Istanbul City and Hidden Gem Private Guided Tour 1, 2, 3 Day opt.
Recommended by 100% of travelers
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Istanbul, Turkey
- 6 to 18 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Cover top sights of Istanbul during this customizable private tour. Choose between full-day or multi-day guided itineraries, navigating the city by foot, ferry, subway, and tram. Possible highlights include Ottoman-era palaces like Topkapi and Dolmabahce (admission tickets purchased separately), landmarks like Galata Tower, the Blue Mosque, or the Hagia Sophia, or a visit to the Asian side of the city.
- A full or multi-day private and customizable Istanbul tour
- Follow a tailor-made itinerary adapted to your interests
- Enjoy a personalized experience, limited to you and your travel party
- Tick off the city’s main attraction in one or several days—the ideal introduction
What's Included
- Private Tour
- Professional Tour Guide
- Local Taxes
- Public Transportation Fees
- Meals
- Gratuities
- Entrance fee - Basilica Cistern (will be paid by credit card at the entry-the fee might change before the tour date)$35.00 per person
- Entrance fee - Topkapi Palace (will be paid in cash to the guide-the fee might change before the tour date)$63.00 per person
- Entrance fee - Hagia Sophia (will be paid in cash to the guide-the fee might change before the tour date)$30.00 per person
- Entrance fee - Chora Museum (will be paid by credit card at the entry-the fee might change before the tour date)$25.00 per person
- Entrance fee - Bosphorus Cruise By Public Boat$7.00 per person
- Entrance fee - Dolmabahce Palace (will be paid in cash to the guide-the fee might change before the tour date)$55.00 per person
Meeting and Pickup
You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup
Itinerary
1
TopkapI Palace
2 hours • Admission Ticket Not Included
2
Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque
1 hour • Admission Ticket Not Included
3
Blue Mosque
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
4
Hippodrome
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
5
Grand Bazaar
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
6
Dolmabahce Palace
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
7
Bosphorus Strait
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
8
KadIkoy CarsIsI
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
9
Rustem Pasha Mosque
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
10
Misir Carsisi
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
11
Basilica Cistern
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
12
Suleymaniye Mosque
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
13
Chora Museum
1 hour • Admission Ticket Not Included
14
Balat
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
15
Bulgarian Orthodox Church
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
16
Fener Rum Patrikhanesi
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Near public transportation
- Transportation is wheelchair accessible
- Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- Topkapi Palace is closed on Tuesdays. Basilica Cistern will be visited instead.
- Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays. Spice Market will be visited instead.
- Grand Bazaar and Spice Market will be closed in 2026 in the following dates; March 20/21/22-Ramadan Celebrations. May 27/28/29/30-Eid Celebrations. October 29-Republic Day.
- We have Kid-Friendly Tour Guides in our team.
- For the cruise passengers public transportation (tram) is strongly recommended due to heavy traffic in/around the old city. By the tram the old city takes only 10 minutes. Please book the tour accordingly
- If you book the tour with a private van, please beware that extra charges may apply if your hotel/apartment is located in the Asian Side or far from the city center.
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
5.0
based on 268 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Emel, totally customized our tour in advance and was able to adjust to our changing interests. Totally flexible. We saw what we wanted to see and experienced what we had hoped in a short period of time. She was extremely considerate of my physical limitations and took lots of shortcuts to minimize walking. She was very adept at telling the story of Turkish culture with a western perspective for us to readily absorb the info. She knew all the right shopping spots away from the heavily touristed areas. Can’t say enough about the quality of the tour.
Emre was an excellent guide. We started with the most visited sites in the morning and the afternoon activities were specific to our interests. The visits were scheduled such that we did not waste time standing in long lines.
We had a wonderful 2 day introduction to Istanbul. Our guide was amazing and very personal. He took us to all the major sites and to places we would never have found on our own. He was so knowledgeable about Istanbul and its history and you could tell he loved his country. This 2 day tour was one of the best tours of our 3 week filled vacation. Thank you very much Mehmet for a once in a lifetime experience. Mike & Mary
Our guide Emel was very knowledgeable and very helpful. Even after the tour she shared several ideas about rest of our stay which came in handy.
Overall, a great experience! Communication with the agency was great. I asked for a female guide and they paired me with Rumeysa. She was knowledgeable, fun, and very attentive. I thoroughly enjoyed our time together!
Emel was an excellent guide. We spent two days experiencing some incredible sights, tastes and smells of Istanbul. With so many tourists all trying to see the same sights, it was so nice to have someone there to move things when necessary, suggest activities, and help us navigate transportation. It really allowed us to hit the ground running. Emel was extremely friendly and knowledgeable about history, culture, food and social information.
