Istanbul Traditional Turkish Dinner and Dervish Experience
Recommended by 99% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Istanbul, Turkey
- 3 hours to 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
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Overview
Istanbul has a thriving food scene, but it can be hard to know where to find an authentic Turkish experience. Enjoy an evening immersed in Istanbul's traditional culture with dinner at a historical family restaurant loved by locals, complete with a dervish performance—an 800-year-old tradition that's Unesco Heritage listed. Plus, transportation back to your hotel is included at the end so there's no hassle of flagging a taxi.
- Eat like an Istanbul local with several delicious dishes unique to the area
- Meet like-minded travelers from around the world
- Dine at a 140-year-old local family restaurant
- Enjoy the peace and privacy of a private vehicle transfer
What's Included
- DinnerAll included. 5 different types of Traditional Turkish Kebabs, 5 types of Meze, Dessert. Food & drinks will be unlimited. Many options for the vegetarian. Ayran, Şerbet, Turkish Coffee, Tea
- Dervish Performance Ticket
- VEGETERIAN, VEGAN, GLUTEN FREE options are available, please inform us after reservation
- Private transportationAfter the experience we will drop you off Sultanahmet, Sirkeci, Eminönü, Galata, Taksim and Cruise Ports.
- THIS IS AN ALL INCLUDED TOUR. YOU WILL NOT PAY ANY EXTRAS.
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Hobyar, Büyük Postane Cd. No:24, 34112 Fatih/İstanbul, Türkiye
We will meet in front of Central Post Office. Rüstem Paşa, Büyük Postane Cd. No;25, 34112, Fatih. We will contact you via whatsapp for exact location.
End point
- Sirkeci, Hobyar, 34112 Fatih/İstanbul, Türkiye
After the experience is over, we will drop you off close to your hotel.
Itinerary
1
Sirkeci
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Kadinlar Pazari
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
3
Sirkeci Station
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Infant seats available
- Transportation is wheelchair accessible
- Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Most travelers can participate
- We have dishes to suit all your food preferences.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Anna_P
This was a fantastic cultural experience! It was great to eat authentic Turkish foods and experience the mystical Dervish ceremony. şüle and Eylul were very knowledgeable and welcoming - they felt like friends by the end of the tour! Both of them told of personal experiences and stories, which made the food and experience more memorable! The food was delicious, and very different from cuisine we had been able to find on our own. Highly recommend this tour and these guides if you want a great experience in Turkey!
Reviews
4.9
based on 619 reviews
SushilKumar_S, Jun 2026
The dervish session was spiritual and quite nice. What made the trip more interesting and enjoyable was the company of Zeynep who was so passionate and friendly in making the trip comfortable for us and very pleasant.
Susan_K, Jun 2026
This was an excellent tour. But I'll start with the negative... I nearly didn't find the pickup point. I was given instructions for taking public transportation from the cruise port, but despite growing up using New York City buses and trains, I couldn't figure out how to find or use the tram. I ended up taking an extraordinarily expensive cab ride and the cabbie didn't even drop me off at the correct spot. Fortunately I had allowed time for getting lost. The tour guide Zey was in contact with me and helped me find my way to the spot. I was frustrated and hot so the evening did not get off to a good start. But after that, everything was wonderful. Zey is a ray of sunshine and her tour is smooth and very well rehearsed since she has been doing it for two years. We enjoyed two examples of street food before we went to see the dervishes. Then we took the van to a neighborhood restaurant which served the most incredible food. We all wanted more but we were so full. After the meal, the van dropped us back at our hotel or the cruise port which I appreciated so much. As a gift, Zey gave us a little tote bag with line drawings of sites and symbols to help us remember our time in Istanbul. After a frustrating start, I thoroughly enjoyed this tour.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Thank you for the nice review Susan.
The negative aspect you mentioned has nothing to do with us. You will get on the tram using your credit card at the Port and get off after 3 stops, that's all.
