Istanbul Essence : Private Full Day Guided City Tour

We had an amazing time on this tour! Our guide Sabit knew so much and made learning about everything genuinely fun. He was incredibly friendly, easy to get along with, and had us laughing throughout the day. It was the perfect combination of interesting sightseeing, learning, and having enough free time to explore and enjoy things on our own. It was so fun to see everyone seemed to know him whereve we went! You can tell he’s well liked. We couldn’t recommend him more. A fantastic experience from start to finish!

What a fantastic way to explore Istanbul! We started bright and early and met our wonderful tour guide, Anil. From the very beginning, he was fun, friendly, and entertaining! We came up with a plan for the day and off we went exploring this beautiful city. We walked through the historic streets, used public transportation like the locals, and visited some of Istanbul’s most famous mosques and landmarks. Anil’s knowledge of the history and culture is incredible, but what makes him special is how he shares it. He makes everything interesting, fun, and entertaining instead of just giving you a history lesson. One of the highlights was visiting a pottery shop and learning about traditional Turkish pottery. We also learned so much about the famous Turkish rugs, including how silk rugs are made, the different styles and techniques, and even how to recognize authentic rugs versus imitations. So fascinating! Of course, we also explored the famous bazaar, where you could easily spend hours and hours shopping and discovering all kinds of treasures. And we got to enjoy some amazing Turkish tea along the way! We spent about 5–6 hours together, and honestly, the time flew by. It was such a beautifully spent day, filled with history, culture, laughter, and wonderful experiences. I highly, highly recommend Anil! He’s knowledgeable, personable, entertaining, and genuinely makes the experience special. If you’re visiting Istanbul and want to explore the Old Town on a private tour, learn about its fascinating history, and have a great time doing it, this is absolutely the tour to book! Thank you, Anil, for such a memorable day in Istanbul! 🇹🇷❤️

Thanks to Guide Mehmet ( Matt ) for the delicate tour. He was informative and passion. We enjoyed his accompany. Aşk for Matt !

Expert Guide informed us about beautiful istanbul and helped us for transfer.

Saban was my tour guide and he met us at our hotel and dropped us off right where we needed to be. The tour itself was detailed, organized and an overall amazing experience!! Saban was very knowledgeable and led us to all the major sights while giving us an in depth tour of the city. Very impressed with the experience and would highly recommend!

We truly enjoyed our tour of Istanbul. You are an endless source of knowledge and we were lucky to have you as our guide. You also conducted the tour at our pace. Whoever books you next is in for a treat.

An excellent highly recommended tour. Our tour guide Emel was extremely knowledgeable and loads of fun. Emel helped us skip the line to all the sights and was a great photographer 🙂. We loved every minute!!! A big thank you Emel for giving us a wonderful experience xx

Saban was our Tour guide and he was incredible!!! He was waiting in the cruise port for us before our pick up time. He was so knowledgeable of the history of Istanbul and the historical sites. He customized our experience based on our preferencesto fit in all the activities we wanted to do and sites we wanted to see. He made it very easy for us to get around Istanbul and made sure that we were given the best deal for the things we purchased. He took us to a Michelin star restaurant for lunch and it was the most incredible food we had on our trip overall I would highly recommend this experience specifically with Saban as your guide. He was very kind and hospitable.

Great way to see the old city! Our guide Kenan was extremely knowledgeable and entertaining as well. We thoroughly enjoyed our time learning the history of Istanbul.

Emil was very knowledgeable. She addressed any and all questions we had. She provided excellent information on the various sites we visited which included the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Basilica Cistern, Grand Bazaar and other historical stops. She was friendly, personable and took wonderful pictures for us to add to our memories. We were very fortunate to have her as our guide.

We had a wonderful tour of Istanbul with Emel. It was very convenient that she met us at our hotel. She maintained a great pace for the duration of the tour and was very attentive to our preferences. It was also very nice when we took a lunch break and got to know a little bit about her on a personal level. It was also nice to see how well respected she is by others as we wandered around Istanbul. We would highly recommend her to anyone that is looking for a knowledgeable and personable guide.

We had a fabulous guide, John, who happily adapted our preferences throughout the tour.

We had a great experience on this tour in Istanbul! Our guide, Berke Can Gursoy, was perfect for us. We needed flexibility and a slower pace. He gave us that and more. We had a general plan that we modified as needed on the go. He was attentive and very informative. He made great suggestions, recommended a great restaurant that we ate and rested at, recommended shops for specific items that we shopped at without being pushing. He picked us up at the cruise port and returned us in a relaxed atmosphere.

