You will receive the full meeting point details and a map after you finalize your booking, in a confirmation email.
Do I have to book my Free Tour?
Yes, it's necessary to book your Free Tour in order to receive the full meeting point details via email on time. This helps ensure an enjoyable experience and good coordination between guides and tour guests. Booking is free, quick, and easy!
Can I contact my guide?
Yes, you will be able to message your guide with any questions that you might have after making a reservation, up until the start of the tour.
Can I make a booking for a larger group?
Maybe! In order to keep the group sizes manageable, each guide sets their own limit of guests per booking and departure. Choose the Free Tour you want to book, select the number of people in your group, and see if there are any departures available that suit your needs.
Are Free Tours really Free?
Yes, with Free Tours, there's no set price; instead, the guides rely on the tips of participants to sustain their livelihoods. By contributing a fair amount that reflects the value you receive from the tour, you not only support the guides but also express your appreciation for their expertise and dedication.
[{"title":"Hippodrome","wiki_title":"Hippodrome of Constantinople","description":"Hippodrome as a term is sometimes used for public entertainment venues of various types including theatres after the Hippodrome which opened in London in 1900 \"combining circus, hippodrome, and stage performances\".","wiki_description":"The Hippodrome of Constantinople, was a circus that was the sporting and social centre of Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire. Today it is a square in Istanbul, Turkey, known as Sultanahmet Square.","day_image":"61de1590-f9f2-4a10-4982-b45c27b9b800","address":"","latitude":41.00638889,"longitude":28.97583333,"wiki_latitude":41.00638889,"wiki_longitude":28.97583333,"place_id":"002a544bd9d576fb7ad4a3c9007dcdf6","order":0,"tour_ids":"4914","order_tours":{"4914":0},"colors":["#646464"],"posts_title":[{"title":"Essential Free Tour Istanbul","id":4914}]},{"title":"Topkapi Palace Exterior","wiki_title":"Topkap\u0131 Palace","description":null,"wiki_description":"The Topkap\u0131 Palace, or the Seraglio, is a large museum and library in the east of the Fatih district of Istanbul in Turkey. From the 1460s to the completion of Dolmabah\u00e7e Palace in 1856, it served as the administrative center of the Ottoman Empire, and was the main residence of its sultans.","day_image":"34517a08-4dc9-43fd-8002-1be9e4698700","address":"","latitude":41.013,"longitude":28.984,"wiki_latitude":41.013,"wiki_longitude":28.984,"place_id":"0adf6748b8701e42e4f352ae35c584d4","order":0,"tour_ids":"4914","order_tours":{"4914":0},"colors":["#646464"],"posts_title":[{"title":"Essential Free Tour Istanbul","id":4914}]},{"title":"Haseki Hurrem Bath","wiki_title":"Hagia Sophia Hurrem Sultan Bathhouse","description":null,"wiki_description":"The Hagia Sophia Hurrem Sultan Bathhouse is a sixteenth-century Turkish bath (hamam) in Istanbul, Turkey. It was commissioned by Hurrem Sultan, consort and wife of the Ottoman sultan S\u00fcleyman the Magnificent. It was designed by Mimar Sinan on the site of the historical Baths of Zeuxippus for the religious community of the nearby Hagia Sophia.","day_image":"8735c8b4-25ed-4e40-f3ef-3228e8da0700","address":"","latitude":41.00732,"longitude":28.97928,"wiki_latitude":41.00732,"wiki_longitude":28.97928,"place_id":"22a1303479f5483dac91dcf253e9c377","order":0,"tour_ids":"4914","order_tours":{"4914":0},"colors":["#646464"],"posts_title":[{"title":"Essential Free Tour Istanbul","id":4914}]},{"title":"Hagia Irene Church","wiki_title":"Hagia Irene","description":null,"wiki_description":"Hagia Irene or Hagia Eirene, sometimes known also as Saint Irene, is an Eastern Orthodox