Istanbul Welcome Card Review – Is It Worth the Money?

Here we explore our in-depth analysis to see if Istanbul Welcome Card (Premium, Saver, Deluxe) is a good deal and worth buying.

Quick Overview of Istanbul Welcome Card

Istanbul Welcome Card is a sightseeing and services pass that practically gives you a discount on a range of top tourist attractions in Istanbul. You’ll get the must-do and see attractions in the city with a very good sale when compared with tickets you buy separately at the ticket window on attraction’s location. Cards start from just €58.

The cards covers the most visited attractions including Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, Basilica Cistern, Bosphorus cruises and seems to be a very good deal for everyone.

Istanbul Welcome Card comes in three variations related with the attractions and services included: Istanbul Welcome Card Saver, Istanbul Welcome Card Premium and Istanbul Welcome Card Deluxe. All versions cover the most of the best Istanbul attractions.

Let’s take a look at the details of each pass:

Istanbul Welcome Card Saver (Valid for 3 Days)

Includes

• Skip the ticket lines with an official tour guide (except Hagia Sophia)
• All entrance fees and english speaking tour guide
• 30 – 45 min. Highlight Tour at each museum by official tour guide
• 2 Istanbul Walking Tours
• Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace and Bosphorus Cruise Audio App in 9 languages for IOS and Android
  (English, German, Russian, Italian, Spanish, Polish, Arabic, Chinese, Turkish)
• 90 min. Bosporus Cruise, Explore the Highlights between Europe and Asia

Istanbul Welcome Card Premium (Valid for 7 Days)

Includes

• Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, Basilica Cistern and Bosphorus Cruise
• Fast Track Entry, Highlight Tours and Audio Guides
• 10 Rides Public Transportation and Guide Book
• Istanbul Walking Tours
• Free Hotel Delivery

Istanbul Welcome Card Deluxe (Valid for 5 Days)

Includes

• Museum pass with Fast Track Entry to 10 museums & ticket for Bosphorus Cruise
• 3 tours with a historian Guide (Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace & Harem, Basilica Cistern )
• 20 Rides Public Transportation, Guide Book and Audio Guides
• Free Hotel Delivery

Attractions included in the Istanbul Welcome Card

If we have a quick look at the few highlights and most popular attractions and tourist services included in the Istanbul Welcome Card below, we can have an initial idea.

• Bosphorus Cruise
• Hagia Sophia Guided Tour
• Topkapi Palace Museum Guided Tour
• Dolmabahce Palace Museum Guided Tour
• Basilica Cistern Guided Tour
• Archaeological Museum Guided Tour
• Princes’ Islands Boat Trip (Round trip)

Istanbul Welcome Card Saver

Following Tickets and Tours are Included:

• Skip the ticket lines with an official tour guide (except Hagia Sophia)
• All entrance fees and english speaking tour guide
• 30 – 45 min. Highlight Tour at each museum by official tour guide
• 2 Istanbul Walking Tours
• Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace and Bosphorus Cruise Audio App in 9 languages for IOS and Android
  (English, German, Russian, Italian, Spanish, Polish, Arabic, Chinese, Turkish)
• 90 min. Bosporus Cruise, Explore the Highlights between Europe and Asia

Not included:

• Harem section in Topkapi Palace
• Fast Track Entry to the Hagia Sophia

Visit, Check & Buy Istanbul Welcome Card Saver with 5% discount

Istanbul Welcome Card Premium

Following Tickets and Tours are Included:

• Skip the Line Service and all Ticket & Entry Fees
• Hagia Sophia 30 min. Highlights Tour & Audio Guide
• Topkapi Palace 30 min. Highlights Tour & Audio Guide
• Basilica Cistern 30 min. Highlights Tour
• Unlimited stay inside each Museum
• 90 min. Bosphorus Cruise & Audio Guide
• 10 Rides with Public Transportation
• 2 Istanbul Walking Tours
• Digital Guide Book and Map

Not Included:

• Harem section in Topkapi Palace
• Fast Track Entry to the Hagia Sophia

Visit, Check & Buy Istanbul Welcome Card Premium with 5% discount

Istanbul Welcome Card Deluxe

Following Tickets and Tours are Included:

• Fast track entry at:

1. 1. Topkapi Palace
   2. Harem
   3. Galata Mevlevi House
   4. Great Palace Mosaics Museum
   5. Hagia Irene
   6. Archaeological Museums
   7. Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum
   8. Rumeli Fortress
   9. Science and Technology in Islam
   10. Galata Tower

• 60 min. Tour with Historian Guide at Hagia Sophia
• 90 min. Tour with Historian Guide at Topkapi Palace & Harem
• 30 min. Tour with Historian Guide at Basilica Cistern
• 90 min. Bosphorus Cruise & Audio Guide
• 20 Rides with Public Transportation
• 2 Istanbul Walking Tours
• Digital Guide Book and Map

Not Included:

• Fast Track Entry to the Hagia Sophia

Visit, Check & Buy Istanbul Welcome Card Deluxe with 5% discount

Is Istanbul Welcome Card Worth the Money?

Now let’s take an in-depth look at the Istanbul Welcome Card and understand if this pass is worth the money and how to make the most value.

In general, these Cards can be considered as best for those who want to see a lot in a short amount of time in Istanbul.

First, let’s see the daily cost of the Istanbul Welcome Card to calculate how much you will need to do each day to get the most of the value:

• Istanbul Welcome Card Saver (valid for 3 days))
• Istanbul Welcome Card Premium (valid for 7 days)
• Istanbul Welcome Card Deluxe (valid for 5 days)

Ideas for you to make the most profit

No matter which Istanbul Welcome Card you will buy, you’ll definitely save money, take the advantage of authorized guided tours and skip the lines access to top attractions in the city. If we have a quick look of the most attend tourist attractions in Istanbul, we see that;

You’ll get the most value for money from this passes if you do “must-do-see tickets” attractions like the Bosphorus Cruise – €20, Hagia Sophia Guided Tour — €17.5, Topkapi Palace Museum Guided Tour — €35, Dolmabahce Palace Museum Guided Tour — €38, Basilica Cistern Guided Tour – €28. And if you buy Istanbul Welcome Card, the value of the pass covers those above attractions’ on location ticket price and you’ll also have digital guide book, free ride with Istanbulkart public transportation. Your card also delivered to your hotel.

If most of these “must-do-see tickets” attractions aren’t interesting then you should probably skip this pass.

Where to Buy the Istanbul Welcome Card

The Istanbul Welcome Card is a discount tourist pass that can be purchased at their official Istanbul Welcome Card website. You will also get 5% discount if you buy it via our website.