Istanbul Private Tour: Customizable Itinerary Highlighting Historical Monuments and Famous Places

Experience the best of Istanbul with a private tour guide and a customizable itinerary. Explore historical monuments, famous landmarks, and indulge in local cuisine and shopping. Avoid ticket lines and get insider tips for an unforgettable vacation.

Duration: 7 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Topkapi Palace - Ottoman palace
  • Hagia Sophia Mosque - See the old 6th century monument that built in 532 as a Cathedral, converted into a Mosque in 1453, for a long time it was a museum. Since 2019 until now serving as a mosque again…
  • Basilica Cistern - Used to save fresh water! Just restored and opened showing 360 degree lightning historical show.
  • Hippodrome - Oldest Roman hippodrome in 2nd century,
  • Blue Mosque - Islamic pray building original name Sultanahmet I Mosque
  • Kapali Carsi - Dates back to 1661 oldest covered bazaar in the world with nearly 3600 shops and 22 doors inside. Magical and historical place
What's Included
  • Private tour
  • Professional local guide
  • Guide meets you at central hotels
  • Bottled water
What's Not Included
  • Museum tickets and entrance fees
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

Embark on a bespoke journey around Constantinopolis/Istanbul with a private tour guide who will tailor your tour to your personal interests. Bypass the queues at high-profile historical sites and landmarks. Benefit from the insight of a professional local guide to explore numerous locations in a single day. Receive top-notch suggestions for dining at restaurants, cafes or sampling local street food, as well as shopping tips for quality purchases. Simply enjoy your holiday with this unique tour providing stellar insights and access to the best spots in Istanbul.

Location
German Fountain
At Meydanı Caddesi
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
5.0
(39 Ratings)
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Woodhousetim
Aug 14, 2024
Sema is simply amazing - I've travelled a lot and met many tour guides, but none of them impressed me as much as Sema. Her knowledge and energy are endless. What a fabulous 8 hours we spent
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Fabiob157
Jul 12, 2024
Availability, courtesy and knowledge - For the second time I have asked Mrs Sema to house us around the city and we enjoy a lot all the insights she has been able to provide. Great knowledge of the city and of the complex historical background but also of the huge gastronomical that the city can offer. A dynamic approach to all matters and an infaticabile energy to move around and chat of culture and ottoman tradition. Definitely she one of the best overall guide I have encountered. Congratulations
Review provided by Tripadvisor
873jayminp
Jun 25, 2024
Amazing Experience!!! - Sema and her parter were amazing tour guides. We had booked the tour for 2 days and we had a lot of fun. Kids loved the private boat tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Erin_j
Jun 19, 2024
Great day in Istanbul - This tour was fantastic. We visited on a cruise ship and Sema met us at the port to take us to Sultanahmet Square where the hippodrome, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia and Basilica Cistern are located. Communication before the tour was great; we knew exactly where to meet. It was busy the day we came because there were two cruise ships in port and it was a national holiday, but we waited in line half the time as others because Sema knew where to go and could anticipate which sites would be most crowded when. She knows so much about Turkish history and clearly enjoys what she does. Sema also gave us recommendations on the best place to get Turkish baklava which was a treat! I highly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Viator
Global34102626981
Mar 11, 2024
Memorable visit to Istanbul - During our 5 day trip to Istanbul, we had Sema as our guide for 3 days (she was referred to us by a close friend who had her as a guide in 2022). Sema is an excellent guide, very knowledgeable about the history of Istanbul and the Roman/Ottoman empire and she is also very fluent in English. It is very easy to become friendly with her, she is so easy-going and willing to put herself out for any request made by us, whether it was shopping or food tasting or just general questions. Over the 3 days, she showed us all the highlights of Istanbul (both the European as well as the Asian side) and explained to us the history and current status for all of them. Her historical knowledge of every place is phenomenal!!! She also took us around for food tasting as well as shopping, especially with the specific requirements that we had in mind. And the places that she took us for baklava and turkish delight and turkish coffee and turkish tea as well as chicken rolls and fish rolls served us delicious lip-smacking food. Thank you Sema for an unforegattable experiance of the beautiful city of Istanbul. I would highly recommend Sema for anyone visiting Istanbul.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Shaheerghulamn
Feb 29, 2024
Best guide in Istanbul. Useful tips! - We are grateful to our guide Sema for showing us all the main highlights of Istanbul, while giving us information about the history and modern use of all places. She also give us really good tips on where to shop, what else to see, and what to do in Istanbul
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sragdharak
Feb 18, 2024
Amazing job - Sema did an excellent job. She took us everywhere we wanted to go (haha Sophia, blue mosque, sisterns, hippodrome, spice market, and grand bazar) and showed us all of the cool things (apple pie place, ice cream trick place). If we didn't want to do something she'd skip it. She had a lot of knowledge about the history of Istanbul. Highly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Marthar839
Feb 5, 2024
Fabulous Experience in Istanbul! - We had Sema as our guide for two days and it was the best experience ever! She took us to all the important landmarks, reserved a private boat tour and Turkish bath. She shared wonderful restaurants and detailed history of Istanbul. I highly recommend her to anyone traveling to this beautiful city.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Loaij997
Jan 7, 2024
Professional and personalized tour - A knowledgeable guide, who can understand the group she is dealing with. We were a family with kids and she managed to keep her pace so as to suit everyone without letting anyone feel left out. We now have beautiful pictures with landmarks of Istanbul. Sema showed us places of the bazaar that we would have never reached and brought us to taste amazing food. We enjoyed our day, and would like to thank our guide who is still so helpful after the tour with her advices.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
786analuisam
Dec 1, 2023
Istambul city tour - It was a very Nice with Sema in Istambul. A perfect tour in one day. She was very kind, and She knows everything a about the city history. I recomend her tours!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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September 2024
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