Istanbul Tour Prices for Iranian Travellers: Tours, Visa and Payment

An Istanbul tour costs from $38 per person for a Bosphorus lunch cruise, $67 per person for a half-day Old City tour and $199 per group for a full day with a private licensed guide; packages with hotel start at $344 per person for three days. Those are our real starting prices. Most Iranian travellers also want to know two other things before they book: whether they need a visa (they do not, for up to 90 days) and how to pay when cards issued in Iran do not work abroad. This page answers all three. For a first look at a guided day, see our half-day Istanbul tour of Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and the bazaar.

Istanbul tour prices at a glance

Prices are in US dollars and are starting prices. "Per group" means one price for your whole party, which is how most private tours are sold.

The cheapest way to see Istanbul with a guide is a shared tour priced per person. The best value for a family is usually a private guide or a private car priced per group, because the price does not rise with each extra person.

Day tours and half-day tours

A half day is enough for one area. The morning Byzantine half-day tour covers Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and the bazaar from $67 per person, and the afternoon Topkapı Palace tour with Harem and Treasury is from $88 per person. Book both and you have seen the heart of the Old City in one day.

For a full day, the Istanbul full-day historical tour covers Hagia Sophia, Topkapı and the Grand Bazaar from $161 per person. If you would rather spend a day on the water, the Bosphorus cruise and two continents tour is from $88 per person and crosses to the Asian side.

Entrance tickets matter when you compare prices. Foreign visitors pay €25 for the Hagia Sophia visitor route to the upper galleries, and the Topkapı Palace ticket with the Harem and Hagia Irene costs 2,750 TL. A tour that includes tickets can look more expensive than one that does not, so check the inclusions on each tour page. The Blue Mosque, the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Bazaar are free. Our page on Istanbul tour prices lists more options side by side.

Private guide and private car prices

Many Iranian visitors travel as families, often with parents or grandparents. For them a private day is more comfortable than a shared group, because the guide sets the pace and the car waits nearby.

• Private licensed guide: the private Istanbul tour with a licensed guide is from $199 per group for eight hours, bookable for one, two or three days.
• Private car with driver: the Mercedes Vito with driver for 8 hours is from $299 per group for up to six guests. It suits shopping days, when you want to go from one district to another with bags.
• Airport transfer: the private airport transfer by Mercedes Vito is from $60 per group.

Package prices with hotel

If you prefer one booking for the hotel, transfers and touring, our Istanbul packages start from:

• Short Istanbul package, 3 days with hotel and Old City tour: from $344 per person.
• Istanbul 3-day tour package with hotel, Old City tour and transfers: from $435 per person.
• Istanbul tour package, 4 days and 3 nights with hotel and Bosphorus cruise: from $699 per person.
• Islamic Istanbul tour package, 4 days with private guided heritage tours: from $768 per person. It is built around Istanbul's Islamic heritage with a private guide.
• Istanbul tour package, 5 days with hotel, guides and Bosphorus cruise: from $1,285 per person.

International flights are not part of these prices unless the package page says so. Our page on Istanbul tour packages with hotel compares them in more detail.

Entry rules for Iranian passport holders

Iranian citizens do not need a visa for a short trip to Türkiye. According to the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Iranian ordinary and official passport holders are exempt from visa for travel of up to 90 days. There is no e-visa to buy and no entry fee for tourism.

The rule that catches people out is passport validity. Under Turkish law, your passport must be valid for at least 60 days beyond the end of your permitted stay. For a full 90-day stay, that means 150 days of validity on the day you arrive; the ministry also advises a passport valid for six months. If your passport is close to expiry, renew it before you fly. Our overview of Turkey visa requirements covers the rules for other nationalities in your group.

Flights and the overland route from Iran

Air links between Iran and Türkiye were badly disrupted in 2026. Flights stopped after the strikes on Iran at the end of February, and Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran reopened for some international flights on 25 April 2026, with Istanbul among the first destinations. Iran Air was one of the first carriers to restart service to Istanbul. Since then, schedules have kept changing, and some foreign airlines have been slow to return. Check the current timetable with the airline before you pay for anything that depends on a fixed arrival day.

Two practical points:

• Which Istanbul airport. Istanbul Airport (IST) is on the European side, near most hotels. Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) is on the Asian side and takes longer to reach from Sultanahmet or Taksim. Book your transfer for the right one.
• Overland. Buses run from Tabriz and Tehran to Istanbul through the Bazargan–Gürbulak border crossing. It is a long journey, but it is a fallback when flights are full or cancelled.

Istanbul is 30 minutes behind Tehran. Iran no longer uses summer time, and Türkiye stays on UTC+3 all year, so the difference does not change with the seasons.

Paying for tours: cards, cash and currency

This is the question we hear most from Iranian guests. Because of international sanctions, bank cards issued in Iran do not work on the Visa and Mastercard networks, so they cannot be used in Istanbul hotels, shops or ATMs. Most Iranian visitors therefore travel with cash, usually US dollars or euros.

• Change money at a döviz (exchange office). Exchange offices are common in Sultanahmet, Laleli, Taksim and the Grand Bazaar area, and their rates are usually better than at the airport or the hotel.
• Some relatives pay by card from abroad. Families often have a relative outside Iran who pays a hotel or tour deposit with a card issued in another country. Put the payer's name on the booking so the payment can be matched.
• Confirm the payment method before you book. Message us on WhatsApp, tell us how you plan to pay, and we confirm what works for your tour before anything is reserved.
• Large amounts of cash. If you carry a large sum, check the Turkish customs declaration rules before you travel.

Carry small notes in lira for taxis, ferries, tea and tips. Many small shops prefer cash anyway.

Persian-speaking guide: on request

A Persian-speaking (Farsi) guide can be arranged on request, subject to availability. None of our tours has a fixed Persian-language price, so we check whether a licensed guide who works in Persian is free on your dates and then quote the price. Send the request early, and earliest for the Nowruz holidays in late March and for the summer months, when many Iranian families travel. If no Persian-speaking guide is free, the tour runs with a licensed guide in English or another language your group shares.

For families who want to see the great mosques, the Blue Mosque and the Süleymaniye Mosque are free to enter outside prayer times, and the shrine of Eyüp Sultan sits below Pierre Loti Hill. Women do not need to cover their hair in the street in Istanbul, only inside mosques. Halal food is the norm in Turkish restaurants.

Tours that cover this

• Istanbul Half-Day Morning Tour: Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque & Bazaar: from $67 per person, the lowest-cost guided start.
• Private Istanbul Tour with a Licensed Guide: 1, 2 or 3 Days: from $199 per group per day, best value for families.
• Private Istanbul Shopping Tour: Grand Bazaar and Spice Market Guide: from $90 per person, for a guided shopping day.
• Islamic Istanbul Tour Package: 4 Days, Private Guided Heritage Tours: from $768 per person, with hotel.

You can see every option on our Istanbul tours page.

Frequently Asked Questions