City break
Istanbul in four nights, with a free day and the Asian shore as an option
The city’s two classic sightseeing days, a free day with the Asian shore as an optional excursion, and private airport transfers.
Scheduled departure The services on this programme — vehicle, guide and visits — are shared with the other passengers on the same departure.
Key facts
- Duration 5 days / 4 nights
- Route Istanbul 1 destination
- Quotation Quotation within 24 business hours (72 business hours for groups and MICE)
- Recommended months April, May, September, October
- Departure type Scheduled departure
Overview
“Istanbul II” adds to the short programme what agencies selling Istanbul ask for most: a whole day with nothing scheduled. It is four nights of hotel accommodation with breakfast and two full sightseeing days on shared services — the historic peninsula on the first, the Bosphorus and Galata on the second — plus a fourth day that is free, to be spent however your client wishes or used for the optional excursion to the Asian shore, taking in Çamlıca Hill, Beylerbeyi Palace, Kuzguncuk, Üsküdar and Kadıköy. Arrival and departure transfers are private; the visits are shared with the other passengers on that departure. This is the catalogue’s scheduled formula: the programme runs continuously and can start on any day of the year, with no dependence on a group date. On a first visit, a free day in the middle changes the trip: it leaves room for a hamam, for going back to a district, or simply for not stringing two museum days together.
Route: Istanbul
- Physical level: Moderate
- Languages of the guided visits: Spanish, English
Highlights
- A whole free day in the middle of the programme, which is what turns four nights into a stay rather than a race.
- Two complete classic days: Sultanahmet on foot on the first and the Bosphorus with Galata on the second.
- The Asian shore available as a full-day optional excursion: Çamlıca, Beylerbeyi, Kuzguncuk, Üsküdar and Kadıköy.
- Topkapi Palace and Basilica Cistern entrance fees included and pre-booked.
- Private airport transfers, even though the visits are operated on shared services.
What is included and what is not
Included
- 4 nights’ accommodation in Istanbul in a 4* hotel as listed, or similar, with breakfast.
- City accommodation tax.
- Private arrival and departure transfers between the airport and the hotel.
- The visits listed in the itinerary with a licensed guide.
- Entrance fees listed in the itinerary: Topkapi Palace and the Basilica Cistern.
- Air-conditioned transport with wifi on board during the visits.
- Bottled water each day.
Not included
- Lunches and dinners: the programme runs on hotel breakfast only.
- The optional excursion to the Asian shore on day four, quoted on request.
- Entrance to Hagia Sophia: on this programme the monument is explained from outside.
- Going up the Galata Tower.
- Other optional excursions, also on request: old and modern Europe, a private yacht cruise on the Bosphorus and a Turkish Night in Istanbul with dinner on the Bosphorus.
- International flights (home country – Istanbul – home country).
- All drinks.
- Personal expenses (minibar, laundry, telephone, etc.).
- Tips for the guide, the driver and hotel and restaurant staff.
- Travel insurance, which we recommend with cancellation cover.
- Visa or electronic entry authorisation for Türkiye, depending on nationality.
Day by day itinerary
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Day 1
Arrival in Istanbul
Meet-and-greet at the airport — Istanbul Airport (IST), to the north on the European side, or Sabiha Gökçen (SAW), in Pendik on the Asian side — and a private transfer to the hotel. The driver waits in the arrivals hall with the passenger’s name; there is no shared vehicle and no waiting for seats to fill.
One thing is worth flagging at booking: the two airports are on different shores and a fair way from the centre, so the transfer is calculated around the flight time and the journey depends on traffic rather than distance. From IST to Taksim, by public transport, a realistic figure is sixty to seventy-five minutes with a change; the private transfer saves doing that with suitcases.
The rest of the day is free, with nothing scheduled, so the afternoon can be used to get oriented: a walk around the hotel’s district, a first tea, and finding the nearest tram or metro stop, which is what actually helps over the following days.
If the flight lands in the small hours, booking the previous night or an early check-in is advisable; we arrange both and they are quoted with the programme.Notes for the day: Any change of flight or terminal must be notified in advance so the pick-up can be rearranged.
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Day 2
Classic Istanbul: Sultanahmet on foot
The first full day, around eight hours, with a licensed guide and on shared services. The whole route stays inside Sultanahmet, so it is walked, with no long drives.
The order of the day: the Roman Hippodrome, with the Egyptian obelisk, the serpentine column and the German Fountain, to place Byzantine Constantinople before entering the monuments; the Blue Mosque, with its tiles and six minarets, whose interior is visited if it is open to visitors at that moment; Hagia Sophia, which on this programme is explained from outside and without a ticket; Topkapi Palace, with the entrance included, where you walk the courtyards, the pavilions and the terrace above the Bosphorus; and, after lunch, the Basilica Cistern, also with the entrance included.
The day ends at the Grand Bazaar, which is not only a shopping stop: it is where you see how Ottoman trade was organised by guilds, street by street. There is free time inside.
