Full-Day Private Guided Jewish Heritage Tour in Istanbul, Turkey

About this activity

We ensure that each Jewish Heritage Tour leaves you with treasured memories. Our itinerary combines explorations of Jewish history in Asia Minor; important local sites of interest; cultural delights, and the company of like-minded travelers. You’ll enjoy ease, camaraderie, and in-depth educational content with our knowledgeable guides.

Visiting Ahrida Synagogue can be done only with appointments on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. We send a request letter to management with passport details and full names of visitors as an official Travel Agency latest one week before than tour date.

The visitors have to share passport details after booking this tour. Visiting the Synagogues and the Jewish Museums requires permits from Chief Rabia and you will need to present your passport during the visits.

Also Ahrida Synagogue is a functional Synagogue and is not a museum. They charge donation 25USD per person. When we send our guest passport reservation, we send donation via bank.

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At a glance

Duration: 8 hours
Confirmation: Confirmed within 48 hours
Ticket: Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Group: Your group only
People per booking: 1–15
Guide: English
Operated by: Travel Concierge Turkey & Cyprus

What is included

Included

Included: Private Minivan with driver
Included: Proffesional Guidance who has enough knowledge about Jewish Heritage
Included: Parking

Not included

Not included: Lunch: All drinks and meals are excluded
Not included: Admission fee of Ahrida Synagogue ( 25USD per person)
Not included: Admission fee of Jewish Museum 9USD per person
Not included: Entrance fees: Admission fee of Chora Museum

Itinerary

Ahrida Synagogue

one hour Admission not included

Ahrida Synagogue was built by Romaniotes (Greek Jews), dating back to the 1430s, from the city of Ohrid (called 'Ahrid' in Greek) in what was then the Ottoman Empire and is now North Macedonia. Neve Shalom is said to have moved to Constantinople more than 550 years ago Sephardi Jews arrived in the Ottoman Empire from the Iberian peninsula beginning in 1492, and soon were a larger group of Jews in population than the Romaniotes. The Romaniotes of Istanbul, as in many communities, including Thessaloniki became assimilated into the Sephardic culture and adopted the Sephardic liturgy as well as the language of the Sefardim, Judezmo. The Ahrida synagogue building, one of the two ancient synagogues in Istanbul's Golden Horn. Ahrida Synagogue is known for its boat-shaped tevah (the reading platform, known in Ashkenazi communities as a bimah). It is also the only synagogue in Istanbul at which Sabbatai Zevi, founder of the Jewish Sabbatean movement, prayed.
Yanbol Synagogue

Passing by

Yanbol Synagogue was built by Sephardi Jews who moved from the Bulgarian town of Yambol to Istanbul during the 15th century. The synagogue is also known as the Bulgarian Synagogue owing to the origin of the community. It was constructed in the 18th century. However, it underwent repairs during the end of the 19th century thus the structure today is not the original. Today, the synagogue is only open for Shabbat services due to a decrease in the Jewish community in the area.
Balat

2 hours

Balat district is in the old city on the European side of Istanbul, on the western shore of the Golden Horn. Historically, it was the center of the Jewish community in Istanbul.

As in neighbouring Fener, Balat's back streets are lined with colorful small stone two and three-storey terraced houses and a few grander mansions. It is one of highlights of Istanbul to visit. Many of the houses have been repainted in bright colours to give a distinctive feel to the neighborhood.
Stop 4

45 min

Neve Shalom is the central and largest Sephardic synagogue of Istanbul. It is open to service especially on Shabbats, High Holidays, bar mitzvahs, funerals and weddings.

The synagogue was built in response to an increase in the Jewish population in the old Galata neighborhood in the late 1930s. A Jewish primary school was torn down in 1949 for that purpose and the synagogue was built on its ruins. The construction completed in 1951.
Stop 5

1 h 30 min Admission not included

Jewish Museum in Istanbul includes sections on the intermingling cultures of Jewish and Muslim Turks and ethnographic articles that depict the traditions of Turkish Jews, as well as the historical accounts of the Jewish odyssey from Spain to Turkey. So It is totally different museum than other museums in western countries.
Galata Tower

Passing by

The Galata Tower is an old Genoese tower in the Galata part of the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul, Turkey. It was built as a watchtower at the highest point of the (lost) Walls of Galata district. the tower is now an exhibition space and museum of Tourism Ministry. It is a symbol of Beyoğlu and Istanbul.
Kamondo Stairs

45 min

A gorgeous, Gaudí-esque stairway constructed in Istanbul by a prominent Jewish family. Kamondo Family had built these stairs for their kids in 1860s to go to the school.
Chora Museum

one hour Admission not included

Chora is best presented as a place that illustrates the shared roots of Judaism and Christianity. It offers inside;

-The Jewish origins of Christianity

-Biblical figures revered in both traditions

-Jerusalem and the Temple's significance.

-The continuity between the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament in Byzantine Art

Chora is very famous with mosaic and frescoes Late Byzantine Art. It was converted to mosque in 2020. Main gallery is functional mosque. Because of that it is closed on Fridays. Corridors of Chora where we can see mosaics and frescoes used as museum and can be visited. by paying admission fee which is 20EURO per person

Meeting point and pickup

The operator picks every participant up from their accommodation or the points below.

Pickup points

Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus
Hilton Istanbul Bosphorus
Ciragan Palace Kempinski Istanbul
Mandarin Oriental Bosphorus, Istanbul
Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul At Sultanahmet

We can pick up our guests from their hotels in city center

Cancellation

All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.

If you cancel	You get back
Less than a day before	0%

The operator may cancel if the weather does not allow it; you then get another date or your money back.

Good to know

Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Specialized infant seats are available
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
This tour can be done only on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Because of Shabbat, Synagogues do not give appointments to visit on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.