This is our meeting point and the starting point of the tour. We will begin with a brief introduction, including general information about Istanbul, the historic Hippodrome, and the sites included in the itinerary.
The Blue Mosque in Istanbul, also known by its official name, the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Turkish: Sultan Ahmet Camii), is an Ottoman-era historical imperial mosque located in Istanbul, Turkey. It was constructed between 1609 and 1617 during the rule of Ahmed I and remains a functioning mosque today.
Only OUTER visit. Due to the new regulations by the Ministerry of Tourism, tour guides are not allowed to give explanations inside of Hagia Sophia since 15th of January 2024. And additionally there is no skip the line for tour guides anymore. That's why our visit to Hagia Sophia will be only outer explanation. The Hagia Sophia Mosque is a true masterpiece of Byzantine architecture and a significant symbol of history and culture. It is known for its Grand Central Dome, intricate mosaics, and delicate stonework. Hagia Sophia's history spans 1500 years. Once a Church, then a Museum, and now a Mosque, the monument has witnessed the rise and fall of several dynasties.
A 300 hundreds years old muslim school. This is the place where we will have a tea break and talk about the prolific architect of Ottoman Era. The place serves as a centre for some Turkish handcraft arts where youı can see some good example of this arts.
Skip the line. Entrance fee is 2250 Turkish Lira per person and is not included in the tour price. To AVOID the long wait please bring cash (only in Turkish Lira) A water storage dates back to the 6th century which has a spectacular sample of Roman architecture.
Grand Bazaar! A market with more than 500 years of history, 64 streets, 21 gates, and more than 4,000 shops. Not only a shopping mall but also a manufacturing center. A place where you can lose yourself in history and mystery. That is the most significant and oldest market in the world. Closed on Sundays! We will visit Spice market on Sundays.
Our guide Israfil , was informative and good company. As it is a small group tour he has time to talk with each member of the group , which is nice for solo travellers . I would strongly recommend this tour .
A great introduction to Istanbul covering most old town sights . Our guide Israfil was very knowledgeable and happy to tailor our experience. He also gave excellent tips on where to go next and where to eat. Thoroughly enjoyable and highly recommended.
I had a great experience with a fantastic guide, who knows how to read the group and how to blend knowledge with humor and presence in a way that will make you remember.
Israfil was such a wonderful guide. Friendly, Knowledgeable and entertaining! Thank you Israfil for showing us all the wonders of Istanbul!
The guide makes all the difference and Israfil is excellent. The tour touches the key sights in the Old City and he leaves you with a lot of other great recommendations. Israfil has great English and a wonderful blend of intellect and humor. Highly recommend.
İsrafil is a very good tour guide. His English is excellent and he is friendly, very knowledgeable and approachable. We joined him on a small group walking tour and visited the Blue Mosque, Basilica Cistern and Spice Market.
Highly recommend this tour. Our guide was very educated and spoke excellent English. The tour itself was well paced, and the proper length of time. The information was interesting and digestible and provided unique historical context. We hit the major places in the historic center and the guide provided an excellent info packet for other places to visit during your stay. Please remember to bring cash for the cistern! Additionally, we stopped for coffee and tea at an outdoor restaurant that was also a hookah spot; so make a note if you are sensitive to smoke. Istanbul is very smoke friendly. Love this tour and so happy I went.
We Had a great trip with the family! Absolutely recommend! Great stories, skip the lines and Israfil is a nice tourguide.
Israfil was knowledgeable, courteous and accommodating. So much good information really heightened my experience of the city. Would definitely do again!
We had an absolutely amazing time touring Istanbul with Israfil! He is incredibly knowledgeable and engaging, and from the very beginning, it was clear how passionate he is about sharing the history and culture of this incredible city. He is currently pursuing his master’s in Art Philosophy, which allowed him to bring such unique perspectives and insights into everything we saw—especially the cultural and religious history of Turkey. His explanations gave us a much deeper understanding and appreciation of the sites we visited. Israfil answered every question with detail, and you can tell he truly enjoys teaching and guiding people. This tour was one of the highlights of our trip to Istanbul! If you are considering a tour here, definitely book with Israfil! You won’t regret it!
