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. (On Mondays we see the Chora Church instead). We continue to the Blue Mosque, which was built in the 17th century and is the only imperial mosque with 6 minarets, then 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. The tour ends in the Grand

Saint Sophia

Bazaar, which was over 4000 shops full of treasures (Closed on Sunday). After lunch we will explore the Topkapi Palace today. It was the home of the Ottoman sultans from the 15th-19th century A.D. We see the Imperial Treasury with the famous Spoonmaker Diamond. Also the Baghdad Kiosk, the Armory with its collection of Ottoman weapons and a fine collection of ceramics. We continue to the Suleymaniye Mosque, which is considered the crown of architect Sinan’s work. It is the largest and grandest of Istanbul’s Imperial mosques and dates from the 16th century A.D. Return to your hotel around 17:30.

PRICE: 70 EURO PER PERSON – LUNCH INCLUDED