A Magical Evening In Istanbul: Private City Tour

I only had 24 hours to get a brief immersion and this evening tour on a Saturday was the perfect way to achieve this. Ayse, my guide, was energetic and fun as she shared the best of her favourite spots in Taksim and Karakoy, blending the historic sights, with anecdotes and lively streets that I am sure to visit under my own steam in future visits. Thank you.

Great taste of the city in one night. Our guide, Muhammad, was very friendly and knowledgeable. Only had an overnight stay so this was a great way to see the city, taste great food and sneak in some quick shopping for sweets and souvenirs.

We’ve just finished the Magical Evening in Istanbul tour and thought we should let you know it was a big disappointment. We ended up following the guide around for 2 hours with very little in the way of regular or interesting facts or stories. The guide stopped very infrequently and only told a few, very dry, dates and historical facts. He was not engaged himself, he looked disinterested, bored and hardly engaged with us. We just ended up walking behind him. Furthermore, for an English speaking tour, the guide’s English was poor. We feel that this wasn’t worth the money we paid.

What a Cool Walk Through Istanbul History. Mohammed was fun to travel and learn from. Not too long, not too short. An excellent adventure!

Hands down, Ayşenur is the best guide I have ever had! She customized my tour perfectly. Her friendly, fun and engaging approach made her extensive knowledge range even more palatable. Thank you so much for an amazing tour and I look forward to next. (There will absolutely be a next time!)

My friend and I scheduled a full day with Emir. He was fantastic! Emir showed us all of the things we were hoping for and then some. He is extremely kind and very knowledgeable. We are grateful to now call him our friend, than you Emir!

We experienced parts of Istanbul that we would have missed on our own. Very friendly and knowledgeable. I would recommend anyone have a night out to again some insight and perspective.

We took this tour the evening we landed in Istanbul and it was the most wonderful way to get oriented. Emir was so considerate! He asked us what aspects of travel interestvis and took us around accordingly. He explained the layour of the city and took is to some great local spots close to where we were staying. We ended up going to those places a few times during our trip. I highlr recommend a tour with Emir!

This is a walking tour and that was not specifically stated anywhere when we booked. One of our group couldn’t go because of that. It states moderate physical activity, but other tours that we booked, that were cars, said the same thing because to access some of the sights, you have to go up and down stairs and such. We were very disappointed. It was cold and we weren’t dressed appropriately to walk for 3 hours and were tired from traveling all day. Our guide was nice and accommodating, but not what we were expecting at all!

What a great way to see a City, I downloaded @withlocals, picked a guide and in no time I was ready to see Istanbul. I would highly recommend it. Xx

Kemal went above and beyond in delivering a very personalized and well informed tour. We discovered and learned so much about the food, the culture and the history of Istanbul. The experience was truly amazing. Highly recommend.

The tour was so very good!!! I really enjoyed getting to see different parts of Instanbul and the additional commentary was absolutely invaluable. My guide knew so much and adjusted based on what I was interested in. Her recommendations were spot on - so glad I did this tour!

Farouk was a second transfer as our original Local transfer our reservation to another and her to Farouk. We was very kind and nice. But I would recommend to make this tour as a smaller party. We were 7 and was a little to big of a group, it was noisy and was difficult to hear for the people that was not walking next to him but as I said we were a big group. Farouk took us to very interesting places and explained very interesting stuff. I would recommend him.

The evening with Aysenur was wonderful. She knows so much about the history of Turkey, I could have listened for hours. During the tour I was able to get to know the real Istanbul. Aysenur is very intelligent and educated and has a perfect way of dealing with guests. The next time I come to Istanbul, I would like to do a sightseeing tour with her again. Thank you!

Kemal was so accommodating and easy going. He catered to all my needs. We explored places where locals would go and explained some culture and history as well as answering to all my questions. He is so knowledgeable. He ensured I was comfortable at all times and he even took me to Latin dancing with the locals. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and would recommend booking with him. He won’t disappoint you!

We had just an interesting and funny time. But not with a local… with a local friend ;) It was so interesting. We got a lot off tips. Hidden restaurants and trains… And a really good Raki Thank you so much and think about the Cat and Karma Tour ;) If we‘ll come back we will book him again Best regards from Marion and Wolfgang

I had a fantastic time on my tour with Muhammed!I had a very unexpected layover in Istanbul and was able to book for a late night tour. Even though this was last minute, Muhammed had a fantastic itinerary set up and gave me multiple options as to where we could go and what we could do. He was also super knowledgeable on the city and history, and had stories about all the places we visited. I got to see so much of the city in a few short hours- time flew by! Since Iwas traveling alone as a 22 year old girl, I was nervous about navigating transportation, but Muhammed helped me find a uber home and made sure I got home safely. If I could give him 100000 stars I would- thank you Muhammed for the great tour !!!!!!

Deniz treated me to a fun comprehensive tour of the city with great advice followed by traditional tea and Turkish delight. Wish i had more time to do all the things she suggested. Do her tour asap arriving in Istanbul.

