Private Customizable Istanbul Day Tour with Licensed Guide

We spent 4 days with our guide Gokhan Gurdal. He was flexible,informative and sensitive to our needs. He brought Instambul to life! On our own we never could have seen or understood this city!Fabulous guide!!!

Excellent service for a reasonable price Great guide. On time service. Very knowledgeable and personable.

Our guide Sezen was fabulous. Great personality and knowledgeable

We had the pleasure of using Ali Ozdemir as our guide in Istanbul for the second time, and somehow the experience was even better than the first. Since he remembered everything we had already seen on our previous trip, he thoughtfully created an entirely new itinerary tailored to our interests. We toured Topkapi Palace, which was absolutely incredible, and his knowledge of the history, culture, and stories behind everything we saw was extensive without ever feeling overwhelming. He kept us engaged the entire time, answered all of our questions conversationally, and made the day feel more like exploring the city with a very knowledgeable friend than being on a formal tour. He also knew I wanted to do some shopping and perfectly balanced modern boutiques with authentic old-world shopping experiences. And perhaps most importantly — because a great food stop is always high on my list — he consistently found the best local eats that we never would have discovered on our own. The next day we toured Dolmabahçe Palace, and once again he brought the history and atmosphere to life in a way that made the experience unforgettable. After the palace, we crossed to the Asian side of Istanbul and became even more immersed in Ottoman cuisine. Our menu was incredibly diverse, and then came the desserts — all just fabulous. Ali expertly guided us away from tourist traps, and even when I occasionally pushed because I “just wanted to get the picture,” he made sure I got it — and as always, his advice was right and we happily moved on! Ali is not only our guide now, but truly our friend. He also connected us with a fabulous sunset cruise option one evening as we were celebrating our anniversary! Class act!We cannot recommend him highly enough.

We had an amazing experience on our private tour in Istanbul! Our guide, Ali, was incredibly knowledgeable, friendly, and professional throughout the day. He picked us up directly from our hotel, which made everything super easy and stress-free. Ali guided us through the Old City, sharing fascinating stories and insights that really brought the history and culture to life. He was always available for questions and made sure the pace of the tour suited us perfectly. We truly felt taken care of from start to finish. If you’re visiting Istanbul, this tour is absolutely top recommended!

Great overview of the old city. Ali was very informative and a very good guide. We got all our questions answered.

Mr. Shakir and driver picked us up at our hotel . He was timely and early and the concierge notified us he was in the lobby. The driver took us to old town Istanbul and we visited the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. Mr. Shakir has great knowledge and conveyed the history of the area, customs and we learned so much information. We visited the Muslim history museum , hippodrome ,grand bazaar and the cistern. We left ourselves in the capable hands of Mr Shakir and his driver and had a fabulous day. We stopped for tea before going to the museum and had a wonderful lunch at a local spot Mr Shakir took us to. The food was delicious. We ended the day with shopping and we were taken back at the end of the day to our hotel. A wonderful day to get the flavor and culture of Istanbul. Thank you Mr. Shakir!

Excellent decision to go with a private tour guide. The guide, Meral, was great and made all the difference an we had a great time

My mom and I took this tour for our first ever time in Instanbul. Mehmet Shakir was our guide for the day and by the time the tour was over I had fallen in love with the city. His tour with us was the perfect mix of famous sites, shopping, and eating. We told him which sites we wanted to see including the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, and Basilica Cistern. Not only did he give us a meaningful background to these sites but also was able to get us skip-the-line access (which helps, because those lines were really starting to grow). We also told him some particular souvenirs we hoped to get and he made sure we were able to get the best price from the right places. We came home with a beautiful Turkish lamp and a wonderful assortment of Turkish teas, as well as some evil eye key chains as gifts for friends. He took us to a local kebab restaurant for lunch which he described as "the best kebab in town", and it didn't disappoint! After the tour was over he guided us onto the ferry so we could go across the Bosphorous and spend some time in Kadikoy. I also told him I was hoping to try a typical fish wrap/sandwich, and he gave me the address of a fish wrap restaurant to try and it was one of the best things I've ever eaten in my life! The tour was perfect from start to finish and I cannot wait to come back to this beautiful city.

We just took the 8 hr private tour with Sakir a couple of days ago, and my daughter and I declared that it was the best tour of the trip (which encompassed five other tours w/ very excellent guides in Rome and Pompeii). Sakir loves his city, and it shows. He showed us all the highlights: the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque---and the smaller local also-blue mosque, the Basilica Cisterns, the Hippodrome and navigated the crowds and lines like a champ. The history of Istanbul is long and rich, and I have not yet had a chance to read up on it, but Sakir gave us a very clear idea of the story of this city, and answered all of our questions with thought and patience. He also brought us to a local restaurant that was truly delicious, and so reasonably priced. We also wanted to do some shopping--teas, lokum, rugs, and mosaic lamps--and he brought us to some really great shops and gave me an idea of when/how to haggle. As professional and knowledgeable and capable as he is, Sakir always makes you feel like this is a friend showing you around. He also seems to know everyone in the city! The prices that are charged by this tour company are very competitive, and worth every penny. We hope to return soon, and will call on this company and Shakir when we do.