For 1,600 years the capital of Byzantium and the Ottomans, the historic peninsula gathers some of the world's most impressive monuments within a few hundred metres. Your driver picks you up at your hotel and drops you in Sultanahmet; while you walk with your licensed guide from Hagia Sophia to Topkapı, the car waits nearby, and at the end of the day it collects you at the Grand Bazaar and takes you back.
The dome of Hagia Sophia, the tiles of the Blue Mosque, the treasures of Topkapı Palace, the Basilica Cistern and the Grand Bazaar: Istanbul's historic peninsula with a private car and a licensed guide, free of traffic and parking worries. Suggested duration 8 hours; pickup from hotels in Sultanahmet, Sirkeci, Taksim and the rest of the region. Prices start at €440 per vehicle, paid to the driver on the day.
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Around Sultanahmet Square, Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome, the Basilica Cistern and Topkapı Palace are all within walking distance, so much of the tour is on foot. The real value of the private car is the hotel pickup, the hop from Topkapı to the Grand Bazaar and Süleymaniye, and the ride home at the end of the day without hills and trams when you are tired.
In Istanbul, giving explanations in museums and mosques is the work of licensed tourist guides; the guide rule and fee are shown in the booking form. Your guide plans ticket queues and the order of visits around the crowds and brings the mosaics of Hagia Sophia and the treasures of Topkapı to life.
The programme lasts about eight hours. Pickup is from hotels in Taksim, Beşiktaş, Şişli, Sirkeci, Bakırköy and, on the Asian side, Kadıköy and Ataşehir. The price is per vehicle, not per person; the guide fee is added per day.
Stops are shown in a typical order; your driver waits at every stop.
Where chariot races were held in Byzantine times, a square now stretches. Here stand the Obelisk of Theodosius, brought from Egypt in AD 390, the Serpent Column from Delphi commemorating the victory at Plataea in 479 BC, and the German Fountain, a gift of Kaiser Wilhelm II. The day starts here.
Built for Sultan Ahmed I between 1609 and 1616 by the architect Sedefkâr Mehmed Ağa, the mosque is known worldwide as the Blue Mosque for the blue-toned İznik tiles covering its interior. It is famous for its six minarets. Entry is free; it closes to tourists during prayer times and women must cover their hair.
Commissioned by Emperor Justinian and completed in 537, it was the largest church in the world for almost a thousand years, and its dome is still a masterpiece of architectural history. It became a mosque after 1453, a museum in 1934 and a mosque again in 2020. Since 2024 foreign visitors enter through a separate entrance with a ticket and tour the upper galleries, from where most of the mosaics are seen.
Built in the 6th century to supply the Great Palace, the cistern has 336 marble columns rising out of the water in dim light. The Medusa heads used as the bases of two columns are its most famous corner, and it is a cool break in summer heat.
Begun by Sultan Mehmed II in the 1460s, the palace was the centre of the Ottoman sultans for about 400 years. You visit the courtyards, the Imperial Council, the Treasury with the Spoonmaker's Diamond and the Sacred Relics; the Harem has a separate ticket. The view of the Bosphorus and Golden Horn from the fourth courtyard is magnificent. It is closed on Tuesdays.
The heart of trade since the mid-15th century, the Grand Bazaar is one of the oldest covered markets in the world, with dozens of streets and thousands of shops. You have free time among carpet, ceramics, jewellery and spice shops. It is closed on Sundays, when we switch to the Spice Bazaar or the Süleymaniye Mosque.
Times are an example; your driver adapts the day to traffic, season and your wishes.
According to legend, Byzantium was founded in the 7th century BC by Byzas of Megara as a small harbour town on this peninsula at the mouth of the Bosphorus. In AD 330 Emperor Constantine made it the new capital of the Roman Empire; for a thousand years Constantinople was the heart of the Eastern Roman, or Byzantine, Empire. The Hippodrome, the cisterns and Hagia Sophia are its legacy.
On 29 May 1453 Sultan Mehmed II conquered the city, and Istanbul remained the Ottoman capital until 1923. Topkapı Palace was the centre of government, while the Blue Mosque and Sinan's Süleymaniye became symbols of the empire's power and art.
This layered history was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985 as the “Historic Areas of Istanbul”. Today a Byzantine cathedral, an Ottoman mosque and the traces of a Roman hippodrome face one another across the same square.
