This Pera and Istiklal Avenue tour from Istanbul is a guided daily tour and relaxed day tour through Beyoglu, the European-style quarter where diplomats, merchants and minorities built churches, schools, arcades and grand hotels in the 19th century. With hotel pick-up and an English-speaking guide, this daily excursion reveals a very different side of the city from the domes of the old town, and makes a rewarding Pera day trip for lovers of architecture and history.
Cruise passengers docking in Istanbul can book the Pera & Istiklal Avenue Tour as a convenient Istanbul shore excursion during their port call. With a private vehicle and guide, the day is timed to your ship’s arrival and departure, so you can enjoy the sights without worrying about the all-aboard deadline. Tell us how many hours your ship stays in port and we will confirm that the full programme fits comfortably. Just tell us the ship and the day it calls at Istanbul — we take care of the rest.
Pera grew on the hill above Galata as the home of foreign embassies and Levantine families, and Istiklal Avenue, once the Grande Rue de Pera, still shows its belle-époque facades. Near Taksim stand the French Cultural Institute and the neoclassical Hagia Triada, completed in 1880 for the Greek Orthodox community. Further down, the modest Aga Mosque recalls the Ottoman presence, while Galatasaray High School, founded in its present form in 1868, has educated generations of statesmen and writers.
Cicek Passage, the Flower Passage, was built as an elegant arcade and is now lined with cafes and meyhanes. Nearby French Street, the neo-Gothic St. Anthony of Padua and the Crimean Memorial Church, raised for British soldiers of the Crimean War, illustrate how many faiths shared these streets. The Pera Palace Hotel opened in 1892 to receive Orient Express passengers, and the Tunel, opened in 1875, is one of the oldest underground railways in the world.
Practical notes: the tour is mostly on foot along gently sloping streets, so wear comfortable shoes and bring modest clothing for church and mosque visits. Lunch is not included, but Istiklal offers plenty of choice.
Your full day programme — click to see every stop.
Pera & Istiklal Avenue Programme After pick-up from your hotel you are driven to Taksim Square, the upper end of Istiklal Avenue, where the walk begins at the French Cultural Institute, a symbol of the French influence that gave Pera its turn-of-the-century character. Close by you visit Hagia Triada, the largest Eastern Orthodox church in Istanbul, and then the small Aga Mosque, founded in 1597. Strolling down the avenue you pass Galatasaray High School, established in 1868, and step into Cicek Passage, a 19th-century arcade now full of cafes and small shops. From there you wander along French Street and enter St. Anthony of Padua, the largest Catholic church in the city, before continuing to the Crimean Memorial Church with its distinctive Gothic Revival design. Next comes the Pera Palace Hotel, built as the terminal hotel for travellers on the legendary Orient Express. The day ends with a ride on the historic Tunel funicular, opened in 1875, one of the oldest urban railways still in use. Afterwards you are taken back to your hotel.
Istanbul → Pera → Istiklal Avenue → Istanbul Churches → Pera Palace → Tunel
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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!