Istanbul Highlights Half-day Tour

I was on a long transit and decided to do a tour. I did not regret it. My tour guide Emre ÖNAL was well spoken in English and spot on with time management. He was also knowledgeable. If I had stayed longer would have definitely booked more experiences with the same company. Most importantly, as a woman traveling alone I felt exceptionally safe with Emre. Thank you!! Will be booking more trips on my next trip to Istanbul :-)

This walking tour was the perfect way to explore Istanbul’s historic heart! We visited the magnificent **Hagia Sophia**, the stunning **Blue Mosque**, the historic **Hippodrome**, and the vibrant **Grand Bazaar** — each stop brought to life by our guide’s fascinating explanations and stories. The pace was relaxed, giving us time to soak in the sights, take photos, and ask questions. I especially appreciated the Emre’s deep knowledge of the city’s history and culture, which made every moment engaging and memorable. From start to finish, the tour was well-organized, friendly, and truly enriching. I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to experience Istanbul’s most iconic landmarks in a single, enjoyable day.

The walking tour is spectacular but be prepared to walk and don’t wear shorts. The guide was very knowledgeable and thorough. It’s a great tour! Highly recommended

There is lots of walking but there is so much to see! The tour guide was very thorough and knowledgeable. He facilitated us to the front of all the lines. It was an amazing tour!

Unforgettable experience with an amazing guide! Our visit to Istanbul was truly enhanced by our fantastic local guide, Emre. Knowledgeable, friendly, and passionate, he took us through iconic sites like the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, and the Grand Bazaar. His explanations were clear, engaging, and full of interesting stories. He was always ready to answer our questions and tailor the tour to our interests. Highly recommended!

Emre was very kind and knowledgeable - it was a great experience! I would highly recommend this tour for anyone looking for an introduction to the city and its history.

Emre was a great guide. Good communication leading up to the tour, and then during the tour he gave great insights and facts! He is very experienced and it was a great way to see the major attractions in Istanbul in a short period of time

The views were absolutely amazing,the tournament guide was very informative and we enjoyed thoroughly,would highly recommend!

Sait is an excellent guide and a very nice person. I’m glad it was only my wife and me on the tour so we did not inconvenience other tourists with our slow pace. He is extremely knowledgeable and presents every aspect of our tour in fluent English. This is a 5-star tour when Sait leads it. The actual distance of walking required, information about steps without safety handrails, and changes in elevation should be described in detail because older people and those with moderate back/leg/foot problems should carefully consider whether or not this tour is appropriate for their age and health considerations. Sait was very helpful in assisting my wife on hazardous steps without railings and minimum safety aspects. He also used public transportation [the tram] to travel some of the distance between hotel pickup point and the tour area, where the various venues are closely grouped, in order to minimize the amount of walking required. To avoid waiting in extremely long lines to purchase entry tickets to the venues, Sait paid cash out of his pocket at the entrance points and allowed me to reimburse him at the end of the tour. That was extremely thoughtful. It's best not to overlook - as I unfortunately did - the tour conditions that point out that tourists are expected to pay for entrance tickets out-of-pocket in addition to the normal tour guide fee. Ours was a Sunday tour, so the Grand Bazaar was closed. Instead, as a substitute for this particular activity, Sait brought my wife and myself to the shop of an upscale rug dealer who made something akin to a presentation and sales pitch regarding his collection of rugs. It was all very friendly, low-key, and courtesy drinks were provided. Although everybody was very friendly, some people may want to avoid being a captive audience if they have no interest in a program like this. For us it was ok because my wife was interested in the rugs and the process of creating rugs of various quality and the time at the shop provided a good rest break for a day with a fair amount of walking and climbing. The visits to Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque were spectacular, with incredible construction and artistry on display in these facilities. Sait's commentary provided intimate details on background and history and made the tour most memorable. Very enjoyable despite our physical limitations, which Sait made every effort to minimize.

This was probably the best tour we have ever taken! Emre was so kind and helpful. His knowledge about Istanbul, its history, and his ability to answer all our questions made for an outstanding start to our trip. Would 100% recommend to any and all travelers, especially those who have not been to Istanbul before!

We had am amazing half day tour with Emre, our tour guide. We learned so much about the history and culture of Türkiye in such a short span of time. Emre is very knowledgeable and has a good command of English, French among others. I highly recommend this tour if you are short on time.

Amazing day our guy put himself out and delayed start time so we could enjoy breakfast at hotel also walked to us. Highly recommend wonderful experience thank you

We had a one day tour with Emre. His kind personality, good willingness to learn us Turkish history and his great experience, made our day very special. We loved Istanbul, even by spending only one day, and we would definitely choose Emre again. Thank you Emre!!

Emre took us on a wonderful tour of the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque (and avoided all of the long lines) and several other locations and then gave us time in the Grand Bazaar. It was our favorite day in Istanbul. Emre spoke very good English and was quite knowledgeable and entertaining. He also suggested an excellent restaurant for dinner and dropped us there as we requested. We would definitely recommend Emre as your guide in Istanbul.

We had a great time with Emre, he was very knowledgeable and kept us well informed throughout the tour. The locations we went to were really interesting and would recommend to anyone looking for a tour. Would use his services again

Our tour with Emre was very enriching and fun and full of information. Emre has a sense of humor and he is so passionate about his mission : we will miss him .

Personable guide. Very knowledgeable and friendly. Good meals and drinks. Covered all the attractions in great detail.

During my short stay in Istanbul I spontaneously booked a private tour guide. Emre was my guide during half a day and the experience has been really good, very experienced guide with huge knowledge of the city and he added some exclusive experiences going to a carpet store and the owner showed us the story, the types of carpets while we drunk a cup of Turkish tea. The carpet’s owner couple of streets from the blue mosque was incredibly nice, kind and honest with really fair prices. I definitely recommend this tour with Emre!

Mr. Emer is very knowledgable and takes time to explain all historic sites. I enjoyed his company. Thank you.

Emre was Amazing. He was really great and made me feel so special. We definitely had a wonderful time exploring Istanbul. He was so knowledgeable and open and made me feel very comfortable. I definitely would recommend him to all my friends and family. 100% would use him again if I go to Istanbul. Thanks so much for a Amazing time Emre.

Guided tour of Sultanahmet by Emre. Friendly, competent, interesting. Recommended for a family visit

Absolutely recommended!!!!!After initial difficulties (had problems with the meeting point -Ali was waiting for us though! ) we had an individual eventful tour! In addition to the sights, we also saw a pottery and had an insight into the carpet weave. Our guide Ali is highly recommended, has a great knowledge and many insider tips!

We spent a great morning with Emre discovering the old city of Istanbul! What a pleasure to discover the history of this thousand-year-old city! The little extra: the hotel pickup. Emre also gave us tips for the rest of our stay. Thank you again for these delicious böreks!

Thanks to his knowledge and passion for his city and his profession, our guide, Emre, gave us an exceptional time. We will keep excellent memories of this day. We can only recommend this excursion.

Very interesting visit, the guide Emre is very professional and prepared. He knows monuments and history very well. We had a great experience.

We had the chance to discover Istanbul with an extra francophone guide. Many thanks Ali for all this wealth of information, his adaptability and his kindness.

Emre, thank you so much for your kindness. Emre is a super nice guide who speaks French perfectly and who always has a smile on his face! Do not hesitate to ask Emre as a guide for the clutes places of Istanbul.

super activity in a nice Mood Thank you for the punctuality and quality of the information Welcoming