Mustafa Gök Was an outstanding guide. His knowledge of history was impressive. His kindness and attention to our needs was excellent. His tour plan hit everything we had hoped to see and more.
About Activity
What's Included
Includes
- Professional guide
- Private Tour
- 1 , 2 or 3 days (depending on option selected)
Excludes
- Food and drinks
- Gratuities (suggested)
- Museum/Attraction Tickets
- Lunch
- Transportation from/back to hotel and between sites (unless option selected)
Departure & Return
Departure Point
- Traveler pick up offered
Itinerary
Day 1
1
Blue Mosque The Blue Mosque (Called Sultanahmet Camii in Turkish) is an historical mosque in Istanbul. The mosque is known as the Blue Mosque because of blue tiles surrounding the walls of interior design
Topkapi Palace Topkapı Palace was not only the residence of the Ottoman sultans, but also the administrative and educational centre of the state. Initially constructed between 1460 and 1478 by Sultan Mehmed II, the conqueror of Constantinople, and expanded upon and altered many times throughout its long history, the palace served as the home of the Ottoman sultans and their court until the middle of the 19th century. ENTRANCE TICKET IS 50 EURO PER PERSON
Hippodrome Hippodrome of Constantinople, located in Sultanahmet/Istanbul, was a public arena mainly for chariot races. The word hippodrome comes from the Greek hippos (horse) and dromos (way). The Hippodrome of Constantinople was also home to gladiatorial games, official ceremonies, celebrations, protests, torture to the convicts and so on.
Hagia Sophia Mosque The Hagia Sophia, one of the historical architectural wonders that still remains standing today, has an important place in the art world with its architecture, grandness, size and functionality. The Hagia Sophia, the biggest church constructed by the East Roman Empire in Istanbul, has been constructed three times in the same location.ENTRANCE TICKET IS 25 EURO PER PERSON
Kapali Carsi One of the largest and oldest covered bazaars in the world, the Grand Bazaar is 30,700 square meters with over 60 streets and alleys and 4,000 shops
Home to some of Istanbul’s most recognizable attractions, the Sultanahmet District is an ideal place to explore the city’s complex history. With the rose-colored Hagia Sophia (Aya Sofya) sitting across from the six minarets of the Blue Mosque and down the street from the energetic Grand Bazaar, this neighborhood packs in a wealth of culture.
The Basilica Cistern, also known as the Yerebatan Cistern or the Sunken Palace, is an ancient underground water reservoir located in Istanbul, Turkey. It is one of the city's most popular tourist attractions and a remarkable architectural wonder. Historical Background: The Basilica Cistern was constructed during the reign of Emperor Justinian I in the 6th century AD. Istanbul, known as Constantinople at the time, was the capital of the Byzantine Empire. The cistern was built to provide a reliable water supply for the Great Palace of Constantinople, which stood nearby. Architecture and Features: The cistern is an enormous underground chamber that spans an area of about 9,800 square meters (105,000 square feet). It is supported by a forest of 336 marble columns, arranged in 12 rows, with each row consisting of 28 columns. The cistern has a capacity to hold up to 80,000 cubic meters (2,800,000 cubic feet) of water. ENTRANCE TICKET IS 40 EURO PER PERSON
Day 2
2
Dolmabahce Palace The Dolmabahce Palace is located along the European shore of the Bosphorus Strait. Originally there was a shallow bay where the Ottoman fleet used to anchor their ships. After the 17th century the coast was filled in and converted into a nice garden with a couple of pavilions named as Besiktas Waterfront Palace complex, where the sultans used to relax enjoying the views. ENTRANCE TICKET IS 50 EURO PER PERSON
Taksim Square Taksim Square (Taksim Meydani), Istanbul’s main modern hub, is located at the end of the pedestrian thoroughfare Istiklal Avenue (Istiklal Caddesi). A popular meeting place, Taksim Square is anchored by the Monument of the Republic and buzzes with activity day and night. The area historically hosts public celebrations, parades, and demonstrations.
