Hippodrome. It was the center of sport activities of Constantinople. Famous with 4 monuments, The German Fountain of Wilhelm II, Egyptian Obelisk, Serpentine Column, Column of Constantine.
Haghia Sophia, is the most famous museum in Turkey and one of the greatest marvels of architecture. Haghia Sophia was built as a church in the 6th century by Emperor Justinian then in 1453 renovated into a mosuqe by Ottoman Emperor Fatih Sultan Mehmet. It was converted into a museum in 1935 and welcoming both local and foreign visitors.
Blue Mosque, as known as the Sultanahmet Mosque (under renovation now), this breath-taking building is one of the most majestic Ottoman mosques in all of Turkey. Also, it was built with unique 6 minarets. (Closed on Friday)
Topkapi Palace, which has been home to the Ottoman dynasty for many years, was used educational administrative and art center of state. Get knowledge about the imperial treasury sacred islamic relics, palace kitchens, weapons. (Closed on Tuesday)
Basilica Cistern Discover Istanbul’s largest surviving Byzantine underground water reservoir, famous for its impressive columns, mysterious atmosphere, and Medusa head sculptures dating back to the 6th century
Hagia Irene also called as “St. Eirene” or “St.Irene’s” Church. It is one of the oldest Byzantium churches in Istanbul, was the 2nd largest church of the Eastern Roman Empire after Hagia Sophia. (Closed on Tuesday)
Visit a traditional carpet weaving village to discover the art of handmade Turkish carpets, watch local artisans at work, and learn about centuries-old weaving techniques and natural dyes.
Grand Bazaar
Lots of walking, some in slippery surfaces. Very interesting history, spectacular architecture and Mosques. I loved Turkey and was pleasantly surprised. Best of all our rour guide Mert. So much knowledge from this pleasant guy
A friend and I (both in our 70’s) visited Istanbul in July, 2026, during one of the hottest spells on record. We had arranged a 7-hour “Istanbul in a Day” walking tour months before, in the comfort of our Coastal California homes. When we arrived in Istanbul, we feared that the heat and the exercise would be the end of us. On the morning of the tour, Aisha Ozlem Yesildag appeared at our hotel, which was located in the old section of town, near the public plaza, Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. When we expressed our concerns to her, she tailored the tour to our abilities and our specific interests. In addition to a few of the “must see” art & architectural treasures, she suggested that we explore places that would be missed by people rushing from one landmark & mosque to another. A guide for 30 years and a native of Istanbul, Aisha was masterful at satisfying our curiosity about everything, from various religious & social customs, rug-making, ancient Quran manuscripts and cuisine options. She negotiated with street vendors for us, ordered food we would have not otherwise known to try, and kept us cool and hydrated when she saw us failing. We could not have been more happy with the day we spent with Aisha.
I would highly recommend this tour to see Istanbul main sites. We had the best tour guide. Her name was Asiha. She was absolutely amazing. There was supposed to be another couple but they canceled so she was our private tour guide the entire day. She took us everywhere. We ate at this great restaurant for real Turkish Food where all the locals eat. The food was so fresh and delicious. She took us on the tram to the spice market that was truly amazing and a great experience to see. Besides all the beautiful sites she took us too, her knowledge and history of everything we were seeing made the experience amazing. Aishait was our pleasure to have met you and spending the day with you showing us how beautiful Istanbul is. Asiha thanks again for a great day!
Excellent experience . The guide was very knowledgeable and understanding.
Aisha was fantastic! Knowledgeable, friendly. She knows all inside tips and tricks. Our family has a great time and enjoyed the day very much
Hagia Sophia is being renovated with huge steel I-beams crisscrossing the almost the entire floor. Really hard to get an impression of the space with all that in the way. Of course, this was not the fault of the tour provider of the tour guide but it would have been nice to be forewarned. Still, you can’t miss this amazing, historic place.
A lot of walking and go early to avoid the influx of cruise ship tourists. That said the tour was excellent and our guide Merk was very accommodating and knowledgeable.
