PRE CRUISE 1 NIGHT ISTANBUL

DAY 1 -  ISTANBUL

UTS Representative will meet you at the gate of the plane (with a sign reading your names) and you will be assisted during the passport formalities and escorted through the customs. There will be no lines except for the luggage. (EX:TBA)

And at the exit gate of the customs, United Travel’s officially licensed English Speaking representative will meet you to escort you to your hotel.  

DAY 2 - ISTANBUL

Your private guide will meet you at the lobby of your hotel at 9 am for your private sightseeing tour of Istanbul.         

Your private tour will start with a visit to Topkapi Palace- which was the center of Ottoman government and the court, the Turks ruled most of Europe and the Middle East from here. Covering the prime property on the peninsula, the court-defined grounds of the Palace express in the architectural sense the Ottoman ideal of the perfect life balanced between its formative components.

 Today’s Private Sightseeing Tour will continue to visit to World famous Hagia Sophia which is one of the most extraordinary constructions in the history of architecture. The awesome building inspired countless generations by its colossal definition of what the ideal interior space in a domed basilica should be and with its innovations in weight-support and construction techniques.

Lunch will be served at one of UTS’s recommended local/select restaurants close to the sights, at your own cost.

 The next visits will be to the Roman Hippodrome & Blue Mosque- the masterpiece of 17th century Ottoman Architecture, famous for its unique handmade original Iznik Tiles impressing the guests with their rich dominant blue colors and oriental patterns. They have become collectors’ items today, auctioned at celebrated houses like the Sotheby’s.

The last visit will be to the Grand Covered Bazaar No bazaar, however, is more dazzling than the Grand Covered Bazaar, built in 1461 and in service ever since.  Along with magnificent mosque complexes, the mother of all bazaars was a monument to the ‘Rise of Istanbul’- the great master plan of the Turks for the rejuvenation and reanimation of an old imperial capital. It contains 3,500 shops employing more than 20,000 people all under one roof. Everything imaginable is for sale, gold and silver jewelry, rugs, carpets, antiques, tiles, leather, souvenirs, but just seeing and experiencing this mother of all bazaars is worth the trip.

At the end of the tour, you will be transferred to Istanbul Cruise Pier to board on your ship by 4.30 pm.