Bosphorus Strait The Bosphorus Strait defines Istanbul. It is the divide between Europe and Asia, and the main connection between the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara. Dotted with parks and elaborate Ottoman mansions, including Dolmabahce Palace, and spanned by three intercontinental bridges, the Bosphorus is the veritable heart of the city. Bosphorus cruise is a public ferry . ITS TICKET IS 250 TL PER PERSON
Bosphorus Bridge The Bosphorus Bridge (Bogazici Koprusu) in Istanbul is one of three continent-spanning bridges over the Bosphorus Strait, connecting Europe and Asia. When it opened in 1973, the 5,118-foot (1,560-meter) bridge was the fourth-longest suspension bridge in the world. And though it has since slid down the rankings, it is still an impressive sight to behold
KIz Kulesi Maiden’s Tower (Kiz Kulesi) Located on an islet in the Bosphorus Strait, just offshore from Istanbul’s Uskudar neighborhood, Maiden’s Tower (Kiz Kulesi) is a historical site that has inspired myths and legends. The Ottomans expanded and rebuilt the structure, and today it contains a restaurant and bar with views of the city
Galata Tower Rising high above its namesake neighborhood, Istanbul’s Galata Tower (Galata Kulesi) dates back to the Genoese presence in Constantinople in the 14th century. An elevator takes you up to a viewing platform located under the roof, which offers panoramic views of the Old City peninsula and Beyoglu neighborhood.
Built in the 17th century, the covered Spice Bazaar is Istanbul’s fragrant hub for all things flavorful. Piles of pepper, saffron, teas, and dried apricots nestle alongside shops selling colorful Turkish delight, silk scarves, and glass mosaic lamps. Take time to chat with vendors, sip tea, and haggle for the perfect price.
Day 3
3
The Suleymaniye Mosque, also known as the Suleymaniye Camii in Turkish, is a magnificent mosque located in Istanbul, Turkey. It was built during the Ottoman Empire under the rule of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent and was completed in 1557. The mosque was designed by the famous Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan, who also designed many other important buildings throughout Istanbul. The Suleymaniye Mosque is considered one of Sinan's greatest works and is one of the most important examples of Ottoman architecture. The mosque is known for its impressive size and striking beauty. It features a large central dome, as well as four smaller domes and two minarets. The interior of the mosque is decorated with intricate tile work and calligraphy, and the central prayer hall is surrounded by a colonnade of marble columns. In addition to its religious significance, the Suleymaniye Mosque also has a rich cultural and historical significance.
The Fener Rum Ortodoks Church, also known as the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, is a historic Greek Orthodox church located in the Fener district of Istanbul, Turkey. It is the primary church of the Eastern Orthodox Church and serves as the spiritual center of the Orthodox Christian world. The church was originally built in the 4th century, and over the centuries it has undergone numerous renovations and additions. It is considered one of the most important churches in the Orthodox Christian tradition, and it has served as the seat of the Ecumenical Patriarchate since the 6th century. The church features a striking combination of architectural styles, reflecting its long history and the various cultural influences that have shaped Istanbul over the centuries. It features a large central dome, as well as numerous smaller domes and minarets. it is considered one of the most important examples of Byzantine architecture in the world.
Pier Loti Hill, also known as Pierre Loti Tepesi in Turkish, is a popular hilltop viewpoint located in the Eyüp district of Istanbul, Turkey. The hill offers stunning panoramic views of the Golden Horn and the city of Istanbul, and it is a popular destination for both locals and tourists. The hill is named after the French author Pierre Loti, who was known for his love of Istanbul and his frequent visits to the city. Loti was a regular visitor to the hill, which was named in his honor after his death in 1923. To reach the top of the hill, visitors can take a cable car ride from the Eyüp district. At the top, there is a small café named after Pierre Loti, where visitors can enjoy a cup of Turkish tea or coffee while taking in the breathtaking views. In addition to its stunning views, Pier Loti Hill is also a popular destination for its historical significance. The hill is home to the Eyüp Sultan Mosque, which is considered one of the most important Islamic sites in Istanbul.
