Taste of Istanbul Tour ( Full Day )

Duration		Starts @ 08:30 Finishes @ 17:00
What to see		* City Walls * Golden Horn * Spice Bazaar * Cruise on the Bosphorus * Topkapi Palace * Little Hagia Sophia Mosque

A leisurely cruise along the fabulous Bosphorus, starting near the Black Sea and taking us past Ottoman palaces, wooden 19th century waterfront mansions, modern pleasure palaces and fortresses. The perfect opportunity for taking photographs along both shores of this fabled waterway.

A little history of the sights

GOLDEN HORN (from the bus)
The arm of the Bosphorus and a natural harbour of the historical peninsula separating the old and the new parts of İstanbul where the first colonies settled during the Byzantine. The residential area for Byzantine Jews, Italian traders and other non-muslim minorities. Drive along the traces of history at Balat viewing Metal Church of St. Stephen the Bulgarian, 21 kms. long City Walls, the strongest fortification of the middle age.

SPICE BAZAAR
It is located at Eminonu behind the New Mosque(Valide Sultan Mosque).It was constructed by Turhan Sultan in 1660 as a pious foundation attached to New Mosque.

BOSPHORUS ON BOAT
A traditional excursion by boat along the waterway seperating Europe and Asia. The shore is lined with old wooden villas, palaces of marble, fortresses, and small fishing villages. During the excursion you will pass the magnificent Dolmabahce Palace, and further along, the parks and imperial pavillions of Yildiz Palace. On the coastal edge of this park, is Ciragan Palace, 300 meters of is marble facade faces the shore. At Ortakoy a great variety of artists gather every Sunday to display their work along the street. Ortakoy is a symbol of tolerance with a church, a mosque and a synagogue existing side by side for centuries.

RUMELI FORTRESS (from the sea/no interior visit)
Historical armament built by the Conqueror to control and protect Bosphorus. A unique example of military architecture.

The fabled capital of three great empires - Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman, Istanbul is steeped in almost 3,000 years of history. The greatest concentration of landmarks is found in Istanbul's oldest district, Sultanahmet, an awe-inspiring expanse of leafy parks, Byzantine cathedrals, Greek statuary, bustling bazaars and imposing mosques with towering, slender minarets.

TOPKAPI PALACE
Imperial residence of Ottoman Sultans, the maze of buildings that was the focal point of the Ottoman Empire between the 15th and 19th centruies. In these opulent surroundings the sultans and their court lived and governed. A magnificent wooded garden fills the outer, or first, court. In the second court, on the right, shaded by cyprees and plane trees,stand the palace kitchens, which now serve as galleries exhibiting the imperial collections of crystal, silver and Chinese porcelain. Today the third court holds the Hall of Audience, the Library of Ahmet III, an exhibition of imperial costumes worn by the sultans and their families, the famous jewels of the treasury and a priceless collection of miniatures from medieval manuscripts. In the center of this innermost sanctuary, the Prophet Muhammet (S.A.V) brought to Istanbul when the Ottomans assumed the caliphaten of Islam.

LITTLE HAGIA SOPHIA MOSQUE
Little Hagia Sophia Mosque is known as one of the oldest standing churches in Istanbul dating back to 6th century. It is early domed – basilica architectural plan of famous Hagia Sophia which was applied here first time in the history. Temple is founded by powerful emperor Justinianos whose reign was golden age of Roman Empire and now is used as a mosque since 1497.