Istanbul is a cultural heaven which amazes you by having contradictions as classical and modern, happy and sad, developed and underdeveloped, cute and ugly at the same time. Istanbul carries the blood of the Mediterranean as well as the atmosphere of Asian and Arabic influences. So, in order to observe all these contradictions and make your own judgement, you need to pick the best itinerary which suits most to your preferences...

The itinenaries shown below are MY OWN itineraries which I believe that after seeing them all, you can confidently say "I saw Istanbul and know a lot about it!"

A Full-Day Classical City Tour
A Half-Day Bosphorus Cruise
A Full-Day Byzantium Heritage Tour
A Full Day Mosques Tour
A Half-Day Golden-Horn Tour
A Full-Day Princess Islands Tour
A Half-Day Asia Side Tour
Istanbul By-Night, Dinner and Shows

A Full-Day Classical City Tour

This tour includes the very basic highlights of the city, as Hippodrome Square, The Blue Mosque, The Hagia Sophia Church, The Underground Cistern, a Lunch Break and afterwards the imperial Topkapi Palace and finally the Grand Bazaar. The tour usually starts at 9 a.m and finishes at 4-5 p.m. Organized tours are accompanied by a professional tour guide and a van depending on the location of the hotel. The Underground Cistern may be replaced by the Suleiman's Mosque in some itineraries. If you have a limited time in Istanbul, this tour is definately for you. Local Guides in Hagia Sophia or Topkapi Palace are also available. Among the guidebooks, "The Blue Guide Istanbul" or "Strolling Through Istanbul" by John Freely is strongly recommended. These books give a general framework as well as practical information.Another tip is, this tour can be done by walking if you are not staying in a very far hotel. Even if your hotel is far from the historical sites, once you take a taxi and get to the historical sites, everywhere is at walking distance except for the Suleiman's Mosque.
 

A Half Day Bosphorus Cruise 

This tour can be taken on the second day of your arrival. If you have organized the tour, you'll be accompanied by a tour guide and a van to take you from your hotel to the ferry station. The ferry station is located in "Eminonu", the port number is #3. It's written "Bogaz Hatti" in Turkish meaning Bosphorus Cruise. The ticket office is next window of the station. The prices are quite reasonable but very changable,therefore not given here. The organized tour with a guide takes about 1,5 hours and you get off the ferry at "Sariyer". Your van takes you to a fish restaurant and after the lunch, the tour is over. If you are on your own, you can continue until 3 p.m and give a lunch break at "Anadolu Kavak".. It's a small and cozy fishing town where you can taste fresh and delicious fish as well as fresh fruits and vegetables.

 
A Full-Day Byzantium Heritage Tour

This tour is special for the guests who would like to know about the old Byzantium Heritage, churches, cisterns or aquaducts from the 3rd century up to the 13th century. This tour will include the Church of Sergius and Bacchus(Renamed as "Kucuk Ayasofya" in Turkish), the Hagia Eirene Church, the Pantocrator(Imrahor Mosque)Church, the Aquaduct of Valens, the Seven-Towers Citadel, The Chora Church, The Old City Walls and the Underground Cistern. This is a very history-intensive tour and very suitable for archeologists ,historians or guests who is specially interested in Byzantium History.
 

A Full-Day Mosques Tour 

This tour will include the Ottoman-time mosques starting from the 16th century. The world-famous architect Sinan has constructed different mosques,aquaducts,cisterns,food houses for the poor in Ottoman Empire Era. The famous Blue Mosque is the first stop. This mosque is also constructed by a student of Architect Sinan; Sedefkar Mehmet Aga.

After Blue Mosque, a big complex; including a mosque and tombs of Suleiman the Magnificient and his wife;Hurrem sultan is going to be visited. This complex is called "Mosque of Suleiman the Magnificient". With the red carpets and notable acoustics, it's a really beautiful architectural piece. This mosque is another masterpiece of Architect Sinan.

After the Suleiman's Mosque, the beautiful Mihrimah Sultan Mosque is visited. This mosque was constructed with the order of Suleiman in the name of his beloved daughter; Mihrimah Sultan. It's small and cozy mosque, reflecting the typical style of Architect Sinan.

Another mosque complex to be visited is Eyup Sultan Mosque. Eyup Sultan is to be believed as a very religious person, so this mosque is visited by hundreds of muslim every year. People visit his tomb and pray there. Newly married couples, ill people who want to get recovered or newly circumsized boys are also visit his tomb.

The last mosque to be visited is the "New Mosque" next to the Spice Market. It's called "new" because unlike many 16th C mosques, this mosque was constructed in the 17th C. It's also called as "The Pigeons' Mosque" due to the pigeons around, fed by people. This mosque is not usually visited by tourist groups, therefore you may see many local Turks praying in the mosque.
 
