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Istanbul – continents converge in grandeur, culture & history.

The Turkish city of Istanbul is a buzzing and exciting modern metropolis which marries contemporary attitude with the strikingly beautiful legacies of fascinating history and the cultures of its ancient empires.

Once the centre of the Byzantian and Ottoman Empires, locals here breath ancient history in their daily lives and the best way to get to grips with life lived here, the remarkable history & heritage and really get under the skin of Istanbul is with a brilliant free walking tour recommended by FreeTour.com. Join a lovely authentic local guide to discover the many treasures here, such as the Roman Hippodrome, Sulemaniye Mosque, the Grand Bazaar, Galata Bridge & tower, Topkapı Palace, Hagia Sophia, old Ottoman-era houses of Soguk Cesme & so much more while getting great local hints, tips & recommendations on everything Istanbul - from haggling in bazaars, local Turkish baths and tea gardens to shopping, dining, and where to party in vibrant Taksim Square. A free tour in Istanbul will be one of the most insightful experiences you have in such an intriguing & lively city.

Istanbul has something different – besides the magnificent mosques, mosaics & frescoes there’s a special essence here made up of warmth and charming personality, colour and ancient mysticism with an ever-present joyful soul and spirit. It’s a marvellous city and one that makes for a truly valuable visit.

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FAQs Walking Tour Istanbul

What does a free walking tour in istanbul include.

A free walking tour in Istanbul includes a guided visit to the city's major historical and cultural sites. You will learn about the rich history, diverse culture, and iconic landmarks of Istanbul from a knowledgeable guide.

How can I sign up for an Istanbul free walking tour?

Signing up for an Istanbul free walking tour is easy. You can register online through the tour operator's website. On the day of the tour, you meet at the specified location, often near popular spots like Sultanahmet Square.

What landmarks will I see on a free walking tour in Istanbul?

On a free walking tour in Istanbul, you can expect to see landmarks such as the Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, and the Grand Bazaar. The tour also includes lesser-known sites that offer a unique glimpse into the city's past.

Do I need to pay for a free walking tour in Istanbul?

No upfront payment is required for a free walking tour in Istanbul. Instead, you are encouraged to tip the guide at the end of the tour based on your satisfaction and enjoyment of the experience.

How long is a typical free walking tour in Istanbul?

A typical free walking tour in Istanbul lasts about 2.5 to 3 hours. This duration allows you to visit multiple key sites and gain a thorough understanding of the city's history and culture.

Is it necessary to book in advance for a free walking tour in Istanbul?

While it is not always necessary to book in advance for a free walking tour in Istanbul, it is highly recommended to secure your spot, especially during peak tourist seasons. Booking online ensures you have a confirmed place on the tour.

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Find other guruwalks in İstanbul

• BOSPHORUS TOUR
• PRIVATE TOUR

FREE TOUR walkıng tour ın ISTANBUL

Bosphorus cruıse tour, private tours in istanbul, free tour in  istanbul, you set the price.

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Unforgettable Experiences!

Get ready for unforgettable experiences with amazing professional licensed local guides.

All Weather Conditions!

Our tours run every day in all weather conditions, rain or shine.

EXPLORE  ISTANBUL WITH OUR FREE WALKING TOURS

Www.freewalkingtoursinistanbul.com, the best istanbul  free walking tour, the city of two continents.

Discover Istanbul with our free walking tours and enjoy the city to the fullest! It is not important how much budget you have.

Istanbul Free Tour gives everyone the option to live a quality Istanbul experience within their budget. Our tip-based model allows you to support and reward just the best tour experiences. At the end of the tour, you are free to tip your tour guide depending on your enjoyment and budget.

Our walking tour will show you some of Istanbul’s major landmarks that have been most crucial to Turkey’s modern life and Ottoman history.

As you walk around the old city center, you will witness how the city transformed itself from the ancient empires to today’s modern democracy. You will not walk on the most colorful streets of Istanbul, but also hear some fascinating stories that will enhance your experience and get some useful tips to maximize your time in Istanbul.

