Istanbul Highlights Private Tour with skip line ticket options
Recommended by 95% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Istanbul, Turkey
- 4 to 7 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Step into the golden ages of the Ottoman, Byzantine and Roman empires with a full-day, private walking tour through Istanbul’s Old City. See the monuments and historic sites of Hippodrome Square, where Roman charioteers raced in ancient times, then explore St. Sophia's stunning architecture and museum. See the iconic tiles, mosaics and slender minarets of the Blue Mosque and browse traditional handicrafts inside the Grand Bazaar. Learn about the lives of sultans and courtiers at Topkapi Palace, which contains a remarkable collection of Turkey's greatest holy relics, imperial treasures and artwork.
- See the city's most important sites
- Enjoy the flexibility of a private tour
- Learn about local history and culture
- Hotel Pick up and Drop off included
What's Included
- Professional tour guide
- Pick up city center hotels and cruise port
- Drop off to the hotels -cruise port city center locations
- Drinks
- Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
- Lunch
- Gratuities
- Entrance fee of Hagia Sophia Museum per person 30 us dollar$30.00 per person
- Entrance fee of Topkapi Palace$60.00 per person
Meeting and Pickup
You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup
Itinerary
1
Blue Mosque
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Grand Bazaar
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
3
Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
4
Hippodrome
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
5
TopkapI Palace
2 hours • Admission Ticket Not Included
Deraliye (Pass By)
6
5K Rug Store
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.8
based on 691 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Yeleiny_B, Jul 2026
We had an absolutely amazing Walking Tour thanks to our guide Eylem. What made the experience so great is how Knowledgeable Eylem is, she explained lots of historic details that we wouldnt have learned otherwise, you can tell how passionate she is about the history of her country. She didnt rush us at any of the sites, and catered the tour to our needs, offering options and alternatives based on our preferences. It didnt feel like we had a tour guide, it felt like we had a really good friend with amazing energy and an awesome personality. If you can request Eylem to be your guide, please do, you wont regret it! 🫶
Lauren_M, Jul 2026
Great day! We were a group of 10. A van picked us up at our hotel and took us to the palace. Definitely worth spending a few hours there. Hagia Sophia is amazing and the basilica cistern was beautiful.
Our guide Mel was fantastic.
Took one star off for the rug sales pitch at the end which was a waste of time and apparently mandatory.
Kathryn_H, Jul 2026
Our guide Dilsad made our day extremely informative, enjoyable and easy considering the very hot temperatures. Our highlights for sure were the Blue Mosque and lunch getting to sit and chat and taste local cuisine. 10/10 experience for our family all the way from Vancouver Canada.
Thank you! 🙏🇨🇦
Graham_J, Jul 2026
Great tour - Kenan our guide had some much knowledge and delivered it with great humor! He was very flexible with our schedule and we had an awesome tour!
Andre_F, Jun 2026
Very informative and enjoyable. Rose, our guide, made the tour very interesting with her knowledge of the area we covered. She was very considerate as we are in our 80’s and the pace suited us well. We highly recommend this tour.
Christina_M, Jun 2026
Great tour! Our guide, Belgin, was so knowledgeable and gave us interesting facts and history about the sites. She was also very patient and engaging with our kids. Thank you!
HelenKang, Jun 2026
My guide Eylem was wonderful! She was friendly, knowledgeable and passionate about her country.
My husband and I had the most amazing time in Istanbul thanks to her.
Janet_F, Jun 2026
Our small group tour turned out to be just the two of us. Alpin was a knowledgeable, flexible tour guide who guided us through the sea of people out for the festival and conquest day, May 29 2026. Alpin made the day.
Christopher_S, Jun 2026
Shaban was an amazing tour guide. It ended up just being me, my wife and him on the walking tour. He let us pick what we wanted to see and made the day how we wanted. He was super thoughtful and made sure we got to see and understand all the beauty Istanbul offered. He stopped to allow us to take pictures wherever we went. His stories and history were very nice as it gave us a more in depth view of the area we were in.
LYNETTE_D, May 2026
Perihan is a fantastic tour guide who met us at our hotel, told as all about Istanbul’s interesting history and got us into the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and the Basilica Cistern without having to stand in a single line. We highly recommend her 💜
Suzanne_S, May 2026
kenan was a great guide
He spent time talking to us and explaining the sites as we walked the town
I highly recommend the walking tour with is company
Steven_L, May 2026
The tour was good but our guide (Umit) seemed to have an agenda to steer us to selected vendors. Did NOT appreciate being pushed to a rug vendor with high pressure sales tactics after we told Umit we purchased rugs the prior day. He immediately cast doubt on the authenticity of our purchase without knowing anything about the business from which we purchased the rugs. Also did not appreciate his pushing his political views on the USA
He treated us casually and like a commodity - the personification of FaceBook’s business model. I don’t know if he got kickbacks from the vendors, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he did
Response from Host, May 2026
Dear Mr Steven, Thank you for booking a tour with us and nice words to our tour, Umit is one of our most experienced guides in our team and he is an expert about the Turkish handycraft and rugs, a carpet demonstration is a choice and a part of our tour but you are always welcome to say no, we apologize again for any inconvenience
Jill_I, May 2026
Fabulous tour guide and tour. Perihan is excellent and very warm and welcoming! She is very knowledgeable about the history of Turkey, the historical sites, and the best food, restaurants and shops! I extremely enjoyed my day with her!
Geoffrey_B, Apr 2026
Our guide Eylem was excellent, very knowlegable, she altered our schedule to the main sites we wanted to see and was great company on our tour.
