Private Guided "Energy of Istanbul-Skip the Ticket Line" Tour
Description
I provide private customized tours for your needs in my city. I will be delighted to share my knowledge and experience with you in a private tour, special to you through the streets of Istanbul in which you can adjust the pace and see or to do more or less. You will skip the ticket lines since I will provide the pre purchased tickets.You can enjoy history, culture, gastronomy and shopping of the city in the best customized way with me. As a local Istanbul born and raised professional tour guide, I will do my best to comfort you and enjoy the city's life, history, food and shopping.
Tour Options
Itinerary
We visit the one of the most beautiful Ottoman mosques decorated with 4 centuries old blue Iznik tiles.
We visit the surviving monuments of the Hippodrome of Constantinople where the Roman chariots used to race, a stadium of the time which was bigger than any soccer stadium of today. It's capacity was a 100000 people at the time that the city's population was 400000.
THIS IS AN OPTION. IN MOST DAYS VISITING THE TOPKAPI PALACE IS SKIPPED. A valuable visit to understand the Ottoman history, to their 4 century serving, traditional palace which consist of the exhibition halls of the Ottoman jewels, ceremonial weapons, clocks, kitchen ware etc. A highlight in the old town.
Ayasofya (Hagia Sophia), one of the oldest and the greatest houses of worship. We visit the visiting part of the church/mosque of the Romans and the Ottomans. 6th century built by the Byzantine emperor Justinian. A marvel of architecture.
We visit the 6th century built spectacular water reservoir of the Romans. A real proof of the advanced Roman architecture with its 336 ancient columns which looks like a sunken palace.
You experience the oriental way of shopping in the oldest and the biggest indoor shopping mall of Europe with an age of nearly 6 centuries, shops of 4000 and entrance/exit gates of 21. The famous bizarre bazaar!
In a convenient time of the day, we have a lunch break and it will be the time to experience the great Turkish cuisine in either of the two great restaurants; Deraliye or Galeyan or simple cafeteria lunch at the Pudding Shop.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
GALATAPORT OR SULTANAHMET AREA HOTELS CAN BE MEETING POINTS. OTHERWISE WE MEET IN THE OLD TOWN BY THE GERMAN FOUNTAIN. Galataport Cruise ship Port of Istanbul pick up by PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION is possible. In the pick up point I will hold a sign with the travelers' name.
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
- Not recommended for travelers with wheel chair or serious walking difficulties
Reviews(102)
Selcuk Senilcioglu was caring, attentive and very well versed in all places we visited. Seeing Istanbul with our guide was a highlight.
Sel is a knowledgeable, experienced, and patient guide. He knows all the cool spots and was great with our multigenerational group. Highly recommend.
Sal’s private Istanbul tour is incredible. He is extremely knowledgeable about the city, cultures, and history of this area and answered a million of our questions. He is extremely flexible with the experience to make it your own. He knows exactly which shops are the best quality for ceramics, spices, rugs, etc. I wouldn’t want anybody else showing me the city! 5/5
We booked a private tour with Sel, and it was easily one of the highlights of our time in Istanbul. He's knowledgeable without being scripted, the kind of guide who can walk you through centuries of history at Hagia Sophia and then pivot naturally into a conversation about what daily life actually looks like for people living in the city today. We came away feeling like we understood Istanbul, not just its monuments. Sel was practical, easy to talk to, and genuinely passionate about sharing his city. If you want more than a checklist of sites, he's your guide. Highly recommend.
Sejcuk is a really excellent guide. We spent a couple of days with him, and he showed us the main sights of the old city (skipping some long queues!), and some excellent lunch spots and shops in the grand bazaar. He is really knowledgeable and was able to give us a great sense of the history of the city. Highly recommended.
A personable and conversational English speaking guide with a great sense of humor. Very historically knowledgeable. Accommodating to all of your tour request needs.
Sel is a great guy. Easy going and very knowledgeable. We had him for the whole day and learned and saw so much. It was an in depth tour of the hippodrome, the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia, the basilica cistern, the Topkopi Palace and the Grand Bazaar. Plus, we had three more modern life experiences: a visit to a rug vendor with a weaver there demonstrating her craft, an excellent restaurant to taste traditional cuisine and a pottery and tile shop where we learned about traditional iznik pottery and tile making. Both the rug and pottery vendors were long established, trustworthy vendors. Know that you are being shown products for purchase, and there’s pressure to buy, but you obviously don’t have to. We did buy some things and feel that the quality was very high.
Six of us spent two days with Sel and the decision to do so truly paid off! Sel adapted his time with us based on our likes and goals. We were on a cruise and the best decision we made was to not do one of their canned tours! Sel exceeded expectations! His knowledge and calmness in a very busy, hectic city made our experience amazing! Not only did he know the “right” shops to take us too, but he selected restaurants popular with the locals for amazing food. We want to return because of our experience AND we plan to have Sel with us again.
Sel is very knowledgeable about city history and great at guiding us in and out of tourist sites. He picked a great lunch restaurant- our best meal in Istanbul - and had other great tips we put to use during our visit. And he seems to know everyone in town.
Sel is the mayor of Istanbul and seems to know everyone, especially other guides. He also knows the history and how to get you in and out of crowded tourist sights. He also suggested a great lunch restaurant and gave us good tips for visiting the Asian side that came in handy when our other Viator guide was first 20 minutes late (due to “bathing his grandfather”) and we gave up after an hour of waiting and just used the tips Sel gave us to tour the Asian side on our own.