I had booked this 2 day tour for our 1st visit to Istanbul & am so glad I did. I was traveling with 3 family members ranging in age from 30-69. Luckily, Özge was our guide for both days. She squeezed a lot into both days, yet we never felt rushed. She listened to our ideas of what we wanted to see & made other suggestions using her expertise. She went out of her way to help my brother-in-law find a piece of medical equipment he’d left at home & visited several shops to help my sister find just the right earrings.
We saw the highlights of Istanbul & took a ferry on the 2nd day for a food tour of Kadikoy in the Asian side.
Thank you Özge!!
An excellent tour, fabulous guide, van and sights! Highly recommended! Great communication and overall experience.
We were in a bit of a panic about the logistics of leaving our cruise terminal and getting to our hotel in another part of town in the early morning so we could begin our 3 day tour with Selcuk Eracun. He agreed to meet us at Galataport and escort us on the T1 tram to Sultanahmet to our hotel for the luggage dropoff and then begin our 3-day tour.
What a kind and generous local guy he is, with such an esteemed reputation in Istanbul among other tour guides and among the historical/architectural/archeological/antiquities crowd!
Selcuk is a fountain of knowledge and trivia and we were so lucky and blessed to hook up with him. Our 3 days were well spent with Selcuk, the “honorary Sultan of Istanbul!”
I booked this tour for my parents and was a bit anxious sending them to a big city as newbie travelers but they were in such good hands with Ozge. She was so sweet and patient and had so much history and information to share. What I appreciated was that this tour started earlier than other tours so they got into the Hagia Sophia before everyone and had incredible moments to themselves. And having a private tour was great so they could make their own itinerary based on their interests and chatting with Ozge when they met up.
Ugur was fantastic. Punctual with pick up, made us feel very comfortable walking the streets. He is VERY knowledgeable of Istanbul/Turkish history and was engaging. You can tell he was well experienced with the tour and was also a great photographer!
Our guide, Ugur, created an exceptional experience for us as we explored some of Istanbul's highlights in a very efficient and exciting way. This allowed us to really maximize our limited time in the city. He was extremely knowledgeable, personable, and adapted the experience to suit our pace and interests. He created opportunities for us to meet and engage with other locals along the way (e.g., a ceramics demonstration, negotiating with shopkeepers at the Grand Bazaar). He was engaged in answering any questions we asked of him, including those related to Istanbul's rich history, as well as our curiosity about what it is like to live in modern-day Istanbul. We can't say enough about how enjoyable our time was and can't wait to visit again someday!
Bayram was our guide and he was great!! He was very accommodating, my husband is with a cane and we could not walk fast due to this and he was very patient. We got to see most of the things that were on the tour. I would definitely recommend this tour with Bayram!!
We had a tow-day private guided tour of Istanbul, with a private van for the second day. Our tour guide, Emre, was very attentive, observing his clients' interests and very knowledgeable about Turkey/Istanbul's history and culture. We truly enjoyed our time of touring Istanbul during these two days. We toured the third day with another operator because Emre's agency would not commit to include IST Archeological Museum (even though the second private guide accommodated our request). Istanbul is an amazing city to visit, and we may return if our future cruises stop here again. Hopefully, we can engage Emre as our guide again.
A Great two day tour to see all of the most important sites! Our tour guide Melmet was outstanding! Her history knowledge was superb, her English was excellent and she really cared about us learning, exploring and having some good conversation. I would highly recommend this tour especially with Melmet!!
Istanbul is a beautiful and fascinating destination with many amazing features, but what really made my wife’s and my two day tour unforgettable was our guide, Seljuk. His expert knowledge of the history of Istanbul and of each attraction and the architecture, architects, and details of every destination added a much deeper understanding and appreciation of every location. And a bonus to his expertise is his demeanor. He is friendly, courteous, and personable. He enjoyed engaging in conversations and answering our questions. He led us between attractions at a comfortable pace, and he used his extensive knowledge of the bazaars to introduce us to merchants he trusted without ever pushing us to make a purchase or even use his suggested merchant. It didn’t take us long to develop trust in him and, by the start of the second day, we felt we were with a friend as well as an expert. We do private tours at many of our travel destinations and we have not had a guide who exceeded Selcuk’s abilities.
Rose our tour guide was perfect. She had so much information and fun to be with. Want to come back and see her again.
Although the weather wasn't cooperating we had the greatest time with Gul. Gul is the sweetest person, extremely knowledgeable and really made sure we had a great time. The sights were amazing, we saw all different places within walking distance and had lunch where we had a great few where she even took time to read our fortune with our coffee grounds. The best part was Gul even had some recommendations for our trip to Cappadocia and even helped organized our tour there. Thank you so much Gul!
Our guide Serdar was brilliant he gave us allot of information and history
A must do to really understand the places you are visiting
Our tour was private and made our trip memorable
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per group (up to 8)Was $250.00(-5%)
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Istanbul City and Hidden Gem Private Guided Tour 1, 2, 3 Day opt.
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