Salem_T, Feb 2026
We had the most extra ordinary time with our guide. Personalised, in depth and enjoyable tour of the old town. I would recommend highly
Sharon_T, Feb 2026
Our private walking tour in Istanbul in June, 2025, with Eylem was hands down one of the highlights of our trip! From the moment she met us right outside the cruise port, we knew we were in great hands. She was warm, organized, and immediately made us feel like we were exploring the city with a close friend rather than just a guide.
Eylem thoughtfully planned the perfect route, taking us to the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia Mosque, the Underground Basilica Cistern, the Grand Bazaar, and several other incredible sites — all in an order that helped us avoid the biggest crowds. That alone made such a difference in our experience. Pro tip: make sure to bring a cover-up to enter the mosques — Eylem helped guide us through the etiquette and made everything seamless.
What really stood out was how she brought Istanbul’s rich history to life. As we explored, she wove together stories of the Byzantine, Roman, and Ottoman Empires in a way that was engaging, easy to follow, and fascinating. We didn’t just see the sights — we understood them.
She also expertly navigated the city using a combination of walking and the metro, which let us cover more ground comfortably and efficiently. Along the way, she treated us to food and water from local street vendors (such a thoughtful touch!) and later took us to a wonderful restaurant with a huge selection of absolutely delicious food (at our own expense). It felt like we were getting the true local experience.
Eylem was happy to take photos and videos and knew all the good angles for getting great pics and memories.
By the end of the day, Eylem didn’t feel like just our tour guide — she felt like a sister from another mister. Her kindness, knowledge, and genuine care made our day in Istanbul unforgettable. If you’re visiting and want an experience that’s insightful, smooth, and full of heart, book with Eylem. You won’t regret it!
Rob_B, Feb 2026
Great experience. Cristal was fun and fantastic! Very informative, and a lot of fun too! Learned a lot. She was super accommodating and a great city guide!
Leon_B, Feb 2026
We had a wonderful time seeing the old City of Istanbul. Our guide Belgin (Bella) was very nice and knowledgeable and did just a wonderful job.
Jack_O, Jan 2026
Tour guide was very knowledgeable and provided lots of meaningful history about the sites that we visited.
David_P, Jan 2026
Very professional, the guide Billur was very kind and knowledgeable. They offered a great service, punctual and very complete.
Karen_a, Jan 2026
Peri was a fantastic tour guide! She was very informative, communication was excellent and she was very pleasant. The logistics were flawless. We had a great time.
Tay_E, Jan 2026
We had an excellent walking tour with Belgin. She was able to change our tour to include the Basilica cistern instead of the grand bazaar. Very informative about the history of each place we visited. I highly recommend this tour and our guide.
Mallory_H, Nov 2025
I originally signed up and read there was an established agenda but instead was told it was based on preference. Not a big deal as I mentioned all the sights I thought I was seeing and we did those. Recommend inquiring before going so that time can reflect desired agenda. Besides that. Our tour guy OJ was very friendly and knowledgeable. Not exactly structured but she had a plan and it worked out ok. I would recommend.
David_A, Nov 2025
Be prepared for immersion in the history of old Istanbul. Also be prepared to walk. Our guide Kenan was both knowledgeable and fun to spend day with. It was a enjoyable as well as imformative day
Wende_L, Nov 2025
Kenan was a fantastic guide, and we packed in a ton of siteseeing in a 10-hour day! He was knowledgeable about the city’s history, and we saw the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, the Hagia Sofia, the spice market, and more. We also had a wonderful lunch at a rooftop cafe. We highly recommend this tour, and please ask for Kenan. (Be aware that we walked about 15,000 steps, so might be too much for some.)
Gloria_B, Nov 2025
It was a good decision to book the private tour with you. The guide, Mr Kenan, had a lot of knowledge and took us to all the places we wanted to visit. He knew the places really well and shared a lot of historic information with us.
Richard_S, Nov 2025
Out your guide was Songül. She was absolutely amazing really took us on a very detail experience of Istanbul, Turkey, its story and highlights. Being a private tour absolutely make the difference here plus the fact that Songul not only took us to the architectural highlights but also to the most amazing local food experiences around the area. 10/10
Steve_H, Nov 2025
The tour was great and very informative. Also very accommodating. Even when I made an error in giving them my location for the pick-up, the guide was able to meet me at my exact location and for that I am grateful. Overall, the guide was tuned in to my needs as a visitor
Mirha_w, Nov 2025
Fantastic walking tour. Covers most things, the tour guide is very accommodating and helpful. Transport from the hotel was very nice too!
Monina_F, Nov 2025
At first, I didn’t realize this was a walking tour, so I was a bit surprised—and honestly, a little disappointed. But then I noticed our hotel was right across from the train station, and it turned out to be just a short ride to the mosque.
We were lucky to have Maksut " Maks" as our guide—such a great guy! He was punctual, meeting us right in our hotel lobby, and immediately led the way. Throughout the tour, he was incredibly knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the history of Istanbul. He kept the pace comfortable and even adjusted the tour to our preferences. When we got tired, he showed us photos of the sites so we wouldn’t miss anything important.
By the end of the tour, we completely fell in love with the place.
Tip for ladies: bring your own scarf when visiting the mosque—it’s required.
And don’t miss a visit to the Grand Bazaar! You’ll find the best Turkish delight at Yayla Store. Be sure to sample the flavors first so you can pick your favorite!
From
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$72.00
per personWas $94.75
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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