Discover Turkey’s largest and most important city - and the only city in the world to straddle 2 continents - on a full-day shore excursion of Istanbul’s iconic Ottoman and Byzantine highlights. Visit the Blue Mosque, the historic Hippodrome, Topkapi Palace, and the lively Grand Bazaar. Your private guide will meet you at the cruise ship terminal and transfer you by air-conditioned vehicle to the Hippodrome, former center of all sports and political activities in Constantinople. See the Obelisk from Egypt, the Serpentine Column from Delphi, and the fountain of Willhelm II. Continue to the exquisite Blue Mosque. One of the largest mosques in Istanbul, the 17th-century architecture is one of the principal adornments of Istanbul's skyline and most notable for its blue Iznik tiles and 6 minarets. Visit Topkapi Palace, former imperial residence, from where the Ottoman Empire was ruled. Today it’s a spectacular museum, with one of the largest collections of Chinese and Japanese porcelain, as well as the famous treasury of the Royal Family. Go to the church of St. Sophia, also known as the Hagia Sophia, and admire the magnificent Byzantine architecture. End at the Grand Bazaar, one of the world's oldest and largest covered markets. It has been in continuous operation since the 15th-century and is a haven for picking up souvenir gifts of carpets, antiques, trinkets, and bowls of nazar evil eye amulets. Return to your cruise ship in time for your evening activities, or ship’s departure.