We had an incredible full-day private Istanbul tour with Savas, who was truly exceptional. He was incredibly knowledgeable, warm, generous and personable, and went above and beyond to give our family an unforgettable experience from beginning to end. From the start, everything felt personalized. Savas asked how we wanted to get around, and when we said we wanted to experience Istanbul’s public transportation, he gave us different options, including the faster or more scenic way. Even as we walked through Taksim, he was already sharing fascinating stories and history, bringing the city to life around us. His knowledge is extraordinary, from ancient and Ottoman history to religion, architecture, culture and everyday life in Istanbul. We got so much more from everything we saw because of the context and stories he shared. My husband loved listening to him and afterward said, “I could listen to him for hours!” We visited the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Basilica Cistern and Grand Bazaar, and Savas made navigating the crowds, queues and logistics completely seamless. Some of my favourite moments, though, were the spontaneous ones. He took us to genuinely local places we never would have discovered ourselves, where we stopped for lunch, tea and little treats. He even insisted on treating us to several things himself, which was incredibly generous and above and beyond! He was also wonderful with our four-year-old. We wanted to experience the city at a relaxed pace, and whenever our son needed a snack, a rest or time to run around, Savas was incredibly gracious and flexible. Nothing felt rushed or rigid. Even during our breaks, we would sit together talking about Istanbul and local life. By the end of the day, it felt like we had explored Istanbul with an expert guide, historian and local friend all in one. We booked a private tour with hotel pickup and drop-off, which I highly recommend, especially for families or anyone who wants a personalized experience. Although many of Istanbul’s historic sites are close together, there are crowds, queues and so many logistics to navigate. Having Savas take care of all of that, while customizing everything to our pace, made the entire day so much easier, richer and more enjoyable. I absolutely recommend this company, and especially request Savas if you can! Savas, thank you for giving our family one of the most unforgettable days of our travels. Your knowledge, passion, generosity and kindness made this experience so special, and we will always remember it fondly. 10 stars and truly above and beyond!

Murat was our guide and he did a phenomenal job getting us to all of the major attractions as well as some lesser known. He made fantastic suggestions and timed everything perfectly so that we did not have to queue for long at any of the very busy places we visited. He met us right outside the port and took us first via vehicle to a rooftop view of the skyline. We then visited Topkapi Palace, Basilica Cistern, Hagia Sophia, The Blue Mosque , the grand bizarre, and the spice market. He recommended a kebab restaurant on one of the side streets of the bazaar, recommending some of the local cuisine that we would not have tried otherwise. It was absolutely delicious! Don’t miss out on the yogurt, water, and salt drink. I loved it and cringe when he first recommended it. I would highly recommend this tour, especially if you have Murat as your guide!

I recommend booking a private tour with Erkan. We had a very nice time walking around the sites and were able to learn so much about history and culture because of his help. Wouldn’t miss it if you are visiting Istanbul, such a quality experience.

Our guide, Emel, was amazing! She is very knowledgeable about the history of Türkiye and was able to explain it clearly. Her discussion of the significance of each part of Topkapi Palace, the Blue Mosque and the Basilica Cistern was over the top. We enjoyed a lovely lunch feasting on kebabs and she took us to learn about rug making and about the tile craftsmanship. She went above and beyond to help us plan our next day in Istanbul too. We highly recommend this tour!

Erkan is an amazing guide. He is so interesting and thoughtful and made our first visit to Istanbul a memorable one indeed. His knowledge, his stories his insight is incredible. His English is so fluent also. Anyone would be very lucky to have him accompany them for their trip

Spent the day on a 7 hour tour of the top tourist sites including the Blue Mosque, Basilica Cistern, Grand Bazaar and the wonderful Topkapi Palace. Our exceptional tour guide Yasin could not have been more enthusiastic, professional, knowledgeable and helpful. As well as impressing us with all the history in each site he told us many interesting facts about Turkish life in general. I'd highly recommend him. One thing though is that if your staying in the Fatih area it's probably not worth taking the hotel pick up and drop off option as its likely to be in easy walking distance if you're reasonably fit

I booked the full day private tour and had a very enjoyable day touring around Istanbul. Our guide was very knowledgeable, courteous, good humored and made for an enjoyable experience while showing us all the key sites of the city. Great day. Thank you!

I had such a wonderful experience with Emel! She was incredibly kind, warm, and knowledgeable, and made me feel comfortable from the moment we met. I was traveling solo, so I really appreciated how friendly and caring she was throughout the day. She explained everything so well and made the whole tour feel relaxed and enjoyable rather than rushed. It honestly felt like spending the day with a friend while discovering Istanbul. Thank you so much, Emel, for such a lovely day.

we had a wonderful time with Kemal today. He is a superb guide with an encyclopedic knowledge of the history and architecture of Istanbul. We had a wonderful time with an unforgettable lunch overlooking the Bosphorus and really enjoyed our time in the grand bazaar and Agia Sophia. I would strongly recommend him as your guide to Istanbul

We had a wonderful experience on the tour with Zel. She was very informative and took really good care of us. It was the best experience of our lives. Thanks to Zel

Fantastic private walking tour of istanbuls best!! Zel our guide was so knowledgeable about each site and Istanbul in general!! Would highly recommend this tour and Zel as a guide!!

