Istanbul Small Group Old City Tour With Local Guide

We were so glad we managed to book this tour last minute. They made it possible although we book just day in advance. Kemal is great guide with a lot of knowledge. In one afternoon we learned a lot about Istanbuls history and culture.

Top experience!a lot of information and lots of interesting places

Volkan was our guide. He was very well-informed, explained the tourist attractions to us, and made sure we had a well-organized schedule. Friendly, likeable and very professional.

Volkan was great local guide!

Our guide was Volcan, very good

we had kemal as our guide. He took his time to explain everything and answer any questions we had. He never made you feel rushed and gave you ample amount of time at each stop. There was not many crowds as we went in the afternoon and there was a nice relaxed atmosphere throught the trip. The fees for the museums were reasonable however i did not realise there was 2 entry fees required. The tour is in the old town so contains a lot of infomation about the history of the area. Overall the tour is definetly worth it.

Our guide Hilal made our Istanbul City tour special. Her knowledge of Istanbul history and Turkish culture helped us enjoy and appreciate the City of Istanbul. We highly recommend this tour with Hilal.

Kemal was a great guide. Interesting and informative. A very enjoyable walk around Istanbul's Old Town.

We did a half day walking tour with Kemal and it was fantastic. He was so knowledgeable, engaging, sharing lots of information & supplementing with pictures from his phone to help bring the stories to life. It was fascinating and never overwhelming. I wish now we had booked a full day with him! He gave us expert guidance in the grand bazaar and spice bazaar and was so generous with all his knowledge. I would definitely recommend taking this tour and especially a tour with Kemal.

We had such a wonderful three-day private tour with our guide Kemal, who was incredibly knowledgeable and accommodating to all our needs! We truly appreciated all the insightful historical facts he shared and would highly recommend him to anyone.

Faruk was a fantastic guide! He was super knowledgeable and matched our pace, making it a comfortable day of exploring. We learnt so much about the history of Istanbul.

I took the small group tour with Merve. She was very flexible in tailoring the tour to my desires and was very knowledgeable. She excelled at explaining the vast and complicated history of the city without letting it get boring. I highly recommend touring with Merve!

In Istanbul, we booked a tour with Viator and spent a great afternoon visiting the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sofia, Basilica Cistern and the Grand Bazaar. Our guide, Volkan, was amazing. He was very knowledgeable, and patient with all our questions. He also helped us skip the line ups, which meant we had more time visiting sights instead of standing in line-ups. Big thank you to Volkan who we highly recommend.

2 day tour was great. Tour guide Hilal was terrific and accommodated all of our requests and answered all of our questions

A Fabulous walking tour. Merve was just amazing and so informative about Istanbul- a pleasure to listen to. Not rushed and plenty time for discussion. Just a wonderful introduction to Istanbul

We had a fantastic small group tour of Istanbul with our guide Kemal. His deep knowledge of the sites that we visited and his wonderful story telling style made this an enjoyable way to learn about the history and culture of Istanbul. We also appreciated the helpful and honest tips and advice about other aspects of visiting Istanbul. Thx Kemal.

Ozan (Ozzy) was a very helpful guide. We were able to customize our itinerary, were never rushed, saw everything we wanted, and he had given us helpful recommendations. Planning on booking a tour again next year.

Kemal gave us an excellent tour of the main attractions in the old city, including Grand Bazaar. He was very informative, knew his history, could answer any questions we had. He was professional but also with good humour. We felt like we were well looked after by Kemal & everything he contributed to our tour. We would highly recommend his services.

We had a great time on this small tour (4 of us) with Kemal. He was very knowledgeable, happy to answer questions and organised our skip the line access to the Hagia Sophia (undergoing renovation so expect scaffolding inside and out, but still plenty to see) and Basilica Cistern with no issues. It was busy but not overcrowded. We had plenty of time for photos and Kemal gave us tips for lunch spots after visiting the Spice Bazaar (the Grand Bazaar closed on Sunday). Would recommend.

Merve was our guide for the 1 day tour and did a great job. She is very knowledgeable of the history, culture and food. Great value for the experience.

We had a great visit to Istanbul with Merve as our personal tour guide! Her in depth knowledge of all facets of Türkiye history, as well as that of the sites we visited was AMAZING! We learned so much about the backstories and intricate details of Old City and the Bosphorus over the two days we spent with Merve. She spent extra time with us at the Bazaars as well! Finally, we really appreciated her meeting us at our hotel in Fatih each morning - versus a random place in Old City. It made a huge difference in our experience! We will highly recommend Merve as a personal guide to our friends and family who may be visiting in the future!

We had an amazing experience with our tour guide, Kamal! He was such a personable, kind and genuinely nice guy. He was extremely knowledgeable about Istanbul and the area and his English was perfect, which made everything so easy. Kamal went above and beyond to make sure we saw everything we wanted to see. He made us feel safe and well taken care of, handled all the communication with taxis and gave us great recommendations for places to eat. He truly made our time in Istanbul special. After spending the day with Kamal, I can definitely see why this company has five star reviews across the board. We highly recommend him.

