Tour & Travel Packages to istanbul

The Sultan Ahmed Mosque. The Blue Mosque, or as it is also called the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, is an Islamic answer to Hagia Sofia Basilica. The architect Sedefhar Mehmet Ağa wanted to surpass the magnificence of the orthodox basilica and many people think he managed to do it. The blue Mosque was built in 1609-1617 (about 1100 years later than Hagia Sofia). The central cupola has a 33-meter diameter, around it there are smaller cupolas.

The Blue Mosque contains 6 minarets, its number symbolizes the wealth of the sultan, but the fact that this number is equal with the number of minarets in the Grand Mosque in Mecca, made angry the Muscleman. The sultan solved this problem by adding the seventh minaret. Inside the mosque is decorated with 20 000 small blue, red and brown tiles, made in Isnik. The blue tiles can also be seen on some details in the yard. You should pay attention on the prayer niche, mihrab, that is carved in the wall facing Mecca. Don't forget that the mosque is closed for tourists five times a day during the praying.

The Galata Bridge. The world-famous Galata Bridge is a favourite place for fishing: every day there gather a lot of fishermen. The bridge connects the centre and the Sultanahmet district, where there are a lot of places of interest. Among them is Grand Bazaar, one of the biggest roofed markets in the world. The time of visiting it for many tourists becomes the greatest event in their trip to Istanbul. There one can find jewellery, spicery, carpets and fake brand clothes, in one word this market can satisfy the requirements of any customer. All in all there takes place more than 4 000 shops. Every day Grand Bazaar is visited by 250 – 400 thousands of people. The most popular entertainment there is smoking a hookah.

Excursions by water. Not far from Galata Bridge put out the boats, by which one can have an excursion along the Bosporus. It flows through Istanbul and connects Sea of Marmora and Black Sea; what is even more important it divides Europe and Asia. The channel is quite wide: its narrowest part is 640 m; the Bosporus is 32 m long. The most of the excursions last about an hour; the boats go along the European and Asian sides and give an opportunity to look at the marvelous buildings from water.

Read more about istanbul in our City Guide ...

Airport Address: Atatürk International Airport, Bas Mudur, Ataturk Dhmi, Istanbul Yesilkoy 34830, Turkey
Distance and Location: The airport is located 24km (15 miles) west of Istanbul
Airport Website: www.tav.aero
Airport E-mail: bilgi@dhmiata.gov.tr or info@tav.com.tr
Airport Telephone: (0)212 663 6400 or 663 2550
Country Code: 90
Time Zone: GMT + 2 (GMT + 3 from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October)
Total Number of Terminals: 2
Moving between Terminals: A walkway with escalators and travelators connects the two terminals.