Home Activities Turkey Istanbul Istanbul Self-Guided City Walking Tour & Scavenger Hunt

Activity Istanbul, Turkey

Istanbul Self-Guided City Walking Tour & Scavenger Hunt

2 hours Free cancellation Private tour

Istanbul Self-Guided City Walking Tour & Scavenger Hunt, photo 2 — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

About this activity

Istanbul sits at the crossroads of two continents and three thousand years of history — and the old city holds all of it at once.

This app-led scavenger hunt takes you through Istanbul on foot, using phone-based riddles to guide you from one landmark to the next. No guide, no fixed start time.

Navigate clues to the Blue Mosque, the Sultan Ahmed III Fountain, and the Arasta Bazaar — Ottoman architecture, royal patronage, and artisan craftsmanship
Go at your own pace through one of the world's great historic neighbourhoods
Suits any group: solo adventurers, couples, families, or larger parties

Available in 24 languages including English, French, German, Spanish, Italian — see the full list when booking and choose yours when you start the game in the app.

Around 2 hours - any group size.

Istanbul rewards everyone who slows down long enough to actually look.

Self-guided Tours Walking Tours Fun & Games Scavenger Hunts New Product Short term availability Weather Dependent - Weather-Proof Agent Low Quality Product

At a glance

Duration: 2 hours
Confirmation: Instant confirmation
Ticket: Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Group: Your group only
People per booking: 1–15
Guide: Norwegian, German, Hindi, Swedish, Finnish, Russian, Korean, Portuguese, Chinese, Greek, Cantonese, English, Italian, French, Hungarian, Spanish, Czech, Ukrainian, Japanese, Polish, Danish, Romanian, Dutch, Turkish
Operated by: Explorial

Ages: Children (0–9 years) · Adults (10–90 years)

What is included

Included

Included: Free download of the Explorial App from your appstore (iOS or Android smartphone required)
Included: Points and scoring system: Compete between players of your group and beat the cities high score.
Included: Live Location: navigate within the map with marked locations. Always know where you are.
Included: Learn about the cities stories, history, and local legends
Included: Total flexibility: no waiting, start anytime, walk at own pace and do as many breaks as you want.
Included: Self-guided walking tour with interactive riddles, trivia challenges and photo tasks.

Not included

Not included: Live-Guide: 100% self-guided; no one will meet you or join your group. Start anytime you want.
Not included: Entrance fees are not required for this game. All puzzles relate to the public areas of the sights
Not included: This is not an audio guide but an sightseeing, gaming and learning experience

Itinerary

Starting at Mehmet Akif Ersoy Parkı, 34122 Fatih, Istanbul, open the app and enter the 6-digit game code that you received by text and Viator chat message. You're in the heart of Sultanahmet, where Byzantine and Ottoman history overlap at every step. Your first landmark is the Blue Mosque — the Sultan Ahmed Mosque — whose six minarets and cascade of domes have defined the Istanbul skyline since 1616, and whose interior of 20,000 hand-painted Iznik tiles fully justifies the visit. Next, the app guides you to the Sultan Ahmed III Fountain, an exquisitely decorated 18th-century fountain just outside the Topkapı Palace gate, its carved canopies and calligraphic inscriptions a masterclass in Ottoman decorative art. The route concludes at the Arasta Bazaar, a covered arcade of craftspeople's shops dating to the 17th century, quieter than the Grand Bazaar and altogether more rewarding to explore. Around 2 hours on foot. Comfortable walking shoes are essential for the uneven cobblestones of Sultanahmet.

Stop 1
Blue Mosque
Arasta Bazaar

Meeting point and pickup

Everyone meets at the meeting point.

Meeting point

Book your Explorial tour today. Start whenever you want.

*** After booking, you’ll receive your game code via text message and a Viator message.

*** Download the Explorial app for free.

*** Head to the meeting point and enter the game code provided (6 digits) to start the tour.

End point

Book your Explorial tour today. Start whenever you want.

*** After booking, you’ll receive your game code via text message and a Viator message.

*** Download the Explorial app for free.

*** Head to the meeting point and enter the game code provided (6 digits) to start the tour.

Using your ticket

*** Thank you for choosing EXPLORIAL. Next steps:

*** 1. DOWNLOAD THE APP ***

Before starting, download the Explorial app from your app store, or from: https://s.explorial.com/T3SE3

(copy url in your internet browser)

*** 2. GET YOUR GAME CODE ***

Your game code is sent by text message to the phone number from your booking. Additionally:

Viator: under your booking -> "Help & support" -> "Message activity provider"
Tripadvisor: under your booking -> "Contact Tour Operator"

*** NO CODE after 3 minutes? Look it up at: https://support.explorial.com/

(copy url in your internet browser)

*** 3. HOW TO START ***

Go to the meeting/start point and open the app
Tap "Enter code", type your game code, tap "Join game"
Confirm you're at the start, or tap the map for directions
Tap "Create team" and name it (required even if playing solo)
Or tap "Join team" if a teammate already created one
Enter your player name

*** IMPORTANT: Don't press "Start game" until all players have joined the team in the app

*** GOOD TO KNOW ***

Language: each player picks their own at game start (from the advertised languages)
Date & time: start whenever you like, regardless of your booking
Pause anytime and continue later — even the next day

*** SCORE & RANKING ***

Finish the tour and all tasks in the app to see your score and full statistics.

*** REMEMBER ***

This is not an audio tour. It's fully self-guided — no guide will meet or wait for you.

***

Cancellation

Free cancellation

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

If you cancel	You get back
At least one day before	100%
Less than a day before	0%

Good to know

Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Max 15 people per booking. For larger groups, make multiple bookings.
After booking you receive a text message and a Viator message with your game code. Download the Explorial app from your appstore. Open the app, enter your 6 digit game code
Weather & Health Guarantee: If bad weather or illness prevents you from starting the tour, you can simply reschedule it for another day. You can also rebook to a different city or request a refund
Smartphone required: Bring your own fully charged smartphone with an active mobile data connection to the start of the tour. Please disable any VPN and avoid city Wi-Fi, as these will cause the app to malfunction or disconnect.
Recommended attire: It’s best to wear weather-appropriate clothing and comfortable walking shoes — approx. 2 hours of light walking