Hagia Sophia Mosque - Emperor Justinian built it in the sixth century. It is very important in both the Christian and Islamic worlds. The bells, altar, and sacrificial vessels were removed after the Ottoman conquest, and many mosaics were covered to convert the church into a mosque.
Hippodrome - Where chariot races were held in Roman Empire times, Egyptian Column from Byzantine Empire. Today German Fountain is the cornerstone of the square.
Blue Mosque - Sultan Ahmet I of the Ottoman Empire had it constructed in the early 1600s. The Blue Mosque is a stunningly magnificent architectural masterpiece with remarkably delicate proportions for a structure of its size.
Basilica Cistern is an underground water reservoir that was built during the Byzantine era. Visitors can stroll along its dimly lit walkways and admire the 336 columns that support the structure.
Grand Bazaar - With more than 4,000 shops, it is the biggest and oldest covered market in the world. Ceramics, leather, rugs, carpets, handicrafts, clothing, silver, and gold products can be found.
TopkapI Palace - More than just the Ottoman Sultans' Imperial Residence. For approximately 400 years, it served as the Supreme Executive Council's seat. The Topkapi Palace is a magnificent example of oriental architecture that captures the majesty of the Ottoman Empire.
Our guide, Mahmut Sahin, was amazing. The two of us spent hours with him and saw all the places we wanted to see. His explanations were were plenty enough for us to comprehend. Highly recommended.
It's definitely worth it especially if you want fast access to the Basilica Cistern. Our guide, Josh was very knowledgeable and personable. Official guides like Josh must complete four years of school, specific to being a guide, so they take their work seriously, and know many subtle details that are easily missed if you are on your own.
Mahmut met us at the port which we all appreciated. He was very knowledgable about the places we visited and the overall area. be prepared to walk!
We had a very good time with Mahmout. We had a very good idea how the historic centre of Istanbul looks like. Had a great lunch together. The Belgian Chocolates
What a great day we had with our guide Fatih exploring the historical sights of Istanbul. Fatih was an excellent guide and his factual knowledge was second to none. As we had already visited the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Market we were able to take our time at the Blue Mosque the Topkapi Palace, the hippodrome etc. We had other places on our mind to see but the weather wasn't great and it had already been a long day, so we ended a bit early. All in all, it was definitely worth it. We learned so much about the history of Turkey and Istanbul. Would highly recommend this tour if you are interested in more than snapping a few pics.
Our tour guide was awesome!!! She took us everywhere we wanted to go. Very knowledgeable. The tour company stayed in touch with us to make sure we got to the right starting point. We actually had to stop her at the end because we were too tired :-)))
Our guide, Mahmut şahin, was very well informed, friendly and set an excellent pace for the day. I highly recommend him and his company, Viator, for your next visit to Istanbul.
Mahmut Sahin showed us in a very confortable way the best of Estambul and shared with us all his big knowledge of Turkey history, ancient and also modern times. We recommend very much his tour
Our guide Tuğba (too-bar) was excellent. She communicated very well and was very helpful, friendly and super knowledgeable about Istanbul. She also helped us buy our tickets and skipping the queues was very useful 😉. The tour was very flexible and tailored to our choice. It really made our day having Tuğba guide us. Teşekkür ederim! 😘😘
Knowledgeable and tailored tour to what we were interested in. Saw lots of different sides of Istanbul Would definitely recommend
So worth the money, we had Fatih who was incredibly knowledgeable about the history and specifics of the city. We're in the city for a ahort time so we needed a tour that basically covered all the bigger historical sites while getting the full fleshed out experience and this was exactly that. Super flexible to any accommodations to the plan we wanted to make, and made the whole day so easy by handling the tickets, guiding us through lines and even finding us a really good restaurant. We spent the whole day from 10am go 5pm ish going through all the historical sites where Fatih explained the history, politics and cultural context in great detail. He even told us where was the best place to tske pictures and seamlessly guided us through super packed crowds! Thank you so much Fatih! There was a little confusion from my end on whether It was our responsibility to buy the tickets for the sites that you needed go pay to get in, but that was quickly cleared up by the Olea who reached out after I asked to let us know not to buy the tickets ourselves, as official city guides have priority lines and they can coach us on where and when to buy the tickets. Super communicative and helpful.
the places visited were the main sites in old town. the private guide Coskun was fantastic. he walked with us for 6 hours. very knowledgeable of turkish culture and sites. he made us feel very relaxed and safe.