Zel was out tour guide. We loved her passionate and dedication towards her job. She told us the history behind each famous building in old town. Zel also recommended to eat at certain restaurants where food was superb. Overall we had a goodcand fun time with Zel. I highly recommend this tour to anyone looking for great time and adventure.

Emel was one of the best guides my husband and I have ever had! She was incredibly knowledgeable, personable, and friendly, and made our time in Istanbul truly unforgettable. She showed us all of the sights we wanted to see, while also introducing us to hidden gems we never would have discovered on our own. She was wonderful at tailoring the experience to our interests and made exploring Istanbul both enjoyable and memorable. Emel was also a fantastic photographer, capturing beautiful pictures of us throughout our tour. We now have wonderful photos to go along with our memories of this incredible trip. I highly recommend Emel to anyone looking for a guide in Istanbul. She is truly exceptional, and we feel very lucky to have had her show us her beautiful city!

Songu my personal guide picked me up on time at the hotel. She did a remarkable job of allowing me to pick what I wanted to see. She was knowledgeable and pleasant and the time flew by and it my trip to Istanbul unforgettable.

Our tour guide was extremely informative about the history. We asked him lots of questions and he answered them easily. He took us to all the places in the itinerary except for the palace it was closed on Tues. He was a saint with lots of patience. Enjoyed him thoroughly

My guide Berkcan was excellent at catering to my needs and pace. He was knowledgable on the history of the sites visited and truthful about what was good value for money. He was patient, kind, considerate and allowed me to take as many breaks as I needed, ending with a tasty visit to a spice and turkish delight shop! Delightful young man! I would most certainly recommend him to others. I loved the fact that I was picked up and dropped off at my hotel, but disappointed with the cost of this tour, as I had to pay for 2 persons, even though I was travelling solo. No allowance was made for this. All in all though, I would recommend the tour. Halcyon

We had John for the day. He was fantastic. He was very knowledgable on all the places we visited. What we really liked was he had a very good vibe with super cheerful personality. He was also so patient when we spent more than 2 hours buying carpet. We were glad to have John as our tour guide! Best tour guide ever!

Everything was absolutely on point! Sabit was exceptional! He was able to answer every question I had about Istanbul and was extremely knowledgeable about the history, food, culture, and points of interest. He took me to the Grand Bazaar, where I had an amazing time and I had the best meal of my entire trip! 🙌🏽🇹🇷 If you’re visiting Istanbul, ASK FOR SABIT! You will not be disappointed. His knowledge, personality, and attention to detail made my experience truly unforgettable. SABIT WAS EXCEPTIONAL!!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The highlights of Istanbul was our last hurrah on a two week trip celebrating my mom’s 75th birthday! And she started not feeling well. John our guide tailored our day to accommodate which was wonderful! He took pictures for us and explained everything we were seeing. He stayed with us the whole time, guidi guiding us through. Very friendly and knowledgeable. Super kind guide! The van driver was kind and held our luggage for the day. Which was great because we came off the cruise ship in the morning and they dropped us at our hotel at the airport when we were finished. Everything worked out great!

What a fantastic tour. Erkin kept us updated, was on time, he couldn't have shown us any more than he did, we saw everything on our wish list, it was an absolutely great day.

We had such a great experience touring Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, and the Basilica Cistern with Emel! She was incredibly friendly, knowledgeable, and made learning about the history of Istanbul genuinely interesting and enjoyable. She was happy to answer all of our questions and made the entire tour feel relaxed and personal. As a bonus, she’s also a great photographer and made sure we got some amazing photos along the way! Would definitely recommend Emel to anyone looking for a knowledgeable and welcoming guide in Istanbul.

Emel is fantastic as a guide. So much history and so much to see but she was able to get us everywhere we wanted to go and learn about. A private tour with Emel is the way to go so you can go at your pace and avoid so much of the group crowds. I don’t think we will be able to do a group tour again. Emel spoiled us

We had a fantastic tour of the beautiful city Our guide Resul was very informative and also very kind and patient as we were travelling with our 4 year old grandson. Resul guided us through the historical sites with so much knowledge.

