Private Istanbul 7 Hours Tour With Tram. Save Time With Grp Opt.

Ali (our tour guide) was waiting for us at the cruise terminal. He welcomed us to Istanbul and reviewed the tour to make sure it met our expectations. We had a fantastic time and learned so much from him about the history, city, culture, customs, etc. We toured the Blue Mosque, Hippodrome and the Grand Bazaar. We did not visit the Topkapi Palace since it was closed on Tuesdays (which we knew). We decided not to visit Hagia Sophia and Basilica Cistern due to the ongoing construction. Ali did provide us information about these 2 sites. He made sure we saw specific areas of the old and new parts of the Bazaar. He also took us back to the ship. Ali was professional, personable, friendly, helpful and of course very knowledgeable. The tram is the way to travel in Istanbul. Highly recommend the tour and Ali.

The highlight of our vacation. Our tour guide Mustafa was outstanding!

Ali was a wonderful, knowledgeable tour guide that took terrific care of us and also assisted while we explored the overwhelming Grand Bazaar. I would not hesitate to recommend Ali and this tour to another group.

We saw so many things in one day. It was fantastic. Our guide Buket was fabulous, she had the tour well organized and she answered all our questions . I can highly recommend this tour company. Very good value.

We LOVED our tour of Istanbul with Erkan! He was personable, knowledgeable, and professional. We enjoyed taking the tram because it saved time and was convenient. We were able to tailor our tour to do exactly what we wanted. We added on the Basilica Cistern at an additional cost, which was well worth it. Even though the day was cool, windy, and rainy, Erkan made the most of our day by taking us to the exact places we wanted to see and sharing his wealth of knowledge with us while at the same time not overwhelming us with facts. We probably won't visit the region again, but if we did, we would absolutely book Curio Travel again!

There are a lot of tour options to Ephesus. I did a lot of research and settled on this one. GREAT DECISION!!! Our guide met us right off the cruise ship. We are a family of 5 with 3 teenagers. Our private minibus was waiting super close by. Our guide was sooooo sooo sooo entertaining, informative, knowledgeable, fun, friendly. At the end of our one week Greece & Turkey cruise, when asking what everyone’s favorite thing was, everybody said the Ephesus tour. Truly, look no further.

Leyla was a wonderful guide. She was flexible, informative, and fun. She made certain we were aware and communicated effectively for our safety and education.

Istanbul is an amazing city, and we instantly fell in love with its rich history and vibrant culture. Erkan did a wonderful job guiding us—sharing the stories, significance, and hidden details behind each site with clarity and passion. We thoroughly enjoyed our private tour, starting right from our cruise port and traveling together by tram into the heart of the city. Both Topkapi Palace and the Basilica Cistern were absolutely spectacular, and experiencing them with Erkan’s storytelling made the visit deeply interesting. This tour exceeded our expectations, and we are already hoping to return one day to explore more of Istanbul and the rest of this beautiful country. W. Hung

We booked this tour expecting to be joining a group being picked up at the cruise terminal. We were staying in the old quarter, and we were pleasantly surprised when our guide picked us up from our hotel and we were the only people in the group. So seven hours of personal service. We walked down to the Blue Mosque and then on to Topkapi Palace and Hagia Sofia. So much to take in but oh so interesting. We skipped the Grand Bazaar as we had been there the evening before, so we went to the Basilica Cistern. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and spoke perfect English. He has to be the best guide we have ever had. He found a place for us to have lunch while he waited outside. We did ask him to join us but he was happy to chat with other guides while waiting for us. We can highly recommend this tour one of the best.

WAY TOO LONG especially without tram transportation. Much too crowded. Unable to often times hear the leader.

Our guide was amazing and showed us all the sites and kept the small group together. She explained everything to us and we made a new friend. The tram was fast and crowded.

Turkan was such an amazing guide. She did exactly what we needed at exactly the speed we wanted. It’s was like a private tour catered to all our desires. Absolutely the best!

The tour guide was prompt, helpful, informative, and entertaining. Ezgi Palabiyik is an effective guide, knowledgeable about the city and sites. She informed participants of the schedule and shifted to meet the needs of the group based on crowd volume, timing, and desires of participants. The tour is a good value, reasonably priced. The transportation is comfortable.

A great experience and a perfect and intensive introduction to Istanbul. Buse contacted us before the tour to make it easy for us to find her, and was then extremely helpful and knowledgeable as she showed us around the key sites of the city. She was especially helpful in making changes to the itinerary to accommodate my wife's mobility issue, and impressed us again and again with the depth of her knowledge about the history of the sites we were visiting. Would definitely recommend this tour, which felt more like a stroll with a knowledgeable friend than an organised tour.