Prices are per vehicle and include fuel, motorway and bridge tolls, parking and the driver. Guide, meals and hotel are added as options.
| Duration | FirstClass Van (1–6) | Vip Sprinter (1–16) |
|---|---|---|
| 8 hours | €440 | €560 |
| 12 hours | €580 | €780 |
| 24 hours · 1 night | €720 | €820 |
| 36 hours · 1 night | €1060 | €1450 |
| 48 hours · 2 nights | €1560 | €1980 |
| Add-on | Price | How it is charged |
|---|---|---|
| Licensed guide required | €200 | Per day, whatever the group size |
| Lunch | €15 | Per person, for each lunch in the package |
| Dinner | €15 | Per person, for each dinner in the package |
| Hotel accommodation | €60 | Per person per night (sharing a double room) |
Example – 2 persons, 8 hours, FirstClass Van: Private vehicle & driver + Licensed guide + Lunch = €440 + €200 + €30 = €670
Can be added as options: Lunch, Dinner, Hotel accommodation.
Distances are approximate road kilometres to the main sight (one way). We also pick up from hotels and addresses not listed – just enter yours in the form.
| Area | Distance | Suggested package | Airport transfer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sultanahmet | ≈ 1 km | 8 hours | Sultanahmet transfer |
| Sirkeci | ≈ 2 km | 8 hours | Sirkeci transfer |
| Taksim | ≈ 5 km | 8 hours | Taksim transfer |
| Besiktas | ≈ 7 km | 8 hours | Besiktas transfer |
| Sisli | ≈ 9 km | 8 hours | Sisli transfer |
| Bakirkoy | ≈ 16 km | 8 hours | Bakirkoy transfer |
| Kadikoy | ≈ 12 km | 8 hours | Kadikoy transfer |
| Atasehir | ≈ 20 km | 8 hours | Atasehir transfer |
Ideal for first-time visitors to Istanbul, families and anyone who wants to see the whole historic peninsula in limited time. You walk about 4–5 km during the day; for guests with limited mobility we can shorten the distances between stops by car.
Our tours in Istanbul are accompanied by a licensed tourist guide; the guide fee is added to the price automatically. In Turkey, only licensed tourist guides may give explanations at museums and archaeological sites (Tourist Guiding Profession Law No. 6326).
No other passengers and no waiting for anyone – the car is yours all day.
The order and length of stops are flexible, with no compulsory shopping stops.
The price is fixed at booking and paid to the driver on the day.
Vixride is a TÜRSAB-licensed travel agency (licence 14798); vehicles and drivers are insured.
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In Turkey only licensed tourist guides may give explanations in museums and archaeological sites; your driver does not guide inside. Whether a guide is required in this region, and the fee, are shown in the booking form – if required, the fee is added automatically. A guide also manages queues and the order of visits.
Yes. Since 2024 foreign visitors use a separate entrance and go up to the galleries with a ticket; the main prayer hall is reserved for worship. The dome and mosaics are seen very well from the galleries. There are no visits during Friday prayers.
Your driver drops you in Sultanahmet and waits nearby; parking on the peninsula is very difficult, so the car is used between stops. It collects you for the hop to the Grand Bazaar or Süleymaniye and at the end of the day.
On Tuesdays Topkapı Palace is closed, so we replace it with the Süleymaniye and Rüstem Pasha mosques; on Sundays we visit the Spice Bazaar and Eminönü instead of the Grand Bazaar. It is still a full day.
Yes. We can link a pickup from Istanbul Airport or Sabiha Gökçen to the tour; your luggage stays safely in the car and you are dropped at your hotel at the end of the day. In this case we recommend the 12-hour package, depending on your flight time.
The tour price is per vehicle: the package costs the same whether one or six people travel in the van. Only lunch, dinner and hotel accommodation are charged per person. The guide fee is per day and does not depend on the group size.
Nothing is charged online at booking; you pay the driver on the day of the tour in cash (EUR, USD, GBP, TRY) or by card. Free cancellation and date changes; please let us know at least 24 hours in advance.
Istanbul
The crystal halls of Dolmabahçe Palace, the mosque under the bridge at Ortaköy, Rumeli Fortress and the Bebek shore, then across the bridge to Asia for Beylerbeyi, Kuzguncuk and Çamlıca Hill: both shores of the Bosphorus in one day, by private car.
Çanakkale (Gallipoli & Troy)
Anzac Cove, Chunuk Bair and the Çanakkale Martyrs' Memorial on day one; Homer's Troy and the award-winning Troy Museum on day two: the Dardanelles by private car with driver, with an overnight stay in Çanakkale.
