Top Istanbul Private Sightseeing Tours - page 39

My husband, 13 year-old son, and I met Nurten at the German Fountain for a fabulous half-day tour of the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Basilica Cistern, and Grand Bazaar. Nurten was so friendly and easy to talk to! She took family photos for us at all of the sites. Along the way, we stopped for tea and treats at a cafe, and she pointed out places that we wouldn’t have otherwise noticed to have lunch and dinner all along our route for later on our trip. She had answers for all of our questions. After giving us a lot of helpful tips for shopping in the Grand Bazaar (including details around handbag shops, etc.) I feel ready to return and do some more shopping on my own. She even stayed on after our tour would naturally end and patiently taught us how to shop for carpets in one shop outside the market and helped us extricate ourselves gracefully when we were not ready to buy. She was funny and smart and never rushed us or directed us somewhere we did not want to go. A good guide can make a tour good or bad and we were so lucky to meet Nurten. Even my son loved the tour and our guide- which says a lot coming from a teenager who doesn’t love museums! Fully recommend!

We just finished a tour of Istanbul’s Old Town with Hilal, and it was an incredible experience. She provided a fantastic overview of the city’s landmarks, sharing her deep knowledge in a way that was both engaging and easy to follow. What really stood out was how she tailored the tour to our interests, making it feel personal and unique. In addition to visiting the main sights, we had the chance to take part in a family-run ceramics demonstration and visit an authentic handmade Turkish rug workshop—both were memorable cultural experiences that we wouldn’t have discovered on our own. Hilal also recommended a wonderful lunch spot away from the typical tourist crowds, which can be hard to find. It gave us a truly authentic taste of the local cuisine. Thank you again, Hilal, for introducing us to your amazing city and making our visit so special!

We really enjoyed our one-day tour with Çiçek. With Eid coming up, we wanted to see as much as we could in one day. She knew the timing and schedules for all the sites so that we could see each site at its best. And the guides can skip lines. Not to mention that they know the best spots to get pictures! She steered us to a wonderful place to get a snack when we were hungry and gave us recommendations for what will be open during Eid. Yes, she did take us to a carpet shop (I get the impression this is what the tourist companies do) but it was interesting and we didn’t feel any pressure to buy. In fact this store was very classy and if we’d known we’d be going to Istanbul I might have measured an area in my house because their carpets were gorgeous. I highly recommend her as a guide if you come.