Overview
Take a trip to Istanbul on your Türkiye Vacation
When on Türkiye vacations, Istanbul is the largest city found in the northwestern part of the country. It is a transcontinental city as it straddles the Bosphorus (the Istanbul Strait) which divides the city into a European side and an Asian side.
Istanbul was once the imperial city of Constantinople which was, for almost a thousand years, the last outpost of the Roman Empire. Conquered by the Ottoman Empire in 1453, the city became the military centre for many campaigns that helped the empire to expand.
By the middle of the 16th century, the population of Istanbul had grown to nearly half a million developing into a major cultural, political and commercial centre remaining under Ottoman control until the First World War. Despite Ankara being named the capital of the newly formed Republic of Turkey in 1923, Istanbul continued to grow becoming an incredibly popular tourist destination while on a Türkiye vacation.
With its long history, many ancient monuments date back to the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman periods and as such, the historic areas of Istanbul became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985. Such monuments include Hagia Sophia, a former Orthodox patriarchal basilica which has been turned into a museum and the Topkapi Palace which houses important holy relics from the Muslim world. While rich in history, Istanbul also offers exciting nightlife and is very fashionable and progressive making the city a true blend of ancient and modern to be experienced on a Türkiye vacation package.
With its long history, many ancient monuments date back to the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman periods and as such, the historic areas of Istanbul became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985. Such monuments include Hagia Sophia, a former Orthodox patriarchal basilica which has been turned into a museum and the Topkapi Palace which houses important holy relics from the Muslim world. While rich in history, Istanbul also offers exciting nightlife and is very fashionable and progressive making the city a true blend of ancient and modern to be experienced on a Türkiye vacation package.
At a Glance
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Turkish Lira (TRY)What do the experts say?
Turkey is a vast country and home to many diverse communities. Therefore, there are many local traditions that showcase their distinct origins. Among many, one fascinating event in Turkey that visitors should witness is the ceremony of Whirling Dervishes in Cappadocia.
Few places layer ancient civilizations quite like Turkey. From the ruins of Ephesus, the legendary city of Troy, and the underground cities of Cappadocia, to the Byzantine and Ottoman grandeur of Istanbul - it's a living museum. Walking through the Hagia Sophia or along the ancient walls of Constantinople is like stepping into a history book.
Turkish cuisine is seriously underrated globally. From a simple simit on the street to a full meze spread and a sizzling kebab, every meal is an experience. And of course, Turkish tea and baklava are daily rituals you don’t want to miss.
The Blue Mosque - a must inclusion on all Turke...
View of Istanbul with Galata Tower in the backg...
Inside the grand bazaar
Yeni Cami mosque
Sunset panorama of Istanbul
Most Popular Time to Travel
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Place
Conditions
Daily max temperatureMonthly rainfall
IstanbulMostly Sunny
29°C / 84°F
11mm / 0.4"
Weather data is based on monthly averages.Popularity rating
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ExcellentBased on 5,191 ReviewsThe tour was very well planned out and provided many incredible experiences! Alice Teramoto was very helpful while we were planning this trip.Sheryl RadetskyWe recently enjoyed a tour around Australia arranged by Natasa Jarik at Goway Travel. The trip lasted 10 days, too short to do justice to all of Australia, but enough to give us a taste of a fascinating country.
