Private Guided Istanbul Day Tour
Recommended by 96% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Istanbul, Turkey
- 5 to 8 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Overview
Take the time to explore Istanbul’s most magnificent sites at your own pace with a customized guided tour of the city's historic places and landmarks. Follow in the footsteps of charioteers and Roman soldiers at the Hippodrome, admire the arched tiles of the Blue Mosque, and listen for the whispers of courtiers and sultans inside Topkapi Palace. Opt to include Hagia Sophia’s stunning murals and minarets and browse the vibrant displays at the iconic Grand Bazaar, with inside tips on the best places to find carpets, handicrafts and local souvenirs.
- A customized Istanbul itinerary with flexible duration to suit your schedule
- Enjoy the undivided attention of your guide with a private tour
- Choose the sights to include, from historic mosques to bustling bazaars
- Get around on foot or opt to transfer by taxi (extra charge) to cover more ground
What's Included
- Professional guide
- Pickup / drop off service is provided from/to centrally located hotels at city center area.
- Private tour
- Transport by taxi (transportation provided only when necessary)
- Food and drinks
- Entrance fees
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Pickup details
Pickup / drop-off service is provided from / to centrally located hotels on the European side of Istanbul or Galataport
Itinerary
1
Blue Mosque
30 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
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
5
TopkapI Palace
1 hour • Admission Ticket Not Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Most travelers can participate
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- A minimum of 2 people per booking is required
- Topkapi Palace is closed to visitors on Tuesdays
- Hagia Sophia is not a museum, open to public sight, so there might be long lines to visit inside, there is no option to skip the line
- Grand Bazaar is closed to visitors on Sundays.
- Dolmabahce Palace is closed to visitors on Mondays.
- This is a walking tour.
- 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 299 reviews
Mary_H, Apr 2026
Our guide Sheref was excellent. He knows the history inside and out. We learned so much about Istanbul, the people, culture, religion. What a fantastic day. We highly recommend him.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Thank you very much for your kind feedback.
We are delighted to hear that you had such a wonderful experience and that Seref made your day so memorable. It’s great to know that his knowledge and passion for Istanbul’s history, culture, and traditions helped you gain a deeper understanding of the city.
Your recommendation means a lot to us, and we will be sure to share your kind words with Sheref.
We hope to welcome you again on another tour in the future.
Nancy_M, Apr 2026
Our day from 7:30 AM - 6:00 PM with Renan was spectacular. She showed us where and how to have a Turkish breakfast, took us through the Grand Bazaar, and mosques.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Thank you for the wonderful review! We’re so glad Renan made your tour special. Your feedback means a lot to us, and we hope to see you again soon in Turkey!
gurminder_a, Jan 2026
What an amazing day we had with Renan in Istanbul! It was a rainy, dreary day but Renan brought some sunshine with her pleasant personality. My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed our time with her. She was informative and thorough. We saw the palace, blue mosque and the grand bazaar. She helped us navigate it all and we really felt like we learned a lot about Istanbul as well as the culture. The company picks up
And drops off in very comfortable and roomy vans. An unforgettable experience.
Kathy_O, Dec 2025
With only short amount of time to explore the city, Sami made sure we saw it all and we never felt rushes
Jean_B, Dec 2025
Our guide Seref was very knowledgeable and was flexible in accommodating the places we wanted to visit.We had a private pick up from our hotel and were driven everywhere that we wanted to visit. A great Christmas Day.
Nicholas_L, Dec 2025
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.
Response from Host, Dec 2025
Hello, thank you very much for taking the time to share your kind comments and feedback. We’re delighted to hear that you enjoyed your time with Naz and appreciated her flexibility and professionalism.
Regarding the Grand Bazaar, our tour descriptions note that it is closed on Sundays. For this reason, our guides usually suggest the Spice Bazaar or other suitable alternatives on those days. We’re glad that Naz was able to offer activities that everyone enjoyed and help make your tour a pleasant experience.
