Istanbul E-pass

A digital attraction pass for Istanbul

Istanbul E-pass sells a digital pass that covers entry to museums, landmarks, guided visits, cruises and day trips in Istanbul, Turkey, and its pages cover no other city. It is a pass seller with its own guiding for the big museums: the timetable page says "Our guide will be holding a white-orange Istanbul E-pass flag" at meeting points for Hagia Sophia, the Basilica Cistern, Topkapi Palace and other sights, while activities such as the Bosphorus dinner cruise and the Bursa day trip are run by suppliers who confirm pickup times after a reservation. The About page describes the team as "digital-native entrepreneurs" and headlines the page "E-pass Is More Than A Travel Agent." The footer lists sister brands Istanbul Explorer Pass and Vienna E-pass. Prices are shown in euros, and the site can be switched to Croatian, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian and Spanish besides English.

Pass lengths and prices

The how-it-works page lists passes for 1, 2, 3, 5 or 7 days, plus attraction passes for 2, 4 or 6 attractions, all drawing on "120+ Top Istanbul Attractions". The homepage price table sets each day pass against an example of gate prices: €165.00 against €331.00 ("You save over 50%"), €195.00 against €434.00, €225.00 against €616.00 and €245.00 against €733.00, rising to "over 67%" on the longest. The About page goes further and claims savings of "up to 70% on gate prices". Those comparisons are the company's own sums.

Attraction cards show the gate price next to "Free with Pass". The Topkapi Palace Museum Guided Tour with Ticket is listed at €61 without the pass, and a private Istanbul airport transfer at €55. The example itinerary on the homepage adds a Hagia Sophia tour at €35, a Basilica Cistern tour at €49, Maiden's Tower at €30, Legends of Istanbul at €42, Miniaturk at €18 and the Bursa day trip at €35, along with a Bosphorus cruise with breakfast (€25), an Ottoman photo shoot (€10), a pub crawl (€25), Camlica Tower (€24), Istanbul Aquarium (€26), the Digital Experience Museum (€18) and Panorama 1453, with a Bosphorus cruise with dinner and Turkish shows and Dolmabahce Palace with its Harem also named on the homepage. The About page says the pass also brings a complimentary internet connection, transport options and a digital audio guide.

Guided museum tours

The Guided Tours Timetable page lists start times for each day of the week: Topkapi Palace tours from 09:00 to 15:30 with the palace closed on Tuesday, Basilica Cistern tours from 09:00 until 16:45 on some days, Hagia Sophia tours from 09:00 to about 16:30, Blue Mosque tours several times a day, and fewer slots for the Archaeological Museum (09:00, 12:30, 16:30) and the Turkish & Islamic Art museum (10:00, 12:00, 16:30). The notes are specific: arrive "at least 5-10 minutes before the starting times", "Guided tours are only in English!", and at Hagia Sophia foreign visitors can only visit the 2nd floor, since the ground floor is open for prayers. The page also says the E-pass guide is required to enter Hagia Sophia, the Basilica Cistern, Topkapi Palace, the Archaeological Museum and the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum, so at those sites pass holders join a scheduled tour rather than walking in alone. The how-it-works page adds that the meeting time and point for each guided attraction are given in its description, and that holders show their E-pass ID to the guide to join.

The Bursa day trip

The Bursa Tour Day Trip page shows how a reserved excursion works. The trip is listed at €35 without the pass, needs a reservation "at least 24 hours in advance", and is led by an "English and Arabic-speaking Professional Guide". Pickup is from central Istanbul hotels around 08:00 to 09:00, followed by a ferry to Yalova (weather permitting), a visit to Bursa's historic sites and Mount Uludag, lunch at Kerasus Restaurant with drinks extra, about an hour on the mountain and a 45 minutes cable car ride down, with drop-off around 22:00 to 23:00 depending on traffic. An ATV ride in Yalova costs extra. The page advises layers and comfortable walking shoes because Bursa is cooler than Istanbul.

Buying, activating and using the pass

Passes are bought online by credit card and arrive by email instantly. Holders can pick their dates in the online account ahead of time or let the pass activate at the first attraction. The pass counts calendar days, not 24-hour periods: the site's example is a 3-day pass activated on Tuesday that expires on Thursday at 23:59, and days must be consecutive. Each attraction can be used once. The 2, 4 and 6 attraction passes are valid for 30 days from first use, and the homepage says a pass can be activated "anytime within 1 year of purchase". Walk-in attractions need only the pass shown at the counter; guided visits start at the flagged meeting point; the cruise, Bursa trip and similar products must be reserved in the customer panel.

The homepage's Saving Guarantee reads: "If the total admission price of the attractions you visit is less than your pass price, we refund the difference." The footer also links to a Best Price Guarantee, group enquiries and a reseller program, and the testimonials the site shows mention WhatsApp support.

What it leaves open, and who it suits

The pass, pricing and how-it-works pages do not state a cancellation or refund policy for an unused pass, only the saving guarantee, and the site does not explain how that refund is claimed. There are no child prices or age rules on the pass pages, and no accessibility notes for the guided tours. Group sizes on the museum tours are not given.

Istanbul E-pass suits visitors who want English-language guided visits to Topkapi, Hagia Sophia and the Cistern at fixed times without buying each ticket, and who will use several days of sightseeing. The published timetable makes it easy to plan around, and the Bursa trip and cruises add variety. Travelers who want a guide in another language, or who plan only a couple of museums, should compare the gate prices on each card first.