Istanbul in 2 days + 3rd day "Evening Istanbul"

DAY 1

Excursion to the Roman Hippodrome:

The largest of the five Constantinople Hippodromes, the second largest in the Mediterranean, after the Great Circus in Rome, is used as the Turkish Ethnographic Islamic Art Museum. It was used as a place of horse races, gladiatorial battles, triumphal processions, public acts related to the transfer or addition of imperial power and the execution of executions. It was a kind of center of social and political life of the common people of the capital. There you will see the German spring, the column of Constantine, the palace of Ibrahim Pasha.

Excursion to the Blue Mosque of Sultan Ahmed:

The mosque is located on the shores of the Sea of Marmara in the historic center of Istanbul in the Sultanahmet district opposite the Aya Sophia Museum. The mosque is one of the symbols of the city. The architecture of the mosque combines two styles - classical Ottoman and Byzantine. According to legend, the sultan ordered the construction of a standard number of (4) gold (altyn) minarets, but the architect confused something and built six (alta) minarets. The construction of the mosque lasted seven years and was completed in 1616, a year before the Sultan's death.

Excursion to the Basilica reservoir:

History Underground - Basilica Reservoir. The Basilica Reservoir, or as it is now called, the Yerebatan Palace (Underground Palace), located southwest of Ayasofya, is considered one of the most impressive monuments in Istanbul. A huge underground reservoir was built on the orders of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I, because of the countless columns rising from the water, the people called this place – the Palace of Yerebatan. During the period of the republic, the Basilica Reservoir, after restoration, was turned into a museum by the City Hall of Istanbul and opened to tourists who do not leave the city without visiting this impressive building of antiquity. In 1985, the repository was closed for repairs, 50,000 tons of mud was removed from it and tour paths were built, and reopened in 1987. In May 1994, the Basilica Reservoir again underwent repair and cleaning, and today continues its centuries-old history, and how fish once swim in it. Visitors to this unusual museum can watch how fish swim among the numerous columns, and to the sounds of classical music heard under the ancient vaults go on a mental journey into the depths of centuries.

The temple of Hagia Sophia is the main shrine of Orthodox Christians - a church built a thousand years before the temple of San Pietro in Rome. The font in which the first Christian woman of Russia was baptized - Princess Olga, Byzantine mosaics, and potholes in the floor of the temple from the feet of the guardians of the emperors - you will touch all this in the fourth largest church in the world, the temple of St. Sophia.

Excursion to Topkapi Palace

The main palace of the Ottoman Empire is just behind Hagia Sophia. The palace includes four courtyards. The first leads to the main entrance, there are ticket offices and on the foundation of the ancient temple of Aphrodite built a slightly younger (age 1700 years) Church of St. Irene.

Entrance to the second courtyard through the Greeting Gate. The Harem is on the left. Here lived wives, eunuchs, concubines and the mother of the sultan - the mistress of this part of the palace.

The Gate of Happiness leads to the third courtyard. At the entrance there is a small pavilion - the audience hall, where negotiations were conducted under the noise of the fountain. On the right is a collection of sultans' clothes. Next is a treasury of three halls, here are collected jewelry - for example, an 86-carat diamond "Spoon", surrounded by 49 smaller diamonds. Near the entrance to the Assembly of sacred relics, such as the tooth of the Prophet Muhammad, hair from the beard of the Prophet, the banner of the Prophet, the clothes of the Prophet. There are also Christian shrines - the hand of St. John the Baptist, for example.

In the fourth courtyard there used to be the famous Tulip Garden, there was even the position of “Minister of Tulips”. The homeland of these flowers is not Holland, but the Ottoman Empire, which is why the tulip (or lale) is chosen as a tourist symbol of the country.

DAY 2

Excursion Suleymaniye (mosque) + and tombs

The mosque was built on the orders of Sultan Suleiman the Legislator by the architect Sinan in 1550-1557. The dome has a height of 53 m and a diameter of 26.5 m. The floor of the mosque is paved with carpets, the inside of the mosque is well lit - light falls from 136 windows. The mosque has four minarets. With buildings of baths, madrasahs (educational institutions), kitchens, libraries and an observatory, the mosque forms a complex comparable in size to a city quarter.