We hope to welcome you again in the future.
AprilleLeah_M, Nov 2025
Great tour around Istanbul. Renan was very nice, smart, and approachable. A complete tour around Istanbul. From historical informatuon about Architecture and culture, food, and shopping
Ingrid_W, Nov 2025
Mrs Renan was very nice and knowledgeable. She told us about the history of the city and country, and showed us everything we wanted to see. She’s a very sweet lady with a heart of gold.
Alison_P, Nov 2025
Had such a lovely day exploring Sultanahmet’s iconic landmarks with Mrs Renan. She shared so much history and insight at every stop, and even suggested great places to visit—especially fun spots for a teen. Grateful for the wonderful tour!
Ps: It’s a walking tour, so be prepared to wear comfortable shoes as there will be lots of walking.
Gunther_S, Nov 2025
We had an exceptional experience touring Istanbul with our personal guide, Nazmiye. In addition to expertly guiding us through the major sites like the Blue Mosque, she provided thoughtful, engaging insight into Muslim culture and modern Turkish society. Her depth of knowledge, warm personality, and ability to bring history to life made our time in Istanbul truly unforgettable. We felt enriched, welcomed, and inspired—Nazmiye is an outstanding guide, and we recommend her wholeheartedly!
Binhaifa_D, Nov 2025
Fantastic private tour with Renan - who was patient & accommodating to the slow pace needed for my spouse. Thank You!
Hilary_G, Nov 2025
Renan Saylağ was an excellent guide!! She helped us navigate through the Topkapi Palace with skilled efficiency! We learned so much. She also took us through the Hagia Sophia so we could appreciate all the structural aspects of this amazing Mosque and mosaics and frescoes. Renan shared the history and culture of the region through wonderful stories. We loved learning about the customs of the Turkish people and family life. Renan was such a wealth of knowledge! Our experience far exceeded our expectations. The logistics and transportation were great too! Being with Renan was the highlight of our time in Istanbul!
Claire_T, Nov 2025
It was terrific. Mrs Renan was knowledgeable, charming and gracious. She brought Istanbul to life for us! Because we are an older couple, she paced things so that we could move at our own pace but still see everything. It was an excellent experience.
Denise_M, Nov 2025
We only had a couple of days in Instanbul and were fortunate to have Renan as our private guide.
We were greeted on time in the hotel foyer and requested to see the major attractions of the city. With no hesitation our itinerary was planned and we were ushered into a very clean and lovely van.
Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace and the Grand Bazzar was our itinerary.
Renan is fluent in English and was able to navigate the queues to ensure we got to the front of the line. This was wonderful as it was very busy. Her sharing of knowledge made the tour interesting and she knew the best places to take photos and major points of interest. She even provided me with a scarf.
At the Grand Bazaar she knew the best stalls and helped barter. Not knowing the currency very well she insured I was charged the correct amount.
Renan was kind and caring. She took us to a wonderful place for a late lunch which enabled us to share more information about the city.
Teresa_D, Nov 2025
We traveled with 2 couples and had an amazing time. We saw so many things and walked a lot. Got to experience an authentic meal and it was delicious. Idyll was a wonderful guide and so knowledgeable and was happy to answer our questions. I would highly recommend.
edward_a, Oct 2025
Excellent tour of mosques and shrines by a knowledgeable and energetic host. Highly recommended Eda!!
JamesD_N, Oct 2025
Our guide Nazmiye Ergul picked us up at our hotel. She asked us a few questions about our interests and what pace we would like. She then tailored the tour to our preferences. She let us set our pace, spending as much time as we wanted at each site, and moving more quickly when we wanted. She also showed us where we could buy things we were interested in, and recommended a perfect spot for lunch. She shared information about life in Istanbul in general as well as being very well informed about each site and its history. We would definitely recommend this tour and this particular tour guide.
tomoyasufuji, Oct 2025
We had a great and so much fun with our guide Idyll. She made this tour so much more enjoyable with her story and input from traveling all over the world herself. We really appreciated and enjoyed her perspective. She made this tour very unique and special.
michael_b, Oct 2025
Omer, our guide was a gem! He planned our day, accommodating our needs and wants to perfection. He was very knowledgeable and spoke well. It was so much better than taking a group tour!