What a wonderful way to discover Istanbul for the first time! Our guide, Merve, messaged us the day before to finalize the details, which gave me a lot of comfort. We met in a place that was easy to find. She guided us through Istanbul to the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, the Basilica Cistern, the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Market. Throughout our walk, Merve provided details on the history, the religion and the culture. We feel like we learned a lot, and had a chance to experience a little bit of the magic of Istanbul.

We thoroughly enjoyed this tour. We truely only had a small group. Learning about the history made Istanbul that much more amazing. Our tour guide Merve was knowledgeable and nice! I will say that the tour length states that it is 3.5 hours and it is closer to 5 hours or so, which for us was great!! We loved learning more, but just something to keep in mind if you are planning other items during the day.

Volkam was an excellent guide - he has a real passion for the rich history of Istanbul and expertly navigated us through key sites on Friday prayer, saving us real time. He was also very helpful with a great lunch suggestion and working through the bazaar at the end of the day. Many thanks for a great day Volkam!

Our Family had a Fantastic time with Ahmet! He is by far a true professional, he is knowledgeable, personable and patient. I would definitely not hesitate to call upon him when we return. I am confident you will enjoy touring with him.

We had a great tour with lots of information and history facts about Turkey. Learned a lot more that we would on our own. Our tour and friend Yagmur made our time so enjoyable.

Overall a good tour and the guide, Aytac was very informative and helpful in explaining the tour and details of places we visited. Skip the line was great and we even got into the Blue Mosque with ease due to the guides contact !! One thing we felt was the tour was at faster pace than we expected, a bit too quick for us given the money paid to the tour company

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ An Outstanding Guide in Istanbul — We Would Use Kemal Again and Again! Today Kemal took our group of six on an incredible full-day private tour of Istanbul, and once again he was absolutely fantastic! We first used Kemal for a private two-day tour when we visited Istanbul in May, and we were so impressed that there was no question who we wanted to guide us when we returned. This time, we brought four family/friends along, and Kemal did not disappoint. Our day included Topkapi Palace, the Blue Mosque, the Basilica Cistern, the Hippodrome, and the Grand Bazaar. Kemal’s knowledge of Istanbul and its incredible history is remarkable. He has a wonderful way of explaining what you’re seeing, bringing the history to life without making it feel like a history lesson. He was full of fascinating information throughout the entire day and was always happy to answer our many questions. Beyond his knowledge, Kemal is personable, patient, professional, and simply a pleasure to spend the day with. Having now toured with him on two separate trips to Istanbul, we can confidently say that we would use him again and again. If you are visiting Istanbul and want a knowledgeable private guide who can help you truly understand and appreciate this amazing city, we highly recommend Kemal. Five stars without hesitation!

Great guide - totally recommended

Great tour with Mr.Murat! The « small group » ended up being just my husband and I. Felt very blessed to be guided seamlessly through the main sights of Istanbul. Loved the clear explanations and especially the insights about life in Istanbul. Thank you deeply Murat for sharing part of your culture with us!

We had an absolutely wonderful experience with Volcan during our two days touring Istanbul! From beginning to end, he was fantastic. He was always on time, incredibly accommodating, kind, and genuinely made sure we were having the best possible experience. His knowledge of Istanbul and its history is incredibly impressive. At every site we visited, Volcan was able to explain the history and significance in a way that was interesting, easy to understand, and brought everything to life. He is extremely smart and clearly knows the city inside and out. What really stood out, though, was how personable and accommodating he was. We never felt rushed, and he was always happy to adjust things based on what we wanted to see or do. It felt much more personal than simply being taken from one tourist attraction to another. We couldn't have asked for a better guide for our time in Istanbul. We would absolutely use Volcan again on a future visit and would recommend him without hesitation to anyone looking for a knowledgeable, reliable, and genuinely kind guide. Thank you, Volcan, for two fantastic days!

Merve was fantastic. Very knowledgeable about cultural and historical significance of the different sites as well as local establishments. We learned far more than we could have on our own. Highly recommend.

Ece was a knowledgeable and friendly guide. Arrived on time at our meeting place. We really enjoyed our time with her and would be happy to recommend her for a small group tour of old city.

Kemal was an amazing touch guide that made the entire experience unforgettable!!

