Customizable Istanbul Package 3 Days: Central Hotel and Transfers

Customizable 3-day Istanbul package with a central hotel: the key facts

This is a basic Istanbul package that you build on yourself. The fixed part is two nights in a central hotel with breakfast, a transfer from the airport when you land and a transfer back when you leave. Day 1 is arrival, Day 2 is a free day, and Day 3 is the departure transfer. Everything else, from palace tickets to a Bosphorus dinner cruise, is an optional extra that you choose in the booking form.

It suits independent travellers, couples on a budget and repeat visitors who want the hotel and airport run sorted but prefer to plan their own sightseeing. The price is from $625 per person. A guide, round-trip airport transfers, accommodation and breakfast are listed as included. Other meals, entrance fees for optional places, personal expenses and the optional activities are not.

What do we actually get for $625?

Two hotel nights with breakfast and two airport transfers with a professional driver are the fixed core. No sightseeing tour is part of the base plan: Day 1 is arrival, Day 2 is free and Day 3 is departure. The page also lists "guide" as included, but the day plan does not say when the guide works with you or for how long. Ask us to state in writing what the guide does in this package, for example whether it is a short orientation walk, a contact on call or nothing beyond the transfers.

Which hotel and which area of Istanbul?

The page promises "a comfortable hotel in the heart of the city" but gives no hotel name, star rating or district. In Istanbul, "central" can mean Sultanahmet near the old sights, or the Taksim and Beyoglu side across the Golden Horn, and the choice changes your days a lot. Ask us for the hotel name before you pay, and check it on a map. Our guide on where to stay in Istanbul compares the main areas, so you can tell us which one you prefer.

How do the airport transfers work?

A professional driver meets you when you land and drives you to the hotel, and on Day 3 a driver collects you from the hotel for the airport. Istanbul has two international airports, and the page does not say whether both are covered at this price, so tell us your arrival and departure airports and flight numbers. Ask also how long the driver waits if your flight is late. Our page on the Istanbul airport private transfer explains the service in more detail.

Which extras can we add, and what do they cost?

The page gives three prices: a Topkapi Palace entry ticket for $85, a Hagia Sophia entry ticket for $40 and a Bosphorus dinner cruise for $60. The overview also mentions a guided tour of the Grand Bazaar and the Blue Mosque, a sunset cruise on the Bosphorus, a Turkish bath, a street food tour and extra hotel nights, but none of these has a price on the page. Ask us for a written quote for any of them. Read about Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia and the Bosphorus dinner cruise first.

Do we need a guide for the free day?

Not necessarily. The Day 2 text suggests walking through Sultanahmet and Beyoglu and visiting the Basilica Cistern on your own. That works well if you have read up beforehand and do not mind queues. If you would rather have a guide and skip-line tickets for the main sights, you could add our Best of Istanbul private tour, whose first day costs from $175 per person, on Day 2. Ask us to fit it into your plan so the times do not clash with your transfers.

What should we wear for mosques on our own?

If you visit the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia or any other mosque on the free day, both men and women should cover shoulders and knees, and women should bring a scarf for their hair. You take off your shoes at the entrance, so slip-on shoes help. Mosques can close to visitors during prayer times, so plan around them. Comfortable walking shoes are the best choice for the hills and cobbles of the old city. Our page on what to wear in Istanbul has the details by season.

Can we add more nights?

Yes, the page says you can add extra hotel nights if you want to stay longer, but it does not give a price. Ask us for a written quote per night, and whether it is the same hotel. If you want a longer stay with sightseeing already built in, compare the 4-day Istanbul city tour package from $699, or look through all our Istanbul packages. Our 3-day Istanbul itinerary helps you plan the free day either way.

How do I book the customizable Istanbul package?

Choose your date and number of guests in the booking form on this page, add the extras you want and send it, or message us on WhatsApp. Include your flight numbers and airports. We then send you the full plan in writing, with the hotel name and area, transfer times, what the included guide does and the cost of each extra. You pay only after you have read and confirmed it. The package is run by Get Turkey Tours, TÜRSAB licence A-15751.