I want to send my gratitude for all your knowledge and assistant throughout the day it was very informative and my mother and I both felt like a friend was spending the day with us showing us around Istanbul.
The best way to see all the best of Istanbul in a short time. Sevda was great! She made sure we all had a great experience. I would definitely recommend this excursion.
My husband and I enjoyed the tour Sevda took us on. We covered a lot of ground, so much beauty and history in Istanbul. She chose an excellent restaurant, I had no idea how much I love Turkish food. We learned so much from the tour and enjoyed how she presented the information.
Thanks to Sevda for showing us around Istanbul! My little one and I enjoyed her company very much. She's warm, friendly, very knowledgeable about Turkey’s rich history and culture.
Wherever we go in the world we always read a lot about the location beforehand, but it’s not enough, as we find truly learning about the historical places and the culture is to take a tour with a guide from the country who has a lot to share - and with a guide as excellent as Aisha. She was professional, knowledgeable, and helpful with advice on where to go beyond the tour, how to get around, and answered our many questions. We learned a lot about Turkey. Aisha speaks excellent English and is kind. We liked her very much. Aisha modified the itinerary a little at our request as it was a small group, and she did so with such ease. (eg we plan to visit the Topkapi Palace next week.) We fit in a Bosphorus Cruise today that was fantastic. If you visit the Mosque of Suleyman, as we did today, and like beans, the restaurant directly outside the Mosque is very good and the outside seating is delightful. It’s our first time in Turkey and we’re amazed by Istanbul. We highly recommend this tour and we highly recommend Aisha. Thank you, Aisha. We loved meeting you and had an excellent day!
Full day of Historic sites. Fatma did a wonderful job of pacing and getting us to all the sites. She was full of information and a delight to have as our guide! We would highly recommend her!
We spent a lovely day with our guide Sevda, with great tours of the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, and Topkapi Palace. She was not only well informed on the antiquities, but warm and engaging. More like traveling with an experienced family friend!
A good tour, Baris was an excellent guide. He showed us round the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia and then to the Grand Bazaar and a local Carpet Shop.
We were very lucky to have our guide Sevda all to ourselves for the whole day and so were able to spend quality time with somebody who is not only very knowledgeable in respect of the history of areas and buildings she took us to, but in respect of many other things to do with Istanbul and Turkish history in general too. An absolute pleasure to be guided around Istanbul on our first visit by such a genuinely nice person, which if nothing else will bring us back to this historic place.
Was a good tour that hit the highlights. The only thing they missed was the Basilica Cistern which is a must see. Not the end of the world, you just need to schedule time to hit that up elsewhere. Also, the time spend at the carpet shop was a little long although very cool.
Perfect day for a waking tour, the views from the Topkapi Palace were stunning. Our guide, Sevda, was very knowledgeable about both the history and it shapes current events in Istanbul.
The pick up and drop off was smooth and comfortable. Sevda was friendly, polite, professional and considerate throughout. Knowledgeable and open to questions. Picked a good lunch spot and managed to fit in the basilica cistern. I can highly recommend a tour with her.
Our tour guide Sevda was AMAZING! She’s was knowledgeable, personable, funny, attentive, interesting, and the perfect tour guide. She will forever be apart of our İstanbul memories!
Definitely the 'girls day' out l needed as I had Sevda all to myself, seeing that it was a Monday. She was very knowledgeable, sharing the rich culture with me throughout the tour. She was also okay with slowing things down and customizing to my liking. During our walking tour, she also shared a lot about Turkish culture and answered my questions with ease. We talked about education,societal values, family structures and so much more that gave me insight into everyday life in Turkiye. AWESOME!
first time come to Türkiye and get this tour very lucky. guide also very friendly and helpful, given delicious lunch with nice view
Our day was wonderful! Sevda was very knowledgeable and very friendly and personable! We absolutely adored her, we had such a great time! It was like hanging out with a friend all day while learning about Old Istanbul!