Israfil gives a fantastic tour of some of istanbuls greatest hits. he has intimate knowledge of each site and spent time answering hundreds of my questions.
İsrafil was a great tour guide and we enjoyed the small group tour thoroughly. He was very professional, personable and knowledgeable. We enjoyed the personal service and itinerary for this tour. It was a perfect balance. Thank you, İsrafil!!! Highly recommend!
My wife and I did a guided walking tour though the Blue mosque,Haglia Sophia,Basillica cistern and finished off at the grand Bizarre. Our guide Israfil was fantastic . He had a very friendly and humorous manner as well as being a waking history book. Very genuine and utterly professional and we would thoroughly recommended him to anyone interested in learning the history of old Istanbul
We took this tour our first morning in Istanbul just to see some of the major sights. The tour guide was knowledgeable and responsive to group questions. More importantly, the tour guide helped to provide a lot of context to the development of what we are seeing (it wasn't a list of facts about the Sultanahmet Mosque or trivia items). He helped to bring the story of the objects to life for us. On our tour, we had 4 people, so it was also great to only be concerned about a small group. Overall, I would recommend this to anyone that is looking for a private guide type experience, but doesn't quite have the budget for that. While it won't be private, my understanding is that the groups are always small.
Fantastic tour of Istanbul. Really good communication beforehand and great information during the tour. He is extremely knowledgeable of Turkey and its history and makes the tour very interesting. He even provided us with some information afterwards. I would highly recommend.
We had a fantastic and very informative tour around Old Istanbul. Israfil told a lot about the history of the city and we visited spectacular places. The tour was also very engaging for children, Israfil is very good in communicating with kids. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone .
Highly recommended tour with Israfil. He shared a lot of interesting information in a fun way and engaged my 9y old daughter as well. Nice tips about the bazar and not only.
This is one of the very best small group tours. Husband and I and 4 friends enjoyed seeing every important historical site all in one day. It was so much better doing it all at once and being able to hear him without the use of ear buds.
Israfil was a great host and communicator- we loved the tour! Would recommend it to anyone in the area
This tour was a great introduction to the complicated and often confusing history of İstanbul. Not overwhelming or too fast, İsrafil moved to the needs of our eclectic age group of tourists. He easily answered questions from the group and individually in history, religion, social, and customs. İsrafil also provided custom suggestions and offered directions for after tour inquiries. I felt I had a solid basic understanding of each site we visited and can imagine a full day tour would be amazing with him. Maybe next visit to Istanbul. Highly recommend to friends, family, and strangers.
Israfil's Small-Group Istanbul Old City Guided Tour was my first introduction to this historic and beautiful city. Travelling solo and in a new country for only 3 days, I am so happy to have selected this tour. It enabled me to get my bearings, see and learn about many of the significant and incredible sites from an experienced guide, and plan the rest of my stay. From the time of booking, Israfil communicated clearly and efficiently with me to confirm my tour details. In person, Israfil is a kind, knowledgeable and excellent tour guide. He provided interesting and entertaining information about each of our stops, was patient while I took lots of photos and was so helpful in answering questions and recommending places for me to visit. It was so much fun chatting with him. Thanks again Israfil! I highly recommend this tour and visiting Istanbul.
Tour was canceled 20 mins before the scheduled start time. No explanation. I was already there. They claimed it was because of weather, but weather was sunny
Amazing tour of Istanbul. Very knowledgeable and took the time to answer many questions. We toured the bazaars, mosques and cistern.
Very knowledgeable and personable. Speaks English well. Had a nice time and learned a lot of the History of Istanbul. I would go with him again
İsrafil is very knowledgeable, we had a great time with him. The whole tour was well designed and Israfil made us feel like locals. It was very enjoyable and informative experience. Highly recommenced. Thank Israfil for everything.