Beko was very knowledgeable, went at a good pace for the three of us and gave us a great day. Thank you!
Great day visiting all the sites and our guide was so knowledgeable… fabulous . We could go at our own pace and choose the sights to see
Thankyou Rukiye!!! You were the best guide ever. Rukiye spoke excellent English, she was flexible in the itinerary, extremely knowledgeable and provided us with an unforgettable experience in Istanbul.
Our tour with Josh was the absolute highlight of our trip to Istanbul. He is incredibly friendly, knowledgeable and so much fun to spend the day with. From the moment we met him, he made us feel completely at ease and genuinely looked after us throughout the entire tour. Josh made navigating Istanbul feel effortless, showing us how to use the public transport system with ease and guiding us through all the major attractions while making sure we knew exactly what to expect along the way. His knowledge of the city, its history and culture is incredible, but he shares it in such an engaging and entertaining way that it never feels like you’re being overloaded with information. What really made the tour special was Josh himself. It felt less like being shown around by a tour guide and more like exploring Istanbul with a very knowledgeable local friend. He was funny, patient, thoughtful and genuinely wanted us to have the best possible experience. We learnt so much, laughed a lot and came away feeling like we had experienced Istanbul in a way we never would have on our own. If you’re visiting Istanbul, do yourself a favour and book a tour with Josh. We couldn’t recommend him highly enough! Thanks so much from Sarah, Bec & Jay!!
A big thank you to our guide, Abidin, who took all our requests into account and showed us Istanbul at its best. Excellent knowledge of history! I definitely recommend the tour :)
Guide Abidin Saltik was prompt, courteous and v knowledgeable! Knew how to get ahead of some long queues! Felt the day was well planned, although it was just as well we are both good walkers! A very physically demanding day! Pleased that he showed us how to get around the city via tram and ferry, etc. Also gave us recommendations when we asked for them. The shops we visited were not too pushy, and we learnt something in both. The cost of the day was pretty steep, espec as we had to pay for food, water, all tickets on top of the guide fee. But worthwhile investment for our first day in Istanbul! Thank you Abidin!
Very knowledgeable and personable guide with very good English, and he was patient with me, a big history nerd who asks a lot of detailed questions! We paid 200 Euro, which seemed like a lot, but it was completely worth it to see all the main historical sites with someone to tell you exactly what you're looking at and to tailor the experience to your pace and interests. A special perk was that the guide was able to get us to the head of the line for almost all the sites!
Our guide Berkant (Beko) was friendly and knowledgable. A very experienced guide, he knew the best times for viewing these popular sites. His commentary was fresh and he tailed it to our interests. We chose a tour with public transport options, so with initial assistance, we felt confident using the subway, trams and ferries.
This was an excellent guided tour of old town. Fatih was an excellent guide. Very knowledgeable and friendly. The day was very flexible allowing us to see all the sites we wanted to. Highly recommended
It was my husband and I and Beko. So very private. He was so informative and so helpful in so many ways. He knows his way around and what to Do and when to do it so you don’t wait in line (at least at the 8 am time when we went). We took the electric train from Galataport cruise port to Old town and walked the rest of the time till we got back on the train to go back to the port. He lets you customize what you want to do, but we had him do what he thought was best and it was awesome. It is a lot of walking and standing, just so you know. We walked over 6 miles with him. But we would highly recommend.
Mr.K was an excellent guide. Educated all over the world, speaking 5 languages, his knowledge was broad and his specific knowledge about turkey "go to" places was excellent. Educated at MIT, his English was excellent. Back at ship at precisely requested time. Great tour
Josh was very friendly and able to customize the tour for what we needed. Appreciated his local knowledge and friendliness. Also enjoyed taking the trains and seeing a variety of places. He was very responsive and helpful on whatsapp too
We had an excellent experience with our tour guide. He was incredibly knowledgeable, passionate, and genuinely enthusiastic about sharing the history and culture of every place we visited. He explained everything in an engaging way and was always happy to answer our questions. What really stood out was his flexibility. He was very accommodating, adjusted the itinerary to fit our needs, and adapted the plans smoothly as the day went on. Thanks to his organization and local knowledge, we were also able to skip many of the long ticket lines, which gave us more time to enjoy the attractions instead of waiting. I highly recommend him to anyone looking for a friendly, professional, and informative guide who truly goes above and beyond to make the experience memorable.
