Iznik Nicaea Tour From Istanbul (Full Day)

You shall be picked up from Istanbul airport, Istanbul hotel, Istanbul Marina or the cruise ship port in Istanbul. Your Iznik tour guide will hold up a sign with your name on it so you can easily find your allocated tour guide and transfer service. This Iznik tour will take approximately 8 hours and afterwards we will drive you back to your Istanbul hotel ,Istanbul Marina ,Istanbul airport orIstanbul harbor in Turkey.

Departure from Istanbul in the morning and then a transfer across the Sea of Marmara by ferry. First we will go a little town on the coast of a wonderful lake of Askania, Iznik (Nicaea) which is well-known because of the first Ecumenical Council that took place here in 325 AD. The Council of Nicaea was historically significant because it was the first effort to attain consensus in the church through an assembly representing all of Christendom and it was the first occasion for the development of technical Christology, this town had even been the temporary capitol of the Byzantine Empire when Constantinople was captured by the Latins. The centre of the town is still surrounded by Roman and Byzantine walls and is remarkable for the ruins of St. Sophia Temple remaining since those times, in addition to that an interesting monument is the Green Mosque, decorated by light blue ceramics.

First we will visit The St. Sophia Cathedral which was the seat of the Second Eucomenical Council in 325AD and is one of Iznik’s most visited sites. Despite its later conversion into a mosque and fire and earthquake damage, Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan renovated St. Sophia in the 16th century, the Cathedral has beautiful mosaic pavements and frescoes. The ancient City Walls which surround Iznik are relatively well preserved and date back to the 4th century, there are also remnants of old hamams and mosques scattered about. The Green Mosque was constructed in the later part of the 14th century and gets its name from the green tiles which adorn its minaret. Between the tour, you have will be given one hour free time to relax so you can take some refreshments or lunch in the cafeteria. You should try delicious Iznik Meatball as they are the most famous throughout Turkey, but there is a lot of shops that sell beautiful ?znik ceramics.

After lunch we will visit Iznik Archaeological Museum  which is also worth a visit as the Museum’s collection includes a historic assortment of tiles and antiques from Roman times. Now its the end of the tour so we will head back on to the transfer service and head back to Istanbul by ferry, and from here you will then be transferred back to your starting points.

What’s Included
Private Professional Licenced English Speaking Tour Guide.
(You can ask for other language options).
Private Deluxe A/C VIP Vehicle.
Parking and Ferryboat or toll road fees of vehicle
Pick up From Istanbul Harbor, airport, Hotels
Drop off to Istanbul Harbor, airport, Hotels

What’s Not Included
Gratuities to the guide and driver (Optional).
Lunch/Drinks.
Entrance fees to various sites.
Personal expenses.

No extra hidden cost..!