Highlights & Hidden Gems With Locals: Best of Istanbul Private Tour
Description
This is not just another city tour; this is the best of Istanbul with hidden gems that only a local can show you. Get to know Istanbul on a city tour that gives you the perfect overview, from culture, history, and local lifestyle - this tour has it all! Forget about big touristy groups and the crowds; it's time to see Istanbul at its best thanks to your local guide’s knowledge and stories. Check out main landmarks like Topkapi, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and uncover city secrets that will show you the city through a different perspective. As they say, the locals know best! Highlights & Hidden Gems of Istanbul: Private City Tour is one of Withlocals' signature tours available in major cities worldwide. We work with passionate local guides who earn a fair fee. We support local economies by only offering local produce and prevent over-tourism with only small non-intrusive groups. Our tours are carbon-neutral and away from the standard tourist routes.
Tour Options
Itinerary
See Topkapi and other landmarks and must-sees of the city. Your local host will take you to the main spots in town so you can get the perfect overview of what makes Istanbul so unique
Hagia Sophia is often referred to as the eighth wonder of the world and one of Istanbul’s most impressive sights! See it from the outside. Along the way, your local host will show you treasures hidden in plain sight that only the locals know about. Get to know the city through a different perspective, the local way, and discover places and stories that not many tourists experience
Blue Mosque is Istanbul's most beautiful (and blue) active mosque built between 1609 and 1616 years. Behind every landmark and every stop, there’s a story, and your local host is ready to tell it all. Get ready to listen to incredible stories, one-of-a-kind insights, and fun facts only a knowledgeable local would know!
Depending on your host and their chosen route for the tour, this stop might also be included in your route.
Depending on your host and their chosen route for the tour, this stop might also be included in your route.
Depending on your host and their chosen route for the tour, this stop might also be included in your route.
Depending on your host and their chosen route for the tour, this stop might also be included in your route.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Private tour: only you & your local guide
Reviews(248)
Walking tour of Istanbul for us included mostly hidden gems on our request (we have been to Istanbul many times). Our guide took us to a secret garden and a less well know cistern which was super nice. He was knowledgeable, super nice, very accommodating ! Excellent communication. Could not have asked for a better or more flexible experience.
An outstanding introduction to Istanbul! Emre was a great host – very personable and accommodating, and armed with a deep knowledge of the area’s history and culture. Before the tour started, he bought us coffee and sat with us for 15 minutes to provide some background info and understand how he should tailor the tour to meet our preferences and make the most of our time together. His introductions to each site we visited (Hippodrome, Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Basilica Cistern, gardens of Topkapi Palace) made everything much more meaningful and enjoyable. Highly recommended!
We loved our street art tour with Alp. He was very knowledgeable, sharing about Istanbul as well as the street art. The art was always interesting, sometimes beautiful, and sometimes provocative. Alp very considerately planned for breaks during the tour. If you are interested in art, politics, and protests and you like to walk. This is a great tour for you.
We went on STREET ART TOUR ISTANBUL! Alp was knowledgeable, friendly and accommodating. The murals were captivating and intentional. The community is filled with amazing cafes, galleries, bars, shop. It gave a modern peek into a vastly complicated and old city.
Gülce, of WithLocals, was very knowledgeable about Istanbul and the history of Turkey. She braved the cold (it’s snowing in Istanbul!), tailored the tour to our interests, impressed us with the depth of her knowledge, and gave us a lot of good practical advice for visiting Istanbul.
We were looking for a reason to explore the Asian side of Istanbul, and found this tour. We're so glad we did it! We had a wonderful afternoon with Alp - his tour is more than just street art, we went to a couple of local cafes, learned about culture and history, and even got some great shopping tips. Alp is a friendly, knowledgeable guy, and adjusted the pace where we wanted to stay a bit longer & take photos, or move on to the next things. I can't recommend this tour highly enough!!
I honestly don’t know where to start. Dilek was amazing and it was like I was learning about the city from a friend. Her communication, from the moment I set up the tour until the moment I met her was fabulous. We chatted and got to know each other. She arranged for me to have transportation and it was the best decision! Dilek’s in depth knowledge of Istanbul is second to none, and we had wonderful conversations wandering the cobblestone streets lined with cafes and restaurants. We were able to see the Hagia Sofia, Cisterns, Spice Market, old city, new city, galata port, and so much more! I fell in love with Istanbul in large part because of Dilek. I didn’t just have a tour. I explored an amazing city with a friend, and made memories that will last me forever.
We had a wonderful time in Istanbul with Ahmet. He showed us around the main city attractions and explained in detail the (many!) historical events that took place over the various places visited (Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Basilica Cisterns, Grand Bazaar, etc.). This was definitely the highlight of our trip and we'd encourage anyone visiting to benefit from Ahmet's lovely personnality, humor, good mood and wealth of knowledge by booking a tour.
Dilek is a great guide to Istanbul and comes with a very pleasant personality. She is knowledgeable, smart and easily flexible to provide a tailor-made experience. And if shopping in Istanbul is your thing: she can assist there as well!
Emere was great. He took us to the usual places and also to of the beaten path streets and restaurants for a local flavor. Highly recommend him.