We had a very great experience during 6 hours of walking tour. We did see most of all Wonders of Istanbul, we have got a lot of information, even a little bit overwhelming. Our guide, Emel Kesir, has a tremendous knowledge of history, answered for all our questions, did all her best that we could see everything we wanted even though we started our tour later. She met us at the lobby of our hotel. Everything was organised and provided. Thank you very much, dear Emel.

This was a fabulous tour. We had Sanbit Kara and he was fantastic. He provided great insight and history everywhere we went. He allowed us to suggest what we wanted to see and he supplemented and coordinated. Picked us up and returned us to our hotel. The lunch place he suggested was wonderful. As your first visit or return to Istanbul you can not go wrong with this tour.

Emel was my private guide for an amazing full day in Istanbul. She perfectly balanced efficiently showing me many important sights with flexibility and break time. Emel has spent significant time in USA so her English is flawless. She provided priority access so the day would not have been possible solo. Great guide great day!

The guide was knowledgeable and very personable spoke very clearly in english with a lot of facts and information we were able to go to many crowded sites without waiting a wonderful day in Istanbul

Emel was amazing she kept us informed from the pick up point with messages about what to bring where exactly to meet. She was right on time and escorted us to a private car so convenient. She made it clear that it was our day and she adjusted the day to what we wanted to do. She is so knowledgeable about this beautiful city, it's history, sites and people. It was an amazing day. We only had 1 day in port and we were able to do so much. It was great not to wait in any lines as we went to many sites. She was so easy to talk to and ask questions. She offered us other options of things to see on the way. The timing was perfect and a driver came right on time when we wanted to go back to the port. If you have limited time in Istanbul this is the BEST way to enjoy the day you will experience so much and learn a lot. Thanks again for the best tour on our vacation. Request Emel you will be very happy.

Zel was a super insightful tour guide

Had an amazing time viewing the wonders of Istanbul thanks to our brilliant tour guide Resul. His knowledge of everywhere we went was superb, in particular when visiting the Palace where he taught us a vast amount of Turkish history which none of us were aware of. It was really fascinating and he made so easy to understand. Resul was also very flexible and adapted the tour to our liking throughout the day which was so helpful and made sure we got the most out of our day with him. I would highly recommend Resul as a tour guide.

Visited Istanbuls iconic sights for a full day. It was a highly interesting experience, and our guide Resul with his wealth of knowledge about the history of all sights and much more, made the tour a really nice experience and more enjoyable.

Emel was a great guide! She was very knowledgeable and had answers for all our questions. She was also flexible with what we wanted to include/exclude from our guided tour. She also went above and beyond. I wanted to try a specific Turkish dish, and she asked the restaurant where we had lunch at, if they could make it for me (which they did!). Highly recomment Emel.

We had a wonderful day exploring Istanbul with our lovely guide Emel. She was incredibly knowledgeable, friendly and passionate, and took us to the Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Basilica Cistern Topkapi Palace and Grand Bazaar while sharing fascinating insights into the city’s history and culture. She also chose a fabulous restaurant for lunch. The food was fresh, delicious and beautifully prepared, and the restaurant was spotlessly clean. We thoroughly enjoyed our day with her and would highly recommend her to anyone wanting to see the best of Istanbul with a knowledgeable and caring guide. She made our experience truly special!

We were so fortunate to have Emel as our guide. Her knowledge is extraordinary and her insight into being a guide are remarkable.. We did have tired feet by the end of the day but for a lunch break/rest Emel recommended a sensational Turkish restaurant. Emel truely knows her way around and secured skip the line entry to a number of locations at no extra cost. This ensured we saw so much more during the day. She seemed to know everyone at the sites we visited. A number of locals even said we were lucky to have Emel guiding us as they said she was the best. She catered for our specific interests and even recommended best locations to take photos. Even after the tour was finished Emel was happy to text with suggestions for restaurants close to where we were staying and advice on public transport. I totally recommend selecting Emel to be a guide. We will definitely ask her to guide us again when we return to Türkiye

This was an amazing tour. The driver and tour guide were very professional and courteous. They worked with me to adapt the tour to my time constraints to let me see the sites I most wanted to see in the few hours of free time I had during my business trip. The driver arrived at my hotel, which was a long distance from the historic city (Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Grand Bazaar, etc) half an hour early so that I would not be delayed. There is not a tour guide better than Zel. She is very knowledgeable and respectful. She had prepared a brief history lesson with maps and pictures on her phone to help me better appreciate the sites. She informed me of local customs before entering mosques etc. She has good personal relationships with the vendors to help find the best deals and meals. Her spoken English is excellent. I never needed to request clarification of what she said nor did I need to clarify myself.

My guide Emel was so fantastic. I feel like a made a new friend. She was so knowledgeable, I learned so much. She’s also very sweet and kind. I’m a solo female traveler and she made me feel very taken care of. I hope our paths cross again.