Let’s Start the Tour

Istanbul City Tour Ottoman Relics begins when you are picked up from your hotel by a comfy car. You will be taken to a popular place to meet with a certified tour guide. They will accompany you all the time. Also, you’ll get crucial information about these landmarks thanks to them.

Topkapi Palace

Then you’ll go to Topkapi Palace, one of Turkey’s most well-known and loved landmarks.

During the Ottoman Empire, this beautiful and imposing structure served as the home of the Ottoman Sultans. The Palace tells the tale of the Ottoman era through different chambers and constructions.

The monument, which is now a museum, is open to the public for tours. The Sultans’ clothes, jewelry, and an unique variety of gemstones are among the most remarkable and essential items.

It holds a wealthy history, too: Beginning with Mehmed II, over 30 sultans reigned from the Topkapi Palace for approximately four century throughout the Ottoman Empire’s 600-year history. He directed the palace’s building in the late 1450s, after capturing Constantinople (Istanbul).

Then, other sultans keep using the palace as the ruling and relaxing center. It established as a museum in 1924, a year after the Republic of Turkey was established.

You’ll learn more while walking there with your professional guides!

Church of St. Irene – Hagia Irene

Church of St. Irene – one of the earliest surviving churches in Constantinople, dedicated to the “Holy World” (and not St. Irene). The church is located in the historical center of Istanbul in the Sultanahmet district in the first courtyard of the Topkapi Palace.

Hagia Irena represents a type of basilica, new for the 6th century, in the form of a cross. The vestibule of the church is lined with mosaics from the time of Justinian. Inside there is a sarcophagus, in which, according to legend, the remains of Constantine are buried.

After the conquest of Constantinople in 1453, the church was not converted into a mosque and there were no significant changes in its appearance. Thanks to this, to this day, the Church of St. Irene is the only church in the city that has retained its original atrium (a spacious high room at the entrance to the church).

During the XV-XVIII centuries, the church was used by the Ottomans as an armory, and starting from 1846, the temple was turned into an Archaeological Museum. In 1869, the Church of St. Irene was transformed into the Imperial Museum.

A few years later, in 1875, due to insufficient space, its exhibits were moved to the Tiled Pavilion. Finally, in 1908, the Military Museum was opened in the church. Today, the Church of St. Irene serves as a concert hall. Since 1980 – the main venue for the (annual) international music festival

End of the Half Day Istanbul City Tour

This half-day afternoon excursion, Istanbul City Tour Ottoman Relics, will last around 4 hours. As a result, after your final visit is over, a comfy and stylish bus will transport you back to your hotel. This fantastic guided tour will provide you with a unique and fascinating way to explore the landmarks.