Exotic Istanbul Tour - Chora Church, Imperial Mosques, Bazaars, Fener and Balat

The Exotic Istanbul tour starts in Sultanhamet. You’ll go deep underground to the Basilica Cistern before heading up Divan Yolu. We pass through Cemberlitas, Beyazid square and the mosque of the same name, and Istanbul University.

Our path takes us to the stately Suleymaniye mosque, built between 1550 and 1557 AD. Suleymaniye the Magnificent ordered its construction and it’s an impressive legacy.

Back down the hill immerse yourself in the everyday hustle and bustle of the Eminonu. Keep an eye out for a bargain in the Grand Bazaar and Spice Market.

From the shores of the Golden Horn it’s just a short taxi ride to Asitane Restaurant for lunch. Their specially curated tasting courses allow you to experience what it was like to dine with the sultans. Each item on the menu has been painstaking recreated from authentic Ottoman documents of the time.

The Chora Church, also known as the Kariye Museum, is just next door. There has been a church on this site since the 4th century AD. Much altered over the centuries, it’s one of the most beautiful and unique Greek Orthodox Byzantine structures in the city. The superb interior mosaics were completed in the 13th century and depict scenes from the Old Testament.

On the Chora Church tour we wind our way through the narrow streets of Fener and Balat. Our guide will take you to St George’s Cathedral. As the Patriarchate of the Eastern Orthodox Church it contains some of the most significant relics the church owns. Local Turkish born Greeks, known as Rum, still worship here.