Ended up having a private tour because no one else besides our party of 3 had booked, which made it even better!! Right away our guide, Mustafa, made us feel safe and comfortable. We laughed the entire day!! What a great way to explore the city at your own pace with someone familiar with it. The Turkish people were very hospitable and offered us tea and Turkish delights. ***you will be brought to a few shops I think are contracted to help you spend more money… no obligation.

We did the Small Group Tour with TRAM ( Max. 10 guests ) Ancient Hippodrome – Blue Mosque – Topkapi Palace – Hagia Sophia – Grand Bazaar with a group of nine people ages 8 to 75. Ada was our tour guide and she was amazing! She had so much historical knowledge that she shared with us. Having the private tour was nice and she navigated us to all the attractions with no waiting in line. She was very engaging with our 8 year old and worked to keep his attention. She recommended a wonderful place for lunch with authentic Turkish food. Even setting up the tour with Fevzi in the office was very easy. Fevzi was very prompt with responses to all the questions we had. We also used Curio Travel for a tour in Kusadasi as well. I highly recommend Curio Travel and would definitely book again with them!

Our tour guide Ada was brilliant and managed to avoid all the queues and lines making for a relaxing day. She recommended a great lunch spot and other things to see on our visit. Using the tram was excellent- quick and easy. Much better than sitting in traffic. Thanks Ada for all your fantastic knowledge. Highly recommended!

Our guide was very good. She took us to all the highlights. Her explanation of everything was very clear. I feel bad I can’t remember or spell her name..

Necmi, our guide, took us on an informative and interesting tour of Istanbul! He met us right outside the terminal and discussed the itinerary for the day. We were able to select places of most interest to us. It was a beautiful day and ideal to see the wonder of Istanbul by foot! We used the tram to access sites a little further away. This was ideal as trams arrive every few minutes and avoids the traffic congestion. The best part of our tour was the individualized attention given through a small group tour as it was only our group of three! Thank you Necmi for your expert guidance on our day in Istanbul!

Group size was perfect and we got to experience all of the major sites in Istanbul. We had a very knowledgeable guide, but it was a very long day in a crazy crowded city.

the guide was good- informative and friendly however, Istanbul was extremely crowded and there were long waits- we did not get into the Blue Mosque. it was not clear at all that the entrance fees added up to the same price as the tour itself! with inadvertnely buying our guide his lunch, it was a very expensive day

This was a great way to get around Istanbul to beat the traffic from the cruise port. We were able to see Hagia Sofia, the Blue Mosque, the underground cistern, the Grand Bazaar and the Hippodrome. There was the option to see the Palace, but most of us decided not to. The itinerary could be tailored to different interests. Be aware that the tram mainly takes you to and from the cruise port and you are walking between sites the rest of the way. We easily walked 14,000 steps on this tour. Of course, your experience may vary depending on what you choose to see. Our guide was great and very knowledgeable! I wish there was a little more direction concerning where to eat when we had free time because a few in our group did not eat lunch. Otherwise, a great tour if you are prepared to walk some, too.

Our tour guide Erikan was very knowledgeable and spoke excellent English. He kept us away from the larger crowds so he could explain everything. He took us to the places we wanted to see and adjusted to our slower pace. We had a great tour.

We had a great time with Ms. Zekiye (AKA 'Z'). We chose the "skip the lines" tour, which I highly recommend (Z had entry tickets to all the locations we were visiting, and we walked right in). Z met us at Galataport, and we took the tram to the Sultanahmet area. We visited the Blue Mosque, Basilica Cistern (not to be missed!) and Hagia Sophia. Z recommended a place to eat and allowed us some time to eat and relax before visiting the Grand Bazaar (it was definitely helpful to have a guide thru the Grand Bazaar). She then accompanied us (via the tram) back to the cruise terminal. The tour was fast-paced and well worth it!! Our group of 10 would not have been able to see as much as we did without the expert guidance of our tour guide.

Absolutely amazing tour. We came with a cruiseship which had an itinerary with an overnight stay in Istanbul. We booked our guide (Ms Zekiye) for 2 days and we can higly recommend both Curio Travel and Ms Zekiye. Everything was superb. Our guide spoke perfect english and was extremly pleasant and knowledgeable. The first day we visited Hagia Sophia, Topkapi and the Basilica Cistern (my favourite). The 2nd day we visired the Spuce Market, Grand Bazar and had a beautiful Bosphorus boat trip. I had a few questions regarding the tour before we travelled, and Curio Travel answered all of them on email before we started our holiday.

