Istanbul – Jewish Heritage, Galata and Balat

Upon your arrival to Istanbul our tour guide meets you at harbour and drive to historical peninsula with our new brand tour transportation vehicle (in about 15 minutes).

Visit the Askenazi Synagogue, and then cross over the Golden horn to Balat, which has been the core of Jewish presence in Istanbul for over five centuries. We then continue to Neve Shalom Synagogue. Visit the old neighbourhood and the Ahrida Synagogue. It is the oldest and most beautiful synagogue in Istanbul and was built in the 15th c. Later we will visit the Galata Tower and the old neighbourhood of Galata and where you can get a nice view of Old Istanbul and the Zulfaris Museum, with historic and ethnographic sections, celebrating over 500 years of friendship between Turks and Jews. We will end the tour in Ortakoy, where the Sephardic Jews were welcomed to Turkey by the Ottoman Sultan (nice cafes and small restaurants).