WONDERS of ISTANBUL: PRIVATE Full-Day Guided City Tour

Recommended by 100% of travelers

Istanbul, Turkey

Popular pick

Booked 20+ times last week!

5 to 7 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Group discounts
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Why travelers loved this

5.0

· Patrick_M ·

May 2026

Our guide met us at our location point on time. We stayed in the center of Istanbul so all points of interest were walkable. We started off by planning the day. AK gave us a brief history of Istanbul and we were off visiting the historical sites we chose. He was very knowledgeable about his city. We were lucky to have such an interesting guide.

· Karen_N ·

May 2026

Sam was great Very knowledgeable spoke excellent English. He treated us like we were family visiting for the first time . Took time to be sure we came away with a full understanding of what we saw. He was very sensitive to our needs . Spent a great day with him and would request him again

Overview

What's Included

Private Tour & Professional Guide
Guide will meet you at central Istanbul Hotels, Airbnb Locations or ISTANBUL CRUISE PORT GALATAPORT
Unique time to discover Turkish Handicrafts & Traditional Arts Gallery
Fast Track Ticket Service Available

Lunch
Gratuities

Recommended
Museums Entrance Fees

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

Tour guide will Pick up you at Istanbul Hotels, Airbnb Locations or ISTANBUL CRUISE PORT (GALATAPORT- Sali Pazari). If you choose option with vehicle, you will be picked up by vehicle Tuesdays Topkapi Palace is closed. Sundays Grand baazar is closed.

Itinerary

Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Blue Mosque

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Hippodrome

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Basilica Cistern

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

TopkapI Palace

2 hours • Admission Ticket Not Included

Grand Bazaar

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Near public transportation

Infant seats available
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

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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

5.0

based on 377 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Excellent tour guide! Highly recommend.

Walter_B, May 2026

Our guide was fantastic. It was like we had family showing us around Istanbul. He is very knowledgeable about the amazing history of this beautiful city. He was also a lot of fun. We highly recommend this tour and this guide, AK.

Fantastic tour guide for a very special place

keith_t, May 2026

Lots of beautiful things to see and a special place in the world to visit, Central Part of the old city of Istanbul is fantastic

Fabulous Tour of Istanbul

Pamela_R, May 2026

Anil showed us a brilliant time on foot around Istanbul. His descriptions of all of the sites was thorough and added colour to the rich history Istanbul has. Amazing job!

Highlight of Istanbul City packed in one day

Julius_H, May 2026

This private walking tour is really great to learn and experience about Istanbul city. Our tour guide, Mustafa Kemal is very outstanding while guiding us, he knows the city history very well and explaining to us clearly. He is also very informative and could arrange the itinerary and schedule in very structured way, so we could go to so many highlight places in the city. Mustafa is also very friendly and helpful. Recommended to ask for Mustafa for guiding the tour.

Loved Musa

Renee_B, May 2026

I was so thankful I booked a private tour. It made a huge difference having our knowledgeable personal guide to teach us everything and answer questions we have. He also had skip the line tickets to purchase and helped us tailor our day to see the sites we wanted. Our guide, Miss, was so smart and kind. He was amazing!!!

Great time in Istanbul!

Susan_o, May 2026

We had a wonderful experience with Resul Isler! What a great guy and so knowledgeable about everything! If you’re going to Istanbul I’d ask for him! Excellent!

Very nice young man,...

Christopher_B, May 2026

Very nice young man, knows his subject and helpful , knows history and provides good insight into ottomans empire

Old City tour of Istanbul with Resul

Jennifer_M, May 2026

Resul was our private guide for six hours. He was so knowledgeable, helpful and such easy company. He made our first day in Istanbul the best experience ever. We couldn't recommend him more highly. He loves his work. Jennifer and Alice

ONLY ASK FOR FATTEH — Above and Beyond Doesn't Even Cover It!

