Edirne & Istanbul: Ottoman Capitals - Private Tour

Highlights of the Edirne & Istanbul Tour

Discover the two great European capitals of the Ottoman Empire on this four-day private tour of Edirne and Istanbul, arranged exclusively for your own party and tailor-made by Inca Tour, a TURSAB-licensed operator, with a private English-speaking guide throughout and departures on the dates you choose. Beginning in the former Ottoman capital of Edirne — famous for the sublime Selimiye Mosque, the architect Sinan's masterpiece and a UNESCO World Heritage Site — the journey continues to imperial Istanbul and its legendary Sultanahmet quarter. It is a focused, culture-rich itinerary that reveals the roots of Ottoman civilisation and its dazzling height, tailored to your own pace and perfect for history lovers who want the cities to themselves.

• Edirne — the Selimiye Mosque, the Old Mosque (Eski Cami), the Uc Serefeli Mosque and the Beyazit Complex with its historic Health Museum.
• Selimiye Mosque — Sinan's crowning achievement and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with the tallest minarets in the Ottoman world.
• Edirne bazaars — the Selimiye Arasta and the Ali Pasa Covered Bazaar, plus Edirne's famous fried-liver speciality.
• Istanbul — Hagia Sophia, the Hippodrome with its four monuments, Topkapi Palace and the Grand Bazaar.
• Expertly guided — a professional English-speaking guide, comfortable transfers and centrally located hotels.

The tour opens in Edirne, the Ottoman capital before Istanbul, where you explore the Selimiye Mosque, designed by the great architect Sinan and regarded as the pinnacle of Ottoman architecture, together with the Old Mosque (Eski Cami) with its monumental calligraphy, the triple-balconied Uc Serefeli Mosque and the Beyazit Complex with its remarkable Health Museum, once a pioneering centre of music therapy. You browse the Selimiye Arasta and the Ali Pasa Covered Bazaar, and taste the city's celebrated fried liver before transferring to Istanbul.

In Istanbul the tour heads to the historic Sultanahmet district, where you visit the magnificent Hagia Sophia, the ancient Hippodrome with its four surviving monuments — the German Fountain of Wilhelm II, the Obelisk of Theodosius, the bronze Serpentine Column and the Column of Constantine — and Topkapi Palace with its Chamber of the Sacred Relics, before free time to shop in the vast Grand Bazaar. Combining the refined early Ottoman grandeur of Edirne with the imperial splendour of Istanbul, this short break delivers an extraordinary depth of history in just four days. Prices are per person.