Baris our tour guide was extremely friendly and knowledgeable. The walk to all the sites was well planned out and we didn’t have to wait in any lines.
Epic tour and very knowledgeable tour guide! Clear communication. The group was not too big so we had opportunities to ask questions too
We had a tour with Sevda and we had the most amazing experience!! She was extremely informative about all the sites and allowed us to have as much time as we needed as well as catering the tour to what we were interested in seeing! We got to see so many amazing sites and have a modern traditional lunch experience trying Turkish food as well as hitting up the spice bazar for some Turkish delights; all done in such a little amount of time. Sevda was so friendly and just made this trip to Istanbul one of the best places we’ve ever been to. I would highly recommend this tour and I can’t recommend Sevda enough!!
Excellent company with great communication. I am an Agent and I have to say I am very passionate about traveling and the tours I take. We had the pleasure of having Sevda who is very knowledgeable in Istanbuls history. She picked us up and returned us to the cruise port. She took us on a private city tour. We visited several sites including the Blue Mosque. Book this tour guide you won't be disappointed.
The experience exceeded expectations. A lot of walking but worth it. Our guide was very personable and extremely knowledgeable about every place we visited. We were turned over to another guide for the last palace we visited and the Bosphorus sunset cruise. He was great and the yacht experience was much better than the large packed tour boats we encountered. Highly recommend this company and tour. Everyone we had contact with from the guides to the drivers were genuinely friendly and professional.
Amazing tour! Even though the Topkapi palace was closed that day, Sevda brought us to many other interesting places and had excellent recommendations for lunch and shopping
The tour of the old city in Istanbul was an excellent experience. We toured the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the ancient Hippodrome and the Grand Bazzar. Our guide, Sevda, was wonderful. She was knowledgeable and had lots of interesting historical facts. We enjoyed our time with her immensely and we look forward to returning.
We had a great tour and such a fun time with our tour guide Özlem. She explained the history of all the places we visited with passion and in detail. Very helpful and kind person. The tour itself was very relaxed and with lots of stuff to learn and see. The tour plan was not set in stone and we were flexible in deciding how much time we want to spend on certain things. We felt like a local friend from town joined our group. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who wants to see the historic and old part of Istanbul in a chill way.
The tour guide was excellent, very well read and extremely knowledgeable. Mr. Younis, is very polite and passionate about his job. Ask for him categorically while visiting old town or anywhere else in Istanbul. Highly recommend!
Sevda was excellent. We appreciated her broad and extensive knowledge and her attention to our desires for the tour. She was very personable and engaging.
I had a wonderful experience choosing “ Old City Tour of Istanbul “ true the company called “ TURKEY TOURS COMPANY TRAVEL “ . They organised and communicated to a very high and professional standard! They picked me up and dropped be back to the hotel after the tour . I want to mention about our guide tour “YUNUS” he was very friendly and knowledgeable,he took great care of us and interacted all the time with questions and answers! Not to be forgotten the absolutely delicious lunch at the fish restaurant closed by called “SEAFRONT LOUNGE” the grilled fish was to die for , super delicious 😋.
We found Salvda to be a fantastic guide. She was very professional, so knowledgeable, and very interesting. Her English was very clear and she was very helpful in assisting us with further tours. We would certainly recommend her.
We had a wonderful private tour with Sevda. The tour was very relaxed and informative. Sevda shared many details and facts that help explain the history of Istanbul (Constantinople). I typically tour areas without a guide, but Sevda was a great "value add". Highly recommend taking a guided tour of Istanbul just due to the amount of history. Having Sevda provide the details and timelines of events helps form a picture of Istanbul's rich history. After the tour we had a wonderful late lunch where we had a chance to talk more about the culture and history of Istanbul and Turkey. Thanks for a great day Sevda!