I had such a good Israfil is very knowledgeable you will learn more then what you expect I felt safe also going in to the beautiful city alone I 100% recommend Thank you 🤍🪽
Great tour. The guide was kind and very knowledgable. Saw many of Istanbul's most incredible sights including the Blue Mosque. He showed us some of the great shopping areas around the Grand Bazaar that we never would have found on our own. Highly recommend!
The tour was very enjoyable and informative and the tea break at a quaint cafe a nice touch. İsrafil is very knowledgeable
Israfil was a great guide! Very personable, hugely informative and it felt as though he wanted us all to enjoy our tour. And we did! Saw and learnt a lot. Excellent!
Israfil is a wonderful guide, a worldy person who is ready to have engaging conversation about history and current events. The tour was lovely and well timed. The tea break at the converted school was one of the unexpected highlights. Israfil also gave us a personal introduction and recommendation on where to buy a rug for our home - a topic he knows much about as the subject t of his thesis! It was a treat to spend an afternoon on Israfil’s tour.
Friendly, experienced and knowledgeable tour guide who welcomed all of our questions and had the answers. My wife and I had the pleasure of being the only ones on this particular tour slot and we learned plenty about Hagia Sofia, The Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Mosque), and Basilica Cistern. We enjoyed Israfil's company who was easy going and he showed us some gems of the city. Highly recommended.
Our trip was amazing only because of such knowledgeable funny guide. Israfil will accommodate to your pace and interests/wishes during the tour. He provided us a list pf recommended restaurants and activities that we enjoyed. Very punctual. Highly recommend☺️
If you are in Istanbul for only a short period of time but want to cover the main attractions then I highly recommend Israfil. He is very knowledgeable, has a great sense of humour, and very friendly. He is flexible, will put you at ease, and can even accommodate slow walkers like me. You will not find a better guide than Israfil.
Excellent tour guide - gave the context needed to understand Istanbul in its entirety both past and present. Loved the basilica cistern!
The whole tour was memorable due, without doubt, to our excellent guide. His knowledge of the history of the places visited was impressive and interesting. His presentation and sense of humour were very much appreciated. A HUGE THANK YOU TO HIM.
Israfil was an amazing host. A seasoned tour guide who makes an effort to get to know everyone individually. His story telling is absolutely refreshing; incorporating his wit and charm to new topics that is outside of a typical textbook is ingenious. On my tour, he even gave us an ample amount of alone time to take pictures and digest all the information and sights. At the end of the tour, he even brought us to his favorite spice and nougat shop where locals go to. Highly recommend Israfil’s tour if you’re looking for a more intimate experience!!!!! This is also catered to all ages since he is a former educator and Israfil makes sure all children are always included and they understand his stories.
My daughter and I started our first day in Istanbul with a small group tour of the okd city highlights.. İsrafil is simply the best! He’s very informative and knowledgeable about historical sights. He guided us to the right places and he was so caring and even stayed advocated for my daughter and I when we needed help with some shopping adventures! Cant recommend him enough!!
Israfil is an amazing guide, with plenty of interesting stories about the main sites to be seen in Istanbul. Touring around with him enabled us to jump the queue, visit some special tucked away places we wouldn’t have seen otherwise and learn many interesting things about Istanbul. Money well spent 😊
Israfil is an amazing guide, with plenty of interesting stories about the main sites to be seen in Istanbul. Touring around with him enabled us to jump the queue, visit some special tucked away places we wouldn’t have seen otherwise and overall, learnt many interesting things about Istanbul. Money well spent 😊
I met Israfil early on in his tour guiding career, and I'm so grateful that I did! From meeting me at the airport, even though my flight was delayed by more than an hour, to showing me the amazing sights of Istanbul, to connecting me with his friends and colleagues in other areas of Turkey who assisted me on my travels, this man is a true friend and kind soul. He has a deep love of his country and it shows through in his enthusiasm for introducing travelers to the incredible sights and experiences of his city. Israfil is considerate and respectful but also loads of fun, and as a solo female traveler I felt instantly at ease. I hope to make it back some day and when I do, I'll reach out to Israfil and request his excellent guiding services again. (Maybe to Cappadocia, huh, Israfil?? :)
We can not exspress enough how lucky we were to have Isarfil as our tour guide for our small group. Very knowledge about the history of all the places we visited. We were not rushed around places, but we had the right time to appreciate every moment of the tour. Highly recommended also for the tips and suggestions he gave us to enjoy our stay in Istanbul. We will book with him again when we will return to this beautiful city!
