How to Get a Free Tour of Istanbul
If you fly Turkish airlines and have a significant layover time, you can get a free day tour in Istanbul. They have various tours at different times of the day, but most start at 0900 and end either at 1500 or 1800. Some start at noon. Most of them do similar things.
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Our time in Istanbul was a layover on the way from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan to Zagreb, Croatia. We took a 0900 – 1500 tour. The bus to town is about 50 minutes and they give you a nice Turkish style breakfast .Then we walked to the attractions. All tickets and meals were paid for my Turkish Airlines, as well as an English speaking guide.
To get on the tour, talk to the Turkish airlines transfer desk instead of going to the transfer lounge. They will tell you what to do.
Get the Latest Survive Travel Books FREE! Click Here to Get Them.We saw the Blue Mosque, Hippodrome, German Fountain, Serpentine Column, Oblesik of Theodosius, Hagia Sophia Museum and the Underground Cistern. Then we had a nice Turkish style lunch and back to the airport.
It was a bit rushed but a good day tour, especially for free. I’m not a fan of tours, but it was a million times better than sitting at the airport. If you have the time I recommend it.
Note: You may need to get a visa in order to enter Turkey to take the tour. Visas can be bought on entry and from the airport. They said $30 but I’m Australian and the cost was $70usd.
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