Istanbul Historical Tour: Private Guide Experience

Discover Istanbul’s rich history with a flexible, private tour. Skip lines, explore hidden gems, and tailor your itinerary to your interests.

Duration: 7 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Sultanahmet - Sultanahmet Square is an old square which is located in the historical peninsula of the city. The square is one of the most important highlights of the old Istanbul, where we can see Egyptian Obelisk,Serpent Column,and Walled Obelisk.
  • Topkapi Palace Museum - We can visit the Topkapı Palace which was built by the Sultan Mehmed the Second from Ottoman Empire as a main residence and management of the empire. It functioned as main administration part of the Ottoman Empire for 400 years.
  • The Topkapı Palace Museum is closed on tuesdays.
  • Hagia Sophia Mosque - We can visit the Hagia Sophia Mosque which is considered as one of the most important sites of the city. It was built by the Roman Emperor Justinian in the 6th century. We can visit the mosque where we can see details from the Byzantine and Islamic arts.
  • The Hagia Sophia Mosque will be closed for the visits during praying time.
  • Sultanahmet Mosque Information Center - Sultanahmet Mosque was built by the Ottomans in the 17th century. It is well known as Blue Mosque among the travelers because blue tiles are used as an interior decoration of the mosque.
  • Sultanahmet Mosque is closed until 2 pm (14.00) on Fridays because of the friday prayer.
  • Kapali Carsi - Grand Covered Bazaar is one of the oldest bazaar in the city which was constructed in the 15th century by the Ottoman Turks. It is located in the old part of the city where you can feel the historical atmosphere.
  • Grand Bazaar is closed on sundays. As an alternative, we can visit Spice Market.
  • Basilica Cistern - One of the largest cistern in İstanbul to keep the water in the 6th century ad.
What's Included
  • Professional licensed tour guide
  • Private guide service
What's Not Included
    • Meals and Drinks
    • Entrance fees of the museums
    • Gratitudes
    • Personal Expenses
    • (The Topkapı Palace costs 1500 Turkish Lira for each guest)
  • *Basilica Cistern costs 800 Turkish Lira for each guest
  • *Hagia Sophia costs 25 euro for each person to see the second floor.
Additional Information

Let’s experience the unique historical and touristic texture of Istanbul, which was occupied by the Greeks, the Romans, and the Ottoman Turks. Flexibility in the tour is a very important concept for the guests who are on holiday. The schedule should be programmed based on the interests of the travelers. Therefore, we shape our itinerary by conferring with our guests and presenting them with various options in which we can visit main highlights as well as other less known sites either in the center or off the beaten tracks. The main goal is to provide our guests with a wide range of options in order to find the right thing evaluating their limited time in our beautiful country. With the private guide, you will not have to wait for the very long ticket office queues which is very important as you do not waste any time and energy at the entrances of the museums. At the end of the day, guest satisfaction means a lot to us and we are definitely to ensure this.

    • The Grand Covered Bazaar is closed on Sundays. As alternative, we can go and visit Spice Market instead of Grand Bazaar on Sundays.
    • The Topkapı Palace is closed on Tuesdays.
    • Sultanahmet Mosque is closed on Fridays for a while because of the friday prayer.
    • Hagia Sophia Mosque will be closed for the visits during praying time.
Location
Taksim Square
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(63 Ratings)
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Sipanyb
Aug 29, 2024
Best Guide - The guide whom I have on the Bosphorus sunset tour is so excellent and informative. He made our tour super and he gave us so many details about the city. Highly recommended.
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128fachrim
Aug 20, 2024
Elkan Very Informatif - Elkan very helpfully me and my friends to inform about turkiye especially about Istanbul the capital city of Turkiye. Elkan bisa berbahasa Indonesia
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Grandtour48774707238
Aug 19, 2024
Amazing 1 day city tour in Istanbul - The tour was amazing, the weather was very cold for me, but I still enjoyed the tour, Serkan the tour guide was very friendly and helpful, he even spoke Indonesian :) this was my solo trip, and I never thought that I would meet such Indonesian speaking guide in Istanbul. He is a highly recommended tour guide!!
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Rheza
Aug 19, 2024
Very recommended Tour Guide in Turkiye - Serkan is a certified profesional tour guide inTurkiye with a many years experienced as a tour guide. You can explore Turkiye with him. Very friendly, humble, informatif. You can get wonderful guiding with him
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Dreamer57955640489
Aug 13, 2024
very pleasant experience touring guided by serkan - We visited various historical tourist attractions in Istanbul, sailed on the Bosphorus Strait, and visited restaurants serving typical Turkish food.
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Davidkalama
Aug 12, 2024
Helpful Guide - Serkan is a pleasant, helpful and Indonesian-speaking guide, so during the tour in Turkish, it is a pleasant experience
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Masboi
Aug 12, 2024
Very helpful and nice tour guide - Very helpful and nice tour guide, Have really nice and beautiful experience with Serkan as my tour guide. You guys really need this man on your family trip/Solo trip/Whatever trip you take, Serkan can handle all situation.
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S1042mhseanm
Aug 11, 2024
best tour guide ever - Serkan did an excellent job of explaining each historical site and waited patiently for us when we took our time chatting or taking photos. He truly knows what he's doing and is definitely one of the best tour guides I've met.
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Amandarm7142zs
Aug 11, 2024
Overall, a very good experience with Serkan - Serkan is such a helpful and fun tour guide! He knows a lot about the history and the details of places that we go & plus point is, he can speak Bahasa Indonesia, which makes it even easier for us since we all came from Indonesia. He is also super friendly and funny, so he can live up the environment really well. Thanks Serkan!
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Wanderer749103
Aug 10, 2024
Super knowledgeable and enjoyable tour! - Serkan was an amazing tour guide, and I wish we could have had even more time with him! He was bright and early right at our apartment door, and provided us with non-stop info and entertainment about some of the most amazing sights I have ever seen. The underground basilica cistern I'll remember to my dying day. We talked politics over a lovely lunch and ended our tour shortly thereafter. But I really hope to return to Istanbul and take another tour! Thanks Serkan!
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October 2024
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