In the courtyard of the mosque is a cemetery, here in two neighboring mausoleums rests Suleiman himself and his beloved wife Roksolana. There are versions that the mosque is slowly slipping into the Golden Horn Bay.

A boat ride on the Bosphorus

Only during this walk you, standing on the deck of a steamer sailing along the most beautiful strait of Eurasia, will see the houses of millionaires and island houses, palaces and castles of the sultans. In Turkey, they say: “If your heart is sad, go to the Bosphorus.” We look from the outside: the palaces of Dolmabahce and Beylerbeyi, Rumeli Castle, the hunting house of the sultan - Kuchuksu Kasra and many other interesting things along the Bosphorus and Golden Horn.

Egyptian Bazaar

Spices, spices and medicinal herbs of the East. Abundance that makes you dizzy. Not the largest, but the most colorful and fun market in Istanbul is the Egyptian Bazaar. Like three hundred years ago, spices and herbs are brought here from Egypt itself.

Walk through the evening Istanbul.

I can and I want to show you all the facets of it and, as one famous movie says, its contrasts.

Excursion time - 3-4 hours The number of participants is 1-5 (optimal), but a large group is possible. Movement - walking, metro (trip through the tunnel at the bottom of the Bosphorus), taxis, boats (water buses). Meals - at your request and at your choice in numerous cafes or restaurants, there are also many options for street food

What will we see?

From the Sultan Ahmet district, we will walk to the metro station and go to the Kadyköy district. The trip on this section of the metro is remarkable because the train will take us to the Asian part under the Bosphorus. The Sultans of the Ottoman Empire dreamed of building an underwater tunnel connecting Asia with Europe, but such a complex engineering structure was built only today. We will go to one of the largest areas of the city, with its own atmosphere and history. In general, each of the districts is like a city in a city, which is probably why they say Istanbul - a city of contrasts. So we're in Kadyköy. It is noteworthy that there are not so many tourists in it, which will allow you to see the “real” life. Also, there are almost no migrants in other areas, tourists mistaken for local residents, this often distorts the image of the indigenous citizen. The area is characterized by secularism and politically oppositional views. The streets are teeming with restaurants, shops and a huge variety of street food. From the embankment on the water bus ship will go back to Europe, in the area of Besiktas.

Ships are essentially public transport and carry a huge number of people every day. Sitting on the open deck, you can see the bridges shining with different colors, admire the lights of the night embankments.

Taksim Square and Gezi Park.

Istiklal sleepless pedestrian street. The legendary Hotel Pera. Galata Tower

Taksim is in fact the heart of the city, on the square itself there are various public events, festive processions, as well as protests of citizens. In the center of the square is a monument, in the center of Ataturk, and on the right hand of him Voroshilov and Frunze. The square is crowded day and night, with it begins the most crowded pedestrian street Istiklal. Here tourists are entertained by amateur musicians, live statues and offer their work street artists. Lots of street food. A huge number of cafes and restaurants alternate with shops of various brands from elite to folk. The Russian Consulate is located on this street. One of the attractions is Istanbul’s oldest hotel, the 126-year-old Pera Palace Hotel. On Istiklal Street we will reach the famous Galata Tower. It is one of the oldest monuments in Istanbul. The height of the tower is 61 meters and it was built in the 14th century! In addition, it is located on the hill of the same name, which makes it visible from many areas. In the rays of architectural night lighting, the tower is majestic and beautiful.

Karakoy District

History has mixed in Karaköy churches and brothels, maritime customs and a Greek school, cannon workshops and immigrant restaurants. Over the past few years, this area has been “taken” by the most fashionable cafes, creative agencies, conceptual galleries and shops. It seems that they are not going to retreat at all, but on the contrary, they have found a grateful audience and regular visitors, who are very different from the motley youth and tourist crowd of Taksim.

This will conclude our tour. I am always happy to discuss the details of the tour and individual wishes.