Top Istanbul Walking Tours - page 2

Wow! This tour was so great as was our guide, Ece. And, yes, she was such a queen when it came to the best service including communication, promptness, consideration, and unbeatable helpfulness. We we so pleased we had a small group with less than 10 participants.

First, it’s a small group tour with no more than 15 guests per tour. If you’ve traveled a lot, you know that’s a big deal. Our guide Lutfullah was kind, patient and shared a wealth of knowledge with the group. We also appreciated his yellow umbrella, open when possible, or closed but raised when necessary. I find it particularly frustrating when guides don’t do this. The areas visited on this tour are very popular. It’s easy to get separated. The tour is comprehensive to say the least! If you’ve traveled have one day in Istanbul, you’ll get it all on this tour. It is demanding. A lot of walking and a fair number of stairs to climb. We’re in our late 60’s and I have some arthritis. Lutfullah is mindful of his guests and thoughtfully pauses for seated rest breaks where possible. Awesome tour and fabulous guide! Thank-you dear Lutfullah.

I think this tour is a must to see so much of the beauty of Istanbul and learn the significance of what you are seeing. The tour was well organized and a great way to get around in a time efficient manner. The cruise was awesome and an opportunity for great pictures.

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!

Naz was an excellent guide! She was well informed, very personable, and flexible to suit our needs. The car was amazing too - more of a limo bus, in fact! My only complaint was that the description didn’t say that the Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays, so we had to skip that part of the tour. But Naz made up for it with other activities that suited everyone.

We had a wonderful walking tour, made truly exceptional by our guide, Ismail Mert. He is extremely knowledgeable, engaging, and passionate about the history and culture of the city. His explanations were clear and insightful, and he made the tour enjoyable for both adults and children. Highly recommended—Ismail is a very, very good guide and made our experience memorable.

This tour alone was worth the entire cost of my trip! It was clear our tour guide, Salih, had an amazing depth of understanding about the culture and history of this magnificent city. He gave a highly detailed narrative about the sites and the antiquities contained within. He was personable and engaging, flexible and informative and I was sad that I hadn’t taken advantage of his other tours during my stay. If you’re looking for that ‘next level’ experience, you must book with Salih, even if you’re in town only a few hours!

It was a highly informative and educational tour for my wife and I. We learned detailed information about the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sofia, tour of a Government subsidized rug store close to the Bazaar and lunch thereafter at an authentic Turkish restaurant, where we were served with an appetizer, kebab and dessert. Following lunch, we toured the Spice Market, which had exotic tastes and fragrances. This was then followed by a cruise tour of the Bosphorus. The entire tour was conducted and led by the knowledgeable Mr. Ali. He is definitely "the Istanbul impressario"; everything about Istanbul and more... We truly enjoyed the itinerary and even more, Ali made the difference!!!!