We will see great Istanbul panorama from top of this tower. One of the city’s most distinctive sights, this great fortification dating back to 1348 was erected by Genoese Italians.
Museum of Turkish Jews, where artifacts chronicling the history of Jewish people in Turkey, plus an art gallery & synagogue. Great to understand the history of Jewish people in Turkey
Elegant set of 19th-century art nouveau stairs en route to the Galata Tower, popular for photos.
In the Ottoman era, Beyoğlu (then known as Pera) was the European Quarter of Istanbul. Home to embassies and trading centers, as well as fine 19th-century, Parisian-style apartment houses.
Bascule bridge that spans the Golden Horn provides both a real and symbolic link between two important parts of Istanbul.
Halic (Golden Horn) means inlet in English separates the old and new sections of Istanbul. The views of this water body is magnificent, especially at dawn or dusk
Ecumenical Patriarchate is recognized as the spiritual center (basically the “Vatican”) of the Eastern Orthodox Christians.
Colorful streets of Fener and Balat await you. One could describe the combined neighborhoods of Ayvansaray, Balat, and Fener as a miniature chronicle of the Byzantine, Ottoman, and modern times. These streets have hosted the most influential of empires along with their monuments; housed a mosaic of communities.
This is a curious, neo-Gothic white-painted church and interestingly made up from cast iron sections. Built or should say “cast” in Vienna in 1896 and carted all the way to Istanbul.
Very emotional and spiritual place.
The walls of Constantinople were the greatest fortifications of the medieval age. With various towers and gates, large sections still stand more or less intact today.
The historical city of Istanbul, the only city in the world located on two continents, was the capital of three great empires; Roman, Byzantine and the Ottoman Empire.
Karaköy is one of the oldest and most historic districts of the city, and is today an important commercial center and transport hub.
Istanbul
Our tour guide Kim made this walking tour worth the while. She narrated all the major and interesting points clearly and was open to questions. She also kept a good walking pace. I enjoyed riding both the tram and the ferry, which were completely new experiences for me. Thanks Kim for creating a memorable day.
Very boring tour. Walked constantly almost the whole time. The “sites” were boring except the Galata tower. Guide also spoke softly and was boring. Hard pass.
Kim was exceptional, super friendly, and knowledgeable. I highly recommend to anyone who want too see and experience some out of the beaten path. It was worth it. Kim even put a special touch and stopped to get tea and baklava. Yummy. Very special trip.
The tour was fantastic—our guide Erol was extremely knowledgeable about historic facts and dates, explaining how much the city has changed while taking us to great spots for photos. Travelling by tram and ferry was smooth because he had everything perfectly organised, and we even stopped to enjoy some delicious sweets along the way. Even though it was low season and we were the only ones on the tour, he never rushed; he took his time, explained everything in detail, and made the whole experience feel personal and memorable. Highly recommended and fantastic guide
The tour was fantastic, especially thanks to our guide Ergil, who was enthusiastic and very knowledgeable. We began at the Galata Tower, enjoying a beautiful panoramic view of Istanbul. Then we explored the historic neighborhoods of Balat and Fener, full of colorful streets and rich multicultural history. A very pleasant walk combining great views, culture, and authentic local atmosphere. Highly recommended!
Loved the Galata Tower and its fascinating history. Erol gave us a great deal of interesting information about the entire area including its history and its architecture. We also stopped for some delicious sweets. Erol is a great guide. He spoke so passionately and knowledgeably about the area and answered all our questions very thoroughly. Some of the streets were rather steep, which made walking a little difficult at times but Erol was very thoughtful and helpful. Thank you for an interesting tour.
Fabulous tour with our guide Erol. Very knowledgable and provided us with a fun full day. Definitely a tour to take.
There was no ferry , that was very disappointing , but our guide (Icil) was fantastic and did a wonderful job!
Everything was great. Wonderful guide Isliy? Explanations were so comprehensive. Any/all questions answered. Thanks you.
Discovered the fusion of cultures Roman expansion to Ottoman capture and everything in between. We were also lucky enough to see the patriarch of the Orthodox Church
This was a great tour. Our tour guide Gamze Aksin was awesome. We enjoyed our time so much. I definitely would recommend this tour. Lots of great walking and getting to see the different cultures of the city.
This was the best tour we’ve been on! We got a personalized tour of some off the beaten path neighborhoods in Istanbul. It would have been hard to find these areas on our own. We absolutely loved our tour guide, Gamze and will always think of her as our beautiful Turkish friend. She was so informative and flexible with our family’s needs. We felt like we were walking around with one of our friends.
We had a wonderful afternoon with our amazing guide, Can (John). We felt very lucky as our family were the only one's booked in for the afternoon so we had our very own tailred adventure. We started by exploring the Galata tower area then took the ferry across to Fenner and Ballat a very architecturally colourful area. We took lunch at a local restaurant and saw the Iron Church. Can then saw us safely back to our hotel as the weather cancelled our afternoon ferry. Thankyou to our amazing guide who gave us a wonderful experience in Istanbul.
This was an amazing tour and as there was only 2 of us we felt we had a very personalised experience. Erol our tour guide is amazing at his job and very knowledgeable. There are so many hidden gems in Istanbul and without this tour we would have passed them without knowing. Highly recommend this tour and our guide Erol. Looking forward to booking again in the future.
Erol was an excellent guide. We felt like we were with a professor of Istanbul history. The tour was exactly as we hoped.
A super tour with Erol that gave me a view of Istanbul I might not have discovered on my own. From start to finish this was a wonderful tour of Istanbul, beginning at Galata tower, learning it's history and that of the area surrounding it, seeing the beautiful views from the top of the tower; exploring the charming neighborhoods of Fener and Balat, enjoying delicious Turkish desserts and tea at a local cafe; relaxing on the final leg on the ferry ride home. I would highly recommend this tour to everyone, it was such a pleasure and Erol is incredibly knowledgable and easy to be with.
If you are looking for something off the beaten path, consider this walking tour from Galata Tower, through backstreets of Galata and Karaköy, then across the Golden Horn to Balat and Fener neighborhoods, two of the most interesting on the old city side of the Golden Horn, followed by a ferry boat ride back to Karaköy. Home to Greek and Jewish communities for centuries, Fener and Balat are fascination places, an area that is largely still "undiscovered" by tourists. My wife and I took this walking tour in May 2022. Due to Covid and the Russian-Ukrainian war, we were the only two people, so it was *very* personalized. Expect about ~5 miles of walking — bring water. Erol is knowledgeable, an excellent guide, with a passion for sharing what he knows about Istanbul and its neighborhoods.
Excellent explanation, very pleasant the talk of the guide, recommended, knowing the city walking it with an excellent guide
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