Four Days in Istanbul — Self-Launched
4 days · Istanbul, Turkey
G Adventures charges £335
No-markup version: ~£285 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched, DIY version of G Adventures' "Four Days in Istanbul" (trip code ETIB): the same Old City highlights — Hagia Sophia, the Basilica Cistern, the Hippodrome, Little Hagia Sophia — plus a street-food crawl and a ferry hop to Kadıköy on the Asian side. Instead of a CEO and a group, you book a hostel or budget hotel in Sultanahmet/Beyoğlu, use the tram, ferry and your own two feet, and join a couple of pay-what-you-like or small-group food/underground tours. Costs below are approximate per-person estimates based on current backpacker rates and exclude international flights.
Day-by-day
Arrive in Istanbul — Old City orientation and street-food crawl
Istanbul (Sultanahmet)
Land at Istanbul Airport (IST) and take the Havaist bus to Sultanahmet (around £3-4, roughly 60-90 min) or the M11 metro to Gayrettepe then transfer onward. Check into a hostel or budget guesthouse in Sultanahmet (walking distance to Hagia Sophia) or Beyoğlu if you prefer nightlife. Spend the late afternoon wandering the Hippodrome, Gülhane Park and the Arasta Bazaar area on your own. In the evening, self-guide a street-food dinner: balık ekmek (fish sandwich) at Eminönü, lahmacun and pide from a local fırın, midye dolma from a street cart, and künefe for dessert — budget roughly £7-10 total. Optionally join a small-group evening street-food walk via GetYourGuide (£25-35) if you want the guided version of the operator's welcome dinner.
🚌Havaist airport bus to Sultanahmet (~£3-4); everything else on foot
🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse in Sultanahmet (approx. £22-30/night private twin-share equivalent, £12-18 dorm)
- →Self-guided Old City orientation walk (Hippodrome, Gülhane Park, Arasta Bazaar)
- →DIY street-food dinner crawl around Eminönü and Sirkeci
- →Optional: GetYourGuide evening street-food tour (£25-35)
Hagia Sophia, Basilica Cistern and Old City underground
Istanbul (Sultanahmet)
Buy your Hagia Sophia ticket online in advance (foreign visitor entry is ticketed, roughly £22-25) and arrive at opening time to beat the queues. Walk five minutes to the Basilica Cistern and pay on the door or pre-book a timed slot (roughly £15-18) — the eerie Medusa columns are the highlight. Continue on foot to the Hippodrome and the Little Hagia Sophia Mosque (Küçük Ayasofya), a quieter Byzantine gem about 10 minutes uphill, free to enter with modest dress. Lunch at a lokanta near Kumkapı (£4-6). In the early evening, treat yourself to a traditional Turkish bath — historic hammams like Çemberlitaş or Kılıç Ali Paşa run roughly £40-60 for a scrub-and-foam package, or £15-20 for a no-frills local hammam — the operator lists this as an optional extra too.
🚌All on foot within Sultanahmet; tram T1 if you want to skip the hill (~£0.70/ride with Istanbulkart)
🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse in Sultanahmet
- →Hagia Sophia entry (pre-book online)
- →Basilica Cistern / underground Roman-Byzantine ruins
- →Hippodrome and Little Hagia Sophia Mosque
- →Optional: Turkish hammam (Çemberlitaş, Kılıç Ali Paşa or a neighbourhood hamam)
Culinary walk from Taksim to Karaköy, ferry to Kadıköy
Istanbul (Beyoğlu & Kadıköy)
Take the T1 tram to Kabataş then the F1 funicular up to Taksim (£0.70), or just walk across Galata Bridge. Self-guide the food walk: Taksim Square, then down İstiklal Caddesi through the Çiçek Pasajı and Balık Pazarı, sampling baklava at Karaköy Güllüoğlu, Turkish coffee and simit along the way (budget £10-14 for tastings). Push on to Karaköy for a mezze lunch (£8-12). Mid-afternoon, hop the public ferry from Karaköy to Kadıköy on the Asian side (£1-1.50 with Istanbulkart, 20 min) — the cheapest continent change you'll ever make. Explore Kadıköy's market streets and Moda seafront, then have dinner at a meyhane or street-food spot (£8-12) before the ferry back. If you'd rather have a guide narrating the food stops, a GetYourGuide or Klook 'two-continents food tour' runs roughly £45-65 and covers much of this same route.
🚌T1 tram + F1 funicular (~£0.70 each), public ferry Karaköy–Kadıköy (~£1-1.50 each way)
🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse in Sultanahmet or Beyoğlu
- →Self-guided Taksim–İstiklal–Karaköy food walk (baklava, coffee, simit)
- →Public ferry crossing to Kadıköy (Asian side)
- →Kadıköy market streets and Moda seafront walk
Old city walls, mosaics and a Bosphorus cruise — or depart
Istanbul
If your flight is later in the day, recreate the operator's optional full-day excursion on your own: walk the Byzantine land walls near Chora (Kariye) Museum, see the Roman mosaics and frescoes (entry roughly £10-12, check current opening status), wander the Fener and Balat neighbourhoods with their colourful houses and Jewish heritage, then finish with a short public Bosphorus trip — the Şehir Hatları commuter ferry from Eminönü toward Anadolu Kavağı costs around £2-3 and gives you the same strait views as the pricier tourist cruises (tour boats run £15-25). Grab a final simit and çay before heading to the airport on the Havaist bus (~£3-4).
🚌Tram/tram-walk around the old city (~£1), public Bosphorus ferry (~£2-3), Havaist bus to IST (~£3-4)
🛏None (checkout) or an extra night if you extend
- →Kariye/Chora mosaics and frescoes (optional)
- →Fener & Balat neighbourhood walk
- →Public Şehir Hatları Bosphorus ferry
- →Optional: licensed Bosphorus cruise via GetYourGuide (£15-25)
Self-launched vs. G Adventures
| This itinerary (self-launched) | G Adventures | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£285 | £335 |
| Duration | 4 days | 4 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £50 per person (15%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more G Adventures-style trips? Check them out here.~£285
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Four Days in Istanbul — Self-Launched cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £285 per person for 4 days in Istanbul, Turkey. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with G Adventures?+
Yes — G Adventures charges around £335 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £285 — a saving of roughly £50 (15%) per person.
How long is the Istanbul, Turkey trip?+
This itinerary runs 4 days, covering 4 day-by-day stops through Istanbul, Turkey.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a city-breaks, culture, foodie trip through Istanbul, Turkey, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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