4 Days Accessible Istanbul Tour: Topkapi Palace, Blue Mosque & Bosphorus Cruise Private Tour

Your journey begins at Istanbul Airport, where a representative meets you and accompanies you to the vehicle for the transfer into the city. The transport is organised with accessibility in mind, so luggage and passengers can be settled in without stress after the flight. On reaching the hotel you check in and receive your room for the first of three nights in Istanbul. No sightseeing is scheduled today, which gives you time to rest, freshen up and find your bearings in the neighbourhood. Meals are not included on this day, so you are free to choose where and when to have dinner. Tomorrow starts early with the first guided visits, so a quiet evening and a good night's sleep are the best preparation. Overnight in Istanbul.

After breakfast at the hotel, the tour leaves at 08:30 for the old city. The first stop is Topkapi Palace, the seat of the Ottoman sultans from the fifteenth to the nineteenth century, where you see collections of crystal, silver and Chinese porcelain, imperial robes, miniatures, the jewels of the Imperial Treasury and the Holy Mantle among the relics of the Prophet. Next comes the Sultanahmet Mosque, called the Blue Mosque for the Iznik tiles lining its interior; it was completed in the early seventeenth century by the architect Sedefkar Mehmed Agha. You then walk around the Hippodrome, the ancient chariot arena that still holds the Egyptian Obelisk of Theodosius, the Walled Obelisk and the bronze Serpentine Column. Lunch is taken at your own expense, after which the group visits the Spice Bazaar, a lively market for spices, herbs, baklava, Turkish delight, coffee, nuts, ceramics, evil-eye charms and olive oil soaps. The evening is free. Overnight in Istanbul.

Following breakfast you are collected from the hotel at 08:30 for a day on and beside the Bosphorus. The boat trip follows the waterway dividing Europe from Asia, past wooden waterside villas, marble palaces, fortresses and small fishing villages. From the deck you view Dolmabahce Palace, the parks and pavilions of Yildiz Palace and the long marble frontage of Ciragan Palace. Ortakoy follows, known for its Sunday artists and for a church, mosque and synagogue standing side by side. Further on are Rumeli Fortress, built by Mehmed the Conqueror in 1452 in only four months, and Beylerbeyi Palace, a restored summer residence of the sultans on the Asian shore. You pass the Bosphorus Bridge, linking the two continents, and then drive up Camlica Hill, the highest point in Istanbul, for panoramic views over gardens landscaped in Ottoman style. The shopping tour that follows presents silk weaving, jewellery, handicrafts and a leatherwear show. The evening is free. Overnight in Istanbul.

Today the programme comes to an end. After a final breakfast at the hotel, you check out of your room and prepare for your journey home or onward. The return transfer to Istanbul Airport is included, so you can travel to your flight in the same comfortable, adapted vehicle arrangement used during the tour. We hope the four days gave you an unhurried and memorable introduction to the monuments, waterways and craftsmanship of Istanbul, and that you will come back to discover more of Turkey in the future. Have a safe journey. Please remember to check that you have collected all personal belongings, travel documents and any purchases from the shopping stops before leaving the hotel.