Question about visiting Istanbul sites on RS Turkey in 13 Days Tour

Took the 7 day tour. We went inside EACH. Blue Mosque isn't really blue inside, Hagia Sophia is stunning and the Chora Church utterly fascinating. I can't imagine you won't be going inside each of them as well. Since you'll get there earlier than the rest of the participants I'd encourage you to visit some of the smaller mosques, see the Orient Express station, hang out under the Galata Bridge, visit the Archeology Museum, have a steam in a Hamam, take a weekday ferry ride out to the Prince's Islands, visit the Book Market, sit in the sun and people watch in a park, walk along the waterfront, and simply enjoy the sights and sounds of a very intriguing city!

Don't forget the Grand Bazaar.

Sounds like a great city with lots to do. That's why I want to make sure we'll get into the Blue Mosque etc., on tour..... so I can use my extra days to visit a few places on my own. Did anyone do the 13 day tour? Thanks for the info. Not that I needed it, but your input is making me even more excited to get there!

We were on the 13-day tour last September. Some other sites that haven't yet been mentioned and are not included on the tour are the Mosque of Suleyman the Magnificent and the Underground Cistern. The Cistern is something quite different than other tour included sites. The tour went to both the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Market, but one could always spend more time in places like that.
Enjoy your trip.

I'm sorry, I don't think my original post was very clear. On the Turkey in 13 days tour: do you actually get into the 3 sites (Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Chora Church)? And, if so, how long are you inside? I understand other tours go inside but the daily itinerary from the 13 day tour is not very explicit. Thanls very much for the comments so far.

Ray - I went on the 13 day tour almost 2 years ago. I'm sure each guide is different but we had plenty of time in the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sofia and the Chora Church (I don't remember how long we spent but i spent every minute in each site and didn't feel that I missed anything). Two places I would have enjoyed more time were the Topkapi Palace and walking through the Grand Bazaar (go to the currency exchange area - it was really interesting). We went a few days before the tour and spent some time in the new town wandering the wonderful back streets and visiting the Galata Tower. We also attended a cooking class at Cooking Alaturka and went back for lunch again. Our tour included the underground Cisterns. If it's not a part of the tour anymore, it's interesting to visit. Enjoy your tour. If you have any other questions feel free to PM me.

Thanks so much for the info. As I said on other RS tours you sometimes see a site only from the outside (and he usually does a pretty good job picking what to skip, but I definitely want to see these 3 places.) It seems like I can now spend my extra 2 days visiting some other sites on my list!

The Cistern was on the 7 Day tour in May of 2011. Unfortunate to hear it's not on the 13 day tour. Since you have the time definitely see the Cistern. Intriguing place. The Medusa head is amazing. Do hope you are lucky enough to get Mert Tanner as your guide. He rocks!

I took the RS 13 day Turkey Tour. We went inside all three sites you have mentioned and had enough time to see what was there. We too went to Istanbul several days before the tour started to see sites not included on the tour. We got that information from RS Tour Desk. The tour spent 2 more days in Istanbul then off to see the country side. After the tour was over we returned to Istanbul for another 5 nights.
I was a little concerned about how the locals, especially out in the country side would react to "Americans". I found everyone so very friendly and helpful I will return to Istanbul and Turkey when I run out of other RS tours to take. We ended up purchasing a small "Made in Turkey" rug when we returned to Istanbul - not at the Grand Bazar but from a store that was recommended to us when we visit a rug manufacturing plant on the tour. We got a real good education there and the pressure to buy a rug there was moderate at most. If you like cats, Istanbul has lots that are quick to hit up the tourists for handouts. Enjoy Turkey.

Well it certainly seems like I made a good choice. Thanks to everyone for the info..... I'm now looking forward to the tour even more than I was a few days ago!

I went on the 7 day Istanbul tour and agree the Cistern is worth visiting. You could also take a Turkish Bath (there are several Hamams listed in the RS Istanbul book). Also, you might enjoy the Spice market.
Have a great trip- I went back to Istanbul in October for the Villages of Turkey RS tour It's now my favourite city, it's a fabulous place!

I'm hoping to see the Basilica Cistern and the Cistern of 1,000 columns. Of course, I want to see everything and have to knock a few things off my list! Thanks for the info.