Aysenur was excellent…! We chose this tour to see a bit of the city at a different time of day and this allowed us to see a very different side of Istanbul to the usual day sightseeing. We saw an umbrella covered street in great light that I had asked to go to - trivial but fun photographs resulting - the sort of sidetour that makes the difference. Aysenur is all of the things that a guide should be - she’s punctual, polite and highly knowledgeable not just in historical timelines, facts and figures but what we particularly enjoyed was her good humour, friendliness and above all else her interest in us as people. Our discussions were wide ranging, good fun and allowed us to learn more about the people of the city. This was a truly great evening Aysenur, thank you, we thoroughly recommend to all thinking about taking this tour.

My short time in Istanbul was made so much better thanks to Aysenur. She is beyond knowledge about Turkish history, architecture, culture and more. I tend to ask a lot of questions and she was so kind to answer them all for me with great patience. I also loved the cafe/bakery that we stopped at, which she said was one of her favorites. It was such a unique way to see the city without feeling like you are on a generic guided tour. I left feeling like I had made a friend and can't wait to go back to Istanbul.

Emir is just the perfect person to show you around the city he calls home and clearly loves , he is very knowledgeable and will tailor the experience to meet your needs and comfort level. We had an amazing time and will definitely spend more time with our new friend on our next visit .

We booked the evening tour for the day we arrived in Istanbul, it was a great way to quickly get our bearings, learn a little about the history of Istanbul and a basic understand the Islamic culture with visits to the both modern food and social scene as well as a number of Mosques and other historic sites. Absolutely perfect as a first introduction. Emir was friendly, enthusiastic and brought a broader cultural understanding which is so valuable in the city where Europe meets the middle east.

Faruk was knowledgeable, passionate and kind! We landed and went straight to our tour and it was a wonderful way to kick off our experience in Istanbul, and truly hear and feel the city through the eyes of a person who lives, teaches and loves here. My mom and I had an amazing experience and appreciated the guides communication and recommendations even after our tour!

Istanbul Taxi service is not the best and after being thrown out of the third Taxi as he didn't want to take us to where we were to meet Abdullah in the city centre, Abdullah came to our rescue. Even though he spoke with the taxi driver and then the Police who also failed to help, he came to our rescue by collecting us. After this not so wonderful start, Abdullah made our evening of wandering around the city and dining with us a fun and happy night. He is such a delight to be with, making sure we enjoyed ourselves. Definitely if you have3 the opportunity to make a booking with him, don't miss it.

I had a very good time, my guide Deniz Şenavcı did a greta job. Very sweet and nice girl, took me through the streets where the locals go out and I was able to see both European and Asian sides and try the local street foods of the city. The ferry trip was very nice with amazing views. I strongly recommend this tour.

Our guide Amer was fabulous, we enjoyed our time with him so much . Amer was so knowledgeable on Turkeys history and that of the world. He showed us some amazing places we never would have found by ourselves . He was interesting , entertaining and a pleasure. I would highly recommend Amer and any of his tours .

We did a WithLocals "foodie" tour in Italy in 2019 which was fantastic. We were excited to book the magical evening in Istanbul tour with Sozum back in June for an August evening. She canceled the tour the day we flew to Istanbul, and we were only in the city for 2 days. Chats were ignored asking for a re-book. So, we did not get a tour in Istanbul. A refund was issued, but we were (and still are) massively disappointed. I probably won't book through them again.

Ugur was incredibly kind and professional as he quickly changed plans to suit my needs. The day was hot in the 30°C range and I was tired of walking in the heat. We trammed towards the port and cool breezes. Ugar is very affable and knowledgeable, we talked about current events, Turkish culture, and human behavior all the while traveling through many neighborhoods. He ensured I knew my way back to my hotel. I highly recommend him as a guide—he work with and for you!

Ugur gave us a great tour. Broad enough for us to get a feel for the city and to orientate ourselves and in-depth enough for us to understand the amazing history and variety that is part of this ancient place (he continued to give us recommendations after the tour of places to shop etc). Would highly recommend Ugur as a tour guide: his knowledge, his love of travel and our chats with him over Baclava and Turkish tea were all a lovely part of our Istanbul experience

We had lots of fun exploring the local neighborhood and amazing street art with Alper. Alp is fun and very knowledgeable too! We enjoyed our tour with Alper so much we are going on another tour with Alper on Tuesday!

Our guide Amer was very knowledgeable of the city of Istanbul and made the entire tour worthwhile! I recommend his services for any tour within the city of Istanbul! His partner Savauge was also an excellent source for fine dining throughout the city!

I met up with Apo in the heart of Istanbul during a long layover on my way back home from Asia. Although I was pretty tired from traveling and still had a long way to go, I knew I'd regret not taking advantage of the opportunity to explore this historic city - I'm glad that I did, and was very fortunate to have Apo as my guide. We spent several hours walking through the lively and vibrant Karaköy, stopping for a bite to eat and some drinks, taking in the sights, sounds and energy of the city, and getting to know one another. Apo was a fantastic host and ambassador for his city - he was knowledgable, helpful and demonstrated a clear passion for Istanbul. Communicating with him leading up to the reservation and the day of the tour was easy, he did a wonderful job of planning our route, and he gave me a lot valuable tips to continue my explorations after our tour was done. It was a memorable experience that was more than worth the price, and I would recommend it to anybody visiting Istanbul.

