3-Day Small-Group Istanbul Tour: Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace

I had a 3 night/4days booked through Fez travels via kimkim website, so this review is based on day 1 of tour. Initial consultation via emails with Mehmet was quick and efficient and was very professional . Every request and planning of the trip was well executed by the team. Upon arrival the driver was already at the airport with my name tag clearly presented. It was a swift transfer to the hotel at Grand Yavuz Hotel in old city, an old but well kept hotel ( a seperate review of the hotel). Good range for buffet breakfast. My tour guide Bahir Onwr Enir was an absolute star, well I was lucky to have a private tour to visit the 3 key sites of the old city. Whilst he did run 15 minutes late he did ensure to communicate this through hotel reception and upon his arrival was very apologetic. He took the first 10 minutes to explain where we were heading and explained the geography of the area given it was my first time. I love history so this was brilliant. Given the hotel was already in the old city, we did walk from hotel to our first site the blue mosque. Some part are under renovation but still managed to get some photos and he explained the details of the mosque. (note you will need to take off your shoes - plastic bags provided) and head covering for women with covered clothing compulsory. Our next visit to the Hagia Sopia is a must when visiting. Its grand size and interiors are astonishing, note also some parts externally and internally are under renovation. Tour guide went on to explain the history and what the mosque means now days (note you don't need head covering here). A quick Pitt stop to grab some Turkish pastry along the as weheaded to Topkaki palace which is an absolute treasure of its own.(note selfie sticks allowed but not tripods - this will be left with security). Prepare yourself to take a good around to appreciate the grand of this place and the views of the city is amazing. The site is of course a museum itself, so you will find some old artefacts from kitchen to library to all sorts of rooms. From here given it was cold and rainy we stopped by for my first Turkish coffee which is like an espresso with definite refined coffee beans that you can taste at the end served in a Turkish cup and was refreshing after a bit of walk.. from here we made our way to the remainder of Topkaki palace before finishing off with a Turkish lunch (lentil soup, meat platter). All in all a great tour and thanks tour guide for his patience with all the photo requests in between and allowing me to explore in my own time :)

Great tour, service, hotel. They picked me up on time, the hotel was nice and in a great area. The tour was also very nice. Overall great experience for solo traveller!

hotel was not as the itinerary ( it was grand Halic). Hotel stuff was not that friendly. Our guide just appear on the day tour ( the second day), no welcome information and orientation as per expectation. We have not seen Topkapi palace because it was closed in the day tour, was expected to give a brief or to tell us how to manage to see it (if we want) next day. We only knew that we wont see it by chance. Other wise the city tour was great and our tour guide took us for lunch on a roof resturant having a beautiful scenery of the city. She was so friendly.