Start your Bosphorus cruise and Egyptian Bazaar tour by meeting your private guide for a pickup at your Istanbul hotel (European side only). Then, set off in your vehicle to the Spice Bazaar and witness this 17th century lively marketplace chalked full of colorful shops.
Next, coast to the beautiful Bosphorus River for a serene cruise along the famous strait that connects Europe to Asia. During your ride, admire majestic mosques, expansive bridges and other monuments spotting the verdant coastline. See the grandeur of Rumeli Hisari, a fortification erected by Fatih the Conqueror in a mere three months. Learn how Faith had hoped to crush Istanbul’s Ottoman aristocrats and their 19th century mansions, hunting lodges as well as the Sultan’s fanciful gingerbread palaces.
Continue on to the Egyptian Bazaar and wander with your guide past stalls experiencing alluring aromas of caraway, cinnamon, mint, saffron and thyme. Learn how this astounding dome structure was constructed in 1660 using taxes raised from the spice trade with Egypt.
Finally, visit Rumelihisar Fortress, a castle nestled along the narrowest juncture of the Bosphorus, built by Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror in 1452. Listen as you guide explains how the castle’s location was strategically placed here to isolate Istanbul from invaders until 1453 when Istanbul fell and the north tower was converted to a prison.
