Top Istanbul Private Sightseeing Tours

Comprehensive tour. Mert our guide was extremely knowledgeable and passionate about history. The only downside was he disuaded us from going into the Hagia Sophia due to scaffolding and renovations. Luckily we decided to go into the Hagia Sophia the next day on our own - it is well worth it, scaffolding and all.

Songül, our guide was very efficient and well informed. She was able to tailor our tour to what we wanted to see and helped avoid some of the crazy long lines we experienced (though not all). Even though this tour was marked “skip the line” we were not actually able to skip any lines to enter, we just avoided the lines to purchase tickets. The line for the Hagia Sophia was so long, we actually ended up not going since it would entail waiting for more than half and hour in the rain and cold. Our guide was able to redeem those tickets for ones to the interesting but lesser known and less crowded Cistern of Theodisius instead. We also went to the Blue Mosque and the Topkaki Palace, the latter of which was essential to get a guide for since the complex is overwhelming without one. Songül found a great place for us to have lunch (you end up paying for the guide’s meal which we were not aware of) and then took us to a ceramics store where we purchased some nice handmade pieces after being given a demonstration by the owner. This seems to be the thing in Istanbul - everyone is trying to sell you something and it’s hard to walk away, especially in the Grand Bazaar which we could barely stand to spend 15 minutes in, the crowds were so dense and the pressure from salespeople so intense. A good tour, but unfortunately bad weather and way too many other tourists made it difficult to fully enjoy.

We had an excellent private tour with Belgin Karan. Although a bit shy at first she warmed up once she figured out we were interested in everything. She was a wealth of knowledge. It was so nice to have a guide to help you with the ins and outs. Istanbul is confusing and a bit stressful. She took us to a local eatery for lunch, a bit off the tourist district. You did have to stop at the pottery place and a rug gallery, part of the deal. I left without a rug, but did end up with a beautiful tile. The Basillica Cistern is amazing, the Blue Mosque wonderful, the H Sophia is under renovation, she did offer to take us there, but listening to others, they were disappointed and still had to pay, so we skipped (October 2026). Best money we spent in our two days in Istanbul for an initial overview.

We had a wonderful experience with Ipek as our travel guide in Istanbul. She was incredibly knowledgeable, kind and friendly, and did a fantastic job of including our children throughout the tour. She made the experience interesting and enjoyable for the whole family. We highly recommend Ipek and this tour.

I booked the tour very last minute at night for the next day. Communication took place without any problems via WhatsApp. Our guide Utku told us a lot about the history and landscape of Cappadocia. Thus the day ends with many impressions and photos. Overall, the tour lasted approx. 8 hours.

The tour we went on assigned us a Spanish-speaking guide who took us to several very beautiful and interesting places, which were the Cistern, the Blue Mosque, the Grand Bazaar, Topkapi; the guide was very attentive at all times, always looking out for us, explained the history of the places to us in Spanish, and I loved it. The next time I return I am sure I would hire him again.

We had the best day in Istanbul, all thanks to our wonderful guide Beyhan. We were able to see a lot in just a few hours and cannot wait to come back! Beyhan was able to work with our requests to see certain sites and skip others and she even took us to a restaurant for lunch! The only thing to note is that the driver on the way back to the airport drove a bit too fast/recklessly so that can be improved upon. But the tour itself was phenomenal and I would highly recommend it if you have a layover in Istanbul.

Having a guide who is both educated and fluent in English. Makes for a seamless and fun experience. She gave us a historical and regional overview that really adds to our understanding. We are viewing hundreds of years of history, so having it in manageable quantities, Helps to understand how and why people lived and built the beautiful world we live in. Zeliha Turkkan was really good no she was great!! This will be the highlight of my first trip to Istanbul. The memories will always be with us.