Unlock Istanbul's Soul: Private 1-3 Day Guided Discovery

We spent seven hours on one day with Kemal visiting the main sites in Sultanahmet - the entire time he was an excellent guide and host. He has detailed knowledge of the history of the area and indeed the Roman and Ottoman empires that preceded modern Turkey - which really brought alive details at each of the different sites we visited. As a family of five, including three teenagers, we generate plenty of questions - Kemal was patient, thoughtful and kind throughout. Highly recommended.

I'd done this tour six years ago and was looking forward to doing it again with a friend who hadn't been to Istanbul before. It could have been my first time, too. Our guide Mustafa told us so much that I hadn't known, helped us skip long lines, took us to a local restaurant for a delicious lunch, and shepherded us to trusted vendors along our route and deep in the Grand Bazaar. He is knowledgeable, articulate and personable. I fell in love with Istanbul all over again thanks to him.

This private tour of Instanbul is a must if you wish to better understand the history behind all the attractions. My guide - Fayza shared with me her knowledge about not only Instanbul but the history of the whole Anatolya region. She made this walking tour much fun and enjoyable. She was very patient answering all my questions; helped me navigate public transportation and recommended an amazing place for a dinner on the rooftop. I highly recommend Fayza as your guide!

Canberk did a great job in getting us in and out of the the historical sites with great commentary, humor and ease. He gages the speed and information to his clients. We enjoyed our tour so much we Signed up for a second tour to visit other sections of Istanbul and had a great Time! Highly recommend; we were able to See so much more of city with Canberk at our side.

Nur is an amazing guide and has incredible knowledge of the history and culture of Istanbul from ancient to current times. Her commentary was very clear and full of small antidotes that made the monuments come alive. Nur is warm and kind and also very organized, which allowed us to see 5 major sites in Istanbul in one day. We highly recommend Nur as an English speaking guide in Istanbul.

Our tour company was Guided Istanbul Tours. Our guide was Merve Binici. We had a day and half private tour. From the moment we walked off the boat we were treated as if we were family. I am slightly handicap and use a folding three wheel walker. Grand bazar, spice bazar, the two mosques and the cistern. We saw it all. Merve was able to negotiate with security due to my condition which was very helpful in managing the long lines. Istanbul is delightful chaos, once you get used to the rhythm of the city. The people are friendly although English is not widely spoken. Merve was great navigating with a combination of taxi and trams. Plan on a lot of walking as there is no direct access to the sites you will want to visit. In the short time we were here we fell in love with Istanbul. This was in a large part due to Nerve. She was a great guide.

Muhsin was knowledgeable, he was well organized. It was exciting to know about the history, the arts and architecture of Istanbul

Booked the one day tour with Mustafa. Was an absolute pleasure. The trip is well designed and hits all the high points. Mustafa is a master guide. He is informative, easy to talk to, and knows his information completely. We skipped lines. we ate at a locals restaurant. This is the tour to book. Don’t hesitate. Just book it and thank me later.

We had a wonderful tour with Muhsin. He was very informative, patient, and kind. He took us to a nice restaurant who served quickly and with great tasting food for lunch. A very personable person. I would gladly recommend him any time!!!!

We spent 2 incredible days in Istanbul with our guide, Merve Soyadi. Merve taught us so much about history, religion, culture, shopping and food. All in perfect English. The first day she met us with a driver at the ship terminal and took us to our hotel. We dropped our bags and headed straight to the Grand Bazaar. Merve knew all the best vendors. From there, she took us to the spice market.. And all the while she was giving us history lessons and pointing out interesting sites along the way. On day two Merv came to our hotel to pick us up and we went to the Blue Mosque, Hagai Sophia and the Basilica Cistern—all masterpieces. Merve gave us the history -past and present -at each site. In between, she took us for a yummy Turkish lunch. I also should mention that my husband uses a walker as he has several disabilities. Merve was not bothered by this and got the security guards at all the sites to get us to the front of the lines (the lines were so so long). Tip for the handicapped—the cistern has a chair lift that fits a wheel chair to lower the person. Our stay in beautiful Istanbul was perfect because of Merve. I would love to have her as a daughter!!