Beylerbeyi Palace and Eyup District Half-Day Tour

Itinerary

After your guide collects you from your hotel, you’ll cross the Bosphorus Bridge to get to the Asian Side of the city. This suspension bridge was finished in 1988 and is over one-kilometer long.

Once you get to the Asian Side, you will visit the Beylerbeyi Palace. This striking white marble building was commissioned by Sultan Abdülaziz in the nineteenth century as a summer residence.

The palace has three main entrances, six large halls, 24 rooms, all incredibly decorated, and a beautiful garden full of magnolias. Inside, the palace is embellished with Egyptian floor mats, crystal chandeliers from Bohemia, French clocks and beautiful china.

Back in the European Side, the bus will head to the Sultanahmet neighborhood, where the Basilica Cistern is located, a startling cistern located underneath Istanbul and the city’s main water reservoir in the sixth century.

At lunch time, head to a traditional Turkish restaurant. The menu includes soup or a cold starter, börek (pastry), chicken, meat or vegetable kebab with rice and lastly, a fruit salad.

On a full stomach, you’ll head to the Eyup district, a holy site for Muslims after the Mecca. It is home to numerous landmarks including the impressive Eyup Sultan Mosque and the Café Pierre Loti.

The last stop of the tour is to one of the city’s most famous coffee houses. The Café Pierre Loti is situated at the top of Pierre Loti Hill with beautiful views of the Golden Horn.

The tour will end in the centre of Sultanahmet or the Taksim neighbourhood, whichever you prefer.

Tour without lunch included

If you prefer to bring something to eat or have lunch at another restaurant, you can also book this tour without lunch included for 10 euros less.

Hotel pick-up

Your guide will collect you from the following areas in the center of Istanbul: Ortaköy, Beşiktaş, Gayrettepe, Mecidiyeköy, Şişli, Feriköy, Osmanbey, Harbiye, Taksim, Beyoglu, Galata, Karaköy, Şehzadebasi, Laleli, Aksaray, Beyazit, Sultanahmet, Sirkeci, Eminönü, Findikzade, Fatih, Topkapi, Merter, Eyup, Samatya and Zeytinburnu.

If your hotel or apartment is not located in the previously mentioned areas, you'll be contacted the day before your tour and informed of a location where you should meet your guide. If there are any last minute changes, they will notify you of this via WhatsApp.