We will take you by private transfer from the airport to your hotel in the magical city of Istanbul. You and your family will be able to relax after your journey and prepare yourself for a full-day tour of the city of Istanbul the next day.

After breakfast, we will see the amazing ancient city of Istanbul the eighth biggest city in the world. A combination of old and new, Asia and Europe, it remains one of the most fascinating cities to explore. Some of the wonderful sites that you will see across the city are:

Topkapi Palace was the Ottoman Empires the administrative centre, for nearly 400 years. One of the most important historical sites to be seen in Istanbul. It is also one of the most frequently visited museums in Europe with more than 2.5 million visitors per year. Built-In 1461, Fatih Mehmet ordered the construction of Topkapi Sarayi Topkapi and it remained the seat of the Ottoman Sultans until 1868 later Dolmabahçe Palace farther up the Bosphorus, became the home of the Sultans.

Grand Bazaar built at the command of Fatih Mehmet shortly after the Conquest. It contains 4399 shops, 2195 workshops, 497 stalls, and 18 fountains and remains the worlds oldest continuous trading market.
 
Blue Mosque with its magnificent series of domes and semi-domes and 6 slender minarets, a spacious courtyard the grand yet elegant design make the Blue Mosque one of the architectural marvels of the world.

Hippodrome and Obelisks the scene of chariot races and the centre of Byzantine civic life, stands in the open space in front of the Blue Mosque.

Hagia Sophia and Museum built between 532 to 537 on the orders of Emperor Justinian is now a museum. The courtyard of Haghia Sophia contains fascinating relics dating back to the time of construction.

Our recommendation:
After the day's tour ends and you have your own free time, we recommend also visiting the Spice Bazaar to enjoy the sights and smells of Turkish tea, spices, and candies. You will be on your own here as its not part of your tour package, but you will have plenty of time and can make your own way back to your hotel.

Important Notes:
Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays
Blue Mosque due to prayers on Fridays we are unable to enter
Hagia Sophia is closed on Mondays
Topkapi Palace is closed on Tuesdays

We provide pickups from hotels in central areas in the following vicinities:
Sultanahmet, Sirkeci, Laleli, Aksaray, Taksim area. Pickup from anywhere outside these areas may incur an extra charge. Please speak to our crew if you have any questions.

We will take you back to your hotel by private transfer in the late afternoon at the end of your tour.

After a relaxed start to your day, we will pick you up and take a private transfer to the Dolmabahce Palace where we will begin our Boat cruise of the Bosphorus a unique way to see more of the city sailing past Maidens Tower, you will also see the best view of the old walls of the city we will take a short break and hop off the boat at the beautiful historical building of Kucuksu Palace built by Sultan Abdulmecid. 

After returning to the cruise you will see many landmarks of the city including Ciragan Palace, Beylerbeyi Palace, Rumeli Castle, Ortakoy Mosque you will also sail under the world-famous Bosphorus Bridge. We will then take a bus tour of the Fatih district where you will take a cable car to the top of Pierre Loti Hill to experience the incredible views over the city. Later returning by bus back to the heart of the old city.

Important Note:
Dolmabahce Palace is closed on Mondays, therefore on this day, only the tour will begin 2 hours later (11:30 am departure) on Mondays.
Dolmabahce Palace, Kucuksu Palace, and Pierre Loti Hill are the only sights you will tour by foot. The other sights will be seen from the boat or bus.

After the tour ends we will take you back to your hotel

Located in the sea of Marmara, Princess Islands are a group of 9 islands and today we will sail past all and visit 2 of them Heybeliada and Buyukada. The islands are mainly car-free the main transport on the islands are horse-drawn carriages here you will have a tour guide and for lunch, we will eat at one of the local fish restaurants, after lunch, there will be plenty of free time to wander and discover the beauty of the islands for yourselves and at the end of the tour, we will sail back to the city where a car will be waiting for you to take you back to your hotel.

Today's tour takes us away from the city of Istanbul to another city that was once the capital of the Ottoman Empire, Bursa. Known as green Bursa because the city has an abundance of parks. You will visit the Green Mosque and mausoleum also known as the Mosque of Mehmet 1 then on to the covered silk Bazaar, historically perfectly positioned on the old Silk Road, it was one of the worlds busiest trading posts for silk, with international traders travelling to Bursa from everywhere but the Italian merchants from Florence were the key traders. Later you will take a cable car ride up to mount Uludag locally known as Teleferik. The views from the top are not to be missed.

In the morning after breakfast, we will travel south of the city to the natural lake area of Sapanca surrounded by greenery and birdsong. This freshwater lake is approximately 42 kilometres square and you can try pedal boating on the lake after we will drive to the south of the lake and visit Masukiye Village where we will have lunch and see the waterfalls

Through the winter months November – March
we will then move on to Kartepe high above Sapanca lake, reachable by cable car in winter this is an amazing ski resort and the views are just breathtaking.
Through the summer months from April – October
we will visit the Zoo a fun time for children and the whole family to learn about and see many different species of animal.

We then return to the Hotel in the evening.

Today we take you to Vialand Theme Park and shopping mall as part of your Istanbul Family Fun Tour.  The Theme Park is massive and can admit over 13 thousand people with rides for all ages it is the perfect place for the whole family to have some fun you will also find a great shopping mall at the park so there is something for everyone. Today's tour does not include lunch but as there are so many different types of restaurants in the park, everyone is catered for.

The park closes at 18:00 and we will be outside waiting to transfer you back for a restful night in your hotel.

As part of your Istanbul experience, today is again an adventure that the whole family will love, after breakfast, we will take you to the Istanbul Aquarium opened in 2011 the Aquarium is one of the largest in the world and has so much to see from the diverse sea life to a 5D cinema. You will also be able to spend some free time at the Aqua Florya shopping mall with themes and leisure activities the mall is another theme park itself.

This day is set aside as a free day which means that the day is yours to do as you wish as a family, there are no organised tours today.

As this is a family holiday we have left today free for you to do whatever you want, there may be places that you want to revisit and spend a little more time, or you may want to take advantage and simply relax at your hotel, we are especially aware that you need time to prepare for travelling home the next day. Today is yours, Enjoy!

Transfer from Hotel to Airport
This morning we will be at your hotel and ready to take you to the airport at a pre-arranged time, we hope that you have enjoyed your family experience with us in the wondrous city of Istanbul, and look forward to seeing you all again.