Ryan_D, Jun 2026
This experience was outstanding! The organization of the itinerary, conversation, and food was well thought out and executed. Sule, our tour guide was hands down the best guide we experienced in Instanbul. She offered history, context, recommendations, and most of all, a genuinely considerate and friendly energy. No one should pass up this opportunity to experience these pieces of Turkish culture. Sule is proud of her culture and country and is excited to share it with you in the best way possible.
John_V, Jun 2026
Highly recommended and ask for Zeynep to be your host!
The evening begins with being served street food by a local celebrity (I will not spoil the surprise you will need to book the experience), followed by some delicious Turkish delights. This is just wetting your appetite for the main course which is the mystical cultural experience that is the Whirling Dervish. The evening concludes with what felt like a family meal at a local Turkish restaurant. The main ingredient was our host Zeynep. From the moment she greeted us she was warm, witty and informative. She had ensured that we were all informed of the itinerary by texting us all on the morning of the tour. She made us feel we were spending a lovely evening with a friend, not a host
Well done !!
Haider_A, Jun 2026
We had a wonderful evening exploring the street food, culture and more delicious food, we travelled to the meeting point from the cruise port and were dropped off back to the port in the evening
Robert_G, Jun 2026
Great food and great experience with our guide Zey. First a quick taste of street food, then the dervish show and topped off with a great meal in the old town part of Istanbul.
bellamywells, Jun 2026
A fantastic night watching the show and then followed by the best Turkish banquet you possibly can have!
John_I, Jun 2026
Dervish performance was intriguing and captivating. The dinner after the show was fantastic. There were four of us in our group, each with a very different pallette. We each found several things in the dinner that we really liked, so all were happy.
Our guide, Bugra, was friendly and knowledgable.
The only negative I'd cite is communication before the tour. Originally we booked for 4:30PM, but that Dervish performance was cancelled, so we received TEXTS about a change to 6:30PM, and asking us if we wanted to do the tour at that time. The problem I had with this was that nothing in the texts mentioned "Kubi", the company we were taking the tour with. And the phone number we received the texts from was DIFFERENT from the phone number in the booking details. We went into our booking details and messaged the company thru Viator. They confirmed that the change was legitimate. So we forged ahead with this new time for the tour. We took a taxi from the cruise port to the meeting place, and our taxi driver expressed skepticism that it was a legitimate tour we were on. He called the phone number the texts had come from, and I believe he spoke directly with our guide. Nothing the guide said to him made him any more confident that the tour was legit.
Obviously the taxi driver was wrong. The tour was legit and we enjoyed it. But Kubi could avoid situations like this by having their employees identify themselves with the company name on any such correspondence. Also, it would be better to use the phone number in the booking details for such correspondence.
RedSpice, Jun 2026
Zeynep was a wonderful guide who was excited to show us some of the food highlights of Istanbul as well as introduce us to the mesmerising Dervish tradition. We had a small group and Zeynep included us all in conversations and made us all feel welcomed.
Mariangela_P, Jun 2026
This is a fascinating and moving experience with a wonderful meal. Zey was our guide and she was absolutely wonderful and very personable.
DARRON_S, Jun 2026
It is a religious ceremony.interesting,unique and a cultural experience.great commitment from the "sufis".
Julie_B, Jun 2026
Sule was THE BEST tour guide! She loves her city and has so much knowledge and experience and genuinely enjoys showing off her home with new friends! The food is absolutely amazing and the Dervish experience is authentic and “dizzyingly” unique. Do not skip out on this tour!
Geoffrey_C, May 2026
Great tour - highly recommend Sule! She was an amazing guide - explained everything we were seeing and doing in great detail. She also provided lots of supplemental info and an extensive list of recommended places to go. LOVED the traditional dinner and the Dervish show and suggest asking for Sule!
Aysha_L, May 2026
Ask for Sheelug as your guide. She is the best. Thoroughly enjoyed the evening, topped with good food.