Amit_K, May 2026

ONLY ASK FOR FATTEH. We did a private full-day tour of Istanbul with Fatteh and it was one of the highlights of our entire trip. His knowledge of Istanbul's history is exceptional — the kind of depth and detail that only comes from years of experience in his field and a genuine passion for the city. He kept us engaged and fascinated throughout the day. He was completely flexible — adjusted the itinerary since we'd already visited some sites, matched our pace, and made the whole day feel effortless. But what truly set him apart were the personal touches. When it got chilly, he took us back to the hotel for our jackets. When I started coughing, he had a water bottle from a street vendor in hand before we could even react. The moment that blew us away — running late for our sunset cruise after shopping, he escorted us to the cruise meeting point, then took our shopping bags, went out of his way in the opposite direction from his home, and dropped them at our hotel reception for us to collect later that night. Nobody does that. Ask specifically for Fatteh. He will make your Istanbul experience truly unforgettable.

Top-Rate Service from Viator and our Guide, Mustafa.

Geoffrey_J, May 2026

Really helpful to have a knowledgeable guide to point out easily overlooked features in Istanbul's top sights. Mustafa Kemal was a great guide, very knowledgeable and especially helpful and encouraging to my wife who has serious mobility issues. Communication from Viator and then from our guide, Mustafa, the night before was prompt and greatly appreciated.

Fettah was an exceptional...

Arti_N, May 2026

Fettah was an exceptional guide. He asked about the depth of history I wanted and accordingly provided me wonderful historical perspectives for all the sights we visited. His narratives were clear and provided valuable insights and added to the experience. He was very accommodating and swapped some sights based on my interest. We covered a lot of ground! I would recommend him and this company for their tour without any reservations.

Great overview of old city

Tina_P, May 2026

This was a great private tour if you want an overall view of the old city and its history. Our guide Gunnur, was wonderful: she communicated with us prior to the tour, she knew her history and was organised, friendly and accommodating. Note that this tour requires a lot of walking on uneven surfaces and steps. You will also need to pay for entrance fees which are not included in the cost. Also, at times your guide may pay for attractions through the company and you have to pay them back - they only accept cash (Lira or euros), so be prepared as the atms don't always work. I highly recommend this tour.

Tour with John. It will enhance your time in Istanbul.

Bill_H, May 2026

We had a wonderful day with John (Can) on a days walking tour. Very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about his homeland. This young gentleman is very adaptable and considerate of your needs. Touring Istanbul with John is time well spent.

Istanbul tour

Patrick_M, May 2026

An expert guide giving the tour

Janna_S, May 2026

Resul Isler was an incredible tour guide. His knowledge of history and the differing ruling parties over the centuries helped put the mosques and Cistern in perspective. His enthusiasm about the city was wonderful and infectious! It was one of the most informative tours we’ve taken. Thanks Resul!!

Day in Istanbul

Brian_S, May 2026

Great tour with very knowledgeable guide, he was able to customize the tour to our interests and shared his culture well.

Great way to tour Istanbul!

Dina_A, May 2026

See all the best sites in one day in a private tour! Our guide, Şaban Sezer, was so very informative! He offered options for our day of sightseeing for what we wanted to see. He explained clearly the cost of tickets not included in our booking. He was a polite and very likable professional with excellent English. His history knowledge was diverse and interesting. He obviously loves his city and country! We enjoyed a delicious and relaxing lunch with his guidance in food choices (extra cost since once not included). Great price for a private tour!

Recommend this experience!

Michael_L, May 2026

It was a great day filled with just as much as we wanted to see. He read our vibe and and gave us good history but didn’t overwhelm us like some recorded speech. Walking vs trying to drive around is the way to go! Our guide gave us options and took us to a wonderful lunch place where we could have a great lunch with wine. He explained the menu and helped us order and left us to enjoy,

Great trip in Istanbul

Keith_A, May 2026

Erkan showed up on time, he was friendly, knowledgeable, gave good stories behind the scenes that we are viewing. Very good guide and I would use him again if necessary.

Excellent private tour of the Old City

Erin_M, May 2026

We had an excellent private tour with Resul of the Old City (Blue Mosque, Hagia Sofia, Grand Bazaar, Basilica Cistern and Topkapki Palace). He was friendly, super knowledgeable, spoke great English and helped cater the tour to what we were interested in. He shared not only information on the history of the things we were seeing but also stories on life in Turkey. He also took us to an awesome lunch spot when we got hungry. The tour company was also easy to work with - they answered several of my questions before booking, sent helpful info before the tour, and coordinated a driver to pick us up and return us to our hotel. Definitely recommend!

Sabit our guide was...

