Private Guided Basilica Cistern And Topkapi Palace With Skip Line

I had a wonderful time doing a walking tour through the old city. My mother and I had a great time she can be slow so.doing a private tour is ideal if you are older or slower. Husseyin with Eyewitness travel went at our pace ditched my mom for parts as she got exhausted. Taking her to nice resting spots and we were able to see the cistern the Blue mosque the Hagia Sofia and an excellent rug shop Verhizan where we saw all the different parts that go into a handmade rug. Very knowledgeable of the old.city. Showed me a rock that just sits at the gate entrance to Tokalpi Palace that is used for execution and the fountain that they clean the blood up with. You would never know it if you didn't have a guide He also will get you past the lines so it is a huge time saver as well. Very reasonable for a full day walking tour through Istanbul

I only had one full day in Istanbul and this tour was perfect. Tarik, my guide, showed me the important spots and he was very informative about the history. His English was excellent and his local knowledge gave me a good understanding of Istanbul today. I am so happy I went on this tour and highly recommend to others visiting the city.

Erdam our guide was right there when we arrived at the Basilica Cistern when we arrived about 10 minutes early. He did a wonderful job at getting us right in to that attraction as well as the Topkapi Palace, and supplied us with so many interesting facts, as well as a few family experiences. Highly recommend this tour!

Great experience with Erdem! We learnt so much from him about the rich history of Topkapi Palace and the Basilica Cistern, so much more that we would have got self guiding ourselves! Added bonus: he helped us skip all the queues, which halved the time it would have taken to do both sites on a busy Sunday!

The best guide we had during our trip to Istanbul. Good content and easy to understand. Very knowledgeable about history and context of the different layers of Greek, Roman/Christian and ottoman/post revolution. His English is very good and you feel like you’re in a college class. his discussion of the harem and queen mother brought it all to life. Also his talk on basilica was great and included many details I would have missed. Highly recommended. It is a private tour.

We had an absolutely fantastic private tour of the Basilica Cistern and Topkapi Palace with Erdem, and it was definitely one of the highlights of our time in Istanbul. Erdem was extremely knowledgeable and clearly passionate about the history of the city. He explained everything in a way that was interesting and engaging, bringing the history to life rather than simply giving us facts and dates. He was also very friendly, easy to talk to, and happy to answer all of our questions along the way. Having Erdem as our private guide made a huge difference to our experience of both the Basilica Cistern and Topkapi Palace. We learned so much more than we would have exploring on our own, and the whole tour felt relaxed and personal. We would absolutely recommend Erdem to anyone visiting Istanbul. A genuinely great guide and a wonderful experience. Thank you, Erdem!

Murat was the perfect guide. He is full of interesting facts and history to bring the whole picture together. I enjoyed his pace and commentary.

We would highly recommend Erdem for this tour . He was knowledgable , helpful and informative . Tour ran on time and was comprehensive .

Just before we met up with the guide, there were other people trying to get our attention and pretending to be our guide near the meeting point. Once we found him, he took us in and made us feel safe. Very knowledgeable. He did his best to explain everything even though he was losing his voice a bit that day. Basilica Cistern was so beautiful. He was also able to point us to the best spot to take photos. Palace was a lot of walking, he helped us to skip the lines a few times, which I really appreciate. He really took his time to explain the history of the palace and answered all the questions we had. Highly recommend this tour. Price is definitely worth the quality of the service. A lot of walking in the Palace area, so be prepared.

Murat was a wonderful guide, whose love of his home, Istanbul, shined throughout the tour. He had excellent details on all of the sites and presented them in a friendly, engaging and lively manner. His English is excellent and his pre-tour communication to coordinate and verify meeting details were super simple. He also accommodated my last minute scheduling hiccup, which really was greatly appreciated. He’s the best.

Viator’s guide was excellent. He knew vast details and was friendly, lively and engaging. He was also very kind accommodating my last minute scheduling hiccup. He clearly loves his home Istanbul and that shines throughout his tour.

Murat was great right from the start---connecting via WhatsApp, sending clear directions and information, including his photo--so there was no worry about meeting up or being able to communicate if there was any problem. He provided us with clear and interesting background and information on the history of both the Basilica Cistern and Topkapi Palace. He conveyed his information in a conversational and anecdotal manner that was particularly engaging. He was also responsive to our interests and time constraints, and sensitive to our lesser interest in less relevant aspects of the Topkapi in particular. I highly recommend Murat's tour of these 2 important sites! L. Wieczner

Had a wonderful tour with Erdem. We learned so much more than we would have on our own. The skip the line tickets saved a great deal of time which was much appreciated.

