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Duration : Half day 4-5 hours || Full day 7-8 hours (approx.)
Galata Tower
Neve Shalom Synagogue
Ashkenazi Synagogue
Zulfaris Synagogue (Jewish Museum of Istanbul)
Balat
Ahrida (Ohrid) Synagogue
Jewish Cemetery
Galata Tower
Neve Shalom Synagogue
Ashkenazi Synagogue
Zulfaris Synagogue (Jewish Museum of Istanbul)
Schedule details
Jewish Heritage Tours in Istanbul, begin of Sephardic history at the Galata Quarter, a region which had been almost completely Jewish for more than 400 years. Today, Galata is known throughout the world by its huge tower, built in 1303 by the Genovese. Visit the Galata Tower, the office of the Chief Rabbinate is also located in Galata today, there are 16 Synagogues in Istanbul that are still in use.
First, visit the Neve Shalom Synagogue, used for most of the community functions today, as well as the Ashkenazi Synagogue dating from the nineteenth century and the only Ashkenazi Synagogue in Istanbul, originally built by the Austrian Jews. Stop at the Zulfaris Synagogue, which now also serves as the Museum of Turkish Jewish Museum since 2001. Its name comes from the street where it is located, which was called Zulf-u arus (present day Percemli Sokak) in Karakoy, which means “Bridal Curls” in both versions, as it was here that the brides, over the centuries, would walk by to go to the synagogue to get married. “Half day tour returning to where the tour concludes”.
” Full day tour ; You will continue to Lunch at a local Seafood Restaurant. (Lunch fee is not included) Drive to Balat, a Jewish working-class district on the shores of the Golden Horn, which absorbed most of the settlers in the fifteenth century from Spain.
Visit the recently restored Ahrida (Ohrid) Synagogue, originally built in the 15th century and is the earliest synagogue in Istanbul. The original 20-foot long oak bimah (teva), shaped either like Noah’s Ark or, like the Ottoman ship which brought the Sephardim to freedom from Spain to Turkey, can still be seen. Then visit the Jewish Cemetery before returning to where you tour concludes.
Inclusions
Pickup and drop-off included
Half Day Tour Price
Full Day Tour Price
Payment
Additional information
- Some Synagogues may not be accessible at the time of your tour. We need your full name, birthday and passport copies by email or fax in order to get the special permission for visiting the Synagogues in Istanbul.
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking, unless booked within 7 days of travel. In this case confirmation will be received within 48 hours, subject to availability.
- At time of booking, Cruise Ship passengers must provide the following details under Special Requirements: Ship name, docking time, disembarkation time and re-boarding time.
- Children 6-18 years must be accompanied by an adult
- Please enter your preferred pickup time in the Special Requirements box at the time of booking, and reconfirm 48 hours prior to the tour’s departure time.
- Ephesus requires walking long distances over uneven surfaces, comfortable clothing and closed toe, sensible walking shoes are recommended. Sunglasses and sunscreen are suggested.
- We will ensure your timely return to the Kusadasi or Izmir port for this activity. If you are not returned to the ship in time to board, we will arrange for transportation to the next port-of-call.
Make the difference between a good trip and an outstanding one !
The tour was a fantastic experience our group made up of cruises from cruse critic all expressed there thanks to our guide who was so knowledgeable on Istanbul.
听了去过伊斯坦堡的朋友的建议，我和老公业参加了一日游。在黄金大市集里，见到玲珑满目的各式各样的店，感受到土耳其人的热情，也见识到他们的语言能力，几乎每个人都能说上几句中文，让人倍感亲切。
It is one of the great spot in the city, especially if you like tkaing pictures of great old buildings and "life" in colourful way…
We had only a day in Istanbul, so for a quick “highlights” we thought it would be a good idea to have a guide rather than struggle with maps and guidebooks. Thank you so much for making our tour such a wonderful experience!
El palacio de dolma bahce …palacio relleno… es un lugar muy lujoso y hermoso el tour privado nos ayudo a conocer todo en su rehla
Ahrida synagogue and Zulfaris synagogue are two of the most significant synagogues in Istanbul. May be it will be interesting for you to learn that Ahrida synagogue derives its name from Ohrid. This is the largest and most splendid synagogue in Balat, with a capacity of 350 people. The present building of Zulfaris synagogue was probably reconstructed in 19th century on the foundations of the original one. It was restored in 2001 and now it serves as the “Jewish Museum of Turkey.”
We visited Istanbul for 1 ½ days on board the Celebrity Reflection in August. I highly recommend this company and our guide Taylan for your Jewish Heritage experience in Istanbul.
We started our tour of Istanbul with a visit to the Archeological museum. We bought the museum pass at the gate. This will give you access to the Istanbul Archaeology Museum, Topkapi, Topkapi harem, Haga Sophia and Chora museums. The pass is very convenient and saved us about 20 minutes time of queue for Topkapi and Haga Sophia.
It is a very old quartier in Istanbul, very authentic with its old houses.It is worth to see it only if you are interested in the architecture.
We arranged a tour of Jewish Heritage Istanbul and Ephesus tour and both were top notch. Good drivers and guides, prompt service. Our guide arranged a traditional lunch for our group close to Ephesus and it was excellent, reasonable price and nice cold beer on a hot day! We were picked up at the port on time and dropped off with time to spare. I can highly recommend and feel free to contact me for more details if you like.