Istanbul Jewish Heritage Private Tour

Early Jewish communities in Istanbul were settled mainly in Haskoy, on the banks of the Golden Horn. The later arriving Jews - expelled from Spain and Portugal - were settled in Balat, where a Jewish community already existed. In the 19th century, many Turkish Jews preferred to move to the new, western-looking Galata district, and built several synagogues.

On this tour, we walk the picturesque streets of these three districts along the Golden Horn, Galata, Haskoy and Balat, and the Quincentennial Museum of Turkish Jews. We also take you to Ortakoy on the Bosphorus, once a non-muslim residential area.

Highlights: Ashkenazi Synagogue - Karaköy district, Quincentennial Museum of Turkish Jews,Neve Shalom Synagogue - Galata district, Ahrida Synagogue - Balat and Haskoy district.

Includes: Private professional guidance in English.

Not included:entrance fees of Synagogues and museums, transportation during the day, lunch.

Please note: Itineraries can be customized, and/or connected as requested.

We need to take permits from the Synagogues, for this I will need your passport copies. I suggest that you book this tour as early as possible to give enough time for the permit procedure. If you are going to be more than 4 people please write to get more info.

Tour format: mixture of walking and public transportation.