A Half-Day  Golden Horn Tour
 

This is a half-day tour which you may start at 9 a.m to 12 p.m and end up in a restaurant overlooking the Golden Horn for lunch or at 1 p.m to 3-4 p.m. If you have booked this tour, you are accompanied by a van and a tour guide. This tour requires a taxi or a car. There's a long road along the Golden Horn which is a small extention of the strait Bosphorus. The car takes you along the Golden Horn and on the way, you see the Iron Bulgarian Church, the Greek Patriarchate, the Greek High School for boys, the Jewish Hospital and the Eyup Sultan Mosque complex. The car takes you along the old city-walls from the 5th C and the tour finishes at a cozy cafe called "Pierre Loti". Loti is a French who fell in love with a Turkish girl, therefore with Istanbul and spent most of his time at that café. The Café is overlooking the Golden Horn and you may see the relections of the sun on the water. It's a great spot.
 
A Full-Day "Princess Islands" Tour  

This is a lovely tour on a sunny Istanbul Day. The tour starts at 9:45 a.m. If you have booked the tour, you are taken from your hotel to the ferry station by a van and tour guide. If you want to go on your own, the ferry leaves at 10:20 a.m from Eminonu,Port ADALAR. First you purchase your tickets and get on the ferry. It takes about 40 minutes to get to the islands. The largest and mostly populated island is called "The Grand Island"(BUYUKADA)". You watch the names of the stations and leave the ferry at that station. There's no motor vehicle on the island, so you hire a horse cartridge and enjoy being on the island. If you hire a horse car, you ask for "Kucuk Tur"(Kuchuk Tour) meaning "Small tour". The car takes you around, you see beautiful, old houses,lovely gardens,roses and breathe the fresh air. At a hill, the driver stops to refresh the horses,so you can stop by a café and drink some refreshments.This tour takes about 1 hour,15 minutes, so after you finish the tour, you make the payment. If you like, you can hire bikes and enjoy the island by bicyles. At the very top of the island, there's a lovely Church called "Hagia Yorgi". There was a considerably big Greek population on the island and it was their church. This church is still in service.

If you like to have a great meal, you can walk down to the shore and find a cozy restaurant called "Birtat". Nice sea food and fresh fish as well as fresh salad is available in that restaurant. You can check the departure time from the island back to the city from the ticket office next to the restaurant area. Another ticket must be purchased for your return.  

A Half-Day Asian Side Tour 

This tour usually starts at 9 a.m but you can make it any time you like. This tour also requires a car. First of all, you cross the Bosphorus Bridge and pass to the Asian Continent. The first stop is called "Uskudar". This is a colorful spot, full of people. While you are driving along the coast, you can observe the European Side, The 5-star Ciragan Palace Hotel and the Dolmabahce Palace. On you right, you see a tower called "The Leander's Tower". This is a tower from the 12th C. According to the myth, when a Byzantium Emperor found out that his daughter was seeing a boy whom he disliked, he had that tower constructed and put her in jail there. When the boy tried to swim in the dark and cold water of the Bosphorus to reach his love, he could not succeed and drowned...She was so upset that she committed to suicide...A sad story...

After Uskudar, the car takes to the highest point of Istanbul: The Camlica Hill. There are many TV Antennas on the hill and in the cafés, while you are sipping your cofee, you can see a wonderful panoramic view of Istanbul.

The last stop of the tour is Beylerbeyi Palace. This palace was constucted as a summer palace in 1870s. It is a mixture of French and Ottoman Architecture. The cooling system and the Czech Bohemian Crystal Chandellliers are worth seeing. It's just by the sea, nearly under the Bosphorus Bridge.
 
Istanbul By Night - Dinner and Turkish Shows

There are various dinner and night shows in the city. The first one is at the top of the Galata Tower. With the panoramic view of Istanbul and Bosphorus, you can enjoy a wonderful Istanbul night. Different appetizers and food is served. The shows include belly dancers, Turkish Fold Dance Groups and a singer singing different songs from different countries. It's an international night though.

Another two night clubs are Kervansaray Night Club next to Hilton Hotel. The Alagoz Sisters and Brothers perform a great show there together with belly dancers and folk groups. The best quality of them in my opinion is The Orient House Night Club. The food , service and show is best among the others. In order to go these shows, it's recommended to contact a travel agency or find someone who can get a lower rate. 

Up until the advent of modernity (which in Turkey is associated with the comprehensive highway program of the 1950's) the landscape had remained as it was through millennia. When you see a replica of one of the first agrarian villages in the world, dating back to almost 7,000 B.C., in the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara, you cannot miss the similarity between this prototype and all those others that you become what we call the vernacular. When you have got something that works, why change it?

In Anatolia, the settlement pattern is more or less how it was during the time of the ancient civilizations. There is a good chance that the road you are traveling on is the same one on which great warriors of the east and the west trod and colorful caravans passed along, and couriers of mail or secret treaties galloped. Perhaps it is the same road traveled by St. Paul and his disciples or by Sufis spreading divine knowledge. Perhaps Alexander the Great or King Croesus fought against their enemies on the same spot you are travelling.

