8:10 – 8:45 Departure from your hotel. Today we will visit the Saint Sophia (Haghia Sofia) which was built by the emperor Justinian in the 6th century A.D and stands over much older remains of a church. See beautiful mosaics of biblical scenes and the Byzantine emperors and empresses. We continue to the Blue Mosque,  which was built in the 17th century

Saint Sophia

and is the only imperialmosque with 6 minarets. We see the Hippodrome, a stadium and meeting place in Byzantine times, the Serpent Pillar from Delphi and the Egyptian Obelisk, with the Fountain of Wilhelm. Then we will see the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum originally built as the Palace of Ibrahim Pasha in 1524 with fine examples of Islamic Calligraphy, tiles and carpets. We then cross the Bosphorus Bridge then head for the Camlica Hill viewpoint over Istanbul where you can also see the Princes’ Islands and the Marmara Sea. Then we continue to the “Selamlik” chambers of the incredible 19th c. Dolmabahce Palace. The tour ends with a visit to the charming seaside suburb of Ortakoy. Return to your hotel around 17:00.

PRICE: 70 EURO PER PERSON – LUNCH INCLUDED