This tour was perfect and exceded our expectations in many ways. It has the right combination of places to visit in the perfect amount of time. My kids enjoyed the experience and we all learned so much about the history, architecture and culture of Istanbul. Israfil is an excellent guide, he shared so much information and had interesting stories about each location. He was very attentive and made the point of talking with everyone in the group. I highly recommend this tour and will do it again next time I come to Istanbul.
I was traveling to Bali and had an extended layover in Istanbul. I wanted to use that opportunity to explore a bit of the city and so I booked this day tour with Israfil. I’m very happy I made this decision because he was an awesome tour guide that made me feel safe which was incredibly important as a solo, female traveler. The tour was great as we explored different parts of the city including the major mosques / attractions, as well as hidden gems such as eating Turkish pizza at a small diner where locals go. I would 100% recommend booking this tour. You will learn a lot about the culture and history of Istanbul with Israfil.
It was a real pleasure to meet such a guide Israfil and explore the old city of Istanbul. it was very interesting, educational and humorous with a lot of recommendations of interesting places in the city. I'm really looking forward to the next trip to explore the city again with you!
I'm so glad I booked this tour with Israfil. The entire experience felt personalized to my interests, and he shared fascinating insights about each location we visited. It wasn’t 'touristy' at all, making it perfect for anyone seeking an authentic experience. Moreover, if you are traveling solo to Istanbul, I highly recommend him. I felt safe and well-cared for throughout the entire tour.
What an amazing walking tour with the very genial Israfil! The day started drizzly but the dazzling sites he took us to quickly lifted our spirits... The breathtaking Blue Dome of Sultanahmet and the sparkling stalls of the labyrinthine Grand Bazaar were a feast for the eyes. We met his old colleague and friend who operates a shop in the Egyptian spice market to sample his wares and made a stop at the old hippy hangout to try and jog my wife's memories of her last visit to the city over 30 years ago. But our favourite places were the Basilica Cistern (well worth the extra entrance fee to witness this subterranean masterpiece of Roman engineering) and the tea stop at atmospheric hooka café, in a former ancient school, that is straight out of Indiana Jones. Israfil is charming and engaging with passion and a depth of knowledge for Istanbul . He is generous with his time and genuinely interested in what his guests ask him. I was most impressed when someone not on our tour asked him a question and he answered them fully with patience and warmth. 10/10
My time with Israfil exploring Istanbul was amazing! I actually came for a Hair Transplant and wanted to do a tour of the city, but didn’t know where to start. By selecting him as my tour guide changed the entire trip. From start to finish, I felt I was talking to an absolute expert on what the city has an offer. Starting off at the ✔️ Blue mosque moving to the Hodges Sophia checking out the underground water system and more. We actually found time to check out some local spots like the putting shop and an old hookah bar. We checked out all the markets, specifically spice market, and some of the spots within the market that aren’t just tourist traps. Amazing stuff. I promise you, I would not have learned as much as I did I would not have experienced the local facets of the city without going with him!
Had a great tour of old tow Istanbul with Israfil. His historical and contemporary knowledge made for an insightful and engaging experience. We felt like we met a friend who shared the best of Istanbul with us. Highly recommend!!
Had a fantastic time. Israeli is fluent in English and extremely knowledgeable about history. More than anything though he was so kind and fun! Highly recommend.
I visited Istanbul with my family, it was just for a weekend, but thanx to our wonderful tour guide Israfel we could sightsee all the most important historical attractions of Istanbul as well as hidden gems of this wonderful city. His English is perfect, no problems with communication at all. He has got a great sense of humour and told us some funny anegdotes. Israfel recommended us perfect shopping places, offered good and cheap places to eat. We felt taken care of , from the beginning to the end of our tour. If he ever comes to Poland we would be pleased to host him here too.
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