We were only in Istanbul for 24 hours as a stopover so wanted to make the most of it and see as much as we could. Ugur was a great guide, clearly very knowledgable not just on the history of Istanbul but the Country and Region as a whole. The tour gave us a great feel for a part of the City we hadn't been to and Ugur gave us very interesting commentary on the way, as well as stopping off for a Turkish coffee! Would definately recommend if you are visiting Istanbul.

I’m sorry, but this did NOT live up to my expectations. It’s so surprising because all the reviews that I read about this said that they had a great experience. I did not :( I paid 80 GBP for a single person just for someone to walk me around Karakoy (which I could have done it myself) and to buy me a fish taco, water and coffee! And when asked about the story behind the food and the place where the guide was taking me, he didn’t know! I do not recommend, I’m sorry, but I think I possibly got the worst food tour in the history of food tours. And not only was it lacklustre, we also finished what was supposed to be a 2.5 hrs tour in 1.5 hours, telling me if we don’t mind “finishing earlier”. Yeah, sorry, worst food tour ever.

This is a great way to orient yourself with some of the neighborhoods on the European side of Istanbul. Very customized to your interests, and helped plan out the next few days by pointing things out (sites, restaurants, transport).

I enjoyed the tour a lot, Abdullah was a great guide! Loved the detailed tour and Istanbul is beautiful at night! Highly recommend

We enjoyed Muhammad very much. He answered all of our many, many questions. Showed us some nice places and gave us tips for places to enjoy later. Also was able to accommodate the tour for my daughter's allergies.

Great host with positive energy and enthusiasm. I would definitely recommend! I had a fun filled adventure experiencing Turkey from a local perspective.

We had a wonderful evening with Ays. She was fun and knowledgeable, showed us her best recommendations and the places we wanted to see. I recommend her wholeheartedly.

Tour was very eye opening, we didn't know how much night life and dining was in the back of our hotel we are so glad we did the tour. It was nice of Abdullah to accommodate us and switch it to a food tour co we were so hungry. It shows you the side if Istanbul that you would not usually see doing those conventional landmark tours.

Our evening with Aysegul touring the Karaköy and Beyoğlu districts of Istanbul was truly magical indeed. Given that we are foodies, she adjusted it so we stopped by a series a hidden gems for tastings of local treats that we would not have experienced otherwise. My teens loved it from start to finish. Highly recommended!

Our tourguide Ceren did a great job of helping us find cool spots in cool neighborhoods that we NEVER would have done on our own. Amazing time.

Great tour of the night life in Istanbul, with street food and best baklava from a place most popular among locals. Alper mixed touring historic sights with hip new places, and made some great suggestions for other attractions to explore. Great tour and excellent guide, thanks Alper!

Wow we where amazed by Istanbul night. Sözüm is the best, such a fun person with very positive outlook of Istanbul, made us fall in love with it. Visiting with a local guide, best idea ever! Thank you very much Sözüm, you rock!

Alper was amazing!!!! Super kind friendly and accommodating. As 3 female travels we felt at ease abs very well taken care off. He's knowledgeable, fun and very easy going... it was a great way to see Istanbul at night, try out the BEST fish wrap! And the most delicious Baklava in town. Alper definitely knows his stuff! I'm glad we meet him and created more travel memories.

Ceren is a very joyful and social person. We very much enjoyed her company. On the tour she showed us places that we would not have otherwise found by ourselves. She had very nice suggestions for every budget ( we tried them all and were very pleased ) and gave us great tips on where to go, what to visit and where to buy tickets from. We highly recommend her tour and would gladly book her again on our next visit to Istanbul.

My daughter and I picked Sozum as we thought she would be a wonderful, fun guide for the nightlife, entertainment and shopping. And we were RIGHT! She showed us alleys and streets for food and fun. We got to sample turkish desserts, traditional foods and Raki! It was great a feeling and atmosphere also because we went out on June 1st right when the restaurants were opening back up so it was a great energy! I cannot recommend Sozum enough. If you want to enjoy the food, drinks in the evening, feel safe, eat great food and taste traditional Turkish drinks, she is your guide!

We booked the Night Tour with Alper for the evening of 31/12 as the final accord of the year for our group of 4 adults. So the stakes were high, it could not be bad. Alper and the tour exceeded our expectations. It was both relaxing and interesting at the same time. We were totally satisfied with the tour and would definitely recommend Alper as a guide to anywone. His English was flawless and his love for the city quite obvious.

Aysegul was the perfect host for our evening tour. We were not looking for a party time but she showed us around places we would never have found as well as trying different local street food. Would recommend this tour to anyone who is visiting Istanbul.