Lunch is not included; a break is made at a local restaurant recommended by the guide. The day finishes in the middle of the afternoon in Sultanahmet, with the hotel a short tram or vehicle ride away depending on where it is.Notes for the day: A walking day on cobbled streets with some slopes. Working mosques close to visitors during prayer times; when a visit coincides, it is explained from outside and the morning is reordered.
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Day 3
Süleymaniye, the Bosphorus and the bazaars
A second full day, again about eight hours and on shared services, with a change of scale from the day before: here the city is seen from the water and from above.
It begins at the Süleymaniye Mosque, by Mimar Sinan, and on the terrace of its complex, which opens a long view over the Golden Horn, the Galata Bridge and the entrance to the Bosphorus; it is the best place to explain in one go how the city sits across its two shores.
Then the Bosphorus cruise on a shared scheduled boat, past palaces, fortresses, neighbourhood mosques and the wooden mansions that still stand on both shores. The vessel and the route depend on the day’s operation and on the weather, and in rough seas the service can be suspended: it is the only part of the programme the weather can change.
In the afternoon, the Galata Tower area, with time for photographs — going up the tower is not included — İstiklal Avenue and its arcades, and the walk across the Galata Bridge among anglers and trams. The day closes at the Spice Market, with a guided visit inside.
Lunch at your own expense in the middle of the day. It finishes in the middle of the afternoon in the Galata area or at a nearby public transport point.Optional activities
- Turkish Night in Istanbul with dinner aboard a Bosphorus cruise
Notes for the day: The cruise operates on a shared scheduled boat; the route or the vessel may change because of weather. Lunch is not included.
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Day 4
Free day, or Asian Istanbul (optional excursion)
A day with nothing scheduled. With two sightseeing days behind them, your client already knows how to get around, so this is the day that pays off best: back to the bazaar without hurrying, a hamam, a museum that did not fit, or simply a long breakfast and a walk around the district.
Anyone who prefers a structured day can book the optional excursion to the Asian shore, which is the side of Istanbul almost nobody sees on a first visit. It is a full day with a licensed guide: up Çamlıca Hill, the city’s highest viewpoint, with the Bosphorus and the bridges below; Beylerbeyi Palace, the summer residence on the edge of the strait; a walk through Kuzguncuk, a district of colourful houses where the mosque, the church and the synagogue stand within a few metres of one another; on through Üsküdar, with its waterfront facing the Maiden’s Tower; and a finish in Kadıköy, the young district of the Asian shore, with its food market and fish bazaar.
This excursion is not included in the programme price. The amount and the detail of what it covers — transport, ferry and entrance fees — are confirmed in the quotation, along with hotel pick-up if the hotel is on the European side.
Meals: breakfast.Optional activities
- Asian Istanbul: Çamlıca, Beylerbeyi, Kuzguncuk, Üsküdar and Kadıköy, a full day with a licensed guide
- Traditional Turkish bath (hamam)
Notes for the day: The Asian-shore excursion combines vehicle, ferry and walking sections. Booking it with the programme is advisable: arranged locally, it depends on that day’s availability.
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Day 5
Departure
Breakfast at the hotel and free time until the transfer, which is set around the flight time. At the agreed hour, a private transfer to the relevant airport — IST or SAW — and the end of our services.
Two warnings that save last-minute calls. One: with Istanbul traffic, the final day’s pick-up is usually a good deal earlier than the passenger reckons, especially if the flight leaves from the airport on the other shore; say so at booking rather than the night before. Two: if the flight is at night, late check-out or one more night can be requested, which we arrange and quote separately.
This programme is also designed to work as the opening or closing leg of a longer tour. If your client wants to continue to Cappadocia, the Aegean or the coast, tell us the cities and the dates and we will prepare the quotation for the whole trip.
Expected hotels
| City | Nights | Category | Hotel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Istanbul | 4 | 4* | Nippon Hotel Taksim · Elite World Hotel Taksim · Taksim Gönen Hotel · Ramada by Wyndham Hotel Taksim · Point Hotel · Ramada Grand Bazaar Laleli · Byzantium Hotel · 10 Karaköyor similar |
Hotels as listed or similar; the final confirmation is given in the quotation.
How the rate is calculated
Rate tailored to the season, the hotel category and the number of travellers. Request a quotation.
Departures
Scheduled departure
The services on this programme — vehicle, guide and visits — are shared with the other passengers on the same departure.
The exact dates of each departure are confirmed in the quotation, together with hotel and domestic-flight availability.
Operational notes
- The order of the visits may change according to opening hours, traffic and the day’s operation. The content of the programme and the level of the contracted services stay the same.
- Mosques require shoes to be removed and shoulders and knees covered; women are required to cover their hair. Bringing your own scarf is advisable, although the busiest mosques usually lend one at the entrance.