A fantastic way to experience Istanbul. Having a local guide made the city come alive in a way that would have been impossible to replicate on our own. Nazan was warm, personable, and full of knowledge, providing valuable cultural context throughout the tour. It was incredibly helpful to have a guide navigate the major sites, and Nazan also took some great photos along the way. An authentic, enriching experience that I would highly recommend.
We absolutely loved our tour with Berkant! He tailored our tour to our needs and was very accommodating! I can’t recommend it enough!
Our guide was a historical and cultural expert. His English was perfect and he flexed to our every need. He went out of his way to accommodate us and ensure a superb trip. He took us to local places and must see experiences. It was not about the money, but about making sure our visit was perfect. In truth, I have never had a guide like him anywhere in the world. If you are going to Istanbul and you decide to hire a guide, insist on Fatih by name. He is trustworthy, dependable, and a genuinely nice person. He will go at your speed and creates your own unique experience according to your interests.
Ugurcan was out tour guide and he was absolutely brilliant. His knowledge of the five attractions we went see was incredible. Little details that would not be captured on audio guides were well worth the cost. In addition when our five attractions were completed he brought us back to our hotel. We had been unsure how to get to Eskisehir and Ugurcans showed us how to navigate from our hotel using the tram and train Would highly recommend. Thanks for a great day Ronnie and Mary Ireland 🇮🇪
Best introduction to Istanbul - Day 1! Ayden was so knowledgeable as a born and raised local, and so helpful with language barrier! Excellent walking tour of Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, Grand Bazaar, and Hippodrome. Picksd a great restaurant for lunch and pick-up snacks along the way, and help navigate purchases at the bazaar from reputable vendors! Highly recommend this full day private tour at a very fair price. Our family of 4 with 16yo twins all enjoyed!
Our guide met us promptly at 10 at our hotel. We were supposed to rendezvous elsewhere, which we were nervous about finding, so it was really nice that he changed it to meeting at our hotel. Turned out that this was a private tour, just hubby and I, and that was also a very nice surprise. Basically we covered everything in 4 hours including shopping at the Grand Bazaar. The Hiya Sophia is under construction so basically there was nothing to see so that cut time out of the tour. That’s not the guide’s fault however.
Our guide Oğuz came and met us at our hotel and took us by public transport into the city. He showed us everything on the list and substituted the spice market as the grand bazaar was shut. He took care to tell us a brief history of each site and ensured we were able to navigate around the city and home afterwards. I think this tour provided excellent value and if you only have one day to spend you will not be disappointed doing this tour.
We thoroughly enjoyed the tour with Josh whom we thought is exceptional as a guide. He is knowledgeable, thorough, enthusiastic and interesting. His English skills are excellent and he was very personable. The visits to the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia were amazing and he included the Cisterns as we were eager to visit them also. He took us to a lovely restaurant for lunch which was very good and reasonable. The Grand Bazaar was interesting. The tour was very busy but the time went quickly and Josh was very accommodating. He went above and beyond duty when he went back to the restaurant later to retrieve my friend’s lost glasses and dropped them at our hotel. Much appreciated! We would highly recommend Josh to anyone interested in a private tour. One suggestion would be that perhaps he could ask the group if they are interested in going to a place (i.e. carpet place) before going there. Overall, great day with Josh.
Fantastic guide and incredible introduction to Istanbul. Sait met us at our hotel and led us through the amazing monuments and history of Istanbul. We visited on a holiday making it particularly crowded. But Sait had a plan and access to get us into each major destination with barely a wait. We would have probably seen just two sites without him, but we made it through ALL the major landmarks: Hippodrome, Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Basilica Cistern, plus time for a great lunch and a very nice ceramic store. Really incredible! Highly recommend Sait for his historical knowledge and practical ability to navigate the crowds!
