Istanbul Digital Attractions Pass with Guided Tours and Transfer

Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace and the Basilica Cistern: the guided Sultanahmet tours

The heart of the pass is Sultanahmet, where the three sites every Istanbul itinerary begins with are visited on guided tours reserved in the pass panel. Hagia Sophia, the sixth-century church turned mosque, is entered through the visitors' entrance to the upper gallery, the floor open to foreign visitors since 2024, with its mosaics and the view down onto the prayer hall. Topkapi Palace, seat of the sultans for four centuries, is toured through its courtyards, kitchens, Imperial Council and the Harem.

The Basilica Cistern, the vast underground water reservoir of 336 columns built under Justinian, is the third guided stop, cool and dim with its walkways above the water and the famous Medusa heads. These three, plus the Archaeological Museum and the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum, can be entered only with the pass guide, who meets the group beside Hagia Sophia with a white flag; you skip the ticket queue but still pass security. Topkapi Palace is closed on Tuesdays.

Dolmabahçe, Beylerbeyi and the Bosphorus shore

Away from the old city the pass opens the palaces of the Bosphorus. Dolmabahçe Palace in Beşiktaş, the 19th-century residence of the last sultans, is the largest palace in Turkey, with its crystal staircase, 285 rooms and the great Ceremonial Hall under a four-and-a-half-tonne chandelier; its entry is included and it is closed on Mondays. Beylerbeyi Palace, the summer palace on the Asian shore at the foot of the Bosphorus Bridge, is smaller, quieter and reached by ferry or bus from Üsküdar.

The included Bosphorus cruise ties the shore together: a daytime or sunset departure with a Turkish breakfast, a late lunch or dinner on board, passing Dolmabahçe, Ortaköy Mosque, Rumeli Fortress and the bridges, with the Asian villages of Kuzguncuk and Çengelköy on the other bank. Cruises leave from the Eminönü, Kabataş or Beşiktaş piers depending on the departure you reserve. Soft drinks, water and tea are served with the meals.

Maiden's Tower, the Chora Mosque and the museums

Maiden's Tower, the small lighthouse-tower on an islet off Üsküdar, reopened in 2023 after restoration and is reached by a short boat ride included with the entry; its terrace gives the best close-up view of the old city skyline from the water. The Chora Mosque (Kariye), near the Theodosian land walls in Edirnekapı, holds the finest late-Byzantine mosaics and frescoes in Istanbul and is a working mosque, so visits pause for prayers and modest dress applies.

The pass also covers the Istanbul Archaeological Museums in the first courtyard of Topkapi, with the Alexander Sarcophagus and the Treaty of Kadesh tablet, and the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum in the Ibrahim Pasha Palace on the Hippodrome, famous for its carpets and Qur'an manuscripts; both are guided tours under the pass rules. Add Galata Tower, Rumeli Fortress and the city's smaller museums from the list in the app according to the days you have.

The whirling dervishes ceremony and the day-trip benefits

Evenings are covered too. The pass includes a whirling dervishes ceremony, the sema of the Mevlevi order, performed in a historic hall in the old city: an hour of music on the ney flute and the slow, turning meditation of the dervishes, with an explanation of its meaning beforehand. Seats are reserved through the pass panel, and it is one of the few activities in Istanbul that works equally for families and for travellers on their own.

Beyond the city the pass gives pickups and drop-offs for a range of activities and reduced rates on the full-day excursions that most visitors ask our Istanbul team about: the Gallipoli battlefields, Bursa, and the by-plane day trips to Cappadocia, Ephesus or Pamukkale. These are booked separately at the pass rate, so a 5- or 7-day pass is the sensible choice if you intend to mix city days with one or two trips out.

How the pass works: app, airport transfer and validity

Everything runs from the customer panel on your phone, so a charged smartphone is essential. After booking you receive the pass by email and WhatsApp, open the panel, reserve the guided tours and the cruise at the times you prefer and show the QR code at each site. The validity clock starts the first time you use the pass and runs for consecutive calendar days, ending at 23:59 on the last day; an unused pass stays valid for up to two years from purchase.

The included private one-way airport transfer is between your hotel and either Istanbul Airport or Sabiha Gökçen Airport, used during the pass validity and only for the people named on the same pass booking; extra transfers can be added at a reduced rate for before or after your stay. The pass is wheelchair accessible as far as the individual sites allow, children aged 5 to 11 have their own pass and under-5s enter free with you.