The trip was excellent, exactly what we were looking for. The complicated logistics all worked out smoothly and perfectly. Everything was on time and as advertised. The individual tours were excellent, the guides were absolutely first rate, the accommodations all worked out well (especially the central location of Swissotel in Sydney), and we thoroughly enjoyed the trip. One of the really enjoyable days was day 1, when we arrived early in the morning after a long plane flight from the US and spent the day walking through the parks and gardens and around the harbor in Sydney, visiting a couple of museums, and having a wonderful dinner at a little restaurant around the corner from our hotel. Sydney is a beautiful city! We missed spotting a cassowary in the rain forest, but we saw lots of roos and koalas and emus and dingoes and wombats and crocodiles and wallabies at Kangaroo Island and the Daintree rain forest, snorkeled at the Great Barrier Reef, and enjoyed a very interesting tour around Sydney. The arrangements were handled efficiently and easily. Thank you, Natasa, for arranging a perfect tour for us!Mike CherryGoway Travels makes planning easy!! Every detail is included and they will taper your tour as you like!maureen von mindenGoway Travel has been a great partner to work with as a Travel Advisor and Travel Agency Owner. They are constantly providing excellent and fast service to ensure I can help customize the perfect itinerary for my clients with amazing destination specialists. I recently worked with Aylin Esin for an Alaska trip for a client and we are finalizing the details for my clients trip in July!Nick BryanThis is an excellent tour agency that provides an excellent, all inclusive safari experience in South Africa, especially in the renown Kruger National Park. The agency will provide a very detailed, day-by-day itinerary of the trip, which, for the most part, describes exactly the order of activities that a customer will experience from start to end of the reserved trip. Our safari trip included a hotel pick-up in Cape Town in the beginning of the safari trip and drop-off at the end of the trip. Flights to and from either Johannesburg or Mpumalanga airport are included. We reserved a 3-day safari trip which included an afternoon safari the first day, a full day safari the 2nd day, and a morning safari the 3rd day. The lodge where we stayed was very clean with modern and convenient accommodations, including WIFI and breakfast. The guides are well trained and very knowledgeable about all animals we came across during our trip, and were also very courteous, polite and easy to engage in conversation. They made our safari trip exciting but safe! I would highly recommend this safari tour agency. Christos PatriotisI had an amazing trip. It was more than I could have expected. I got to see everything I wished to see while I was abroad. All the guides were lovely and provided me with excellent knowledge on their cities/tours. Especially in China where it was their holiday week and they all took time away from their families to make me around their cities. The tour company in Japan made sure I got to every tour destination and knew what the plan was for each day.
This is the second time I have used Goway for traveling and it has exceeded my expectations. katieahotmail.comWe just returned from an incredible 2-week trip to Brazil, and it exceeded every expectation. This was our first time using Goway, and RuthAnne absolutely knocked it out of the park.
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Traveled as a family of four - would recommend for couples, families, or anyone seeking a hassle-free, world-class experience.Ethan DavenportWe just returned from a 2 week tour of South Africa, Zimbabwe(Victoria Falls) and Botswana, and had a fabulous time! This was the third tour I've used Goway, and as usual, it was such a positive experience! The accommodations that were booked were awesome! The hotels were luxurious, clean and the staff, all so warm and welcoming! Our travel agent, Vanessa Lloyd, did a fabulous job arranging everything, and was always available to answer my many questions! We'll be using them again, next year when we take a family trip to the Greek Islands and Turkey! They are always consistent in the quality of the hotels and experiences, and I highly recommend them for your travel needs!Fran Nitta BarnesWe are still on our journey in Italy. At Capri now and heading to the Amalfi Coast. So far, we can’t thank Goway enough for putting our itinerary together so quickly. Everything is going well and hope the next 10 days are perfect too. Gladys VivianCan't say enough good things about Goway Travel. From the very start, our travel rep, Harpreet, listened carefully to what we were hoping to see and do on our first trip to Japan. She asked great questions and then came back to us with a detailed itinerary packed with adventure and fun, and all within our travel budget.
From the moment we took off from LAX, Harpreet had made sure we had every tour voucher, hotel voucher, plane ticket, train ticket, literally every detail covered. All we had to do was follow our itinerary.
Also, Harpreet booked us into terrific hotels. Each one was spotlessly clean, comfortable, included a full (and delicious) breakfast and, most importantly, was centrally located to all of the activities she had planned for us. So everything was a 5 or 10-minute walk away.
In three weeks' time we were able to visit six cities and so many fascinating shrines, temples, castles, imperial palaces - most of which were World Heritage sites. Harpreet also tucked in fabulous "experiences" like learning how to make sushi with a professional chef, enjoying a tea ceremony and watching graceful Geishas dance.
My husband and I are seasoned travelers. But we don't speak Japanese and we really knew very little about the country. There is no way we would have been able to see and do all of the fascinating things we did in Japan if we hadn't chosen Goway Travel to be our guide. Many thanks for an unforgettable trip! Bobbi Fagone
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