We had a wonderful private tour with Sevda. The tour was very relaxed and informative. Sevda shared many details and facts that help explain the history of Istanbul (Constantinople). I typically tour areas without a guide, but Sevda was a great "value add". Highly recommend taking a guided tour of Istanbul just due to the amount of history. Having Sevda provide the details and timelines of events helps form a picture of Istanbul's rich history. After the tour we had a wonderful late lunch where we had a chance to talk more about the culture and history of Istanbul and Turkey. Thanks for a great day Sevda!
Friendly, approachable guide. A relaxed tour through 5 of the top sites and a good choice of restaurant with cracking views.
Our guide, Sevda was informative and patient. She had a good grasp of the sights to see in Istanbul.
I'm not much on writing reviews. This time is different. My wife and I had a wonderful time. The sites were amazing and the food was delicious. Our guides were A+ in knowledge of the country and people. We didn't want our vacation it to end. We can't thank you enough. Jeff and Lexi McKay
I was quite disappointed in the tour actually. It is not worth it. Better to purchase your Topkapi palace tickets in advance to avoid entrance queues. Having the tour didn’t avoid enormous queues for the palace exhibits and we could have taken more time if we hadn’t been on the tour. The 2 mosques are free and better visited early evening as the tours does not avoid the queues here either, just again limits the available time. Really disappointed that even when were clear we did not want a restaurant lunch we were taken to a restaurant with a set menu of $US40 each. So easy to see the sights on your own, don’t bother booking
A great way to absorbe some of the most significant things to see and do on Istanbul, all in one day. Our guide Sevda was extremely knowledgeable of not only the historic and cultural side of the city, but also a lot of entertaining facts and places, not to mention the great lunch that was included in a rooftop restaurant with amazing views and great local food.
We had a beautifull private tour with Sevda. We have seen all the highligths of Istanbull and she listens very good when We said what we like to see and what we don't like. It was a perfect trip, Thank you
Yunus delivered a wonderful experience: pick up by van at our hotel, tons of helpful historical context about how Byzantium became Constantinople then Istanbul, and wonderful anecdotes about the major sites. The meal was also better than expected, with beautiful views of the water. We would definitely recommend this tour!
Our guide, Yunus, was a very pleasant young guy - good English and passionate about the sites. There was a lot of walking - you can’t avoid it, just know that there is a lot of ground to cover. Lunch venue was great - top floor of restaurant about 5 mins walk from the Hippodrome. All in all, a great day out.
Our guide was really helpful, informative, and conversational. Istanbul has some phenomenal features in the old city, and it was a pleasure to visit
This was a fabulous tour. The guide was very knowledgeable, kind and patient. I loved the day, thanks
What a wonderful tour we had with Sevda! We started at the cruise port in Istanbul and traveling in a very comfortable Mercedes Transit vehicle to and from the Old Town area. Sevda shared very interesting information off sites along the way. It took about 45 minutes each direction. I have mobility issues and use Rolanator Walker. Sevda was very in tune to my needs and adjusted the pace of our tour accordingly. Her knowledge of the sites we visited or viewed through out our time with her was amazing. She was very easy to understand. She answered our question thoroughly along the way. We found her to be very personable, kind, caring, and thoughtful! We spend 6 or more hours with her from the start to the finish of our time together. We were taken back with how quickly the time passed during our time with her. When my wife and I reviewed our tour with Sevda on the ship we agreed that she was the best tour guide we have ever spent time with! We recommend her with the highest possible rating and know that if you have the opportunity to tour with her you will feel the same way. She is absolutely amazing! A private tour with her is the best way to experience Istanbul! Thank you Sevda for a wonderful day!
I had a private tour with my awesome guide - Erdem. He is patient and very nice. Very informative for each place that we visited. I had a good time with him.
Total must do tour. Yanus our guide was outstanding. Spoke fluid English and was very knowledgeable. The mosque’s were amazing. The food had many selections. The tram ride and river cruise till after sunset was a great way to finish the day. Be warned though that there is a fair amount of walking involved but at 72 I was still able to keep up.
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