touring the Hippodrome, Blue Mosque tiles, and Hagia Sophia sights in a 3.5-hour visit.
“AMAZING guide. Helped me navigate my way home after struggling with my uber and cellular data. Very knowledgeable about the places visited during the tour. thank you so much for being so kind”
3.5-hour Bosphorus cruise and Spice Bazaar tour with hotel pickup, Golden Horn views, Rumeli Fortress, and guided shopping time.
“The activity was good weather was bad. The guide was not very helpful”
4-hour Bosphorus cruise plus Egyptian Spice Bazaar with Yenji Mosque market, Rumeli Hisari and Bosphorus Bridge views. $90.
“The spice bazaar where we had a private meeting with a shop owner to learn about their products without the pushing nature of most vendors. Also the cruise was beautiful. My only complaint is that sitting on the outdoor deck, it was not possible to hear the boat’s explanations of what we were seeing over the boat’s speakers. We could have gone downstairs which was indoors and perhaps heard better. But it was too sunny of a day to be inside.”
Red-scarf assistant guides your 5-hour Grand Bazaar shopping tour. Learn bargaining, shop textiles and rugs, and get deals fast.
“notre quietait a notre ecoute malgré la difference de langue, la visite est a faire absolument. N hésitez pas à marchander ça fait parti de l histoire de Grand Bazard Bernard Roy”
Private Grand Bazaar shopping with an English guide in Istanbul. 4,000 shops, bargaining help, and hotel pickup on a 4-hour tour.
“Emrah was an excellent Tour Guide I mentioned to him I cannot walk so much. He went out of his way to help me out also help me bargain at the grand bazaar.”
Small-group Istanbul highlights in 4 hours: Blue Mosque, Basilica Cistern, Hippodrome, and Grand Bazaar craft stops. From $54.
“Very informative. We could only stay for the first part of the tour.”
Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace and Grand Bazaar in one 8-hour guided tour, with lunch and hotel pickup in Istanbul.
“Seeing Istanbul's iconic structures all together was very exciting. I recommend everyone to visit these historical places that have witnessed history. They are well restored and almost completely undamaged. Our guide accompanied us throughout the tour and told us the history of Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, and Blue Mosque.”
Guided Dolmabahce Palace and Grand Bazaar tour in Istanbul with skip-the-line access, Ottoman stories, and time to haggle for souvenirs.
“Hello we are a couple from Denmark, that recently (April 4th) had a tour through your company. We would just like to say that we had a wonderful tour with our guide Ahmet. We booked the half day tour in Istanbul, first at the Dolmabache Palace, and then the Bazaar. Ahmet was wonderful and very knowledgeable about almost all the questions we could possibly ask him. It showed that he had a sound interest in satisfying our curiosity at every turn. We enjoyed his company, and it is clear that he enjoys what he does. He was very apt at explaining everything from historical facts, to the parallels of everyday…”
Pick the day first, then pick who runs it.
