6 Days Orthodox Pilgrimage Tour: Istanbul & Nicaea is a private multi-day tour (6 days 5 nights) visiting Istanbul, Iznik and Buyukada. Prices start from €1,187 per person. Included: 5 dinners in local restaurants, Ferry to Buyukada and the Bosphorus cruise and Parking fees, motorway and bridge tolls.
This six-day private Orthodox pilgrimage tour leads you to the holiest Christian places of Istanbul, the former Constantinople, and to Nicaea (today’s Iznik), the city of the Ecumenical Councils. You travel with a licensed guide and your own vehicle, stay five nights in a 4-star hotel in the historic peninsula and enjoy dinner every evening, so the whole journey can be devoted to prayer and discovery.
In Istanbul you venerate at the Life-giving Spring of Balikli (Zoodochos Pege) and at the holy spring of the Blachernae (Vlaherna) Church, where the robe of the Mother of God was once kept. You stand beneath the Byzantine mosaics of Hagia Sophia and the Chora (Kariye) Church, walk across the Hippodrome, and visit the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the Phanar with the Patriarchal Church of St George, the cast-iron Bulgarian Church of St Stephen on the Golden Horn and the red-brick Phanar Greek Orthodox College.
A full day is devoted to Nicaea (Iznik), where the First Ecumenical Council gave the Church the Creed in 325: the Hagia Sophia of Nicaea, seat of the Seventh Ecumenical Council in 787, the Lake Basilica resting beneath the waters of Lake Iznik, the Roman walls and gates and the Iznik Museum. The pilgrimage ends on Buyukada in the Princes’ Islands, with the walk up to the Monastery of St George (Aya Yorgi), and an evening cruise on the Bosphorus.
The price is per person for two travellers sharing a double room; parish and church groups receive lower per-person rates, and a Russian-speaking guide can be arranged with a supplement.
Photo credits (Wikimedia Commons): Ecumenical Patriarchate – Filip Romanski (CC BY-SA 3.0); Blachernae Church – Sadrettin (CC BY-SA 4.0); Hagia Sophia of Nicaea – Dosseman (CC BY-SA 4.0); Aya Yorgi Monastery – Starliner (CC BY-SA 3.0).
| Tour type | Private · multi-day tour |
|---|---|
| Duration | 6 Days 5 Nights |
| Price | From €1,187 per person |
| Departures | Every day |
| Guide | Licensed guide in your language |
| Stops | 4 |
| Entrance fees | Included |
| Booking | Instant request online, confirmation within 24 hours · TÜRSAB-licensed operator (A-5751) |
| Last updated | November 2026 |
Your full program, day by day — click a day to see every stop.
Welcome to Istanbul. Our driver meets you at Istanbul Airport and takes you to your hotel in the historic peninsula. Depending on your arrival time, your guide accompanies you to the Church of the Life-giving Spring at Balikli (Zoodochos Pege), one of the most venerated healing springs of Orthodox Christianity, where pilgrims light candles and take holy water. In the evening you have dinner at a local restaurant. Overnight in Istanbul.
After breakfast you walk to Hagia Sophia, for nine centuries the cathedral of the Patriarchs of Constantinople. From the upper gallery you see the famous Deesis mosaic and the images of the Mother of God with the emperors. You continue across the Hippodrome, with its Egyptian obelisk and Serpent Column, and pass the Blue Mosque. In the afternoon your vehicle takes you to the Chora (Kariye) Church near the city walls, whose mosaics and frescoes of the life of Christ and the Theotokos, including the great Anastasis, are among the finest in the Byzantine world. Dinner and overnight in Istanbul.
Today is dedicated to the Golden Horn. You visit the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the Phanar and pray in the Patriarchal Church of St George, which keeps the relics of St John Chrysostom and St Gregory the Theologian. Nearby you see the cast-iron Bulgarian Church of St Stephen and the red-brick Phanar Greek Orthodox College rising above the colourful houses of Fener and Balat. The day ends at the Blachernae (Vlaherna) holy spring, where the robe and icon of the Mother of God were once venerated by the city. Dinner and overnight in Istanbul.
A full-day excursion by private vehicle takes you across the Sea of Marmara by the Osmangazi Bridge to Iznik, ancient Nicaea, about three hours from Istanbul. Here the First Ecumenical Council proclaimed the Nicene Creed in 325. You visit the Hagia Sophia of Nicaea, where the Seventh Ecumenical Council restored the veneration of holy icons in 787, see the Lake Basilica lying in the shallow waters of Lake Iznik, walk through the Roman city gates and visit the Iznik Museum. Return to Istanbul in the evening for dinner. Overnight in Istanbul.
A ferry carries you to Buyukada, the largest of the Princes’ Islands, with its car-free streets and wooden mansions. From the town you walk up the pine-covered hill to the Monastery of St George (Aya Yorgi), a place of pilgrimage for Christians of every tradition, with wide views over the sea. Back in Istanbul, an evening cruise on the Bosphorus shows you the palaces, fortresses and waterside villas between Europe and Asia. Farewell dinner and overnight in Istanbul.
After breakfast and depending on your flight time, our driver takes you to Istanbul Airport for your journey home. End of our services.
Handpicked 3-, 4- and 5-star hotels along your route. Choose your category — the price adapts.
Exact hotels are confirmed on booking based on availability and your chosen category; equivalent alternatives may be offered.
Istanbul → Iznik → Istanbul, Buyukada → Istanbul
Modern, comfortable and fully-equipped vehicles — the same fleet we use on your tour.
👥 54 Seats
👥 37 Seats (2+1 VIP)
👥 55 Seats
👥 54 Seats
👥 50 Seats
👥 50 Seats
👥 50 Seats
👥 46 Seats
👥 37+2 Seats
👥 37 Seats
👥 35 Seats
👥 16+1 Seats
👥 16+1 Seats
👥 12+1 Seats
👥 6+1 Seats
Extra day tours you can add along your route — Istanbul, Iznik, Istanbul, Buyukada.
Daily
Daily
Daily
Daily
Daily
Daily
Daily
Daily
Daily
Daily
Daily
Daily
Other private and group tours that visit the same destination.
Fill in your details and we confirm your private departure within 24 hours.
Real, verified reviews from travellers who explored Turkey with us.
My husband and I chose Inca Tour for our honeymoon and we are so glad we did. The boutique hotel selection was beautiful and the Bosphorus dinner cruise was so romantic. Thank you for making our trip special!
It was important for us to have a guide who spoke Russian, and Ender was wonderful. He explained every detail at Dolmabahce Palace. The Princes Islands day trip was a beautiful break from the busy city.
Our guide Ender was incredibly knowledgeable about Turkish history. The hot-air balloon ride at sunrise in Cappadocia was the highlight of our trip. Everything was perfectly organized — from airport pick-up to the last d...
Ender was our Italian-speaking guide and we felt like family. He took us to local spots tourists never see. The hotel choice in Sultanahmet was perfect for walking everywhere.
10+ years later we still talk about our Cappadocia balloon ride and the Bosphorus sunset cruise. Some memories are timeless. Thank you Inca Tour!