Istanbul Excursions: Family Trips, Day Trips and Cruise Shore Days

The best excursions from Istanbul fall into three groups: a Bosphorus cruise or the car-free Princes' Islands for families with children, a full day to Bursa, Sapanca or Troy for travellers who want to see the country around the city, and a private 6 to 8 hour old city tour for cruise passengers on a port call. Our day excursions start from $60 per person, and the Princes' Islands day tour with ferry and lunch, a favourite with families, starts from $90 per person.

This page sorts the options by the kind of traveller, so you can choose quickly. It is written with visitors from Germany, Austria and Switzerland in mind, who usually come in the school holidays, often with children, and increasingly on a cruise. A German-speaking licensed guide is arranged on request, subject to availability, and confirmed in writing before you book. If you want a full city itinerary rather than single excursions, our Istanbul city trip with guided tours sets out a five-day plan.

Excursions at a glance

All prices are from our current tour list. Per-person prices include the services listed on each tour page; private versions with your own guide and vehicle are quoted on request.

In the city with children

Istanbul is easier with children than its traffic suggests, as long as you plan short sightseeing blocks and use the water. Boats are the best part of the day for most children, and the city has plenty of them.

The Bosphorus. A cruise between Europe and Asia is the obvious first outing. Our Bosphorus lunch cruise includes hotel pickup and drop-off, which spares you the tram with a pram. For a do-it-yourself version on the public ferries, see our self-guided Bosphorus ferry page.

The Princes' Islands. Büyükada and its neighbours in the Sea of Marmara have no private cars, so children can walk and cycle in safety among wooden mansions and pine woods. Our Princes' Islands day trip page compares the islands.

Short visits in the old city. The Basilica Cistern, with its columns standing in water, holds children's attention better than most museums. Galata Tower gives the view from the top in a few minutes. On the Golden Horn, Miniatürk shows Turkish landmarks in miniature, and the Rahmi M. Koç Museum in Hasköy has old trains, ships and planes.

Plan around the closing days: Topkapı Palace is closed on Tuesdays, Dolmabahçe Palace on Mondays, and the Grand Bazaar on Sundays. Our things to do in Istanbul with kids page has more ideas by age, and Istanbul tours for kids shows which guided tours work for families.

Around Istanbul: the best full-day trips

Once you have seen the old city and the Bosphorus, the region around Istanbul is the next step. These excursions leave in the morning and bring you back to the hotel in the evening.

• Bursa and Uludağ. Bursa was the first capital of the Ottoman Empire, and the city and the nearby village of Cumalıkızık are a UNESCO World Heritage site. A cable car climbs Uludağ, the mountain above the city, which is a ski area in winter. Our Bursa and Uludağ tour includes the ferry, cable car and lunch from $90 per person.
• Sapanca and Maşukiye. A lake ringed by forest east of Istanbul, with riverside restaurants in the Maşukiye valley. Our tour adds ATV, zipline and cable car options, which suit teenagers, from $70 per person.
• Şile. A small town with beaches on the Black Sea coast, at its best in July and August, from $60 per person.
• Troy. The archaeological site of Troy, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is a long day with a ferry across the Dardanelles; our tour starts from $175 per person. Combine it with Gallipoli if you have two days: see Gallipoli tours from Istanbul.

Our Istanbul day trips page compares more destinations, and Sapanca day trip from Istanbul covers the lake in detail.

For cruise guests: excursions from Galataport

Cruise ships in Istanbul dock at Galataport in Karaköy, on the European side, right on the Bosphorus. From there, the old city is across the Galata Bridge, so a full old city tour fits even a single day in port.

How much you can do depends on the time ashore:

• Five or six hours. Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and the Hippodrome, with the Basilica Cistern if the queues allow. Our Hagia Sophia small-group tour with entry ticket starts from $120 per person.
• Eight hours. Add Topkapı Palace (not on a Tuesday) or the Grand Bazaar (not on a Sunday). A private tour fits the guide to your ship's times; our Istanbul old city private tour starts from $200 per person.
• An overnight call or a turnaround day. The Bosphorus and Dolmabahçe Palace on the second day, or a night out before you sail. If Istanbul is where your cruise starts or ends, plan a day or two in the city around it.

Check the day of the week before you choose, and agree the return time to the ship in writing with your guide. Our Galataport shore excursions page explains the port and the timing in detail, and cruises from Istanbul in 2027 covers tours before and after a cruise. For the season's ship calls, see our Galataport cruise season 2027 update.

German-speaking guides: what to ask for

Most excursions run with English-speaking licensed guides. A German-speaking guide is arranged on request, subject to availability, and is easiest on a private tour, where the guide works only for your party. Ask when you send your dates, especially for the Easter, summer and autumn school holidays, when many German, Austrian and Swiss families travel at the same time.

Two practical points:

• Shared day trips (Bursa, Sapanca, Şile, the Princes' Islands) are usually guided in English for a mixed group. If German matters, ask us for a private version.
• Private city tours can be confirmed with a German-speaking guide when one is free on your dates. See our German-speaking guide in Istanbul page for how we assign guides.

Choosing by season

The same excursion can be a good or a poor choice depending on the month:

• Winter (December to March): Bursa and Uludağ for snow; museums and the Basilica Cistern in the city. The Black Sea beaches are closed for the season.
• Spring (April to June): the Princes' Islands, the Bosphorus and Sapanca are at their greenest. Tulips fill the city parks in April.
• Summer (July and August): Şile and the Black Sea coast; start city sightseeing early, and plan the hottest hours on a boat.
• Autumn (September to November): good for everything, including Troy and Gallipoli, when the long drive is more comfortable.

For month-by-month details, see the best time to visit Istanbul.

Practical points for travellers from Germany, Austria and Switzerland

• Documents. German citizens can enter Türkiye with a Personalausweis or passport for tourist stays of up to 90 days, and the German Foreign Office also accepts the Kinderreisepass. The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs lists Austrian and Swiss citizens as visa-free for up to 90 days.
• Pickup. Several of our excursions include hotel pickup in the central districts, among them the Sapanca day tour and the Bosphorus lunch cruise. Check each tour page, and confirm the pickup point if you stay outside the centre.
• Money. The currency is the Turkish lira. Cards work in most shops and restaurants; carry some lira for small purchases, tips and ferries.
• Getting here. Nonstop flights from Germany take from about 2 hours 20 minutes. If you are still planning the arrival, our Istanbul airport private transfer guide explains the options from both airports.

For more ideas on a city break, our sister site Get Istanbul Tours also lists private tours in the city.

Tours that cover this

• Princes' Islands Day Tour from Istanbul: Ferry, Büyükada and Lunch: from $90 per person.
• Bursa and Uludağ Tour from Istanbul: Ferry, Cable Car and Lunch: from $90 per person.
• Bosphorus Lunch Cruise in Istanbul with Hotel Pick-up and Drop-off: from $75 per person.
• Istanbul Old City Private Tour: Hagia Sophia, Topkapı and Grand Bazaar: from $200 per person.

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