Ozan was amazing! Really knowledgeable and accommodating. He took my wife and I at our pace. Shared amazing stories about the places we went to and gave some really interesting insights. Also put up with a lot of our questions throughout the day. An absolute pleasure

We had a superb tour with Kamel from Guided Istanbul Tours for 2 lovely days in Istanbul. We also opted for transportation to & from the airport. Our transfers: We found a representative (once we realized there were multiple exit doors 🤦🏻‍♀️). The vans were topnotch & roomy even for 6 people with luggage. Our 2-day Walking Tour: We had Kamel as our tour guide - he was better than excellent!! We opted for a walking tour both days as we understood that traffic wasn’t great. We did use the efficient trams & metro where we just had to tap a credit card and go!! Super easy. First day was in the main area of Turkey - after meeting Kamel at 10am, we had a great day walking to the Topkapi Palace, the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and the Basilica Cistern (16k steps that day). He also took us to a terrific restaurant for lunch. The 2nd day we went to the a pottery store (with demo), a wonderful rug store (w/ demo), the Grand Bazaar and the Galleta Tower with a quick lunch at a very local donner restaurant (his personal fav). We used the trans & metro to save our feet!! Overall, I highly recommend the company who responded very quickly to any needs, request and personal requests! And Kamel was a superb guide!!

Great tour! Amazing guide Kemal made the experience very memorable. He was very knowledgeable, patient and informative. Highly recommend this tour with Kemal.

I had great memories of visiting Istanbul 30 years ago and visiting sites like the Topkapi Palace, the Blue Mosque, etc. What I didn’t have then but that made this trip even better was Kemal as our guide. He was phenomenal. His knowledge of the history and cultural importance of the places we visited, while keeping everyone engaged, was impressive. He helped us navigate public transport, helped us get into attraction faster, found taxis to send two of our party back to the hotel, took us to local restaurants for authentic Turkish food and patiently answered every question we put to him. We especially appreciated when he took us to a reputable Turkish rug co-op instead of an overpriced tourist store. As well, Kemal cheerfully accommodated our last-minute requests and changes, something that only an experienced and knowledgeable guide can comfortably do. When we revised our schedule several times on the fly because some of us were more jet-lagged than we realized, Kemal adeptly pivoted without missing a beat and helped us to still be able the major sights we’d envisioned visiting on this trip. We absolutely will ask for Kemal again when we return to Istanbul because of his outstanding guidance.

Merve was a fantastic guide and gave 6 of us a brilliant day out in Istanbul. She showed us some highlights of the old Town including The Blu Mosque, Hippodrome area, Hagia Sophia Mosque, local delicious lunch, Grand Bazaar and more. She was fun and friendly and very knowledgeable about everything. Had a really great day and highly recommend her. Thank you Merve!!!

Excellent private walking tour for our 3 couples with Merve. She was incredibly knowledgeable about all the fabulous historical sites. Loved Blue Mosque and Basilica Cistern the best. Visited Hagia Sophia which has a lot of renovation at the moment and Tokapi Palace but only to first courtyard area (our choice so we could see Cistern) plus Grand Bazaar and Hippodrome. A wonderful tour and highly recommend. We also had a fabulous budget friendly lunch at Grand Bazaar that Merve took us to. Delicious

We spent two days with Ahmet Yalciner, our guide, who is fluent in english and spanish, and took us to all important sites in Istanbul and gave us a comprehensive and detailed explanation of each. Murat, the driver, did an excellent job too. We strongly recommend them to anyone visiting Istanbul..

We had the most amazing day in Istanbul with our tour guide, Merve. She is so knowledgeable of the city, palaces, etc and customized the tour to our liking. Such a beautiful personality as well. We opted for the transportation option and our driver, Deniz, was fantastic as well. He made it much easier for us to get around the city, including visiting the Asia side. It was a perfect day! Thank you, Merve and Deniz!

A morning well spent learning about the key landmarks in old town. Our guide- Muhsin Ulusoy- was fantastic. He struck a fine balance between giving us the history of the place, answering questions and allowing us to soak in the experience without hurrying through it. I like guided tours that delve deeper than the surface and leave ample space for curiosity- and this tour certainly had both. We were a small group of four and luckily were all really interested in learning more and understanding the complex history of the places we were visiting. Muhsin was very knowledgeable, patient and flexible- so the tour was pitched at the level that works for the audience. If you are in Istanbul for just two days, and are interested in exploring old town- this tour is highly recommended.

Our guide, Kemal, was outstanding in every way! We appreciated his knowledge and expert guidance to the main historical 'must see' sights in Istanbul's Old City. We had a most enjoyable time with him and would highly recommend his services to anyone traveling to Istanbul.

Merve was an amazing guide. She went through all sites with extreme detail. She was extremely knowledgeable and detail oriented.

Kemal was the best. Kind & very considerate of our physical limitations. Literally warned us of every possible stumbling point & there were dozens. Expect to walk about 7 miles the first day & 3 - 4 miles the next. Lunch choices were outstanding. Expect to pay at least $160US in entry fees (2 people). Entire tour was excellent

Feyza was so knowledgeable about the history of Istanbul and the historic sites on our tour. Would definitely recommend this tour and Feyza to anyone visiting Istanbul.

Ozan was FANTASTIC! Our day went by so fast we had such a wonderful time. He shared so much great information with us as we visited the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Basilica Cistern, the Grand Bazaar, and Spice Market. We also got to visit a rug store where they showed us how the handmade rugs are made on looms, it was fascinating. An absolutely wonderful experience!