Europe Cruises: Excursions

This two day tour is designed to offer you an all-embracing experience to get to know the city of Istanbul. You’ll begin with an orientation drive which reveals Istanbul's connections between Europe and Asia. Continue to traveling over the Golden Horn toward the Old City. Your tour includes a visit to the ancient Hippodrome followed by the Blue Mosque, renowned for its architectural harmony, proportion, elegance, and its six minarets. Visit the St. Sophia Museum, a masterpiece of Byzantine architecture. Built originally as a cathedral, it later became a mosque and then finally a museum. Next, head to Topkapi Palace, a great walled complex and once the residence of the Ottoman Sultans. There you’ll have the opportunity to admire many of its great treasures. You’ll also visit the Underground Cistern, the largest and most magnificent covered cistern in Istanbul. In addition you’ll visit, Ibrahim Pasha Palace, known as the Turkish Islamic Museum of Arts, located on the west side of Hippodrome, exhibits a variety of items that include antique kilims, manuscripts, Islamic calligraphy, carved and inlaid wood, ironworks, stone sculptures, stained glass and folk art as well as the Ethnological collection, which is devoted mainly to the nomads of Anatolia. The Museum also hosts the most valuable ancient Turkish carpets belonging to the original Usak and Selcuk Carpet collections. Enjoy a boat ride on the Bosphorus, along the shoreline of this narrow waterway and indulge the views of the Dolmabahce Palace, the Beylerbeyi Palace and the few remaining towers of the Anadolu Hisar, where you’ll see the city’s connection to the Black Sea. Finally, it is time for a stop at one of the most colorful sites in the ancient city; the Grand Bazaar. The Bazaar is composed of two sections: the covered traditional part and the modern open section. The covered section is a whole quarter on its own and is surrounded by a wall which can be entered through several gates. The maze of streets and lanes are one of the greatest sights in the city, where various trades are segregated into different sections. You’ll have a chance to explore the exotic atmosphere of the covered part for a brief period of time. You’ll also visit the open and modern section which offers the best artworks and most reliable shopping. Here, you’ll see a presentation on the unique art of Turkish carpets and be given additional time to shop. Enjoy some complimentary refreshments while you shop and stroll in the handicraft store. A traditional Turkish lunch is included on your second day. Note: Tour is only available for Norwegian Jade winter sailings. Tour order is dependent on traffic conditions, but all sites will be visited during the two days. Participants are required to remove their shoes in order to enter the Mosque. The "Gallery" section of St. Sophia and "Harem" section of Topkapi Palace are not included in the program and can be visited independently during free time. Some sections of Topkapi Palace may be temporarily under renovation and closed to the public. Water is included during lunch; however, soft drinks and/or alcoholic beverages are available at an additional cost. Please expect differences in tour duration due to traffic conditions. less