The Istanbul that is not Sultanahmet. Dolmabahçe Palace on the waterfront, Taksim and İstiklal Street on foot, Galata Tower, and ninety minutes on the Bosphorus on a public ferry. Hagia Sophia and Topkapı belong to the other side of the Golden Horn.
Tour highlights
Dolmabahçe Palace on the shore of the Bosphorus, the last palace the Ottomans built
Galata Tower, and the view over the whole city from the top
İstiklal Street and Taksim, the walking spine of the modern city
A ninety minute Bosphorus cruise on a public ferry, with both continents from the water
Tickets to Dolmabahçe, Galata Tower and the ferry are all in the price
Most visitors spend their whole trip on the historic peninsula and go home thinking that is Istanbul. This day is the rest of it. Dolmabahçe Palace on the waterfront, Taksim and İstiklal Street on foot, Galata Tower for the view, and an hour and a half on the Bosphorus on a public ferry.
There is no Hagia Sophia here, no Blue Mosque, no Topkapı and no Grand Bazaar. Those are on the two old city tours. Plenty of people do one of those on their first day and this one on their second.
It covers more ground than the old city tours, and it moves the way the city moves, on foot and by tram and boat rather than sitting in a car in traffic.
The plan
Your guide meets you at your hotel or at the cruise port and confirms the plan for the day.
The waterfront palace the last Ottoman sultans lived in, after the court left Topkapı.
Down the main street of the modern city on foot, with the side streets your guide knows and you would walk past.
Up the tower for the view over the Golden Horn, the old city and the Bosphorus.
An hour and a half on a public ferry, between the European and Asian shores.
Wherever the ferry leaves you, or back at your hotel with your guide.
The order can change with the weather, the traffic and how busy a site is on the day. Your guide will tell you.
Entrance tickets are not in the price. Your guide buys them at each entrance and you pay by card. Prices per person in 2026: Dolmabahçe Palace 2,000 TL, about 40 euro, on the combined ticket that covers the Selamlık, the Harem and the Painting Museum. Galata Tower 30 euro, in lira or by card at the door. The Bosphorus ferry about 15 euro for the ninety minute crossing. The sights set new prices every year.
What it costs
The figure covers everyone travelling together. Find your number in the table and that is the price.
| Group size | Total for the group |
|---|---|
| 1 to 4 people | €300 |
| 5 to 10 people | €350 |
| 11 to 15 people | €400 |
| 16 to 25 people | €500 |
The price is the guiding fee for your whole group, up to 25 people. Children under 6 do not take a place in the group, so a family of two adults and a child of four is priced as two people. From 6 a child counts as one person. Entrance fees are paid at each entrance by card. Your guide buys the tickets for you and guides go in ahead of the public, so there is no ticket queue.
Where we meet
Your hotel, or a point we agree.
Before you book
Worth two minutes before you book, so nothing on the day is a surprise.
Cancel free of charge up to 24 hours before the start time and you are refunded in full. Inside 24 hours we cannot refund. Tell us as early as you can and we will move your date rather than lose you.
Tours run in rain and in heat. If conditions make a tour unsafe we cancel it ourselves and refund you in full, or move you to another date, whichever you prefer.
Learn about authentic Turkish food for your whole trip Wow! What a variety of delicious foods! Also, I am writing this days later and can say with 100 percent certainty that what we learned about Turkish authentic foods served us well for our entire trip! Well, well done tour.
Peak experience for our trip What an experience! From meeting Burak at the pier early we started a whirlwind tour of the history of Istanbul, cultural influences, local insight, travel tips, and that was all before taking a bite! Burak had so much knowledge and best of all delivered it with an easy manner and a splattering of humour! The food was so different, from lamb sandwich to pickles to local goat and sheep cheese wrapped in pastrami. Served with local tips on what to drink for digestion. If you are nervous to enter a food shop for fear of not knowing what to ask for, this tour is for you. Advice on what is best from the local. Thanks so much Burak, we will be back!
Our guide, Salih was great. He never ducked a question. He also did a great job of not letting one person garner all of his time. A very good friend had him as her leader, she said exactly the same thing.
Been with us
Wherever you prefer. A review is worth more to the next person than anything we can write about ourselves.
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