FrancesM_C, Oct 2025
Very rushed. Running to catch up. No interest in rug demo/sales she was pushing. Unable to locate pickup vehicle and very tiring trying to find it in traffic.
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Dear Frances
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with us. Istanbul is a wonderful but very busy city, and traffic can sometimes make the day more challenging. Our guides always do their best to offer guests the most enjoyable and complete experience possible — this includes cultural stops and store visits that are part of the day’s program. We truly appreciateyour honest feedback that helps us improve.
Marsha_P, Oct 2025
We had an amazing tour of Istanbul with Omer! He was super friendly, easy to talk to, and really knew his stuff. He showed us all the main sights plus some great local spots we wouldn’t have found on our own. Everything was relaxed and fun, and we learned so much along the way. Highly recommend Omer if you want a great day exploring Istanbul!
Emry_M, Oct 2025
Naz did a great job. Very friendly, interesting and well-informed. We appreciated her knowledge of history and the city
kimberly_s, Oct 2025
We had a fabulous day!! We were only in Istanbul for one day as a layover. Our guide Renan picked us up promptly at our scheduled time- she was actually early as I appreciated. We toured everything we could imagine until she dropped us at our hotel at 3:30 so we could make our flight. Our tour was personalized for us. Renan knew all the places to go and she was full of information about it all!
Gary_N, Oct 2025
We had an exceptional tour. Naz (our guide) was able to tailor our tour to account for the sights we had seen on our own with our cruise and then the half-day before we met Naz. She was exceptionally knowledgeable of the Istanbul history and sights. In addition, Naz was always caring for us as she asked if we wanted to take some breaks along the way. Given the ground we covered, a couple of breaks were appropriate!
This was our first time using Viator for booking an individualized tour experience and the overall experience was exceptional. They were responsive to questions I had about the pick up point to meet Naz and I thought the tour was great value for money.
Olivia_D, Oct 2025
My husband and I had an absolutely fantastic experience exploring the rich history of Istanbul with our exceptional guide, Bora. His extensive knowledge and passion for the city truly elevated our tour. With every site we visited, he provided fascinating insights and anecdotes, bringing the past to life in a way that captivated us. His ability to weave together stories and historical context made each stop not just informative, but deeply engaging. It was clear that Bora is incredibly well-informed, and we left the tour with a profound appreciation for the cultural treasures of Istanbul.
Revee_B, Oct 2025
Definitely ask if Onour is available to guide you on the full-day Istanbul tour. We were so fortunate to have him as a guide. He is patient, friendly, thoughtful, knowledgeable and flexible. He made our every dream come true with only one day in Istanbul. It was the best tour we’ve ever had!
Ricardo_O, Oct 2025
It was worth it every penny. Sevgi was our tour guide. She was at the hotel lobby sharp on time. The tour was customized to our tastes. She knew the times the buildings were closing and reopening so we were able to plan accordingly and went interrupted from one attraction to the next. She gave a lot of information. Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Hipodrome saw it all.
Joanne_J, Oct 2025
We had a wonderful, educational day with Eda. Pick up was timely. Eda ensured that, for a Friday, our tour flowed smoothly between our choosen sites. Eda freely shared her in depth knowledge.
Sandra_H, Oct 2025
Naz was a great tour guide who lead us through the city on a walking tour. It was our first day and it gave us great insight into where to go. She was very knowledgeable throughout the walk. We learned a great deal about the city and the culture.
nam_w, Sep 2025
Our guide, Eritrea Deviren was one of the best tour guide that I ever met. He was not only knowledgeable but also very fine person!
From $95.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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