Murat was a wonderful tour guide. He was very knowledgeable and we spent the right amount of time at the Basilica Cistern and Topkapi Palace.

Our guide , Murat was excellent. Very knowledgeable, friendly, patient and helpful.

Good tour, informative guide.the Cistern was amazing and our guide gave us lots of info about both the palace and the cistern.

The guide and tour was very good. He is knowledgeable and kept us engaged. We were delayed due to taxi issues and he stayed with us via whatsapp and real time location till we got there. However the ticket prices in Istanbul are out of control.

This visit gives a well organized and structured explanation and urderstanding of Basilica Cistern and Topkapi Pallace. Murat knows a lot about both location and creates links between the different hitorical timelines. Visit was 2 hour long, not much crowds that day, but coule have been a little more detailed if your are looking for very specific information. Otherwise it is already a lot of info and we ourselves had to ask question to make sure we understood correctly. Overall good experience, and would recommand it.

Excellent tour worth doing. Our guide Erdem was very knowledgeable and his English was excellent.

We had an excellent private tour of Topkapı Palace and the Harem with Erdem. The skip-the-line passes made everything incredibly convenient and allowed us to spend more time actually enjoying the palace. Erdem had a remarkable wealth of knowledge and knew exactly which details, stories, and hidden spots were worth highlighting—including several things other visitors seemed to miss. What impressed us most was his ability to balance the tour perfectly. He knew what required his expertise and explanation, while also recognizing which areas we would enjoy exploring independently after the tour. He was personable, never rushed us, and even took some wonderful photos of us as a couple. We highly recommend touring Topkapı Palace and the Harem with Erdem!

Excellent private tour of Basilica Cistern and Topkapi Palace. Our guide, Huseyin, was very knowledgeable and personable and did a great job of covering the history and cultural significance of the sites in 2 1/2 hours. The pace of the tour was good…not too fast or slow. I would certainly recommend this tour.

Both sites are absolutely worth visiting. The Basilica is extraordinary and getting the information about it from the guide was really useful. The palace and grounds also amazing however it was very busy. The guide was able to ‘fast track’ us through queues legitimately but even so it was busy everywhere. Guide was knowledgeable on history, geography and current affairs.

I highly recommend Erdem for your future visits. We had a great experience. He speaks clearly about the material, and took time for answers all our questions. At the end of the tour he give us some tips to keep enjoying the city.

Murat was an excellent tour guide. He had very good humor very good personality. He had a good grasp of the history

We thoroughly enjoyed our tour led by Erdem of the Basilica Cistern and Topkapi Palace. We were a group of 8 people, including 5 kids from ages 7-13. Erdem did a great job adapting the tour to be interesting and educational for all ages. We also appreciated that all logistics ran smoothly, from pre-tour communications, finding each other, ticketing and entrance processes, taking the right number of breaks, etc. Thank you, Erdem, for a great tour!

Both the Topkapi Palace and Basilica Cistern were amazing, and you observe and learn much more with a guide vs. doing it on your own. Huseyin was an excellent guide, providing great insights and then delving deeper based on our questions. He kept us on an appropriate pace without rushing us, and I would highly recommend him to others. The only thing I would change is to tell people that they can purchase Basilica tickets with a credit card. That will prevent them from bringing more currency than necessary. Also, patrons should beware of hawkers outside the Cistern trying to misdirect you. Somebody tried that with us, but fortunately Huseyin had been in communication with us and even shared a picture of himself so we know who to look for.

Excellent tour experience. Well knowledgeable. Very friendly.

Erdem was an excellent guide. He was very knowledgable and answered all our questions. He was organised and sorted out the quick queues for us so we didn’t wait around. I recommend him to everyone!

Had a great private tour. Our guide was knowledgeable and accomodating with us. I really appreciated his time with us.

Murat is one of our top guides in a 3 week trip. Incredibly knowledgeable and personable. Knew his way around Topkapi so we avoided crowds and still saw everything that we wanted.

We never usually take up any tours but this time we said we give it a try. I must say it was worth it. Murat was very professional, educated and nice to be with. We really enjoyed it and we highly recommend both the tour and the guide.

Erdem was wonderful. We enjoyed this tour a lot

We arranged a private tour with Viator. Our guide was Murat. We had arranged to visit the Bascillia Cistern and Topaki Palace. Murat arrived on time. He was professional, courteous and knowledgeable. We learnt a great deal about the ancient history of Instanbul but also life in the current day. We would highly recommend him.

