Peter Sommer Travels has announced its new Exploring Istanbul tour for 2026. Accompanied by an expert guide, travellers will get up close with mosques, palaces and fortifications, plus other lesser-known wonders.Among the highlights of the Exploring Istanbul tour are the Hagia Sophia, replete with mosaics in its upper galleries; the Süleymaniye Camii, tthe largest of the city’s mosques from its Ottoman period; the lesser well-known Hagia Eirene, which is the oldest extant church (that has never become a mosque); the Topkapı Palace, from which the Ottoman Empire was ruled in its greatest years of power; and the subterranean Yerebatan Saray cistern, where there are rows upon rows of Roman columns.
In addition to the sites above, guests will have the chance to visit the Archaeological Museum, which holds the Alexander Sarcophagus, Greek and Roman statuary and more. A private collection of archaeological pieces, housed at the Sadberk Hanım museum, will be another stop.The group will also enjoy a boat tour on the Bosphorus and Golden Horn, from which they can spot the Rumeli Hisar fortress rising from the shore and the Istanbul Naval Museum with its complete Ottoman galley. Later, a walking tour visits the Column of Emperor Constantine and the bustling Grand Bazaar. A stop at a carpet shop will give travellers a preview of the traditional Turkish rugmaking craft.
Culinary experiences will include tea in the garden of Küçük Ayasofya (“Little Hagia Sofia”) and amid the “Belle Époque elegance” at the Pera Palace. Another culinary stop will include the 17th-century Spice Bazaar.The Exploring Istanbul tour includes all accommodations and meals, excursions with expert guides, transportation by private minibus, entrance fees, airport transfers and more. The seven-day tour departs 8 May 2026.