church located in the outer courtyard of Topkap\u0131 Palace in Istanbul. It is the oldest known church in the city and the only Byzantine church in Istanbul that was never converted into a mosque, as it was used as an arsenal for storing weapons until the 19th century. The Hagia Irene today operates as a museum and concert hall.","day_image":"ea46b68e-4730-42f5-a924-fd0be9e12800","address":"","latitude":41.00972222,"longitude":28.98111111,"wiki_latitude":41.00972222,"wiki_longitude":28.98111111,"place_id":"42c31107b10cee07a8d9c5315c4ef7f0","order":0,"tour_ids":"4914","order_tours":{"4914":0},"colors":["#646464"],"posts_title":[{"title":"Essential Free Tour Istanbul","id":4914}]},{"title":"Soguk Cesme Street","wiki_title":"So\u011fuk\u00e7e\u015fme Soka\u011f\u0131","description":null,"wiki_description":"So\u011fuk\u00e7e\u015fme Soka\u011f\u0131 is a small street with historic houses in the Sultanahmet neighborhood of Istanbul, Turkey, sandwiched in-between the Hagia Sophia and Topkap\u0131 Palace. The car-free zone street is named after the fountain situated at its end towards G\u00fclhane Park.","day_image":"d27103e0-fbff-4a38-64dd-7b8957dc7700","address":"","latitude":41.0093,"longitude":28.9802,"wiki_latitude":41.0093,"wiki_longitude":28.9802,"place_id":"4e8fd24c23251a5d1a6554771d704989","order":0,"tour_ids":"4914","order_tours":{"4914":0},"colors":["#646464"],"posts_title":[{"title":"Essential Free Tour Istanbul","id":4914}]},{"title":"Obelisk of Theodosius","wiki_title":"Obelisk of Theodosius","description":"The Obelisk of Theodosius is the Ancient Egyptian obelisk of Pharaoh Thutmose III re-erected in the Hippodrome of Constantinople by the Roman emperor Theodosius I in the 4th century AD.","wiki_description":"The Obelisk of Theodosius is the Ancient Egyptian obelisk of Pharaoh Thutmose III re-erected in the Hippodrome of Constantinople by the Roman emperor Theodosius I in the 4th century AD.","day_image":"0e05fe88-a06d-48c4-77b7-f472c9881e00","address":"Sultanahmet Meydan\u0131, Fatih","latitude":41.0059,"longitude":28.97539722,"wiki_latitude":41.0059,"wiki_longitude":28.97539722,"place_id":"58519dcb1e7c63253d3a37e6b3f11bba","order":0,"tour_ids":"4914","order_tours":{"4914":0},"colors":["#646464"],"posts_title":[{"title":"Essential Free Tour Istanbul","id":4914}]},{"title":"German Fountain","wiki_title":"German Fountain","description":"The German Fountain is a gazebo styled fountain in the northern end of old hippodrome, Istanbul, Turkey and across from the Mausoleum of Sultan Ahmed I. It was constructed to commemorate the second anniversary of German Emperor Wilhelm II's visit to Istanbul in 1898. It was built in Germany, then transported piece by piece and assembled in its current site in 1900. The neo-Byzantine style fountain's octagonal dome has eight marble columns, and dome's interior is covered with golden mosaics.","wiki_description":"The German Fountain is a gazebo styled fountain in the northern end of old hippodrome, Istanbul, Turkey and across from the Mausoleum of Sultan Ahmed I. It was constructed to commemorate the second anniversary of German Emperor Wilhelm II's visit to Istanbul in 1898. It was built in Germany, then transported piece by piece and assembled in its current site in 1900. The neo-Byzantine style fountain's octagonal dome has eight marble columns, and dome's interior is covered with golden mosaics.","day_image":"973c3732-fb37-47a5-df07-aa5b48842b00","address":"Dikilita\u015f An\u0131tlar\u0131 4, Emin\u00f6n\u00fc, Binbirdirek, Fatih","latitude":41.0071,"longitude":28.9767,"wiki_latitude":41.0071,"wiki_longitude":28.9767,"place_id":"64d91c73d3dc20c2ccc28430af125d2c","order":0,"tour_ids":"4914","order_tours":{"4914":0},"colors":["#646464"],"posts_title":[{"title":"Essential Free Tour Istanbul","id":4914}]},{"title":"Fountain Sultan Ahmed