Top Istanbul Private Sightseeing Tours - page 3

We had a great tour with Ervim today. Very good communication prior to the tour, and the meet-up outside the cruise port was seamless. She speaks very good English and was an endless wealth of historical and cultural information. We visited Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace and Grand Bazaar. As well as Turkish coffee and lunch, both at local places where did not speak English. Ervim really increased our knowledge and understanding of Turkey’s history and how it affects our part of the world. We would highly recommend her as a tour guide.

Mehmet was an excellent guide full of historical knowledge and insight. He met us at the hotel lobby promptly. He took is to all the sights mentioned on the itinerary (Hagai Sofia, Blue Mosque Basilica Cistern) except Topkapi Palace Museum which is closed on Tuesdays. We had a delicious lunch at a family run spot inside the Grand Bazaar. We then continued our walk to the Egyptian Bazaar and walked through local vendor shops along the way. Mehmet pointed out symbols and sights not known to visitors unless mentioned by a guide. His years of experience shows. And he was right, Basilica Cistern must be on everyone's bucket list. Truly a sight to behold! We ended our tour at Eminonu where we took the tram back to the hotel at the Sultanahmet stop. We loved our day tour of Istanbul thanks to Mehmet. A city with so much to offer. It did not disappoint but is indeed a magical destination.

As a solo traveler I specifically picked this tour because of the hotel pick up/drop off. My tour guide, Songül met me promptly at 0830 and we drove to our walking tour start point. Booking a private tour allows you greater flexibility to not be rushed. I felt it also allows for a more immersive experience because one can ask questions and not feel that you are holding up a bunch of other people in a small group[ format. Songül is a very good guide. She explained our itinerary, made suggestions and we jointly decided on the route and what I would see. She is an engaging conversationalist . She never tired of the thousands of questions I asked. She explained cultural differences between my home country and hers. The tour says lunch is "on you own" but since it was just the two of us I asked her if she could take me to a restaurant where the "locals go" and not one of the more tourist oriented ones. I had a fantastic lunch made even better with her explaining my food/drink choices as there was no menu. The tour is set out but since it was just the two of us we deviated slightly as i had little interest in one of the stops. We went to two terraces which allowed me to look out over the city. It gave me a perspective on just how big Istanbul really is.Songül is knowledgeable, a great communicator and a pleasure to walk around the city with. I am glade I had the opportunity to meet and engage with Songül. She made Istanbul come alive for me.