Outstanding knowledge and enthusiastic
We had an amazing experience with Bigel our guide during our trip to Istanbul. She walked us through all the major places in the city and made every moment special. She was incredibly knowledgeable about the history, culture, and traditions of Istanbul. Bigel explained everything with so much passion and detail. What we appreciated most was her patience, kindness, and the way she made us feel comfortable throughout the tour. She answered all our questions, she truly helped us understand and appreciate the beauty of Turkish culture. Thanks to her, our visit to Istanbul became unforgettable. We highly recommend her to anyone visiting this beautiful city!
Booked a private tour of istanbul. My guide Fahdi was very fiendly and knowledgeable, and took me wherever I wanted to go, even shortcutting some of the long queues. Wevtravelled by tram which gave a miuch more local experoence
Beko took us to the old city on a truly extraordinary tour. Beko’s knowledge and decades of experience as a guide ensures a truly astonishing day exploring the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sofia, Topkapi Palace and the Cistern. We are lucky to have travelled to many UNESCO places with excellent guides but Beko is very special. He creates a perfectly paced day, knows every route to reduce queue times, has the knowledge to illuminate every part of your experience, from pointing out Viking graffiti, to the bathing habits of the Sultan’s mother, intricacies of parliament protocols, to the secret meaning of the undergarments of the sultan. He will also take you to eat the best fish wrap of your life, share the transport system of the city, yoghurt and honey, and a turkish coffee made by a Yemeni from Ethiopian coffee beans in the palace grounds. Beko is a treasure himself and we will never forget our day with him. Tony Gray & Emily Ross
Loved the tour, Beko is very knowledgeable! He was easy going and great to be with. We saw the real Istanbul!
While I don't usually do guides, Gozde was a total delight and a wonderful guide! She was kind, considerate and accommodating. We went at our pace and got to do more than we had planned. She was knowledgeable in every way. I would absolutely recommend her as a guide on this private tour.
Omer Boran is the best tour guide and we had great experience. He is professional and knowledgeable with Turkish history.
A detailed tour covering so many interesting and fascinating places in the old town. Lots of walking so bottled water and comfy shoes a must but worth every minute!
It was really great, our guide Faith was really flexible and was great to have as our guide. We enjoyed the entire day and would recommend this company or guide for anyone to use
Great tour. During our 7-hour experience, we visited all the historical sites listed in the description. Our guide met us promptly at our hotel at the scheduled time. She was friendly, knowledgeable, and passionate about sharing the rich history of Constantinople, which made the tour both informative and enjoyable.
Very informative, our guide Omer was very knowledgeable and helped us navigate through the logistics of entry to the sites. We really appreciated all the information he provided.
We saw all the must see sights in Istanbul- our guide, Umit was very knowledgeable and personable. He picked us up even though we were staying outside the old city area at the Pera Palace. Guides have the ability to buy skip the line tickets which makes it so much easier to see more in a limited time. Very highly recommend this tour and guide.
We had a wonderful tour with Fatih. He is very knowledgeable about all the famous historical sites in Istanbul. He also led us to a wonderful place to get a delicious Turkish lunch at a reasonable price and also helped in finding the best places to purchase from in the Grand Bazaar. We highly recommend spending a day with Fatih if you are touring Istanbul.
Nazan was a great guide for our full day Istanbul private tour. She picked us up at the cruise port and took us by public tram to see all the highlights of historic Istanbul. She organized all our stops efficiently and we were able to skip all the lines and time our stops before the crowds and long lines. She was flexible to tailor the tour to our interests and we were able to go see all the sights and not feel rushed. Istanbul is too busy of a city to try to tackle on your own when you are there in limited time, we were happy to have Nazan's guidance!
Nazan was an excellent private tour guide—professional, responsible, and very knowledgeable. She planned everything thoughtfully and made the experience smooth and enjoyable. Her English is excellent, and she explained Istanbul’s history and culture in a clear and engaging way. We learned a lot and had a wonderful time. Highly recommended!
Bilge was incredibly knowledgeable and passionate concerning Istanbul and its amazing history. We loved the experience but spending time with her was the highlight of.
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