Istanbul: 8-day sightseeing tour

Day-by-day itinerary

1. Day 1

   The first day is only the road and settling in. At the airport you are met and taken to the hotel, where you stay for seven nights. No excursions and no movements along the program — just look around, rest after the journey and prepare for tomorrow's acquaintance with the city.

2. Day 2

   The day is dedicated to the Ottoman heritage, and the main thing here is the Blue Mosque with its six minarets and blue tiles inside. Nearby you will see from the outside the Mosque of Hagia Sophia, whose dome and scale speak of the change of eras and cultures. Along the way — the Hippodrome, where chariot races once roared, the German Fountain of Wilhelm and the Hammam of Hurrem Sultan, viewed from the outside. The excursion takes half a day, after it there is free time for additional excursions and shopping.

3. Day 3

   This day is about views and panoramas: you will cross the Bosphorus Bridge, connecting Europe and Asia, and see the Bosphorus strait. From the observation point all of Istanbul will open up at once, and a walk along the Golden Horn will show how ancient and new districts neighbor each other. Along the way — the Byzantine city walls and the facade of Dolmabahce Palace, which is worth viewing from the outside: you can go inside if you wish, and on Mondays it is closed. The half day ends with a visit to a factory of leather and fur products, where, if you wish, you can choose something for yourself. The rest of the day is free for additional excursions and shopping.

4. Day 4

   Today you go deeper into the old city. The Suleymaniye Mosque, built according to the design of the architect Sinan in honor of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, combines power and spirituality — here it is worth lingering and examining the details. Then — already from the inside — Dolmabahce Palace on the shore of the Bosphorus: gold, crystal and marble, reflecting the taste of the era of Ottoman modernization. The excursion again takes half a day, and after it there is free time for additional excursions and shopping.

5. Day 5–7

   These three days are completely free from the organized program. No guides and no routes — you decide for yourself what to do: walk around the districts, visit markets, go on additional excursions or simply rest at the hotel. This is the time when the city turns from a sightseeing object into a place where you live.

6. Day 8

   The last day is free time until check-out from the hotel, and then a transfer to the airport and departure home. The trip program ends here, and you leave Istanbul with what you managed to see and experience during these days.