III","wiki_title":"Fountain of Ahmed III","description":null,"wiki_description":"The Fountain of Sultan Ahmed III is a fountain in a Turkish rococo structure in the great square in front of the Imperial Gate of Topkap\u0131 Palace in Istanbul, Turkey. It was built under Ottoman sultan Ahmed III in 1728, in the style of the Tulip period. It was a social centre and gathering place during the Ottoman period of Constantinople.","day_image":"989a3a2a-372b-466d-1992-9dba8037f300","address":"","latitude":41.00825278,"longitude":28.98121111,"wiki_latitude":41.00825278,"wiki_longitude":28.98121111,"place_id":"825430d37a11cc83db1452cb033ac40a","order":0,"tour_ids":"4914","order_tours":{"4914":0},"colors":["#646464"],"posts_title":[{"title":"Essential Free Tour Istanbul","id":4914}]},{"title":"Blue Mosque","wiki_title":"Blue Mosque, Istanbul","description":"Blue Mosque may refer to:","wiki_description":"The Blue Mosque in Istanbul, also known by its official name, the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, is an Ottoman-era historical imperial mosque located in Istanbul, Turkey. It was constructed between 1609 and 1617 during the rule of Ahmed I and remains a functioning mosque today. It also attracts a large number of tourists and is one of the most iconic and popular monuments of Ottoman architecture.","day_image":"475d0f56-abad-4c2f-f921-5224c09ba800","address":"","latitude":41.0053851,"longitude":28.9768247,"wiki_latitude":41.0053851,"wiki_longitude":28.9768247,"place_id":"c7c0050ac54e3c15256b282273969d1a","order":0,"tour_ids":"4914","order_tours":{"4914":0},"colors":["#646464"],"posts_title":[{"title":"Essential Free Tour Istanbul","id":4914}]},{"title":"Hagia Sophia Museum","wiki_title":"Hagia Sophia","description":null,"wiki_description":"Hagia Sophia, officially the Hagia Sophia Mosque, is a mosque and a major cultural and historical site in Istanbul, Turkey. The last of three church buildings to be successively erected on the site by the Eastern Roman Empire, it was completed in 537 AD. It was an Eastern Orthodox church until the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453, then a mosque until 1935, then a museum and then from 2020 a mosque again, as well as being a Catholic cathedral for some decades after the Fourth Crusade of 1204.","day_image":"346f2335-47c4-47f3-91fc-324d1b365f00","address":"","latitude":41.00833333,"longitude":28.98,"wiki_latitude":41.00833333,"wiki_longitude":28.98,"place_id":"ecc621a3e91bc8ea994305cb4952ad1b","order":0,"tour_ids":"4914","order_tours":{"4914":0},"colors":["#646464"],"posts_title":[{"title":"Essential Free Tour Istanbul","id":4914}]},{"title":"Arasta Bazaar","wiki_title":"","description":null,"wiki_description":"","day_image":"5de5abbc-cba2-4000-1e78-6b9c9dcca500","address":"","latitude":null,"longitude":null,"wiki_latitude":null,"wiki_longitude":null,"place_id":"faff68c83949d8f8a5fd95dd3a7ca4c6","order":0,"tour_ids":"4914","order_tours":{"4914":0},"colors":["#646464"],"posts_title":[{"title":"Essential Free Tour Istanbul","id":4914}]},{"title":"Basilica Cistern","wiki_title":"Basilica Cistern","description":"The Basilica Cistern, or Cisterna Basilica, is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city of Istanbul, Turkey. The cistern, located 150 metres (490\u00a0ft) southwest of the Hagia Sophia on the historical peninsula of Sarayburnu, was built in the 6th century during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I. Today it is kept with little water, for public access inside the space.","wiki_description":"The Basilica Cistern, or Cisterna Basilica, is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city of Istanbul, Turkey. The cistern, located 150 metres (490\u00a0ft) southwest of the Hagia Sophia on the historical peninsula of Sarayburnu, was built in the 6th century during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I. Today it is kept with little water, for public access inside the space.","day_image":"adccb1cb-d7e6-48b5-e03c-1374fae17300","address":"Yere Batan Cad No:13, 34110 Fatih","latitude":41.00805556,"longitude":28.97777778,"wiki_latitude":41.00805556,"wiki_longitude":28.97777778,"place_id":"a1f5cd47976aeea43cb8f6830204b6e9","order":0,"tour_ids":"4914","order_tours":{"4914":0},"colors":["#646464"],"posts_title":[{"title":"Essential Free Tour Istanbul","id":4914}]}]
