After having breakfast at your hotel, you will meet your guide at the reception and your tour to Dolmabahce Palace will begin. Dolmabahce Palace, the Baroque beauty of the Bosphorus, was built in the mid-19th century by the Ottoman sultans who were obsessed with all things western. They were determined to move out of Topkapi palace and into Dolmabahce palace on the southern shore of Bosphorus. The palace consists of one large main building divided into two separate wings along with a couple of smaller pavilions and extensive gardens. Unlike Topkapi palace, which was, like the Byzantine great palace, a collection of relatively small buildings, the Dolmabahce palace conforms more closely to western ideas of a palace as a single large structure. Even so, Islamic tradition style decreed that there must be two separate sections, one to show off public face of state, the other for the private life of sultan. The first modern bridge across the Bosphorus was the Bosphorus Bridge, built in 1973. Take this bridge to pass over the beautfiul Bosphorus Strait, the wonderful stretch of water that sweeps down from the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara, passing through the city center and dividing Asia from Europe as it goes. Then, visit Camlica Hill, the highest point in Istanbul. At the top of it you can rest and admire the magnificent panorama of Istanbul and the Bosphorus from its beautiful gardens, landscaped in traditional Turkish Ottoman style. We hope you have a memorable and informative tour, and would be very happy to see you again with Booking Tours Turkey.