Private Custom Tours in Istanbul

Recommended by 95% of travelers

Istanbul, Turkey

6 to 8 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Group discounts
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Istanbul, Turkey

Private / Small Grp. Guided Istanbul tour with TRAM to save time

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$79

$99

Price varies by group size

Istanbul, Turkey

4.9

(17)

Private Guiding Service in Istanbul

from $134

Price varies by group size

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Overview

Skip the long lines and enjoy a customizable itinerary on this full-day private tour. Meet your guide at your hotel and make your way to Istanbul’s sights. Visit the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, the Grand Bazaar, the Basilica Cistern, and any other places that are interesting to you. Learn the history of the city from your guide as you stroll.

Skip the lines at the Hagia Sophia
Customize your itinerary to suit your interests
Learn about the city from a guide
Stroll through Istanbul’s scenic streets

What's Included

Private guide
Hotel or port pickup and drop-off by walking or by public transport
Ready entrance tickets (Ticket costs to be paid directly to your guide as an additional charge)

Museums Entrances
Transportation (unless specified)
Food and drinks
Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

During Booking please mention your hotel name.

Meeting point

Sultanahmet
Binbirdirek, 34122 Fatih/İstanbul, Türkiye

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

Hippodrome

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Blue Mosque

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Topkapi Palace Museum

3 hours • Admission Ticket Not Included

The Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, Istanbul

1 hour • Admission Ticket Not Included

Grand Bazaar

1 hour • 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

Hotel pickup offered for the hotels centrally located. Guide will come to your hotel. Transportation is not included.
This tour is not suitable for people with walking difficulties.
NB: This service is not functional with any kind of Epass, Touristpass, Combo tickets.
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

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

4.8

based on 38 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

1 day in Istanbul - the best tour !

Vicki_D, Oct 2025

Best day out in Istanbul. Murat’s knowledge of Turkey and history was excellent. The tour was lots of fun and customised so we saw all the highlights on our ticklist in just 1 day. But we also saw lots of different things that we would not have seen on a big tour. Back lanes, Turkish delight tastings, tea tastings and more. Murat was fun , his English was excellent and we had lots of laughs along the way. We could not recommend this tour and guide and more higher. If you have 1 day in Istanbul to see everything ( as we did) - this is for you. Have a read.

Private Istanbul Tour

Stacy_W, Jun 2025

Our tour guide Hasan was awesome!! Very knowledgeable and we didn't feel rushed even though we saw the 3 major sights, went to the Grand Bazaar to shop and had an amazing lunch!! Would definitely recommend. 10/10

Fantastic, highly recommend

Julia_L, May 2025

Amazing! Our guide was so knowledgeable and very fluent in English. He knew his way around, skipped us past all of the crowds, and taught us all about the history and significance of each spot. We enjoyed every second of it, and the day flew by!

Response from Host, May 2025

Thank you so much for your kind feedback! We're glad you enjoyed your private Istanbul tour with our professional English-speaking guide. Exploring Istanbul's history and highlights without the crowds makes all the difference. We'd love to welcome you again!

Best day tour with total flexibility

Carolyn_B, Apr 2025

The perfect day tour for any combination of attractions you may want to see. My guide was great and made excellent suggestions along the way such as places to eat with locals and more activities to add when we finished early. Great way to spend the day! I highly recommend.

Response from Host, Apr 2025

Thank you so much for your kind words! We're thrilled to hear you had such a great experience and that your guide helped make the day extra special with personalized suggestions. It was a pleasure having you with us, and we truly appreciate your recommendation. We hope to welcome you back on another adventure soon! Best regards

Best day in Istanbul

James_F, Oct 2024

Loved our tour guide, had a wonderful day exploring Istanbul, learning about the city, culture, and the impressive sights. He managed our day by organizing our itinerary to skip the lines, skip the traffic, making sure we got to see everything on our want list. Skip the tour bus and book with these folks for a great day customized for you.

Response from Host, May 2025

Thank you for your kind words! We're happy to hear you enjoyed your private Istanbul tour with a personalized itinerary and skip-the-line access. Exploring Istanbul’s culture and top attractions with a local guide makes all the difference. We hope to see you again!

My daughter and I had a...

Monica_B, Jul 2024

My daughter and I had a great tour. Our guide was super informative about Istanbul and also gave us many suggestions and tips for our next day. Would highly recommend this tour.

Strongly recommend

Srinivas_K, Jun 2024

Salim is an excellent guide. Very knowledgeable, friendly. I didn't feel like traveling in a foreign country. My 2 kids and I felt so free and felt as if our brother is showing his hometown. Absolutely recommend Salim.

Good tour!

Kathy_S, Jun 2024

Our guide was very informative. He accommodated all of our interests. It was nice to have a private tour guide. I learned a lot.

Our guide was very...

Donald_T, Mar 2024

Our guide was very helpful and seeing Istanbul fulfilled a long held wish. My wife, whom I traveled with, has limited mobility. Salim was able to accommodate her with minimum hassle.

Seeing another side of Istanbul!

Pamela_T, Sep 2023

This custom tour was truly customized between my party and the guide, Salim Basar. He was open & accommodating to our requests for what to see within the timeframe we had for the day. We met at 9:30 AM and were together until almost 5:30 PM. Salim was full of great info to share at each location, and most open to answering any & all of our questions. We used public transportation with ease to move comfortably between locations. Highly recommend this tour as you can make it your own, thanks to the expertise & knowledge of our guide, Salim Basar. September 24, 2023

WOW!! WOW!! WOW!!

STEVEN_S, Jan 2023

All I can say is .... the wonderful custom experience which Salim provided us for (2) days was so educational, extraordinary and inspiring. Not only is Salim extremely knowledgeable as a guide, but funny and charming. This was an amazing start to a 2 week holiday. Thank you Salim.

Response from Host, Jan 2023

Thank you very much. I enjoyed too much also.

Too much walking required!

Audrey_G, Sep 2022

Unfortunately, we thought this was a tour in a car but it required 5-7 miles of walking. Very disappointed at the difficulty!

A guide at the top

ADRIEN_B, Oct 2025

Our guide has been great, it is in line with our expectations and has given us a lot of information both architectural and cultural. Thank you very much to him.

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Excellent tour!

DEYANIRA_O, May 2025

The best tour we could have to know Istanbul! Timi is an experienced guide with extensive knowledge about everything about the city (history and present). With pleasant explanations he detailed each place we visited. If you really want to know Istanbul, I highly recommend it!!

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Response from Host, May 2025

Le agradecemos sinceramente por su valioso comentario. Nos complace saber que tuvo una experiencia satisfactoria en su tour privado por Estambul con uno de nuestros guías profesionales. Conocer Estambul a través de su historia y cultura, acompañado por un guía experimentado, es sin duda una forma enriquecedora de descubrir la ciudad. Estaremos encantados de recibirle nuevamente en el futuro. Saludos!!!