Graceful aqueducts built by the Romans made urban concentrations possible. Bridges built by Sinan and other Ottoman architects dot the countryside and are still used for the safe passage of goods and services. Caravanserais dating back to the Seljuk Empire of the 11th century offered sanctuary and relief to weary travelers. You can even stay in a caravanserai, for several have been restored into luxury hotels. Many Medresses are also in good conditions, mostly used as museums today.

In addition to the historic edifices proudly displayed at the main archaeological sites such as Assos, Troy, Pergamon, Ephesus, Miletus, Priene, Didyma, Aphrodisias, Heraclia, Myra, Olympus, Chimeira, Phaselis, Patara, Xantos, Pinara, Tlos, Letoon, Halicarnassus, Cnidus, Hattusas, Alacahöyük, Çatalhöyük, Yazilikaya, Nemrut, Psidian Antioch, Nicea, Sardis, Gordion, Caunos, Perge, and Aspendos, many coastal villages and towns are blessed with their very own Anatolian ruins on the outskirts. This is usually an ancient theater commanding a spectacular view of the beach where, the villagers will tell you, Cleopatra often have swam. You don't have to look far for the agora either. It is probably where it has always been - right at the market place! Several villages are also privileged to have ''sunken cities" (Kekova) or ruins under the sea, which you can see if you look down into the crystal clear, turquoise waters as you swim.

The Anatolian hinterland will show you glimpses of other ancient civilizations: the Hattis, the Hurris, Assyrians, the Hittites, the Phrygians, the Urartians, the Lydians and the Lycians. From these civilizations come many familiar legends: women warriors known as Amazons, the wealth of the Lydian King Croesus, King Midas with the golden touch, and the Knot of Gordion that young Alexander was able to undo with the strike of his sword.

Then there are the lesser places, both sacred and ordinary, but with profound meaning: monasteries, tombs of local saints, heroes, artists or poets, mosques, churches, walls, fortresses, palaces, fountains, and cemeteries. The hillsides are covered with broken pieces of ancient pottery, contemporary walls often have corner stones which may date back to antiquity. Children play and sheep graze amidst fragile remains. Until very recently Fairy Chimneys in Cappadocia were used by villagers as cold storage or wine cellars.

The very richness of the landscape poses grave challenges for historic preservation in Turkey. Good progress has been made in safeguarding the integrity of the most important sites, and work is ongoing to excavate, catalogue and preserve the country's tremendous legacy. Strict laws prevent the export of antiquities.
 

Many tours can be arranged in Turkey, there are very good land and air connections between the cities and historical sites. Below you will find some example itineraries of major routes:

Itinerary 1 >  7 days by private car/van/bus and/or plane, ***, **** or ***** hotels can be arranged depending on your budget, half-board or full-board as you wish: 2 days Istanbul (visit Hagia Sophia Church, Topkapi Palace, Hippodrome, Blue Mosque, Underground Cistern, Grand Bazaar, Bosphorus Cruise etc.), 1 day Ankara (visit Anatolian Civilizations Museum, Mausoleum of Atatürk, Citadel), 2 days Cappadocia (visit Rock Churches of Göreme, Underground City, fairy chimneys, Zelve Valley etc.), 1 day Pamukkale (on the way visit Konya Mevlana Museum, then Hierapolis, white cascades), 1 day Kusadasi (on the way visit Aphrodisias, then Ephesus, house of Virgin Mary), fly Izmir - Istanbul and depart or stay for a weekend in Istanbul.
 

Itinerary 2 >  10 days by private car/van/bus and/or plane, ***,  **** or ***** hotels, HB or FB: 2 days Istanbul (visits same as above or your choice of other places), 1 day Canakkale (visit Troy and Dardanels), 1 day Izmir (visit Pergamum), 1 day Pamukkale (on the way visit Ephesus, house of Virgin Mary), 2 days Antalya (visit Perge, Aspendos, Antalya Museum), 1 day Konya (visit Mausoleum of Mevlana), 2 days Cappadocia (visit same as above), visit Ankara Museum and fly Ankara - Istanbul.

So many other itineraries can be arranged upon your request like religious tours (Seven Churches of Apocalypse, follow foot-steps of St.Paul, Antioch, Nicea, Ephesus, Cappadocia etc.), hiking, rafting, hunting, bare-boat renting, private boat cruises, rent-a-car, hotel reservations, private translaters, private guiding services, rent-a-plane etc.

PLEASE NOTE that I give  guiding services and work as a professional official tour guide, all other services like hotel bookings, rent-a-car, rent-a-boat etc. will be provided by an official local travel agency in Turkey upon your request. Please call for prices, quotes and other information on travelling in Turkey easily.