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The best free walking tours and paid tours in Istanbul. Personally verified by Walkative team.

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All the wonders of Istanbul

Turkey’s largest city is also the only metropolis in the world located on two continents – Europe and Asia. Istanbul, or the former Byzantium and Constantinople, is a city particularly popular with lovers of the Orient and history. What attractions await tourists visiting Istanbul? You will not only bring back beautiful souvenirs from your trip to this extraordinary city, but also unforgettable memories! Check our article to get to know what is worth seeing here.

Istanbul – the most interesting attractions of the city

There are some places in Istanbul that you cannot miss during your trip. One of them is certainly the Hippodrome, a square in Istanbul that served as a racecourse for horses and chariots in Byzantine times. The Hippodrome is home to the Egyptian Obelisk, the Obelisk of Constantine VII and the Serpentine Column. In addition to all above there is a German Fountain, donated by Kaiser Wilhelm, that has been standing here from 1898.

The largest and most lavish mosque in Istanbul is the Blue Mosque, also known as the Sultan Ahmed Mosque. The structure was built between 1609 and 1616 and is one of the last examples of the so-called Classical period of Islamic art in Turkey. One of Istanbul’s greatest attractions is also, of course, the Hagia Sophia Mosque, which was formerly a Christian temple – the Church of the Divine Wisdom. It is one of the most important works of Byzantine architecture and a major destination for many tourists visiting Turkey. It housed a museum from 1934 to 2020, but today Hagia Sophia is once again used as a mosque, as it was between the 15th and 20th century.

Another amazing thing Istanbul has to offer are the underground water cisterns, especially the Basilica Cistern, which is the largest structure of its kind built in Istanbul in Byzantine times – the vault is supported by as many as 366 columns, giving it the unusual impression of a forest of columns. While in the city, it is also worth visiting Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar, also known as the Indoor Bazaar. It is one of the largest shopping areas in all of Turkey, covering as much as 60 hectares. There is no better place to buy souvenirs, drink coffee or taste delicious Turkish delicacies.

Free walking tour – take a guided tour of Istanbul!

Istanbul is a city you have been planning to visit for a long time? Join our free walking tour to delight in its fascinating history. All you need to do is book a place and turn up in Istanbul at the appointed time and place. Leave the rest to our guide! You will determine the price of the service yourself – taking into account the commitment, knowledge and work of the guide. Free tour in Istanbul is a perfect option for individual tourists, small groups of friends, couples and families who want to go on a unique walking tour. Istanbul is a city with more than 3,000 mosques – we will be entering some of them during our tours, so please dress appropriately: covered shoulders and knees, and in the case of women, also the head. Make sure you bring a scarf. Take a tour of Istanbul with us and have an unforgettable experience! Remember that you can also visit other great European cities with us, such as Budapest, Vienna, Munich or Prague.

We had just one day in Wroclaw and a decision to join Walkative tours was the right one! These guys are amazing! Their stories are very informative, full of history, legends, funny jokes! They took us to all astonishing places of Wroclaw. Perfect for a day trip to this lovely city! Thank you, Lukasz and Matt for the brilliant tours!

Dawie’s tour was the best theatre in Paris as well as informative!!!! He is great – even in the rain. Do it.

My group really enjoyed the amount of history explained in the tour, it was a nice way to get a lot of information on several of the key sites in the center of Paris in a compact amount of time. Excellent for orientation and background. I would certainly do other tours in the future.

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Old Town Walking Tour

Great way to explore the old city with an official tour guide, you will be familiar with the Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Hippodrome and a lot more. Booking is necessary to get updates too.

Our free guided Istanbul walking tour is the ideal introduction to Istanbul history In addition to all the well-known attractions, such as Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Basilica Cistern you’ll also discover secret streets, hear stories and facts, and have a feel for the great sweep of Istanbul historical past from Greek times right up to the today – The free walking tour takes about two and half hours.

Please be aware that only official tour guides can provide guiding service in Turkey and our tour guides are all licensed, studied 4 years to be a guide and this is their full-time job and this is not a free tour like others that walk around main sites and based on selling any other products. They will give lots of hints that you can save your time and money.

