Istanbul Private Tour: Explore Top Sites with Excellence Awarded Guide
4.9
488 Ratings
Istanbul
Experience an award-winning private tour of Istanbul's top sites, including the Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, and Grand Bazaar. Skip the long ticket lines at the Underground Cistern and enjoy the expertise of our highly-rated guides.
Duration: 6 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Blue Mosque - The Sultan Ahmed Mosque also known as Blue Mosque, one of the most revered masterpieces of the Islamic world, is famous with its blue ceramic tiles and six minarets.
What's Included
  • Expert local guide for personalized experience
  • Convenient private driver at your service
  • Comfortable travel in a new model Mercedes van with AC
  • Customizable private pick-up and drop-off at your hotel or cruise port
What's Not Included
  • Local Payment: Entrance Fees and Lunch
  • Gratuities to the guide and driver
  • Basilica Cistern entrance fee is about 18 usd per person
  • Hagia Sophia entrance fee is 25 Euros per person (about 27 usd)
Additional Information

We have been recognized with the Certificate of Excellence by Tripadvisor for 13 consecutive years from 2009 to 2023. With the highest number of reviews for Istanbul Tours on Tripadvisor, you can read over 1,600 glowing reviews of our services.

Experience all of Istanbul’s key attractions with our privately guided tour which covers the Hagia Sophia, Underground Cistern, Blue Mosque, Roman Hippodrome, and the Grand Bazaar.

*We will organize your Cistern tickets without the need for queuing at the public ticket line, this way you can bypass the lengthy public ticket queues.

Please understand there are no queue-skips for mosque visits (as mosques are not museums), so everyone must queue to gain entry.

  • Please note that we are boutique small family run tour company and have limited guides, during the summer months and special holidays our tours do fill up quickly. We suggest you try to book as soon as you can, once your plans are firm.
  • The Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays, We will visit the Spice Market instead.
  • While visiting a mosque in Istanbul, women need to cover their heads, shoulders, knees. You can carry your own scarf to cover your head but please note scarves are provided at the entrance of every mosque (available at a charge). If you are wearing leggings, tights or skirts, wraps will be provided at the entrance (available at a charge).
  • Men also need to cover the knees if the shorts or bermudas are over the knees.
  • * WE ALSO DO PRIVATE EPHESUS SHORE EXCURSION. IF YOU BOOK YOUR PRIVATE EPHESUS SHORE EXCURSION WITH US AS WELL YOU WILL GET A SPECIAL PRICE FOR PRIVATE EPHESUS TOUR. SO PLEASE MENTION IN THE NOTES IF YOU ARE ALSO INTERESTED IN PRIVATE EPHESUS SHORE EXCURSION.
  • *Please note that we will arrange tickets for the Cistern without waiting at the public tickeet line, so you will skip long public ticket lines there.
  • There are no skip the line for mosque visits (since mosques are not museums), so everybody has to wait at the line to enter.
  • *This is not a tour for those with mobility issues
  • * WE ACCOMMODATE MORE THAN 14 PEOPLE. If there are more than 14 people in your group, you can book it as 14 people then we can update the number of travelers by messages on viator.
  • Mosques are closed until 2.30pm on Fridays due to the Friday Services.
  • This is not a tour for those with mobility issues
Location
Blue Mosque
Sultanahmet Mah At Meydani Cad No 7
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.9
(488 Ratings)
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Ponciano
Jun 21, 2024
Wonderful - All, Shila was excellent lady so sweet, all the place were wanderfull. I recomend Shila always. josefa
Review provided by Viator
Annette_s
Jun 14, 2024
Fun filled day - Diana our tour guide was absolutely phenomenal. We were able to see all we wanted and did not feel the least bit rushed. She was very knowledgeable and able to answer the questions. Enjoyed it fully and would highly recommend.
Review provided by Viator
Victoria_s
May 8, 2024
Local tour guide a must - Our guide, Diana was amazing. She really knew how to see the most in the limited time available. The highlight of this tour was seeing silk being harvested and seeing an artisan making a silk rug. Also, the mosque and grand bazaar were a must see. Diana was both knowledgeable and kind. So
Review provided by Viator
Rhonda_w
Apr 29, 2024
Best tour yet. - This was probably our favorite tour. With our great guide who was able to have us skip all the lines and go straight into areas, it saved us hours of waiting in line. Very knowledgeable and super friendly. At the end, he took us to one of his favorite street food places and hung out with us.
Review provided by Viator
Alberto_t
Apr 4, 2024
We’ll do it again next time we go to Istanbul!! With the same tour guide please! - Our tour guide Özlem Aydin was very professional…that make a big difference when you travel for pleasure!!
Review provided by Viator
Julian_b
Mar 23, 2024
A private tour is a great option - I booked a private tour for us and our friends to ensure we had the full experience and could ask any questions. Being just the 4 of us we didn't feel like we had to wait for others. Beyza our tour guide was amazing, super knowledgeable and answered all our questions. When we visited the Grand Bazaar it was great to have Beyza with us, she was able to speak to the sellers and we didn't get hassled as much, which was perfect. We asked if we could take a tram, it wasn't part of the experience, but she was happy to take us. I would definitely recommend a private tour to visit all the main sights.
Review provided by Viator
Patricia_g
Mar 14, 2024
A must do in Istanbul! - We were so lucky to have Diana give us such an amazing tour to all of the major sites in old Istanbul. She was knowledgeable not only about history of the area, but also showed us her favorite local shops and restaurants. I would highly recommend taking this tour from your cruise ship with Diana.
Review provided by Viator
Patricemmmb
Feb 25, 2024
Istanbul Private Shore Excursion - I booked private shore excursion for my mom while she was in Turkey for a 2 day stop. The booking process was easy and the tour was amazing. My mom really enjoyed not only the actual tour but also loved the humor and information that the tour guide provided. 5 out of 5 stars!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sonya_o
Feb 24, 2024
Amazing guide - Our guide was wonderful. We travelled with three young children and she was helping us with the kids , made it so easy for us to make the best of our day in Istanbul.
Review provided by Viator
Jeffrey_t
Jan 13, 2024
Turkiye Visit - Fantastic tour, stress free and really informative. Highly recommended. We were from a cruise and everything went very smoothly.
Review provided by Viator
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up to 15 guests
1 Adult
June 2024
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