×
Free tour

Balat & Fener and Golden Horn River by Ferry

Duration: 2h
Languages: English
Guru: iWalk
Quality Verified Registered on August 30, 2021

Awareness Through Walking Tours.. As licensed tour guides in several languages, we created for you thematic and boutique tours under an official tour agency. We share with you necessary information & narrated stories. Listen to the stories from our guides with max 15 walkers and catch more motivated & connected group tours. P.S Our guides are professional licensed tour guides so they earn their living from these tours. Therefore, please have a look at the tipping recommendation in tour descriptions. Also, keep your communication channels open so that we can reach you in case of delay or cancellation.

Show more
  • Free booking and cancellation
    Free payment tour, no set price, booking and cancellation are free

Tour description

Welcome to Istanbul Dear Walkers!🤗🤗

Fener and Balat are the two colourful districts of old city in Istanbul.

Instead of starting this tour from the Fener & Balat area, we inivite you to begin our tour from the Karakoy Pier where we get into the Golden Horn Ferry. We have a short Golden Horn River Ferry Tour to see the panoramic view of Fener & Balat districts from the ferry.

First we will step into the Christian Quarter called Fener and from Fener to Balat we walk to the Jewish and Armenian Quarter of the Ottoman Empire period through colourful streets.

With the harmony you will come across in the area you will be finding peace.

At the finish point, there is a tram (T5 Fener - Eminonu) and bus (55T Fener - Taksim) to be back to certain areas.

We help the walkers how to go back easily!

📋Itinerary (from outside)

📌
Golden Horn Public Ferry Tour 
📌Instagrammable Spots 
📌The famous cafes in the area
📌Bulgarian Orthodox Church
📌Fener Orthodox Patriarchy(If there is an availabilty will be visited except the late afternoon tours)
📌Great Greek Red School
📌Fener and Balat Colourful Streets and Stairs
📌Mansions and Classical Apartments of the Balat
📌Ahrida and Yanbol Jewish Synagogues📌Balat Armenian Church & School
📌Ferruh Kethuda Mosque(Great Architect Sinan's Heritage)
📌Jewish Bazaar
📌City Walls of Istanbul (Small portion from Roman Period)


❗Please note that

🚼♿It is around 2,5 km of walking and sometimes a bit steep. Not friendly for baby strollers, kids (10 and under) and for those who have difficulties to walk steep streets.

 💳You need an Istanbulcard (city transportation card) with min 30TL per person to get on the public ferry (Visa or Mastercard Credit Cards work as well).


👔Dress modestly in this tour. Both men and women are required to wear clothing that covers their shoulders, legs and for ladies to have a scarf in certain religious locations of the tour to be able to do inside visit. The church authorities may not allow visitors who don't comply with visiting rules.

⏳The tour duration may vary depending on the guide and the number of participants. 

🚭Smoking and consumption of alcohol are strictly prohibited during the tour.


💲At the end of the tour, you are expected to tip the guide minimum 10 Pounds, 10 Dollars, 10 Euros or 400 liras per person and There is only cash tipping to the guide.


Show more
Highlights

What will we visit on this tour?

  • Meeting point:
    Kemankeş Karamustafa Paşa, Karaköy, G...
    Kemankeş Karamustafa Paşa, Karaköy, Genelev, 34425 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Türkiye
    View on map

    We will be in front of the Şehir Hatları Karaköy Pier.

  • 1
    Outside visit
    Karakoy Pier
  • 2
    Outside visit
    Coloured Houses of Balat
  • 3
    Outside visit
    Fener Pier
  • 4
    Outside visit
    Ahrida Synagogue
  • 5
    Outside visit
    Colourful Stairs
  • 6
    Outside visit
    Balat Jewish Bazaar

How much does this tour cost?

Free tours do not have a set price, instead, each person gives the guru at the end of the tour the amount that he or she considers appropriate (these usually range from €10 to $50 depending on satisfaction with the tour).

Tour opinions

4.73
Good
(229 ratings)
By category
Professionalism
4.78
Fun
4.49
Expression
4.69
Quality
4.7
Route
4.79
Suada (6 Ratings)
Trento

Verified booking
Travelled in group - Jul 2024
Purtroppo hanno cancellato il tour il giorno stesso (eravamo gli unici due partecipanti), quindi non ho potuto organizzarne un altro analogo con un altro guru perché troppo tardi.
Eitan (2 Ratings)
Buenos Aires

Verified booking
Travelled in couple - Jun 2024
Fatih was a great guide and the tour was very interesting. He was very attentive to us all the time and helped us with good recommendations. We saw a part of the city that we probably wouldn't have gone to, so the tour is definitely worth it. Without a guide it would not have been the same
Petra (1 Rating)
Iași

Verified booking
Travelled in couple - Jun 2024
This is a great experience for anyone visiting a new city, great way to make an impression of the city. Our guide was good, the tour also nice, it s just important to understand that weather also plays an important role, if it s too hot for example, but this has nothing to do with the guide and their preparation.
Cristiana (2 Ratings)
Padua

Verified booking
Travelled in couple - Jun 2024
Huseyn was a fantastic guide through Balat and Fener neighborhood ! We discovered a magic place of Instanbul
Sarah (2 Ratings)
Dublin

Verified booking
Travelled in couple - Jun 2024
Great walking tour with Önder. He showed us around some lovely areas and provided us with plenty of information. He was very nice and professional. I would recommend!
Show 229 reviews

Who is this tour for?

Accessibility
Non suitable for people with reduced mobility.
Groups
Does not accept large group reservations.
Pets
Not suitable for pets.

What should you know?

Minimum of attendees
A minimum of 5 people is required for the tour.
Additional costs:
The tour does not require the payment of entrance fees or additional expenses.
Free cancellation
If you will not be able to attend the tour, please cancel your booking, otherwise the guide will be waiting for you.
Payment methods
Only cash payment is accepted.
When do you want to go?
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Show more
See availability
Explore
Bookings
Messages