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Cancellation Policy
Reviews
We had a lovely tour of Istanbul! Our guide Kemal was very knowledgable and extremely efficient. We waited in almost no lines and were able to tailor the day to our top preferences. Kemal chose a lovely rooftop restaurant for lunch with delicious food, excellent service and a breathtaking view. Highly recommend this tour.
Very efficient way to see key sites. Always like the guided approach and always learn something new
A great 2 day overview of Istanbul.
Excellent guide. Great insight. Highly recommended.
We had an incredible day, especially local recommendations for shopping and lunch!
One of the best day for us in Istanbul. Best guide we have ever, Aida a sweet and very professional girl! It was a real pleasure to share a day with her! We gonna be friends forever ♥️
Guide was very knowledgeable and flexible with timing. Flexibility was important because of the unusual crowds and some scheduling issues on our end. There is no way we would have been able to discover all of the places we saw without such a knowledgeable guide.
Kemal was an excellent tour guide for our visit to Istanbul. His knowledge of history was excellent. He was very accommodating regarding some issues we had with walking. He is very pleasant and fun to be with. We would definitely recommend using him for your next tour to Istanbul.
Gulsen was delightful and a very informative guide. Polite and courteous and organised the tour very well using transportation and explaining options to tailor our experience. Her knowledge was detailed and interesting and we came away feeling much more informed about the history of Istanbul.
We had a very nice lady who took care of us well. She was very friendly, always positive and reacted to all our needs immediately. Whenever we wanted to stop for coffee, she showed us a nice place, she also took us to a very beautiful place to have lunch. Her knowledge about history was also very impressive. I enjoyed every minute of this tour. Many thanks to our guide Nilgün.
Very informative easy to work with and he was right on time to get us.
Our guide, Bunyamin, was one of the best guides we have even had, and we have had many. He sent us a video of where to meet and he arrived right on time. Our tour was first class with plenty of information and he answered every single question we asked. He took us to a great location for a street food lunch and helped us dodge the long queues by picking the best time to visit the hot spots. He also helped us out when our cards wouldn’t work in the tram. If you are fortunate to get our guide in your tour you will have a great experience.
We had the most spectacular two days with Kemal who accommodated all of our very special needs and requests. We had the best time ever. I highly recommend this tour for anyone going to Istanbul - you won’t be disappointed.
We had a great day in Istanbul with our guide KERİM KUVETLİ. He knew just how to get us place to place whilst skipping the queues and even knew when it was going to rain! He was extremely knowledgeable and friendly. Great first day .
We had an absolutely wonderful tour with our lovely guide Cicek who was knowledgeable and engaging - we could not have had a better introduction to our first day in Istanbul. We would very much recommend this tour as an excellent orientation for this remarkable city!
John was a great guide! We learned much about the history of Istanbul and the powerful family’s and sultan’s. We also tasted many of the specialties of turkey. Well worth the time and effort!
What a Wonder! This was our first time iin Istanbul and thanks to Kemal we had an amazing three days as he shared his incredible knowledge and history of the places we visited. His passion for sharing and imparting the information made the whole experience wonderful and truly memorable. Kamel was extremely friendly and easy to talk to. We really appreciated Kemal’s sensitivity to our needs over the three days by adjusting his walking pace and modifying the itinerary when needed. Hotel pick ups were prompt and prearranged skip the line enabled the itinerary to flow smoothly. Kamel made the whole experience memorable by taking our photos at each of the major sites throughout the three days, It was wonderful from start to finish.
Utku was our guide and it was wonderful! You can see that he truly has knowledge and is very interested in history. He answered all our questions with details. We definitely recommend him as a guide.
It was a wonderful trip with our guide Utku. The timings were good with ample time to click photos. Extra treats of clay/pottery.
Zehra was great! She gave us good explanations and she was perfect with the schedule, so we did everything as planned.
Zehra was very friendly and went through the places history very nicely! Not too detailed or not to vague.