The minimum suggested contribution 10 Euros or 400 Turkish Lira per person.

Please Note: Travel agencies arrange and sell package tours that offer accommodation, transportation, trips, food and beverage, and entertainment with profit motives, including organizing, providing, marketing, and carrying out sports activities; congresses and conferences; religious, health-related, educational, cultural, scientific, and professional examinations; and incentive or supporting travels, and services involved therein, according to Article 5(1), Paragraph (a), Subparagraph (1) of the Turkish Regulation Pertaining to The Association of Turkish Travel Agencies ( TURSAB ) 

Travel agencies shall seek profit for tour services they provide to prevent unfair competition, in accordance with the Turkish Regulation Pertaining to Travel Agencies. Therefore, our agency offers regular walking tours at minimum fees, and these tours are provided by licensed tourist guides. Respectfully submitted for your consideration.

Availability: Everyday in English and Spanish

Departure: 10.30 am

Duration: 2,5 Hrs

Meeting Point: Pudding Shop Lale Restaurant , Divanyolu Caddesi No.6 34400, Sultanahmet, Istanbul. For further explanation perhaps use the Sultanahmet tram stop as a reference. The restaurant is located on the street where the tram lines run through Sultanahmet, an approximately 1-minute walk from the Sultanahmet tram stop. Our guides will be waiting with yellow umbrella ( Happy Istanbul Tours sign on it )

Meeting Poing Google Map Link: https://goo.gl/maps/Xrkhwz7zd15LsiV56

Finishing Point: An old madrasah next to the Grand Bazaar

Places To See:

• Hagia Sophia ( from outside as it require an entry fee 25 Euros per person )
• Blue Mosque ( We will try to go inside depending the line as sometimes it takes 1 hour, none will enjoy on the tour waiting at the line instead of waiting, we would like to show more sites and show another mosque )
• German Fountain
• Egyptian Obelisk
• Column of Constantine the Great
• Grand Bazaar

Dressing code and Tipping Policy:

• Our tour guides are licensed, studied 4 years to be a guide and this is their full-time job. Minimum expected contribution is 400 Try or 10 Euros per person if you like the tour.
• Dressing Code for mosque visit; women need to cover their heads, shoulders, knees .. and oh, toes can show. Chest and legs should be covered.

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What Do People Say About This Tourv

A Must in Istanbul!

Loved this tour. I went to another free tour before this one but it wasn't as informative and interesting. This one included some surprising info about turkey and how it's different from the ottoman empire. Yunus covered some seldom spoken about islam pillars and what it truly means to be muslim. I grew up in Israel, where these things were not talked about and I was very happy to learn many fascinating new things

Guruwalk User: Victoria

History & “Modern” tour

If you have the time, I recommend checking out both the more “typical”, historical tour, which is a great way to get your bearings and get acclimated, and then the tour that takes you across the bridge (Europe side) and to the Asian side for more of a modern, political, and food tour. The tour guides are local and knowledgeable, and are very open and candid with the answers to questions of all varieties. What I liked about the historical tour, is that you got a good overview, but it didn’t waste time going INTO the standard sites, which you can easily do on your own. For the modern tour, we were taken “off the beaten path”, and shown some hidden gems, as well as left with a list of food spots to check out. Do either (or both!) of these tours ... you won’t regret it!

Tripadvisor User: Alyt11Cincinna, Ohio

Best Walking Tour in Istanbul

Best Walking Tour in Istanbul We visited Istanbul for 4 days, a week ago. We always combined a walking tour with local guide for few hours than walking by our-self to explore our interest. We pick an 4 hours free tour with that company (10 Euro tip) and we enjoy it so much that we reserved a second tour, to other part of this amazing city, a day after, and of course we enjoy the second tour as well. We went trough a lot of historical as beautiful places and our guide was very knowledgeable with historical information.We decided to return to Istanbul the coming months and to pick that company again.

Tripadvisor User: Davidweisman