Istanbul Two Continents Half-Day Tour

Istanbul, Turkey

From the opulent palaces of Istanbul's European shore to magnificent views from the city's Asian side, this leisurely four-hour afternoon tour shows you the best of magical Istanbul.

Your tour of Istanbul starts with a visit to either Dolmabahce Palace or Beylerbeyi Palace. Dolmabahce Palace was the last residence of the Ottoman sultans, and is famous for its impressive collection of European antiques, furniture and a massive chandelier given to the sultan by Queen Victoria. The enormous palace has 365 rooms, one for every day of the year, and 22 saloons.

Beylerbeyi Palace was constructed in 1861–65 by Sarkis Balyan, a famous Armenian architect. Beylerbeyi is the largest and most elegant Ottoman palace, located right by the Bosphorus Bridge and the waterfront.

After touring the palace, you will then cross the Bosphorus Bridge for a unique chance to travel from one continent (Europe) to another (Asia) in only two minutes!

Once on the Asian side, you'll enjoy magnificent views of Istanbul from Camlica Hill, the highest point in the city. The picture-postcard panorama of Istanbul is spread before you from a viewpoint of beautiful gardens landscaped in the traditional Ottoman style.

USD $48.75

Traveler Reviews

Review by: Ann L	March 2012
good overview

Review by: Brian O	March 2012
This was a good trip efficiently organised. The guide was pleasant and very knowledgeable. My only criticism was that so much infomation was given on the coach that one could not take it all in. Perhaps it would be better if the details of not every building were given.

Review by: LOBNA I	November 2011
it was good informative tour guides was v.good

Review by: Loren G	November 2011
Very good tour. The guide spoke very good english and was clearly understood. The pace of the tour was fine.

Review by: Henry B	September 2011
HARD TO UNERSTAND GUIDE WITH BIG GROUP. OTHER TOUR GROUPS HAD EAR PIECES AND THE GUIDE TALKED IN HIS MIKE. THIS SYSTEM WORKS GREAT BUT WE DIDN'T HAVE IT.

Review by: Monica G	June 2011
good

Review by: Didzis B	May 2011
Only dissatisfaction was choosen object (Beylerbeyi Palace). It would be better if we visit Dolmabahce Palace instead of Beylerbeyi Palace. _br/_ I purchased tour to day when Dolmabahce Palace is open but still other object was choosen.

Review by: Patricia G	May 2011
We were picked up at our hotel, then drove 45 minutes to the departure point. We then proceded to drive PAST our hotel before beginning our tour. Would have saved us a lot of bus time if we were picked up on the way to the tour. The tour did not last as long as stated in the description. We did enjoy what we saw though. Istanbul is a fascinating city with so much to see!

Review by: Wang O	May 2011
tour guide was not very knowlegble.It was very fast too.

Review by: G R	April 2011
This is a bit of a rip off. We only go up a hill and then to a summer palace Not worth th cosst. The guide did rcommend a good restaurant, Hamdi to go to afterwards..

Review by: Keith D	April 2011
What we saw was nice. A view from the highest point in Instanbul and the sultan summer palace. However, this was not worth the nearly $50 a person that we paid.

Review by: Jusna B	February 2011
This tour needs to be taken during the summer period to enjoy one self.

Review by: Dharmilla T	January 2011
This tour was undertaken with ITS through Neon Tours. The local guide was very good._br/_ This was a beautiful tour, however, quite short!!!

Review by: Rana M	October 2010
I wish we had knows in advance which palaces were toured on which days. We thought we were going to dolomache palace, but were disheartened when we realized that we were visiting Beylerbeyi palace instead. In the future, I would suggest confirming which palace is scheduled for the day you are planning if your heart is set on one over the other.

Review by: Antony Martin Prakash L	September 2010
Impressed with the timely pick up but the tour did not cover all parts of the plan. Excellent tour guide - informative and enteraining

Review by: Anonymous, Australia	June 2010
This is really a tour of the Asian side of Istanbul - fighting a lot of traffic, normal for Istanbul - to visit a lookout on the Asian side and then to visit the Beylerbeyi Palace on the shores of the Bosphorus. The tour was a lot shorter than 4 hours - but still worthwhile.

Review by: WILLIAM D W, United States of America	May 2010
The guides were very knowledgeable- the beginning of the trip was little unorganized-but it finished great

Review by: christine h, United Kingdom	October 2009
An excellent tour lots of history and current information. Tour guide knowledgeable with good English. Summer palace tour was breathtaking. Only drawback was traffic but this could be because IMF summit was on that day

Review by: Christine H	October 2009
An excellent tour lots of history and current information. Tour guide knowledgeable with good English. Summer palace tour was breathtaking. Only drawback was traffic but this could be because IMF summit was on that day

Review by: Sachiko I, Japan	September 2009
Before going tour, it's better to show or tell by e-mail which Palace we go to.

Review by: Anonymous, United Kingdom	September 2009
Beautiful sight and the palace. Again the guide knew what he was talking about.

Review by: Raeburn E, United States of America	September 2009
Guide was fair, most interested in keeping the group moving. We were placed with a larger group which was the second half of their all day tour. The Palace was most interesting. Information by guide limited benefit.

Review by: Lemiel P, United States of America	August 2009
Truly beautiful scenery!

Review by: John O, United States of America	August 2009
Good to see the inside of one of the ornate palaces.

Review by: Jane R, United States of America	July 2009
The original tour operator did not do the tour; they assigned it to another group, and the tour was not the same one advertised through Viator. The van picked us up at our hotel and then we went to a meeting place and waited while other vans arrived with all of the other tourists. We ended up doing the boat ride on the Bosphorous and the spice market combination. The scenery along the boat tour was gorgeous, guide was not too easy to understand. Spice market was much nicer than the Grand Bazaar. It seemed like we spent more time riding in vans, buses and more vans than was necessary.

Review by: Steve R	July 2009
The original tour operator did not do the tour; they assigned it to another group, and the tour was not the same one advertised through Viator. The van picked us up at our hotel and then we went to a meeting place and waited while other vans arrived with all of the other tourists. We ended up doing the boat ride on the Bosphorous and the spice market combination. The scenery along the boat tour was gorgeous, guide was not too easy to understand. Spice market was much nicer than the Grand Bazaar. It seemed like we spent more time riding in vans, buses and more vans than was necessary.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	January 2009
The tour guide's knowledge, passion and enthusiasm made this tour worthwhile.

Review by: Marina G, United States of America	April 2008
The actual tour from the time we boarded the tour bus was only two hours, not 4 hours. Even though the Dolmabahce Palace was open, the tour went to Beylerbeyi Palace. Beylerbeyi Palace is also very beautiful, but we really hoped to see the Dolmabahce Palace. The views are very nice and the palace is worth visiting.

Review by: Kevin M, United States of America	December 2007
It was a great tour! The views on a clear day are magnificent from the highest point of Istanbul. If you are up there when the call to prayer is going on, you can hear the echoes throughout the valley of the chants. The guide gives a thorough tour of the palace and the harem to show public and private life.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	December 2007
Guide did her job, nothing more, nothing less. Nice tour of the palace. A good two hours are wasted driving to the top of the hill for a picture postcard view. Nice but not worth the time if yours is limited. Guide could have offered much more help when difficulties arose contacting Viator for schedule change.

Review by: Anonymous, Qatar	November 2006
Fantastic. The Sultan's summer palace was amazing. If you are interested in the Ottoman period, don't miss this tour.