Private Istanbul Layover Tour
Overview
Take advantage of a layover at Istanbul Ataturk Airport with a private tour. Meet your guide on arrival to old city, and enjoy a comprehensive city tour with round transfers from Airport via a private van; touring on foot and by public transportation, and seeing sights such as Hagia Sophia Museum, Blue Mosque, Basilica Cistern, and a lot more. Your itinerary is flexible and can be customized around your interests and layover duration. Your layover must be at least 7 hours and Our tours are only from Istanbul Airport and cover professional tour guiding, private transfers, and public transportation during the tour. Tours are provided in the day time.
What's Included
- Round-trip private transfer
- Skip the ticket line at Basilica Cistern and Hagia Sophia ( not entrance tickets )
- Public Transportation during the tour (tram, ferry, metro)
- Professional guide
- Food and drinks
- Gratuities
- Personal expenses
- Visa
- Hagia Sophia Mosque
- Entrance Fees of Museums if you like to see.
- Basilica Cistern
Meeting and Pickup
Please note that, pick up time is 1 ( one) hour after the landing of your flight. We will be monitoring your flight from the flight number you share with us during the booking and we will be aware of early landing and delays. To meet our Meet&Greet staff at the airport, please read the below instructions carefully and note them with you for the airport as you might not have the internet connection once you land in Istanbul. After you get off of the plane and pass through the passport controls and custom checks, please walk to the exit GATE 14 ( outside the airport ) where it is Meet & Greet point for the transfer organizations. Right after the exit you will see many people holding signs boards. Please keep your eyes for the board sign as SW39. Tell your name to the Welcome & Greeting staff and they will accompany you to the driver. Please note that, the sign holders are the third party and their english is limited. If you have any issue make them call Yunus + 905417692277The next step is that he will accompany you to the driver and driver will bring you to the center where you will meet your guide to start the tour. Driving duration to the center is approximately one hour. Please note that, once you arrive to the center the tour will be walking and using public transportations as tram and ferry depend of your itinerary. The car will be used only for pick up and drop off from pick up and to the drop off points. We will not be touring with the car which is not necessary for Istanbul. Walking is the best way to explore Istanbul and it is easy walk. For those who have walking issues please contact us for the private car which will apply an extra fee. P.S. if you have any luggage with you, we suggest you to store them at the airport while on tour. If that can’t happen for any reason then we will store your luggage at an establishment we work together. Luggage will be stored there while touring and will be picked them up at the end of the tour. For those who require drop off at airport, we will schedule your tour to end three hours before your flight departure time and you will be dropped off at airport two hours prior to your flight departure time. This time is enough for those who have already checked in and have the boarding passes.
What To Expect
Book Online
Safe & secure Easy breezy Hassle‑free
Istanbul
2 hours 30 minutes Admission Ticket Free
Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque
30 minutes Admission Ticket Free
Blue Mosque
30 minutes Admission Ticket Free
Grand Bazaar
30 minutes Admission Ticket Free
Rustem Pasha Mosque
20 minutes Admission Ticket Free
Hippodrome
15 minutes Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation is instant and will be received at time of booking
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Layover tours are only available from Istanbul Airport
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- You need at least a 7-hour layover in Istanbul Ataturk Airport to have a layover tour.
- You will depart back to Airport at least 2.5 h Before your flight time.
- Layover Tour includes professional guiding and Private transfer 2 ways
Frequently Asked Questions (7)
Q: What is the cancellation policy for the Private Istanbul Layover Tour?
Cancellation Policy
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Activity code: C-23067P5
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Reviews
Average 4.91 out of 5 stars based on 11 traveler reviews collected by Cool Shore Excursions and partner sites such as Cool Destinations and TripAdvisor
Additional Info
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Frequently Asked Questions (7)
The answers provided below were previously given in response to questions from Cool Shore Excursions customers.
Filter by:
- For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the tour start time.
- If you cancel less than 24 hours before the tour start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
- Any changes made less than 24 hours before the tour start time will not be accepted.
- Cut-off times are based on the tour local time (+03).
- Round-trip private transfer.
- Skip the ticket line at Basilica Cistern and Hagia Sophia ( not entrance tickets ).
- Public Transportation during the tour (tram, ferry, metro).
- Professional guide.
- Food and drinks.
- Gratuities.
- Personal expenses.
- Visa.
- Hagia Sophia Mosque.
- Entrance Fees of Museums if you like to see.
- Basilica Cistern.
There is no minimum age for this tour, so bring your wee one along for an adventure. This tour requires at least one adult to accompany children..
Apr 2025If a date or time is not listed on the calendar, it’s sold out or unavailable for another reason. Support cannot assist further if a date or time is not on the calendar.
If you find a date and time that works for you, book it NOW because things always sell out at this time of year.
Apr 2025Accessibility information for the Private Istanbul Layover Tour is as follows:
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Detailed check-in instructions – including meeting point address, Google map, and parking information – for Private Istanbul Layover Tour will be included in your confirmation email from Cool Shore Excursions. Please be sure to double and triple check your email address is correct at checkout so this important email makes its way to you!
Mar 2024Once your refund is processed, it usually shows on your card statement within 5–10 business days. The exact timing depends on your bank or card issuer.
Want it sooner? When you cancel, choose Receive a refund to my wallet instead. The credit is in your Wallet straight away and is applied automatically at checkout on your next booking when you’re signed in with the same email. You can see your balance any time in My Wallet.
If you paid part of your booking with Wallet credit, that part always goes back to your Wallet. Trip protection isn’t refundable.
Oct 2026What's Included
- Round-trip private transfer
- Skip the ticket line at Basilica Cistern and Hagia Sophia ( not entrance tickets )
- Public Transportation during the tour (tram, ferry, metro)
- Professional guide
- Food and drinks
- Gratuities
- Personal expenses
- Visa
- Hagia Sophia Mosque
- Entrance Fees of Museums if you like to see.
- Basilica Cistern
Additional Info
- Confirmation is instant and will be received at time of booking
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Layover tours are only available from Istanbul Airport
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- You need at least a 7-hour layover in Istanbul Ataturk Airport to have a layover tour.
- You will depart back to Airport at least 2.5 h Before your flight time.
- Layover Tour includes professional guiding and Private transfer 2 ways