- Working mosques close to visitors during the five daily prayers and, in particular, around the Friday midday prayer. When a visit coincides, the commentary is given outside or the day is reordered.
- Museums and palaces may have a weekly closing day and different summer and winter opening hours. The final itinerary is adjusted to the opening calendar in force on the travel dates.
- During the religious holidays (Ramazan Bayramı and Kurban Bayramı, whose dates move with the lunar calendar) museum and shop hours change and the monuments get busier.
- Our local team in Istanbul looks after the passengers throughout their stay, with an emergency line operating 24 hours a day.
- Passports must be valid for at least six months beyond the return date. The electronic visa, where nationality requires one, is applied for at evisa.gov.tr. Checking entry requirements and carrying valid documents is the traveller’s responsibility.
- Much of the programme is covered on foot, on cobbled streets and slopes in Sultanahmet, Galata and along the Bosphorus shores. Moderate walking level; comfortable shoes are recommended.
- On scheduled programmes the itineraries may be adjusted according to local operating conditions. In Istanbul, some legs are covered by public transport or on foot depending on traffic, which is often the fastest way to move around the historic peninsula.
- On scheduled tours passengers must keep strictly to the stated times: the vehicle and the guide serve the whole group on that departure and cannot wait indefinitely.
- Seats in the vehicle are not numbered and daily rotation is recommended. In high season, some legs may be shared with other groups working in the same language.
- The Bosphorus cruise operates on a shared scheduled boat. The route or the vessel may change because of weather and, exceptionally, the service can be suspended in rough seas.
Best time to travel
Recommended months: April, May, September, October
Istanbul can be visited all year round. April and May, and September and October, are the ideal months: mild temperatures, which suit a programme covered largely on foot. July and August are hot and humid. From November to February, the low season, the monuments are free of queues, the days are shorter and the weather is cold and wet; the Bosphorus cruise still operates, with changes of route or vessel when the weather requires them.
Gallery
Frequently asked questions
How does it differ from “Essential Istanbul”, which also lasts five days?
In what sits inside the price. “Essential Istanbul” has the Asian-shore day included in the programme; this programme leaves the fourth day free and offers the Asian shore as a paid optional excursion. Lunch is not included in either. If your client wants a closed itinerary, the other one fits better; if they want a day of their own and to decide on the spot, this one.
What can be done on the free day?
Whatever your client likes: nothing is scheduled and the hotel stays booked, with breakfast. The two most frequently booked options are the full-day Asian-shore excursion with a licensed guide and a traditional Turkish bath. Both are quoted on request and are best booked with the programme.
Do we go inside Hagia Sophia?
Not on this programme: it is explained from outside and its entrance fee is not included. Hagia Sophia is now a working mosque, with a separate tourist route through the upper galleries for foreign visitors, which closes during prayer times. If your client wants to go in, mention it in the request and we add it to the quotation.
Which entrance fees are included?
Topkapi Palace and the Basilica Cistern, which are the ones the itinerary marks as included. The rest are exterior visits, panoramic stops or places with free access, such as the mosques. Going up the Galata Tower is not included.
What does it mean that the programme is scheduled?
It means the visits are operated on shared services: the vehicle, the licensed guide and the route are the same for every passenger on that departure. The programme runs continuously and can start on any day of the year; the exact date is confirmed in the quotation. The airport transfers are private.
How long does a quotation take?
We reply within 24 business hours for individual travel and private tours and within 72 business hours for groups, once dates, passenger numbers and hotel category are confirmed.
Is this the “Istanbul II” programme from the 2027 catalogue?
Yes. It corresponds to “Istanbul II”, 5 days and 4 nights, in our 2027 trade catalogue.
Can extra nights be added in Istanbul?
Yes. We arrange additional accommodation before or after the programme, as well as early check-in or late check-out on flight days. Mention it in the request and it goes into the quotation.
Booking conditions
- Deposit
- 30% of the total when the booking is confirmed. For bookings made 30 days or less before departure, the full amount at confirmation.
- Balance
- The remaining 70%, no later than 31 days before departure.
- Payment methods
- Bank transfer or credit card. Card payments carry a 3% surcharge; charges applied by the issuing bank are borne by the client.
- Cancellations
- More than 90 days before departure: handling fee only, plus penalties on services already issued · 89–61 days: 25% · 60–31 days: 50% · 30 days or less and no-show: 100%. Reductions in places follow the same scale. Refunds within 10–14 business days of written cancellation.
Credentials
- Legal name
- Colorido Tours Turkey Turizm Ticaret Ltd. Şti.
- TÜRSAB licence
- A-12116
- Office
- Istanbul
- Operating scope
- Turkey only. Egypt, Jordan and the Greek islands only as extensions of a Turkey itinerary.
- Guides
- Licensed guides in Spanish and English
- 24/7 emergency line during the trip
- +90 544 533 53 55
- Who handles your request
- Your request is handled by our reservations team, and the same person follows the file from quotation through to operation on the ground.
