Free Istanbul City Tour
Sometimes, the best things in travel are actually free. The best city tours are the ones that have you pondering the possibilities of a return visit even before the day’s done.
We had such an experience with Turkish Airlines’ fabulous introduction to the culturally rich city of Istanbul on a recent transit. The best part? It was completely free!
Passengers with connecting international flights on Turkish Airlines with a transit time between 6 – 24 hours have the opportunity to join a very generous free tour with Touristanbul that includes all bus transfers, admission fees, meals and the company of a gracious English-speaking host. It was too good an opportunity to pass up, so we went out of our way to schedule a stopover in Istanbul to take advantage of it.
Luckily, our schedule permitted us to select the longest and most comprehensive tour offered – a full day from 9 am to 6 pm, including breaks for breakfast and lunch. Add to the mix a delightfully open and friendly tour guide, the lovely Yakprak, and we were on our way to see the highlights of Istanbul on a professionally curated whirlwind city tour.
Longtime readers of this blog will recall that we normally eschew junket tours and prefer to piece together our custom itinerary. In this case, with a limited amount of time in Istanbul, this was by far the most efficient way to get a taste of the city and yet one more reason to book a connection on Turkish Airlines (in addition to the outstanding lounge – that’s fodder for another post).
For more details on how to book a free city tour with Turkish Airlines, click here.
Without further ado, here are some highlights from our Istanbul City Tour to inspire you to plan a visit of your own to this enchanting city.
Highlights:
- Blue Mosque
- Hagia Sophia
- Basilica Cistern
- Obelisk of Theodosius
- Spice Bazaar
- History of Science and Technology Museum