Nick_T, May 2026
Sule’s Traditional Turkish Dinner and Dervish Experience was a real highlight — beautifully balanced between culture, atmosphere, and great hospitality. The whirling dervish ceremony was a serene, authentic Sufi performance that left you feeling peaceful and grounded. The dinner that followed was equally memorable, with a wide variety of tasty dishes, each explained with insight and enthusiasm. Sule herself was a wonderful host, full of engaging stories and warmth, making the whole evening feel both personal and genuinely special.
Simi_O, May 2026
I would give Zeynep a 10/5 if I could! She’s one of the best hosts I’ve toured with. She knows how to talk to you about Turkish culture in a way that’s warm and inviting. The street food was short, but really good. The dinner at the end was the best intro to Turkish food and the group conversation was great. I’d recommend that you do some brief research on Dervish twirling prior to the tour as it’s probably not what you expect.
TerryVitanza, May 2026
Great experience! Nice street food, amazing show, very good food (be hungry because it's a lot of food!) and especially our great guide Sule!
Only thing that could be better is having a shorter dervish show after the real one where we can take pictures (that's what they propose in other dervish shows in Turkey).
Melwyn_C, May 2026
A very interesting Dervish performance and good food experience.
Zeynep was more a friend, than a guide!
Suzanne_J, May 2026
Zey was a great hostess. The Whirling Dervish was a unique experience. The street food before and restaurant after felt very authentic, local, and comfortable. The food was incredible. I highly recommend this experience.
steve_c, May 2026
Our guide Zeynep, did a wonderful job guiding us through some tastes of the city, a Dervish experience, and then the grand finale - a great Turkish dinner. A fun evening apart from the traditional tourist itinerary.
Madlyn_D, May 2026
A fun evening with Z, included a peaceful and lovely Whirling Dervish ceremony and a fantastic dinner! Z has good energy and is very kind and friendly. A recommended experience!
Clare_C, May 2026
The Dervish performance was interesting. Seynep was an amazing guide - she was so warm and welcoming. The dinner was delicious. It was a great evening.
RIKA_P, May 2026
I had an amazing experience on my 1:1 private tour with Sule. Due to some last-minute cancellations, I ended up having the tour entirely to myself, and I’m so glad the operator still made it happen. Sule is incredibly knowledgeable about Istanbul’s rich history, and her passion truly comes through in the way she connects with people, shares stories about her city, and enjoys great food along the way. I especially appreciated how she took the time to explain the Dervish ceremony beforehand, setting the right expectations that it is a spiritual meditation rather than a performance. It made the experience much more meaningful. Highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Istanbul!
Susan_B, May 2026
This was one of our best food tours and we take a food tour whenever we go to a new city. Zeynep was a wonderful guide. She spoke excellent English, had a great sense of humor, was very personable, and her explanations and information were very good. The Dervish experience we really enjoyed. It was beautiful, peaceful and a joy to watch. The food was exceptional and authentic. Zeynep explained to us what we were eating and how to eat the different dishes. The restaurant was very nice and was full of Turkish diners which is a good sign we were getting the best Turkish food. I would highly recommend this food tour!!!
Karol_D, May 2026
Zeynap was a great guide. It was funny, informative, and just full of energy. We started the evening with a visit to Turkey's version of the 'no soup for you' guy. Absolutely hilarious and pretty good food too. The Dervish show wasn't my favorite thing in Turkey by any means, but it was interesting. our feast afterwards was beyond fantastic.
Libby_G, May 2026
Zeynep is one of the loveliest and nicest she truly care. Our driver took us to the wrong meeting place and she tried her hardest to find us. When we finally met she showed such concern. The rest of the evening you were treated as if you were her family making sure you were comfortable and well taken care of. Dinner was unbelievable. She joined us explaining everything we tasted to the little treats she gave us to take. For her not Viator her. She is a true tour guide. We have had many. Zeynep is in the TOP IF TOPS in my book. Thank you Zeynep! Thank you Viator for hiring her. Now be smart a give her many more tours. You will be thankful.
