Guided Tours

Guided Tour of Blue Mosque

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On this guided tour, visit Istanbul’s renovated iconic Blue Mosque, walk through its courtyards, and explore the surrounding Old City too.

Highlights

Soak up the charm and splendor of the Blue Mosque’s architecture, dating back to the Ottoman Empire, on this tour with a local guide.
Enjoy a complimentary walking tour of the Old City surrounding the mosque, formerly an administrative pole of the Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman empires.
Listen to interesting facts from your guide as you walk along its courtyard which has a large fountain and special area for ablution.
Admire the hand-painted blue tiles that adorn the mosque’s interior walls with 5 main domes, 6 minarets, and 8 secondary domes.
Fun Fact: Various verses from the Quran and the words of the Prophet Muhammad adorn the high walls of the mosque.

Inclusions

1-hr guided tour of the Blue Mosque
Local English-speaking guide
Entry to the Blue Mosque
Walking tour of the Old City around the mosque
Combo: Blue Mosque + Hagia Sophia guided tour (optional)
Combo: Blue Mosque + Basilica Cistern guided tour (optional)

Cancellation policy

You can cancel these tickets up to 24 hours before the experience begins and get a full refund.

Ratings & Reviews

4.4

976 Ratings

5/5

685

4/5

156

3/5

2/5

1/5

Guests from United Kingdom, United States, France and over 35 countries have loved this experience

Cecilia

3/5

May, 2024

I liked the insights about the Blue Mosque, but they were not too many. It gets really busy and noisy inside. I would suggest the use of a microphone for the next visits and a skip-the-line agreement.

Clemence

5/5

May, 2024

Great visit of the Blue Mosque with Gamze (sorry if misspelt!) Very clear explanations, Gamze took the time to answer questions and made sure everyone could hear her. She’s clearly passionate about Istanbul and its beautiful monuments ! Highly recommend, we had a great time and the Blue Mosque is absolutely stunning. No guides allowed in Hague Sophia but our guide still took some time to explain a bit and accompanied us to the security entrance.

Adrian

4/5

May, 2024

Pentru prima vizita, programati-va minim 3-4 ore, rabdare multa si bucurati-va de o experienta deosebita, ce nu trebuie ratata. Ideal sa aveti ghid...povestile si detaliile fiecarui, fac diferenta.

Laura

3/5

Apr, 2024

The guide very kind and attentive, but his English was incomprehensible. I understand English when spoken clearly but I understood very little of what he said.

View original review in Italian

Tanner

4/5

Apr, 2024

To be honest, my partner and I felt a little bit underwhelmed by the tour. We did get to skip the line for the Hagia Sophia, but we got a 10 min briefing before we went in and then as soon as we entered our guide showed us to the audioguide area and left us saying "he wasn't allowed to guide us through" which we saw a sign for, however there were probably 50 groups that we saw that were being guided, so that felt weird. As for the Blue Mosque we could barely hear our guide and we only spent about 15 minutes inside, and it was free entry... So it definitely didn't feel worth €112 for two people. We more or less paid that much for just the Hagia Sophia and a 30 minute tour. Overall it was a fun day though and they are definitely sites worth seeing.

Your Experience

Meet your guide just outside the Blue Mosque, one of the most famous monuments in Istanbul dating back to the Ottoman Empire. Get the opportunity to see the mosque after an extensive renovation of more than 5 years.

Learn About the Magnificent Blue Mosque

Walk through its spacious tiled courtyard with a fountain while at the lower levels and in the interior, the mosque is lined with more than 20,000 handmade İznik style ceramic tiles, in more than fifty different tulip designs. Notice how the design becomes flamboyant with representations of flowers, fruit, and cypresses at the gallery level. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the mosque stands tall as it holds the secrets and histories of the Ottoman Empire from the year 1616 when the mosque first opened. Adorn the floors that are covered with carpets, which are regularly replaced as they wear out. The many spacious windows confer a spacious impression. Listen to stories about how the many lamps inside the mosque were once covered with gold and gems, while one could find ostrich eggs and crystal balls in many of its glass bowls.

A Walk Around the Old City

Enjoy a complimentary walking tour outside the Blue Mosque of the Old City. Considered to be the heart of Istanbul, this is the perfect spot to see the balance of the mosque's atmosphere against the haggling in historic bazaars. Your guided tour ends inside the Blue Mosque after which you will have time to explore the interiors on your own.

Know Before You Go

Important Information

Please note that the security line can take up to 60 minutes in the high season.
If you do not have a scarf or body cover, you can buy them at the entrance (a scarf is 1€ and a body cover is 3€).
Photography and outside food and drinks are allowed.

My tickets

Your voucher will be emailed to you instantly.
Display the voucher on your mobile phone with a valid photo ID at the meeting point.
Please arrive at the meeting point 15 minutes before the scheduled time of your tour to avoid any delays.