Private Old City Guided Tour
Description
This private guided tour aims to give you most important information about history of those beautiful monuments such as Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Basilica Cistern and Hippodrome so what actually makes special about these places are the history behind of them and that is where the guide will be giving you all details about history and what happened in back of time until present day. The professional tour guide will ccompany you which will make things easier and comfortable in most of the touristic places, museums and palaces the tour guides have the priority can skip the lines. The best part is the tour is customizable for so you can add new places you would like to see or remove the places you don’t want to see.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya, Santa Sofia) Built in 6th century by Emperor Justinian. It plays a very important role in Christian and Islamic World. After the Ottoman conquest the bells, altar, and sacrificial vessels were removed, and many mosaics were covered to convert church into a mosque.
Blue Mosque: Built in the early 1600s for Sultan Ahmet I of the Ottoman Empire. Blue Mosque is truly a magnificent masterpiece of architecture, with amazingly delicate proportions for a building of such massive scale. Very intresting fact that locals never calls Blue Mosque, we as locals call it Sultan Ahmet Mosque (Camii). There is a lot of intresting information that i would be sharing with you about this beautiful mosque.
There is a very mysterious place in Sultanahmet, the heart of Istanbul: Basilica Cistern. The Cistern was also used as a venue in many movies and series. Did you watch Inferno, the movie starring Tom Hanks? It was shot in 2016, adopted by Dan Brown’s book. One of the main venues of that movie was Basilica. Basilica Cistern İstanbul or Basilica Palace is one of the most important structures in the history of Istanbul. The features of the columns inside, and the Medusa head, which is especially inverted, attract a lot of attention. There was a basilica where this cistern was built. For this reason, the cistern is called the Cisterna Basilica. Would you like to have some more detailed information about this place, please book our private guided tour to join me to discover... Remember Private guide can skip the lines, handdle your tickets and make your limited time worthile.
Byzantine Hippodrome / Sultanahmet Square; where chariot races were held back in Roman Empire times, Egyptian Column from Byzantine Empire era. German Fountain
Grand Bazaar is a place that keeps lots of vanishing professions alive with their unique culture. It is the world’s oldest, the biggest bazaar where the most variable products are exhibited. The bazaar includes more than 3 thousand shops and it is visited by approximately 400 thousand people. During the Ottoman Empire era, jewelry and precious hand-woven textiles were gathered in Grand Bazaar from all over the country to be sold, and it is a shopping paradise for the ones who especially appreciate traditional textiles and authentic jewelry.
Topkapi Palace is one of the world’s largest surviving palaces and was built between 1460 and 1478 under the orders of Sultan Mehmed II a few years after he conquered Constantinople. The palace served as the home of the Ottoman Sultans for almost four centuries. It was also the state’s administrative and educational headquarters. The Topkapi Palace complex consists of four main courtyards and many smaller buildings. Female members of the Sultan's family lived in the harem, and leading state officials, including the Grand Vizier, held meetings in the Imperial Council building. The Topkapi Palace is huge place and it needs few hours to discover it. İts just like small village and there are alot of stories and intrigues to tell :) We private tour guides have priority to skip the lonq lines at the museums and Topkapi Palace is museum as well.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
The personal private guide meet you at your desired adress... can be your hotel lobby or any place you want be meet up. Please be informed that the private vehicle will be used, if need be. Meet up can be your hotel lobby.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(158)
As family we booked the tour via WhatsApp and it was amazing! This company is really good just doing everything in their power specially the tour guide he had done a great job not during the tour but after that too... you just see his passionate about his work and history and all those things! It was great and I can't say enough! Thank you guys for going beyond my expectations and made my family perfect trip! I will certainly tell everyone to choose you!
The best decision we made in Istanbul was hiring a licensed guide. Aydın shared fascinating stories and historical details that we would never have discovered on our own. Highly recommended.
The tour was very enjoyable. Mr. Aydın was very helpful to us. My guests were from America, and it was impossible not to be impressed by Mr. Aydın's knowledge of history.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Aydin is an outstanding tour guide! Friendly, knowledgeable, and passionate about history. The tour was very informative, and enjoyable from start to finish. Aydin exceeded our expectations! Great with my three children. Highly recommended!
Everything was perfect! Detailed explanation, they picked us on time, and the guided were very nice .
We had an excellent tour of Istanbul with Mr. Aydın. He was knowledgeable, professional, and very friendly throughout the day. His explanations made the history and culture of Istanbul easy to understand and truly enjoyable. We learned so much, visited beautiful places, and felt very well taken care of. We highly recommend Aydın to anyone looking for a great guide in Istanbul.
Our time in Istanbul was made truly exceptional by the impeccable guidance of Mrs. Saadet, booked thru Magnaura Palace Hotel. From the very first moment, her gracious presence, warmth, and quiet confidence set the tone for an experience that felt both deeply personal and effortlessly refined. Mrs. Sadeet possesses an extraordinary depth of knowledge, which she shares with such elegance and clarity that every landmark, every street, and every hidden gem felt alive with meaning. Her storytelling transformed the city into a living tapestry of history, culture, and timeless beauty. What distinguished her most was her intuitive understanding of how to craft a seamless and elevated journey. Every detail was thoughtfully considered, allowing us to simply immerse ourselves in the charm of Istanbul without a single concern. Exploring the city with her felt less like a tour, and more like being welcomed into its soul—guided by someone who genuinely cares about creating something unforgettable. Mrs. Saadet is, without question, a true professional of the highest calibre. For anyone seeking a sophisticated, insightful, and memorable Istanbul experience, she is simply the finest choice. 10 out of 5 stars!!!
He guided us on what is truly worth seeing based on time and interest, which made the whole tour feel very well planned.” “His recommendations were honest and practical, focused on giving a meaningful experience rather than just ticking places off a list.” “He knows how to adjust the tour depending on your energy and interest in history, which makes a big difference
Exploring Istanbul with Aydın was one of the highlights of our trip. His knowledge of the city’s history, culture, and hidden details made every place feel alive. From the Hagia Sophia to the Grand Bazaar, every stop became much more meaningful thanks to his storytelling and explanations. What makes him different is that he doesn’t just guide you through monuments — he helps you truly understand Istanbul. The tour felt relaxed, personal, and perfectly organized from beginning to end. He was also very attentive to our interests and adjusted the pace of the tour accordingly, which made the whole experience comfortable and enjoyable. We highly recommend Aydın to anyone visiting Istanbul and looking for an authentic and memorable experience.
Aydın is an exceptional guide and a wonderful person to discover Istanbul with. His passion for history and the city itself is obvious from the very first moment. Every monument, street, and story felt connected in a way that made the city much easier to appreciate and understand. We visited the Blue Mosque, Basilica Cistern, Hagia Sophia, and many other historic sites, and each place felt unique because of the context and stories he shared. The tour never felt rushed, and everything was arranged very professionally. If you want more than just photos and want to experience the real spirit of Istanbul, Aydın is the perfect guide.
