We are enrolled in the Best of Turkey 20 September tour. Guidebook awards top three stars to the Mosque of Suleyman the Magnificent. RS website suggests several places not covered on the tour that are recommended to do on our own. Suleyman the Magnificent is not on that list. What am I missing; guidebook lists it as “do not miss” and yet attractions recommended to do on our own does not include Suleyman the Magnificent. Is it included on RS Best of Turkey tour?
Posted by
Oregon 🌲
461 posts
We visited the Suleyman Mosque on our tour in 2019. It looks like RS may have substituted the Blue Mosque for this. You should contact Rick Steve's Europe.
Posted by
Minnesota🌲
10489 posts
I agree with leonard. You also might ask the Tour office if you have any free time so that you could visit it on your own. I can tell you that it is well worth seeing.
Posted by
Salem, Oregon, USA
3500 posts
I did this tour in 2023 and saw the Suleyman mosque with the group, but they have changed the itinerary and it is no longer included. The mosque is not easy to get to and given the very busy tour days in Istanbul I am not surprised they dropped it in favor of other things. It is impossible to see all the wonderful things in Istanbul in one full day and two half days. If you want to see it hopefully you have built in time ahead of the tour to go.
BTW, this tour was one where the guides had a lot of leeway to adjust the actual schedule from the printed tour itinerary, especially due to crowds at specific places like Topkapi palace. Worry not, you'll see everything promised it just might not be in the same order.
Posted by
RIchmond, BC,Canada
1089 posts
Did this tour last fall and loved it, but the time in Istanbul is quite busy. Getting up to the Suleyman mosque takes a bit of time, and it’s all uphill, so there probably isn’t enough free time on the tour to get up there. You should try to arrive at least two days before the tour to see some of the sights not included. The day we walked up to the mosque we actually started with a quick walk through the spice market (which the tour visits), then went out through the back alleys and headed up the hill from there. It’s a bit of a hike, but definitely worth it.
Posted by
Atlanta, GA
900 posts
Süleymaniye Mosque is just around the corner from the Grand Bazaar. It's an easy (and flat) walk from there.
I love to go there early in the morning. Watching the sun rise over the Golden Horn and Bosporus is beautiful.
Posted by
100 posts
I have not been on a RS tour of Turkey, but my son lives there and I have visited three times.
My favorite mosque is Suleyman the Magnificent. It's breath-taking and if you can manage it, by all means g