Istanbul City Tours for Brazilians and Portuguese: Prices Compared

A guided city tour of Istanbul costs from $45 per person for a half-day group tour, from $57 per person for a full day that includes a Bosphorus cruise, and from $199 per group for a private day with your own licensed guide. Shared group tours run in English; for a private tour, a Portuguese-speaking guide can be arranged on request, subject to availability, with the final price confirmed in writing. Transfer passengers on Turkish Airlines with a layover of 6 to 24 hours may also qualify for Touristanbul, the airline's free city tour. For most first-time visitors, the Istanbul full-day tour with Bosphorus cruise, Balat and Galata is the best-value place to start.

This page compares the kinds of city tour on offer, what each one covers and costs, when it is worth paying for a private guide in Portuguese, and how Touristanbul fits in for travellers flying between Brazil, Portugal and Asia.

City tour prices compared

These are our real starting prices. "Per person" tours are shared with other visitors; "per group" prices cover your whole party.

Museum entrance tickets are not included unless the tour says so. Ticket prices for foreign visitors at Hagia Sophia, Topkapı and the Basilica Cistern have risen sharply in recent years and are a real part of the budget; our Hagia Sophia ticket price update has the current figure, and Istanbul tour prices explains the rest.

Half day or full day?

A half day covers one area well. The classic morning route is the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and the Grand Bazaar, all within a short walk of Sultanahmet Square. The afternoon option is Topkapı Palace, which deserves three hours on its own. Many visitors book one in the morning and the other in the afternoon, which gives a full old city day with a lunch break between.

A full day either goes deep in the old city (Hagia Sophia, Topkapı and the bazaar with lunch) or goes wide: the Golden Horn, Balat's coloured houses, Galata and a boat on the Bosphorus. If you have only one day in Istanbul, the wide version shows more of the city; if you have three, do the old city first and the Bosphorus later.

Two closures shape every plan: Topkapı Palace is closed on Tuesdays and Dolmabahçe Palace on Mondays. Mosques close to visitors during the daily prayers, and for longer at Friday midday prayer.

Group tour in English or private tour in Portuguese?

Shared city tours are led in English. They are the cheapest way to see the sights with a licensed guide, and the groups move at a steady pace.

A private tour is the way to have the explanations in Portuguese. You request a Portuguese-speaking licensed guide when you book; we check who is free on your dates and confirm the guide, the route and the total in writing before payment. There is no published surcharge for the language, because it depends on availability. If no Portuguese-speaking guide is free, we say so and offer another date or an English-speaking guide.

A private tour makes sense when:

• your group is four or more people, so a per-group price beats several per-person tickets;
• you travel with children or older parents and want to set the pace;
• someone in the group does not follow English easily;
• you want a route the shared tours do not run, such as the Asian side or the Istanbul mosques tour.

For how the Portuguese-speaking guide request works in detail, see our Portuguese-speaking guide in Istanbul page.

Touristanbul: the free Turkish Airlines city tour

Turkish Airlines runs Touristanbul, a free guided tour for international transfer passengers at Istanbul Airport. It is useful for Brazilians and Portuguese flying through Istanbul to Asia, the Middle East or Africa. The airline sets the conditions, and the main ones are:

• a layover of 6 to 24 hours, international to international, at Istanbul Airport (IST);
• both flights on the same Turkish Airlines booking;
• a connection that fits one of the fixed daily tour times;
• the right to enter Türkiye, which Brazilian and Portuguese citizens have without a visa.

The tours are shared, the routes are fixed and the commentary is not in Portuguese. If your connection does not fit, or you want a private guide, our Istanbul layover private tour works from IST or Sabiha Gökçen at the times you need, from $550 per person. Our Turkish Airlines free Istanbul tour page sets out the current tour times and a simple test for whether your layover is long enough.

Hop-on hop-off bus or a guided tour?

The hop-on hop-off bus is a way to get around, not a tour of the inside of the monuments. It loops past the main districts with recorded commentary, and it works for travellers who want to see the city from the top deck and visit sights on their own. It does not take you into Hagia Sophia or Topkapı, and Sultanahmet's sights are close enough to walk between. Our Istanbul hop-on hop-off bus page compares it with the tram and with guided tours.

A good mix for a first visit is one guided day in the old city, then two days on your own with the tram, the ferries and the bus.

Arriving from Brazil or Portugal

Entry. According to the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ordinary Brazilian passport holders can visit Türkiye visa-free for up to 90 days, and Portuguese citizens for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Passports must be valid for at least 60 days beyond the permitted stay; six months is the safe rule. The Turkish Embassy in Lisbon has stated that Portuguese citizens can also enter with the Cartão de Cidadão, but a passport avoids questions at the border.

Flights. Turkish Airlines flies to Istanbul Airport from São Paulo–Guarulhos, Lisbon and Porto. From Rio de Janeiro and other Brazilian cities, the usual route is via São Paulo or a European hub. The flight from São Paulo is an overnight long-haul trip, so book a light city tour for the afternoon of arrival, or none at all.

Time difference. Istanbul is on UTC+3 all year: six hours ahead of Brasília time, and two hours ahead of Lisbon in summer, three in winter.

Getting to the hotel. An airport transfer in a private Mercedes Vito starts from $60 per group, which is simpler than a taxi after a long flight. Our page on Turkey tour packages from Brazil covers longer trips around the country.

Making the most of a city tour day

• Start early. The queues at Hagia Sophia and the Basilica Cistern grow quickly by mid-morning.
• Dress for the mosques. Shoulders and knees covered; women bring a scarf. Shoes come off at the door.
• Wear good shoes. Istanbul is hilly and cobbled, and a full-day tour means many kilometres on foot.
• Carry some lira. Cards work in most places, but small cafés, tips and bazaar stalls prefer cash.
• Plan the order. Do the old city on a day other than Tuesday, and keep the Bosphorus for a clear afternoon. Our Istanbul 3-day itinerary gives a tested order.

For more city tours from our sister company, see private Istanbul tours on Get Istanbul Tours, or browse our own Istanbul city tours.

Tours that cover this

• Istanbul full-day tour with Bosphorus cruise: Balat, Galata and lunch: from $57 per person.
• Istanbul half-day morning tour: Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque and bazaar: from $67 per person.
• Private Istanbul tour with a licensed guide, 1, 2 or 3 days: from $199 per group.
• Istanbul layover tour with private guide and van from IST or SAW: from $550 per person.

A Portuguese-speaking guide can be requested for the private tours, subject to availability.

Frequently Asked Questions