Around Hippodrome
Start From 55.00€
| DEPARTURE/RETURN LOCATION | From Hotel / to Hotel | ||||
| DEPARTURE TIME | 08:15 | ||||
| Return TIME | 13:00 | ||||
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| Pick Up Info | Hagia Sophia is closed on Mondays, it will be replaced with Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan Sarnici) |
Historical Hippodrome Square is full of many mysteries. Let's start exploring Istanbul with the Hippodrome tour.
We will pick you up at your hotel and your guide will take you around Istanbul. You will visit the following iconic sites of the Ottoman and Byzantine Empire:
> Hagia Sophia (Aya Sofya)
> Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Mosque - Camii)
> Hippodrome (At Meydani)
> The Obelisk
> The Grand Bazaar (Kapali Carsi) The tour ends with a return to your hotel.
AROUND HIPPODROME
Around 8:15 am we will pick you up at your hotel and your guide will take you around Istanbul.
You will visit the following iconic sites of the Ottoman and Byzantine Empire:
ST.SOPHIA
Hagia Sophia (Aya Sofya) is a truly awe-inspiring, 1,400 years old Byzantine cathedral that houses mosaics, relics, and ironwork. Hagia Sophia was, for nearly a thousand years, the largest enclosed space in the world, and is still seen as one of the world's most important architectural monuments. It is one of Turkey's most popular attractions, drawn by the sheer spectacle of its size, architecture, mosaics, and art. It was built during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian in the 6th century AD.
BLUE MOSQUE
* Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Mosque - Camii) built during the reign of Sultan Ahmet I during 1609-1616. It is the only mosque in Turkey with six minarets. Due to its magnificent hand-dyed blue, green, and white Iznik tiles, it has been named the "Blue Mosque" by Europeans. The central dome is 43 m in height and is 33.4 m in diameter; it also boasts 260 windows.
ROMAN HIPPODROM SQUARE
* Hippodrome (At Meydani) is the backdrop of chariot races and the center of Byzantine civic life. Of the ornaments which once decorated it, only three remain. The Obelisk of Theodosius, the bronze Serpentine Column, and the Column of Constantine.
* The Obelisk is in the Egyptian style and was erected in 1547 BC and stood 60m tall. The German Fountain is also within the Hippodrome area, constructed in Germany to mark German Emperor Wilhelm II's second visit to Istanbul; it was imported and officially opened on January 1, 1901. The fountain's three domes are decorated with gold mosaics.
GRAND BAZAAR (on Sundays the Bazaar is closed, we will take you to the Spice Bazaar instead)
* The Grand Bazaar (Kapali Carsi) is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with more than 58 covered streets and over 1,200 shops. Opened in 1461, it is well known for its jewelry, pottery, spice, and carpet shops. Many of the stalls in the bazaar are grouped by the type of goods, with special areas for leather coats, gold jewelry, and the like. The bazaar contains two bedestens (domed masonry structures built for storage and safekeeping), the first of which was constructed between 1455 and 1461 by the order of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror. The grand bazaar consists of 12 major buildings and has 22 doors.
At approximately 13:00 pm, the tour ends with a return to your hotel.
