Byzantium & Ottoman Istanbul17th Mar 2025

Founded as Byzantium, famed as Constantinople, the city we know today as Istanbul straddles two continents and has played a pivotal role in world history. It is one of the most delightful and complex cities in the world. We explore the major monuments of the city centre but also take a boat ride on the Bosphorus, which affords views back over the unmistakable skyline of the city broken by hundreds of slender soaring minarets. The bustle, good natured hustle, scents and sounds of this city are unforgettable.  

We are based in Sultanahmet, the site of old Constantinople. This historic and compact area is largely pedestrianised and is home to four of the city’s major historic monuments:  the Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, Blue Mosque and Grand Bazaar. Guide Lecturer Terry Richardson, author of the Rough Guide to the city, provides invaluable ‘insider’ knowledge of a city he knows and loves so well and travelling out of season, we enjoy this wonderful city when the summer crowds have departed.