Karin was prompt picking us up and very knowledgeable about the city. He had a wealth of information about the history, culture and areas of Istanbul and took the time to stop and impart interesting facts about what we were seeing. I would recommend Karim as your your tour guide if ever you are in Istanbul.
Utku was great, he was knowledgeable, super friendly and helpful. The tour is also as its described and it covered many of the key Kapadokya sights. It was a really good way to see them. The lunch offered is a buffet but it is no problem to opt out. Along the way, there were some stops like gifting shops and a pottery workshop (but be careful in the pottery shop- they are very keen to secure sales and prices for even small things are listed at over $2000!). It was a pleasant experience overall and I would not hesitate to recommend it.
Great experience to see the landmarks and very professional, knowledgeable and funny tour guide Utku Dede. He made us feel very comfortable. Just be aware of a couple of shops that you will visit (especially ceramics) where they will put some unnecessary pressure to sell their products.
Great time with Utku, thank you so much!
Mustafa is an excellent guide. Full of energy and ready to answer all your cultural questions, provides great recommendations, and takes awesome pictures. I would book with him again. In 3 days we were able to go everywhere. We'll worth the trip.
We had an incredible 3-day tour experience with Mustafa and would highly recommend him to anyone visiting Istanbul. From the very beginning, he was friendly, easy to talk to, and made us feel comfortable throughout the entire trip. One thing we really appreciated was how flexible and accommodating he was. He adjusted the tour to fit our interests and needs, making sure we got the most out of our time in the city. The itinerary was excellent and covered all of the major highlights while still allowing us to explore at a comfortable pace. Mustafa is extremely knowledgeable about Istanbul’s history, culture, and landmarks. He shared interesting stories and information at every stop, which made the experience much more meaningful than simply visiting the sites on our own. He also went above and beyond by helping us take photos throughout the tour. Not only was he willing to take pictures whenever we asked, but he also knew the best spots and angles, so we came home with some fantastic memories from the trip. Overall, this was one of the highlights of our visit to Turkey. If you're looking for a professional, knowledgeable, flexible, and personable guide, Mustafa is an excellent choice. Thank you for helping make our trip so
This was a great value for money and Zehra made our small group feel more like a family and friends. She's very detailed in her knowledge. My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed this tour. Make sure and ask for her by name.
Having a private guide was amazing and worth it 10x over! Didem was first off so kind and friendly, secondly so knowledgeable and interesting to listen too, but thirdly, she knows how to customize your days to make the absolute best of your experience. She also knew ways to fast track our entries into busy places like the Basilica Cistern, Domenbache Palace and even made sure our Blue Mosque line wasn’t too long! Our trip was perfect because of her!
We got to see quite a number of great sights on this tour. Our guide Otku was moth informative and interesting.
We had an amazing day touring Cappadocia with Utku, who was undoubtedly the highlight of our trip. He was incredibly knowledgeable, friendly and experienced, and his passion for the history and culture of Cappadocia really made the experience special. The tour itself was fantastic. We stopped at various beautiful and interesting locations, learning about the local history, culture, traditions and landmarks along the way. Utku brought everything to life with his stories and knowledge, making the day both enjoyable and informative. Cappadocia is such a beautiful and fascinating place, and having Utku as our guide made our experience even more memorable. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Cappadocia. A wonderful day from beginning to end!
Utku was an amazing guide! He explained everthing clearly and answered happily all question. What took a bit of time was buying the Tickets extra.
Best way to have an overview of cappadocia in a friendly and comfortable way. Zehra was great and gave us enough information on each site. The driver was also friendly and professional.
Great experience! Enough time to enjoy every stop while not feeling over stated. The guide was very knowledgeable while not over sharing. Highly recommend
Kerim was an extremely knowledgeable and friendly guide. We felt we saw and learnt a lot about Istanbul in the two days we were with him.
We had a great day with Zehra, she was alot of fun and very informative!! She had so much knowledge about all the places she took us to. Open air museum was a highlight.
Zehra was an amazing tour guide and very thorough to make this entire tour experience quite memorable..With on-time pick up and coordinating all details one day before was great. Best tour guide.. highly recommend!!!
