Feedback on RS "Best of Istanbul in 7 Days" Tour

I have not done that tour, but did do the Best of Turkey tour with extra days in Istanbul ahead of time. It was busy at many big sites even mid-week and without cruise ships. It's definitely very busy in the historic area on the weekends not just with cruise ship people, just everyday people going about their weekends. It looks like all of the Best of Istanbul tours start on a Sunday so if you go early you will probably have some busy spots.

There are ways to avoid crowds at major sites, and if you're doing that tour the RS guides will maximize your time. Our guide flipped our printed schedule a couple times based on expected crowds. You can also look up cruise ship dockings for Istanbul for the dates you're interested in going to see if there are many large ships expected in port.

I took the Best of Istanbul tour in May, 2022, when there weren't a lot of cruise ships back yet. I was in Istanbul again this August and could see various cruise ships throughut the week.

The restaurants in the neighborhood around my hotel were noticeably more lively this trip than in 2022, but it seemed more like young Turkish locals rather than cruise ship tourists. The little streets were animated, but not jammed.

There was a line of 200 or 300 people to enter the Blue Mosque, but it moved quickly, never stopping. Once inside, there were a lot of people, but not an "unpassable" crush of people. The plaza between the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque was pleasantly lively, but not jammed with people. I didn't go in the Hagia Sophia this time, but I didn't see long lines - perhaps because of the new price of admission.

The Spice Market and surrounding streets were quite busy during both of my visits. It was hard to keep our group together, so we texted our locations to each other.

The trams were not exactly "jammed like sardines," but crowded both in 2022 and this August.

I was on the Best of Istanbul tour a year ago , October 2023.

Yes there were some cruise ships. But our guide worked around those as much as possible bringing us to the most impacted sites earlier or later. She too flipped the itinerary as needed. Istanbul is a crowded ,large city, but we all managed to deal with it.

The tour itself was terrific and our guide was fantastic and always went the extra mile.

The Spice Market and Grand Bazaar are tourist magnets as are the top name mosques which means that they attract lots of people. Nothing was over the top packed that we couldn't manage and we are sensitive to crowds .

My suggestion is to not let the prospect of cruise ships deter you from taking this tour if otherwise it seems right for you . You will be in good hands.

Also ,we spent a couple of days after to return to a few places and explore other things. Not really necessary as you will see a lot on this deep dive but we wanted some time to explore on our own . We were glad we did but most everyone left after the tour.

This is a city of 17 million that is one of the most popular tourist destinations around. It will be crowded whether cruise ships are in port or not. After all, you will be there as a tourist without arriving on a ship and so will thousands of others.

Just decide to enjoy yourself and go. It is a beautiful city.

Thanks everyone - much appreciated!