Amy_S, May 2026

Sabit our guide was terrific! Very personable & engaging. He shared context & history of sites we visited. He was knowledgeable friendly and tailored our tour to what we wanted. Highly recommend Viator and Sabit when visiting Istanbul

Great day with Sam knowledgeable very sharp and friendly. We felt like family was a great tour learned a lot

Karen_N, May 2026

Istanbul highlights

Patricia_C, May 2026

It hits all the highlights of Istanbul in one area, the blue mosque hippodrome, Sophia Hagia the palace and more.. and an extra kudos to our guide Kenan

Stephen

Stephen_N, May 2026

Our guide John is very knowledgeable, young , energetic, and definitely experienced. Take us to local restaurant, super good food and price ( on a tourist standpoint). Highly recommended his service.

Best Day in Istanbul

Irregular_G, May 2026

Our guide Kerim met us this morning. He started off a stranger but we left as friends. He took us to all the major sights and the Blue Mosque moved me to tears it was so beautiful. Kerim was very knowledgeable and gave us the history as we went along. We had a coffee stop and a lovely lunch. It was the best experience. Kerim was wonderful and took photos the whole way round so we have great memories of the happiest day. Thank you so much Kerim. You made it a fun and interesting day.

Great tour and excellent guide Emel who made rainy Istanbul tour smooth and memorable

Bela_K, May 2026

We had a great day exploring Old Town Istanbul with our guide, Emel. Even though it was rainy and a holiday, she planned the day very thoughtfully so we could see as much as possible while avoiding long lines at the main attractions. Emel was punctual, professional, and incredibly knowledgeable about the history of Türkiye and Istanbul. She brought each site to life with engaging stories and insights that made the experience much more meaningful. She also went above and beyond at the end of the tour by staying with us in the Grand Bazaar and helping us choose souvenirs, which we really appreciated. Istanbul is a vibrant and fascinating city, and this tour left us wanting to learn even more about its history and culture. We only wish we had more time to explore additional sights with Emel. We’re very glad we had her as our guide and truly enjoyed the experience.

Landmarks

marta_g, Apr 2026

Wonderful way to get a taste of the history and see some of the important sites Of course the guide makes a big difference our guide Emel was outstanding

Warm, welcoming, wonderful experience

Brenda_R, Apr 2026

Emel was an amazing guide. She contacted me through WhatsApp and picked me up directly from my hotel. She shared so many interesting facts, as well as detailed historical information and entertaining stories. We skipped the long lines and she took such good care of me. A special event was sharing a meal together. Because she is so kind and caring, it was like spending the day with a good friend. Emel is professional, courteous and respectful. She made my tour meaningful and personal…well worth the money and would highly recommend to any Istanbul visitors.

Great tour of Istanbul

Marc_D, Apr 2026

So this is our third booking through Viator and our guide Sabit was exceptional. We have enjoyed thoroughly our other tours as well, but he was far and above the best guide we’ve had so far. He is very friendly, very knowledgeable, and discusses religious experience in a very non-threatening manner, regardless if you are Muslim or Christian or Jewish. We felt very comfortable with him the entire day andhad a great lunch. We did visit a carpet store and ended up buying a very nice carpet. The only advice I would give is if you’re not interested in Turkish carpets don’t do that part of the tour.. We were unable to do the grand bazaar because we chose to spend more time at the carpet shop. We were there for two days so we’re able to visit the grand bizarre on our own the following day and that was great. Would highly recommend Sabit to host your group. We were driven to the old city, but then the tour was primarily walking because all of the sites were very close together. Transportation was also top notch. we had six people in our party and I think it was much better and less expensive, other than the carpet, then the celebrity tour.

Best tour experience with Shaban!

Teagan_M, Apr 2026

I had Shaban as my tour guide - and he was absolutely great! He shared a lot of historical knowledge and asked what I was interested in, tailoring the experience to my interests. As someone who was travelling solo, I was a bit nervous, but Shaban’s manner put me completely at ease. Had a fantastic day learning and seeing the Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, Blue Mosque, Grand Baazar, and Hippodrome. Admission fees were only required for Hagia Sophia and Topkapi Palace - and make sure to bring a head scarf! I highly recommend this tour to anyone who wants to see the sights of Istanbul!