You’ll start your tour by making your way to the old part of Istanbul via Galata Bridge on Golden Horn. First stop will be the Spice Bazaar where you will see and smell the exotic products of mystical Istanbul.
You will have free time to explore the bazaar before continuing on to the local port to take the boat for an unforgettable cruise along the Bosphorus. Cruise along the shoreline of this narrow waterway, which joins the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara. You’ll see picturesque villas and villages, admire the shoreline of beautiful mosques, lavish palaces and decadent villas. At the narrowest point, you’ll come across the Rumeli Hisar Fortress.
This fortress was constructed in 1452, the year before the Fall of Constantinople and is a fine example of Ottoman military architecture. 19th century palaces are dotted along both banks, and as you cruise along, you’ll have views of the Dolmabahçe Palace, the Beylerbeyi Palace and the few remaining towers of the Anadolu Hisar. Passing beneath the great Bosphorus Bridge, one of the world’s largest suspension bridges, you are rewarded with the sight of curving domes and rising minarets, wrapped in a hazy veil.
On the way back, you will visit the authentic Jewelry Center where you can find the latest works of jewelry art. The Jewelry Center as “Zindan Han” is a historical artifact with 350 years of history and has been designed into 4 floors including a basement as the jewel hall and a terrace floor with wonderful views of the major historical sites.
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