Old Istanbul at First Light: Sultanahmet Walking Tour

Sultanahmet holds two empires in the space of a few hundred metres, and at seven in the morning you get it almost to yourself.

Your guide meets you beside the Hippodrome and walks you through the district as the city wakes up: bakers pulling simit from the oven, gulls over the Bosphorus, the first call to prayer still hanging in the air. You will stand in front of Hagia Sophia without queueing for anything, cross into the Blue Mosque courtyard, and finish in a tea garden where locals rather than tour groups take breakfast.

This is a walking tour, not a lecture. Expect stories, corrections to things you have read, and enough context that the rest of your week in Istanbul makes better sense.

Wear shoes you can walk three kilometres in. Shoulders and knees should be covered for the mosque courtyard, and women should bring a scarf. The tour runs in light rain.