Latest reviews
Essential Free Tour Istanbul
29/09/23
Moshe
Essential Free Tour Istanbul
26/08/23
Thanks
Olha
Essential Free Tour Istanbul
06/08/23
Lindsey
Essential Free Tour Istanbul
03/08/23
Maysa
Essential Free Tour Istanbul
25/07/23
Ryan
Essential Free Tour Istanbul
20/07/23
Brilliant free tour, Burak was so knowledgeable! Would highly highly recommend
Helena
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Highlights of your trip!
Best Free Tours in Istanbul
Turkey is worldwide known for its perfect mix of western and oriental cultures. And there is no place in Turkey that demonstrates this harmonious lifestyle better than its capital – Istanbul. Taking several Free Walking Tours in Istanbul, listening to your guides, you will learn that this place used to be the end point of the famous Silk Road. An Essential Free Tour in Istanbul will walk you through the top highlights of the Old Town with a reliable guide, so you can learn about Roman and Ottoman history, culture and traditions. In a Taksim Free Tour, you will explore the most modern and cosmopolitan part of the city. Then, you can join a Grand Bazaar and Suleymaniye Free Tour to explore wonderful architecture and the heart of the commercial life of Istanbul. For a deep dive into Turkish multicultural society, book a Free Tour of Karakoy and Galata Quarters, inhabited by predominantly Christians and Jews.
Highlights of a Free Tour in Istanbul
Istanbul is not only one of the biggest cities in both Europe and Asia but also in the world. It is also Turkey’s cultural, financial and tourist hub. Visiting Istanbul, you will definitely not run out of things to do and places to see. Thanks to its rich history and unique culture, this multicultural metropolis welcomes millions of tourists every year. On an Istanbul City Tour, the must-see spots include the Hippodrome, the Walled Obelisk, the Obelisk of Theodosius and the charming traditional houses lined in Souk Cesme Street. High-quality Istanbul Free Walking Tours will take you to see the three top attractions: the exterior of the massive Topkapi Palace, the beautiful Blue Mosque and the multicultural Hagia Sophia. After visiting these wonders, we highly recommend spending more time around the neighborhoods of Karakoy and Galata. These areas represent the western face of the city, and were inhabited by predominantly Christians and Jews.
Things to Do in Istanbul
Apart from history, culture, art, architecture, and food, Istanbul brings the charm of the Turkish old tales together with a modern impressive skyline downtown. Whether you are looking for ancient architecture or modern skyscrapers, you can find them all in the city of Istanbul! First, your visit to Istanbul wouldn’t be complete without indulging in some retail therapy. The must-go Grand Bazaar is one of the largest covered markets in the world, and the perfect place to buy mouth-watering baklava, exotic perfumes, traditional decorations, and much more. Second, Turkey’s culinary tradition is worldwide famous, so join a Free Food Tour or a Cooking Class to master the secrets of mouth-watering dishes. By night, take a cruise to sail through the Bosporus and enjoy the perfect sunset with a romantic dinner. If you have more time, after visiting the Galata bridge & Galata tower, head to the comprehensive Istanbul Archeological Museum.