We had a great day in Istanbul. The guide was prompt and helped us navigate a really busy city. There were a lot of lines and if I was doing it again, I would rather have gone to less travelled places rather than waiting ages to go into the "must see" locations. The Blue mosque and Palace were really lovely. We stopped waiting for the Hagia Sophia as it was going to take over an hour in line with kids. Sometimes I felt like she was ticking off the required places rather than discussing with us what would be best for the situation.

We thoroughly enjoyed our private tour of old Instanbul with our guide Leyla. Transportation via the tram was quick and easy. Leyla helped us skip the lines and navigate the sites without any concerns. Her detailed commentary and insights were helpful and she was a very gracious host.

We thoroughly enjoyed our Tram tour with Mr. Erkan. He was extremely knowledgeable about all the sites we visited. When there was a long line , he stood in it while we sat waiting until he was near us. Thank you !! It is a very enduring tour and you should be able to walk. I learned so much about Istanbul. The tram is the way to go as you eliminate traffic. We are familiar with crowded metros so it did not phase us.

It was our favorite tour!! They were amazing and we were picked up in a limo van! So awesome! You should definitely book with them.

Leyla was a delightful guide who was extremely knowledgeable. We were able to see everything we wanted to see in one day. She picked us up from our hotel and we were close enough to walk to everything, no tram needed. Our hotel was right next to Topkapi Palace. We saw the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia and even found time to visit the Cisterns. Istanbul was amazing to visit and Leyla was the perfect companion for our very informational day.

Very pleased with this tour. All was included as stated. Tour guide was very helpful and nice. I would have preferred more time in the Grand Bazaar. Took this tour from a cruise as I didn't want to be on a ship's tour with a large group. Women must wear a head scarf and remember to wear socks as shoes aren't allowed in the mosque. I walked barefoot..not happy about that. We had plenty of time to take photos and observe whatever we wanted. The transportation is described as a tram..but is actually a public train.

Leyla was an excellent guide. Although there could have been 10 people maximum we were the only couple. Enjoyed our personal tour and the one-on-one interaction.

Very good . Traveling on tram was fast and we got more time at historical places to observe and take photos. also Orkun was flexible to change itinerary to cover more places . He was very knowledgeable and guided very well. Thanks for wonderful tour

Perfect walking tour of main sites in Istanbul taking a tram from cruise ship to avoid traffic. Semi, our guide was super. Very friendly, engaging and extremely knowledgeable. Saw all the main sites with great explanations. Answered everyone's questions easily. Back on plenty of time to reboard the ship. Highly recommended!

This tour was one of thebhighlights of our holiday. Extremely well organised. Our guide was the best, extremely knowledgable. We were a group of 5 and we had her all to ourselves. We adapted the tour to our needs. Excellent museum experience. Excellent food recomendation. You need to be able to walk but Istanbull is easiy walkable. Taking the tram was great and meant we could do much more. Other tours spent along time in traffic in the city

Pickup by the tour guide went smoothly, boarded the TRAM, which was a great way to get to the center of everything from the cruise port. We saw everything as offered, guide was well informed, and offered us a lunch break in a restaurant she knew as good. It was a long day, and we got to see all the highlights of Istanbul.

An excellent way in which to see the principal sites in Istanbul with limited time available and easily avoiding the worst of the traffic. Communication in arranging the tour was very straightforward and our guide, Leyla, who provided informed commentary throughout, sought to ensure that we did not have to queue unnecessarily so that we could enjoy maximum time at the various key stops - Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and Topkapi Palace (with additional stops at a number of other notable sites - Hippodrome, Grand Bazaar). Lunch at the Pudding Shop (aka Lale Restaurant) was a welcome interlude. Most enjoyable. Thanks Leyla.

Although we a had a horrible rainy, windy, and cold day, the tour was very good and Ceran was a remarkable guide!

Laila was very sweet and very knowledgeable. She gave us a clear picture of the history of Turkey and we learned a lot. It was a great experience and we all enjoyed it!

Our guide Lalya was wonderful and did her best to rearrange our schedule to avoid the summer crowds around the major sites we visited. She was very informative and was a very good English speaker. We enjoyed the restaurant she selected for our lunch and ensured that we got back to our cruise ship on time.