15 Byzantine Istanbul Tours to Build a Day Around

1.Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Suleymaniye Mosque Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 599 reviews · 4 hours · from $29Our pick

Explore Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, and Suleymaniye Mosque on a four-hour Istanbul walking tour with a local guide.

“Our guide Tulaye,was amazing. First of all we were lucky to be have her only to our self. No group! She professionally guided us from mosque to mosque, explained history. Invited for tea and explained a bit about history of Islam,which helped even better understand this beautiful country. she also covered our tram tickets,so we don't need to walk distance between mosques! She was kind, profesional and very nice. We were very happy and we're satisfied! I recommend TripGuru for exploring Istanbul and many thanks to our wonderful guide! Many thanks from Ilona &Benita”

Check availability →Read our full review

2.Chora Mosque Entry Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 211 reviews · 1 hour · from $27Best value

Visit Istanbul’s Chora Mosque for extraordinary Byzantine mosaics and frescoes, with skip-the-line entry, QR access, and practical prayer-time tips.

“Chora Church is a true hidden gem in Istanbul. The religious frescoes and mosaics are stunning, full of detail and deep spiritual meaning. The artwork speaks a universal spiritual language and offers a deep connection to early Christian theology and Byzantine art. If you’re Catholic or Christian and visiting Istanbul, this is a place you shouldn’t miss. It’s peaceful, moving, and incredibly beautiful.”

Check availability →Read our full review

3.Istanbul Byzantine and Ottoman Tour: Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, Blue Mosque and Grand Bazaar

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 35 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $69

See Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Hippodrome, and Grand Bazaar in one guided walking day.

“The sites included in the tour were extremely interesting. I was very impressed by all of the facts provided by our guide who is extremely knowledgeable and courteous.”

Check availability →Read our full review

4.Private Istanbul Byzantine & Ottoman Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 27 reviews · 2 to 4 hours (approx.) · from $90

Review of Istanbul’s private Byzantine and Ottoman tour, with hotel pickup, a local driver, major sights, costs, timing, and practical tips.

“It was a terrible experience because, despite the fact that I informed the company that our flight was delayed, they still refused to give us a refund or credit. Just take the cash with no service.”

Check availability →Read our full review

5.Full Day Byzantine&Ottoman Highlights

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 26 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) Top rated

Review of Istanbul’s private Byzantine and Ottoman highlights tour, with guide tips, pricing, pacing, sights, value, and practical booking advice.

“Our guide was very friendly, personable, and very knowledgeable of the area we visited. I highly recommend using Emine’s company to provide tours.”

Check availability →Read our full review

6.Skip the Line: Topkapi Palace Including Süleymaniye Mosque and Ceramics Workshop in Istanbul

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 17 reviews · from $171

Explore Topkapi Palace, Süleymaniye Mosque, and an Istanbul ceramics workshop with a small-group guide and skip-the-line entry.

“We really enjoyed this tour. Our guide, Yil, was terrific. He knew I had a sore leg so he took it at a pace I could handle there were only two of us for this particular tour. Yil was a wealth of knowledge and very passionate about his country. He Read more”

Check availability →Read our full review

7.Tour of Byzantine and Constantinople, in istanbul

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 13 reviews · 6 hours · from $190

Explore Constantinople’s walls, palaces, fortress, Fener, and Balat on a private six-hour Istanbul tour with lunch and hotel pickup.

“We wanted to see the byzantine walls and did see most of what was on our list. We thought guide may have had some more options to show us like the Chrysalis gate etc. Our guide was distracted with other phone calls for some of the time, and we finished an hour early. It was an expensive experience. Luunch and morning drink fine.”

Check availability →Read our full review

8.Half-Day Morning Walking Tour of Byzantine Relics in Istanbul

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 11 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $42

See Istanbul’s Byzantine core on a four-hour walk covering the Hippodrome, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, and Grand Bazaar.

“Amazing service, we had to reschedule and it was no problem for them. The drivers were very friendly. 10/10 would recommend”

Check availability →Read our full review

9.Chora Museum Skip-the-Ticket-Line Entry with Audio Guide

★★★★★★★★★★3.6 · 9 reviews · 1 day · from $35

Visit Istanbul’s Chora Museum with a skip-the-ticket-line QR ticket and audio guide, then explore its remarkable Byzantine mosaics at your own pace.

“La chiesa è bellissima, peccato non aver ricevuto il link con l'audio guida, fortunatamente c'erano i QR code dentro”

Check availability →Read our full review

10.Eyup, Pierre Loti Hill, and Kariye Museum: Guided Day Tour from Istanbul

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 9 reviews · 5 to 7 hours (approx.) · from $290

Explore Istanbul’s Spice Market, Chora mosaics, Suleymaniye Mosque, Eyüp, and Pierre Loti Hill with a small-group guide.

“This was a great tour of some of the less popular sites in Istanbul. The guide was terrific, the pace was leisurely, the building were beautiful, and the lunch delicious.”

Check availability →Read our full review

11.Byzantine & Ottoman Relics of Istanbul Full Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.9 · 8 reviews · 7 hours · from $213

Explore Istanbul’s Byzantine and Ottoman treasures, from Hagia Sophia and Topkapi Palace to the Grand Bazaar, with lunch and hotel pickup.

“The day trip was good. But the only thing I did not like was that we had paid to visit the Topkapi palace and the day before tour they mentioned to us that it's closed on Tuesday, if it's closed on Tuesdays so they shouldn't take booking for that day. All the amount we paid for it's entrance was a waste.”

Check availability →Read our full review

12.Full Day – Byzantine & Ottoman Relics Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 8 reviews · 7 hours · from $54

Review of Istanbul’s 7-hour Byzantine and Ottoman tour, with the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, lunch, and Grand Bazaar.

“Même si j'ai commandé un visite en français, la visite a été faite en anglais et le bon de confirmation également précisait anglais”

Check availability →Read our full review

13.Tour of Byzantine and Constantinople in Istanbul

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 8 reviews · 6 hours (approx.) · from $230

Explore Istanbul’s Byzantine walls, Yedikule Fortress, Blachernae Palace, Fener, and Balat on a private six-hour history tour.

“Erme was a very good tour guide. He was personable, quite knowledgable, easy to talk to, and very flexible and accommodating to my personal interests. He was quite articulate and able to answer my questions adeptly. Thank you Erme— great job! My one concern about this tour,and this is no reflection on Erme as a tour guide, is that as an Orthodox Christian priest, I was made to feel uncomfortable by the security guards in the churches that had been seized by the Ottomans and Turks from the Christians. I hope that someday Turkey will catch up with the civilised world and respect the freedom of religion that we enjoy…”

Check availability →Read our full review

14.Istanbul Full Day Byzantine & Ottoman Traces Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 7 reviews · 7 hours · from $161

See Istanbul’s Hippodrome, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, and Grand Bazaar on a guided seven-hour walking tour.

“Knowledgeable guide. Good tour. Lines were long, but that was exceptional and not a reflection on the tour - just something for people to be aware of can happen.”

Check availability →Read our full review

15.Chora Church (Kariye Camii) & Digital Audio Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 7 reviews · from $34

Explore Istanbul’s Chora Church with entry and a multilingual audio guide, seeing Byzantine mosaics, frescoes, and Ottoman-era details at your own pace.

Check availability →Read our full review