The tour was really informative and a good way to see Cappadocia if you are running low on time. Zehra was our guide and she did an incredible job of explaining the locations, allowing time for photos and just being incredibly warm and welcoming.
The tour was very nice and informative and our guide Zahra was great and funny. We enjoyed the tour.
We had a great experience the tour was easy, insightful and entertaining. Thanks Zehra for showing us around.
PLEASE READ — VERY IMPORTANT FOR TOURISTS This was the worst and most expensive tour experience I have ever had. Whether the fault lies with the company or our guide, Mustafa, the service was completely unacceptable. • Pick-up & Drop-off Failures: Despite paying for hotel transfers, Mustafa repeatedly complained about the distance and tried to make us meet him elsewhere. On day one, instead of returning us to our hotel, he left us at a boat dock and told us to figure out the metro back on our own. • Overpriced Meals: Mustafa directed us exclusively to empty, exorbitantly expensive restaurants where he clearly had commission arrangements. On top of that, I paid over $120 for his meals across two days. • Cutting Hours Short: We opted out of several museums to focus on local Turkish culture, allowing him to leave early both days without delivering real value. As a foreign guest traveling with my brother, I avoided confronting him to ensure our safety and just endured the trip. I have traveled to six continents and always tip generously, but this was the first time I refused. Paying for his expensive meals and letting him go home early was more than enough. Mustafa should not be leading tours unless major changes are made.
Fantastic day of private Tour with Murat seeing the highlights of Istanbul on a walking tour. Murat was knowledgeable and friendly, and most helpful with arranging an most enjoyable programme for the day.
My husband and I had really a great time with this tour with the help of Karim our tour guide . We choose a 2 full day tour with him and very impressive his knowledge were explain clearly in calm . Karim always make sure that we are comfortable without rush for every place we go was exceptionally great every details explained well. Karim also nice to help us to arrange a restaurant reservation based on his contact and experience . Overall I love this tour . Highly recommended with Karim
We had an amazing experience exploring Istanbul with our wonderful guide, Kirem. I would like to sincerely thank him for his professionalism, knowledge, and genuine passion for showing us the best of this beautiful city. Kirem took us to incredible places across different sides of Istanbul, including Pierre Loti and the ancient Roman walls, sharing fascinating stories and history along the way. His excellent guidance made every visit much more meaningful and enjoyable. One of the most special experiences was visiting the rooftop restaurants at Best Point Hotel. The location and views were absolutely spectacular, and the chef is truly one of the best in Turkey. It was a perfect combination of amazing food, beautiful scenery, and unforgettable memories. Thank you, Kirem, for your excellent work, kindness, and for making our time in Istanbul so special. We highly recommend him to anyone who wants to discover the history, culture, hidden gems, and amazing views of Istanbul with a professional and passionate guide!
We had a tour with ali he is very good guide we suggest
We had a private tour for my father and me with Çiçek. She was great! The first day was primarily in the old city—Sultanahmet, and we saw the hippodrome, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sofia, Grand Bazaar, and Süleymaniye Mosque. If you get the chance to go to Süleymaniye Mosque, you should—we found it more impressive than the Blue Mosque. The second day was Topkapi Palace, Dolmabahçe Palace, Takmin Square, Istiklal Street, and Galata Tower. The Palaces (both of them!) were probably the highlight of the tour. Çiçek was great throughout—planning a tour that fit what we were looking for (and getting to the busiest places, like Topkapi, before the crowds!), giving us insight into the history and the culture, and engaging with my history-loving dad on all his questions and comments. And she chose great places for us to eat!
Gülşen was a fantastic guide on a walking your of Istanbul. Very nice to deal with. She arrived early - took us to our starting point by public tram- and took us to all of our spots of interest and helped make it a great day. She even went back with us to ensure we got back to our hotel safely. Highly recommend!
Didem Tan was an exceptional guide. She was very flexible and tailored our experience to our interests. Her knowledge of the city both past and present enhanced all the sites we saw and made it more memorable.
Great every thing ! Cihan is the best !
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