From the moment we met Murat, it was clear we were in exceptional hands. Professional, warm, and deeply knowledgeable, he brought Istanbul’s history and culture to life. Every stop—from the Hidden Cisterns to Topkapi Palace —came with stories, context, and small details we never would have noticed on our own. We skipped long lines, found the quiet corners for the best photos, and even discovered a nice place for lunch after the tour. Highlights: Expert storytelling that made centuries of history feel immediate and alive. Smart routing and timing to avoid crowds and maximize our time. A friendly, personable approach that felt like touring with a local friend. If you’re visiting Istanbul and want an experience that’s insightful, well-organized, and genuinely memorable, book this tour with Murat. It was the best decision of our trip and worth every penny. Thank you, Murat for an amazing day.

I had a guided tour with Murat today and he was excellent! I’ve been on many tours throughout Europe, and this one stood out. I was with my partner and toddler, and Murat paced everything perfectly, engaging with my daughter to keep her interested as best he could. Across Topkapi Palace, the Harem, and the Basilica Cistern, he was a wealth of knowledge and insight, helping us really get a feel for the deep history of each. We never felt rushed at any point, and were encouraged to explore in short bursts after being given context on each area. I’d recommend this to anyone who’s considering it. It’s been the cherry on top of a fantastic first trip to Istanbul, one I’d been planning for years. Credit to Murat for a brilliant tour, he was top tier! PS — he takes great photos too!

This private guided tour is informative. Our guide, Murat is very knowledgeable and friendly.

I had a guided tour with Murat today and he was excellent! I’ve been on many tours throughout Europe, and this one stood out. I was with my partner and toddler, and Murat paced everything perfectly, engaging with my daughter to keep her interested as best he could. Across Topkapi Palace, the Harem, and the Basilica Cistern, he was a wealth of knowledge and insight, helping us really get a feel for the deep history of each. We never felt rushed at any point, and were encouraged to explore in short bursts after being given context on each area. I’d recommend this to anyone who’s considering it. It’s been the cherry on top of a fantastic first trip to Istanbul, one I’d been planning for years. Credit to Murat for a brilliant tour; he was top tier! PS - he takes great photos too!

Wonderful trip. Erhan was a great guide. Very educated, explained very well everything we saw. He made our trip very special.

Erdem was a star ! We were very lucky to have a personal tour as slightly out of season so Erdem paced the morning round us. He had excellent knowledge of the area and shared so much history. Great conversation. Well worth the cost. Thank you Erdem.

We booked this tour on Viator and were given tour guide named Murat. He was very friendly and knowledgeable. We were the only people in his tour, it was not a group which was very nice. He took us through the Basilica Cistern and told us all the history. He then walked us to Topkapi and gave us a guided tour of the whole property. The property is very large so it does take some time to go through the whole space. The tour is about 3 hours so I would recommend eating before hand. We loved this tour so much. You get to see the Sultan’s palace, living quarters, and much more. If you love history and conversation you should support a local and book this tour!

First of all, Kemal Aslan did an excellent job as our guide. He made the Basilica Cistern come to life as we walked through it in awe. Then his commentary on the history, culture, and architecture of Topkapi Palace was fascinating. We learned so much and had a full, lovely morning. Highly recommend!

Murat was absolutely fantastic. The basilica was incredible and the topkapi palace is fascinating. Murat was one of the most knowledgable guides we've ever had. He was kind and showed a lot of patience with us and our 2 teen boys who hadn't eaten all day. Highly recommend this tour.

Murat was an amazing guide! He was able to get us to the front of a very long line for both the cistern and Topkapi. He was very informative and gave us a great tour.

Erden was a great guide for us as a couple. Highly knowledgeable, engaging and interesting. He had a constant stream of facts and anecdotes about the history of what we were seeing and walking past. Great English, kind and friendly. Just what we needed for Istanbul.

We had a fantastic time. Erdem was knowledgeable and keen to impart the history of the area. Easy to understand with a great sense of humour. The tour was well paced and we would highly recommend Erdem to anyone wanting to learn about these historical monuments.

This was a really interesting and unique tour and Erdem was an outstanding guide. The skip-the-line also saved us from two long waits.

Unbelievable sights and history! Fascinated by the Cistern and the history around it. A must see in Istanbul! Small two person tour made it very intimate and personal. Thanks, highly recommend!

Excellent tour with Erdem today! Loved hearing about the history of the Cistern and the Palace. He did a great job touring us and answering all of our questions! Thanks so much. Ask for Erdem!

Erdem was very knowledgeable and able to answer all questions I had. Would absolutely recommend you book this. Ask to have Erdem as your guide.