Start the tour

Self-guided free tour

Sultanahmet: Emperors, sultans and domes

Free · no booking Loop route

Duration
2 h 10 min approx.
Distance
4.1 km on foot
Stops
11 stops

A walk through the imperial heart of Istanbul, where Byzantium and the Ottoman Empire laid their finest stones one on top of the other. From Hagia Sophia to the Blue Mosque, by way of the gate of Topkapı Palace, the gardens of Gülhane, the pillar from which every distance in the empire was measured and the old Hippodrome with its Egyptian obelisk. About two hours, not counting time inside the monuments.

Start and end Sultanahmet Park

Get there

The route

The 1 marks where the tour starts and ends.

The 11 stops

At each one, a story of about two minutes.

  1. 1

    Sultanahmet Park Start

    130 m · 2 min on foot

  2. 2

    Hagia Sophia

    290 m · 4 min on foot

  3. 3

    Imperial Gate and Fountain of Ahmed the Third

    200 m · 3 min on foot

  4. 4

    Hagia Irene and the first courtyard of Topkapı

    750 m · 11 min on foot

  5. 5

    Gülhane Park

    480 m · 7 min on foot

  6. 6

    Column of the Goths

    1.0 km · 14 min on foot

  7. 7

    The Sublime Porte and the Procession Kiosk

    380 m · 5 min on foot

  8. 8

    The Milion and the Basilica Cistern

    230 m · 3 min on foot

  9. 9

    German Fountain and the Hippodrome

    230 m · 3 min on foot

  10. 10

    The Egyptian Obelisk and the Serpent Column

    110 m · 2 min on foot

  11. 11

    Blue Mosque

    290 m · 4 min back to the start

  12. Back at Sultanahmet Park

    The tour ends where it started.

How it works

  1. 1. Get to the start

    Head to the starting point and tap “Start the tour”.

  2. 2. Listen

    At each stop, tap “I'm here” and listen to the story.

  3. 3. Follow the map

    Follow the map to the next stop. No rush.

Before you set off

Bring headphones and a charged phone: audio and map use up battery.

  • It is a loop: you finish where you started.
  • Stop whenever you like. Your progress is saved on this phone.
  • The route and the texts load when you start, so it keeps working with patchy coverage.
  • The walk stays outdoors. The time does not include going inside the buildings.
  • Available in Spanish and English.
Photo credits
  • 1. Sultanahmet Park: Gryffindor This panoramic image ... · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
  • 2. Hagia Sophia: Arild Vågen · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
  • 3. Imperial Gate and Fountain of Ahmed the Third: Julien Maury · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
  • 4. Hagia Irene and the first courtyard of Topkapı: Ninara · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
  • 5. Gülhane Park: Maurice Flesier · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
  • 6. Column of the Goths: Bjørn Erik Pedersen · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
  • 7. The Sublime Porte and the Procession Kiosk: A.Savin · FAL · Wikimedia Commons
  • 8. The Milion and the Basilica Cistern: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
  • 9. German Fountain and the Hippodrome: A.Savin · FAL · Wikimedia Commons
  • 10. The Egyptian Obelisk and the Serpent Column: Apaleutos25 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
  • 11. Blue Mosque: Pedro Szekely from Los Angeles, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons