Istanbul Highlights Private Tour With Free Pick Up Service

We had the pleasure of meeting our guide Hamide who was excellent. Came to meet us at our Cruise Terminal and guided us around the sights of Istanbul with expertise, kindness and friendliness. I would not hesitate to recommend this excellent service and experience and we will be back!!

Had a great experience with our tour guide Belgin Karan. She was excellent, very informative, easy to talk to, and gave us personal attention. She had great knowledge on the blue mosque, hippodrome, Hagia Sophia, basilica cistern and more. We enjoyed a nice lunch together and spent around 4-5 hours on the tour. Would highly recommend Belgin for a tour of Istanbul.

Well organized and professional tour guide. The experience and the places we visited we exactly what I was looking for.

We had an excellent private tour with Belgin Karan. Although a bit shy at first she warmed up once she figured out we were interested in everything. She was a wealth of knowledge. It was so nice to have a guide to help you with the ins and outs. Istanbul is confusing and a bit stressful. She took us to a local eatery for lunch, a bit off the tourist district. You did have to stop at the pottery place and a rug gallery, part of the deal. I left without a rug, but did end up with a beautiful tile. The Basillica Cistern is amazing, the Blue Mosque wonderful, the H Sophia is under renovation, she did offer to take us there, but listening to others, they were disappointed and still had to pay, so we skipped (October 2026). Best money we spent in our two days in Istanbul for an initial overview.

Good to have a private tour, we were able to chose where we visited in Istanbul, with our tour guides advice, so we missed the long queues into the Topaki Palace, ect. Very interesting information given by our knowledgeable guide.

Had a wonderful day with a great guide, Biluk, visited all the places we wanted and really enjoyed her historic knowledge of all the places, but what made Best is her charm.

This was our first time in Istanbul, and we had an amazing experience! Kenan was incredibly knowledgeable and helpful. He brought the history of Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque to life and shared wonderful insights about the city. He also gave us great recommendations for visiting the Asian side. We would highly recommend Kenan and this tour!

Betul was absolutely amazing. She’s a walking encyclopedia of history for those who really want to understand the sites! Highly recommend you request her for your private tour in Istanbul!

Eylem was very welcoming and knowledgeable. She even adjusted the itinerary of our tour to see the most and to accommodate our physical limitations. Would highly recommend her.

Eylem created far more than an itinerary for us—she created a journey that moved me more deeply than I ever expected. From Istanbul to Ephesus, every destination revealed a completely different side of Turkey, yet the entire trip felt beautifully connected and thoughtfully planned. Her knowledge, attention to detail and understanding of what would make the experience meaningful to us made all the difference. We were able to experience Turkey’s history, beauty, culture and spirituality in a way that never felt superficial or rushed. I haven’t cried at the end of a trip since I was in my twenties, but I cried as this one came to an end. Turkey touched something in me that I cannot quite explain, and I know that Eylem’s care and planning played an enormous part in that. I am leaving not only with wonderful memories, but feeling genuinely changed by the experience. I cannot recommend her highly enough.

Kenan was a terrific guide with great knowledge and a wry sense of humor. We take similar city tours whenever we go to a new place. This was one of the best.

Best guy ever she was so knowledgeable i’m writing my review two years later and I still think of everything I’ve learned from this person.

özge was amazing! We had a wonderful time exploring the historic district with her! Very knowledgeable and entertaining!

Eylem was our guide for 2 days and was fantastic! She was so knowledgeable and passionate about her job and her country. I highly recommend booking a tour with her!

The tour guide (Eylem) was wonderful and very accommodating. We had originally booked the tour for two; however, my wife was unable to walk the distance; therefore, I ended up going on a tour solo. The guide was very accommodating and made the adjustment. She was very thorough and accommodating and made it a great experience. I highly recommend this tour guide (Eylem) and this tour when you’re in Istanbul.! I prefer a small groups versus the larger group tours. It was well worth the money.

My guide was super informative and kind. Such a great partner to have toured the city with; much better than any guide and tour I’ve ever had.

As a solo traveler I specifically picked this tour because of the hotel pick up/drop off. My tour guide, Songül met me promptly at 0830 and we drove to our walking tour start point. Booking a private tour allows you greater flexibility to not be rushed. I felt it also allows for a more immersive experience because one can ask questions and not feel that you are holding up a bunch of other people in a small group[ format. Songül is a very good guide. She explained our itinerary, made suggestions and we jointly decided on the route and what I would see. She is an engaging conversationalist . She never tired of the thousands of questions I asked. She explained cultural differences between my home country and hers. The tour says lunch is "on you own" but since it was just the two of us I asked her if she could take me to a restaurant where the "locals go" and not one of the more tourist oriented ones. I had a fantastic lunch made even better with her explaining my food/drink choices as there was no menu. The tour is set out but since it was just the two of us we deviated slightly as i had little interest in one of the stops. We went to two terraces which allowed me to look out over the city. It gave me a perspective on just how big Istanbul really is.Songül is knowledgeable, a great communicator and a pleasure to walk around the city with. I am glade I had the opportunity to meet and engage with Songül. She made Istanbul come alive for me.

Eylem was amazing! She made Istanbul come alive with her energy, humor, and incredible depth of knowledge. The tour was fun and engaging from beginning to end, and she did a fantastic job explaining the city’s history, culture, and major sights without ever making it feel like a lecture. She was warm, enthusiastic, and happy to answer every question. We learned a ton and had a genuinely great time. We couldn’t recommend Eylem more highly!

Not sure where to start as Ayhan organised so much for us, all at short notice with such good humour and grace. We had excellent tour guides in Istanbul and Cappadocia who were really good and engaging with our young children (9 and 6). He organised an excellent pottery experience in Istanbul with a family who had specialised in ceramics for 7 generations. We never would have found them by ourselves. He also organised lantern making for us in Cappadocia and was so flexible with our schedule. From tour guides, to transfers everything was so smooth. Highly highly recommend!

The guide was friendly and spoke English well enough, but a "6 Hour" tour was really a 2 hour tour with a stop at a carpet warehouse for a high pressure sales pitch that lasted more than an hour. When we asked for the tour of the Bazaar and specified the shopping we were interested in, the guide steered us to vendors that were his friends including a few more rug vendors.

We had an amazing experience and this was almost entirely due to our fantastic guide Billur. Her knowledge was amazing, but the best thing was her energy. On a hot busy day she made waiting in line pass quickly, she had extensive knowledge about things we were seeing and kept us interested all day. Even took us to a fantastic lunch spot. She let us add things to the itinerary and was able to get us to the front of very long queues to get our tickets. We packed everything we wanted to see into our day without feeling rushed or like we were overdoing things. What we covered in one day would’ve taken us three days to do on our own.

Pickup was easy at the port. The pace was leisurely and we could adapt the time and the stops as we wanted.

Perfectly planned tour and awesome guide- Erkut. We specifically chose this private tour so it wouldn’t be chaotic for us with our kids. We always use Viator. We were picked up at the hotel and met Erkut who thoughtfully took us on the walking tour through all of the areas mentioned. He even spent extra time with us at the Grand Bazaar even though we took a while. Our daughter dropped a toy at the Blue Mosque and he helped ensure we got it back as well. Please ask for Erkut as your guide!

Songul was an outstanding tour guide! She was professional, knowledgeable, incredibly patient, and so kind throughout the entire day. Our group ranged from teenagers (ages 15, 16, and 17) to my 88-year-old mother-in-law, who needed frequent breaks, and Songul handled everyone’s needs with such care and flexibility. She adjusted the itinerary and activities to match our group’s pace and even arranged for the van to come early so that some family members who were too tired could return sooner while the rest of us continued the tour. She also recommended wonderful places for us to visit and made sure everyone had a great experience. Her ability to adapt to our group’s constant requests and changing plans made the day completely stress-free. I highly recommend this tour, especially with Songul as your guide. Thank you, Songul, for making our day in Istanbul so memorable—we had a fantastic time! Lilia, NY

We had a fabulous tour yesterday and highly recommend this to others. The guide was knowledgeable and tailored the tour to our interests and abilities.

Eylem is the most knowledgeable and friendly tour guide we have EVER had. She was truly remarkable. I could not recommend more. She was flexible with the itinerary in order to accommodate our wishes and generous with her time. We never felt rushed but got a wonderful, comprehensive tour.

Our guide made the experience. Eylem was INCREDIBLY knowledgeable, just spilled stories and history for our family. She was energetic and fun and flexible and wanted to make the day work for us, including stopping for coffee when we needed it and picking sights according to our family interests. We will definitely call on her next time we are in Istanbul!

We had an absolutely amazing Walking Tour thanks to our guide Eylem. What made the experience so great is how Knowledgeable Eylem is, she explained lots of historic details that we wouldnt have learned otherwise, you can tell how passionate she is about the history of her country. She didnt rush us at any of the sites, and catered the tour to our needs, offering options and alternatives based on our preferences. It didnt feel like we had a tour guide, it felt like we had a really good friend with amazing energy and an awesome personality. If you can request Eylem to be your guide, please do, you wont regret it! 🫶

We absolutely loved our tour with Eylem. She was extremely knowledgeable and super engaging with our whole family. The tour felt more like a friend taking us around their city rather than a travel guide. Thank you Elyem for such beautiful day, it was a real highlight from our trip

Great day! We were a group of 10. A van picked us up at our hotel and took us to the palace. Definitely worth spending a few hours there. Hagia Sophia is amazing and the basilica cistern was beautiful. Our guide Mel was fantastic. Took one star off for the rug sales pitch at the end which was a waste of time and apparently mandatory.

Our guide Dilsad made our day extremely informative, enjoyable and easy considering the very hot temperatures. Our highlights for sure were the Blue Mosque and lunch getting to sit and chat and taste local cuisine. 10/10 experience for our family all the way from Vancouver Canada. Thank you! 🙏🇨🇦

Great tour - Kenan our guide had some much knowledge and delivered it with great humor! He was very flexible with our schedule and we had an awesome tour!

Very informative and enjoyable. Rose, our guide, made the tour very interesting with her knowledge of the area we covered. She was very considerate as we are in our 80’s and the pace suited us well. We highly recommend this tour.

Great tour! Our guide, Belgin, was so knowledgeable and gave us interesting facts and history about the sites. She was also very patient and engaging with our kids. Thank you!

My guide Eylem was wonderful! She was friendly, knowledgeable and passionate about her country. My husband and I had the most amazing time in Istanbul thanks to her.

Our small group tour turned out to be just the two of us. Alpin was a knowledgeable, flexible tour guide who guided us through the sea of people out for the festival and conquest day, May 29 2026. Alpin made the day.

Shaban was an amazing tour guide. It ended up just being me, my wife and him on the walking tour. He let us pick what we wanted to see and made the day how we wanted. He was super thoughtful and made sure we got to see and understand all the beauty Istanbul offered. He stopped to allow us to take pictures wherever we went. His stories and history were very nice as it gave us a more in depth view of the area we were in.

Perihan is a fantastic tour guide who met us at our hotel, told as all about Istanbul’s interesting history and got us into the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and the Basilica Cistern without having to stand in a single line. We highly recommend her 💜

kenan was a great guide He spent time talking to us and explaining the sites as we walked the town I highly recommend the walking tour with is company

Eylem Was a phenomenal tour guide there was not a single thing she did not know. She was so informative and so relaxed, and she accommodated all of our breaks and took us to a wonderful Turkish baklava bakery. It was the best tour I have ever had in Istanbul and I have been many times I would highly recommend her.

We did a seven hour private tour with Eylem Yalcinkaya. She was absolutely fabulous. Her knowledge of antiquities, including architecture, history, and religion was phenomenal. She’s extremely friendly and so lovely. I highly recommend asking for her on your tours. We will definitely do another private tour with her the next chance we get.

The tour was good but our guide (Umit) seemed to have an agenda to steer us to selected vendors. Did NOT appreciate being pushed to a rug vendor with high pressure sales tactics after we told Umit we purchased rugs the prior day. He immediately cast doubt on the authenticity of our purchase without knowing anything about the business from which we purchased the rugs. Also did not appreciate his pushing his political views on the USA He treated us casually and like a commodity - the personification of FaceBook’s business model. I don’t know if he got kickbacks from the vendors, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he did

Fabulous tour guide and tour. Perihan is excellent and very warm and welcoming! She is very knowledgeable about the history of Turkey, the historical sites, and the best food, restaurants and shops! I extremely enjoyed my day with her!

Our guide Eylem was excellent, very knowlegable, she altered our schedule to the main sites we wanted to see and was great company on our tour.

We had the most extra ordinary time with our guide. Personalised, in depth and enjoyable tour of the old town. I would recommend highly

Our private walking tour in Istanbul in June, 2025, with Eylem was hands down one of the highlights of our trip! From the moment she met us right outside the cruise port, we knew we were in great hands. She was warm, organized, and immediately made us feel like we were exploring the city with a close friend rather than just a guide. Eylem thoughtfully planned the perfect route, taking us to the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia Mosque, the Underground Basilica Cistern, the Grand Bazaar, and several other incredible sites — all in an order that helped us avoid the biggest crowds. That alone made such a difference in our experience. Pro tip: make sure to bring a cover-up to enter the mosques — Eylem helped guide us through the etiquette and made everything seamless. What really stood out was how she brought Istanbul’s rich history to life. As we explored, she wove together stories of the Byzantine, Roman, and Ottoman Empires in a way that was engaging, easy to follow, and fascinating. We didn’t just see the sights — we understood them. She also expertly navigated the city using a combination of walking and the metro, which let us cover more ground comfortably and efficiently. Along the way, she treated us to food and water from local street vendors (such a thoughtful touch!) and later took us to a wonderful restaurant with a huge selection of absolutely delicious food (at our own expense). It felt like we were getting the true local experience. Eylem was happy to take photos and videos and knew all the good angles for getting great pics and memories. By the end of the day, Eylem didn’t feel like just our tour guide — she felt like a sister from another mister. Her kindness, knowledge, and genuine care made our day in Istanbul unforgettable. If you’re visiting and want an experience that’s insightful, smooth, and full of heart, book with Eylem. You won’t regret it!

Great experience. Cristal was fun and fantastic! Very informative, and a lot of fun too! Learned a lot. She was super accommodating and a great city guide!

We had a wonderful time seeing the old City of Istanbul. Our guide Belgin (Bella) was very nice and knowledgeable and did just a wonderful job.

Tour guide was very knowledgeable and provided lots of meaningful history about the sites that we visited.