Yuberca_S, May 2026
The whole experience was a very informative and interesting. Tour guide explained herself (Say) very well in every step of the way. The location of the restaurant and the different foods that was provided was excellent.
Yoshiko_S, May 2026
Awesome tour! The Dervish ceremony was so beautiful and spiritual. Our tour guide Zeynep was knowledgeable and speaks very good English. She took us to a street food and Turkish delight tasting. After that we had a delicious dinner at ground oven restaurant. They served us so many different kind of traditional Turkish dishes. Everything was great . At last Zeynep gave us a little gift!! Thanks you Zaynep for everything. I highly recommend this tour!
Kurt_P, May 2026
The Dervish experience was very disappointing. I should have researched prior to purchasing as I thought it was a dancing exhibition of talented Turkish dancers. They explained that it is supposed to be a deep religious experience for the dancers as they attempt to attain selflessness, shedding their materialism and desires in order to become one with the divine by spinning in circles for an hour. Our guide was wonderful, highly educated and shared some of her favorite culinary treats with us which was worth the price alone however. Just want others to be aware of what they are signing up for.
Response from Host, May 2026
To be honest, the attitude started long before the experience itself. When we first contacted you before the tour, you blocked us on WhatsApp without even a simple greeting or reply. Then, 30 minutes before the scheduled start time, you suddenly sent a message asking where we were. Despite this confusing communication, we still greeted you professionally and did our best to make the evening enjoyable.
It is also interesting that, despite there being no problems during the experience itself, the review initially appeared as 3 stars during the night and later changed 2 stars the next morning:)
Until your review, our previous 90 reviews had all been 5-star ratings, which reflects how the vast majority of our guests understand and appreciate the experience we provide.
As explained throughout the evening, the Whirling Dervish ceremony is not a commercial dance show, but a spiritual ritual dating back centuries, recognized by UNESCO as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Guests who attend with curiosity, humility, and cultural openness generally understand and appreciate this distinction very well.
Nevertheless, we are happy that even in your review you appreciated our guide, hospitality, and dining experience.
We sincerely wish you more positive, respectful, and open-minded cultural encounters in your future travels.
Dan_S, May 2026
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A perfectly curated introduction to Istanbul food and culture
My wife and I had a fantastic evening with Zeynep, our host, who made the entire experience feel effortless from start to finish.
The tour was exceptionally well organized and thoughtfully paced. We began with a fun introduction to local street food, which was an easy and approachable way to start the evening.
We then attended a Whirling Dervish ceremony, which was a meaningful and memorable cultural experience. Zeynep provided helpful context and background, giving us a much better understanding of the symbolism and tradition behind what we were experiencing.
Afterward, we headed to one of her favorite local restaurants for a full Turkish dinner. The variety of dishes was outstanding - far more than we would have ever ordered on our own - and it gave us a true sense of the range and depth of Turkish cuisine.
Our group was small (six guests plus Zeynep), which made the evening feel personal and relaxed. We especially enjoyed getting to know the other travelers over dinner - everyone was enthusiastic, and the atmosphere was lively and welcoming.
Zeynep was incredibly enthusiastic and knowledgeable about all things Turkish food. She made the entire experience feel warm and welcoming. We wished we had done this on our first night in Istanbul, as it would have been a helpful introduction to the local cuisine.
Communication was excellent throughout. Zeynep coordinated with the group via WhatsApp and followed up after the tour with a detailed list of the dishes we experienced, restaurant recommendations, and photos from the evening - a thoughtful and much-appreciated touch.
This was an easy, enjoyable way for us to experience Istanbul - from street food to a meaningful cultural ceremony to an abundant local dinner - all in one well-curated evening.
Thank you, Zeynep - teşekkür ederizm
From $107.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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