Istanbul Traditional Turkish Dinner and Dervish Experience
Recommended by 99% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Istanbul, Turkey
- 3 hours to 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
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Overview
Istanbul has a thriving food scene, but it can be hard to know where to find an authentic Turkish experience. Enjoy an evening immersed in Istanbul's traditional culture with dinner at a historical family restaurant loved by locals, complete with a dervish performance—an 800-year-old tradition that's Unesco Heritage listed. Plus, transportation back to your hotel is included at the end so there's no hassle of flagging a taxi.
- Eat like an Istanbul local with several delicious dishes unique to the area
- Meet like-minded travelers from around the world
- Dine at a 140-year-old local family restaurant
- Enjoy private transportation for drop-off after the experience
What's Included
- DinnerAll included. 5 different types of Traditional Turkish Kebabs, 5 types of Meze, Dessert. Food & drinks will be unlimited. Many options for the vegetarian. Ayran, Şerbet, Turkish Coffee, Tea
- Dervish Performance Ticket
- VEGETERIAN, VEGAN, GLUTEN FREE options are available, please inform us after reservation
- Private transportationAfter the experience we will drop you off Sultanahmet, Sirkeci, Eminönü, Galata, Taksim and Cruise Ports.
- THIS IS AN ALL INCLUDED TOUR. YOU WILL NOT PAY ANY EXTRAS.
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Hobyar, Büyük Postane Cd. No:24, 34112 Fatih/İstanbul, Türkiye
We will meet in front of Central Post Office. Rüstem Paşa, Büyük Postane Cd. No;25, 34112, Fatih. We will contact you via whatsapp for exact location.
End point
- Sirkeci, Hobyar, 34112 Fatih/İstanbul, Türkiye
After the experience is over, we will drop you off close to your hotel.
Itinerary
1
Sirkeci
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Kadinlar Pazari
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
3
Sirkeci Station
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Infant seats available
- Transportation is wheelchair accessible
- Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Most travelers can participate
- We have dishes to suit all your food preferences.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Deidre_G
This was a highlight of my trip through Turkey and Greece. The whirling dervishes offered a profound experience and the food was phenomenal. Our guide, Eylül, was very well informed, friendly, and conscientious of our needs and interests. She helped me navigate the meals since I am gluten intolerant and got all of my needs met. She even gave each participant a special gift at the end. I highly recommend this experience and this guide!
Reviews
4.9
based on 647 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Maranda_M, Jul 2026
I had an outstanding experience on the Whirling Dervish and Turkish dinner tour. Our guide, Zeynep, was warm, engaging, and incredibly knowledgeable. What made the tour especially memorable was how she shared her own experiences as a Turkish woman, giving us unique “behind-the-scenes” insights into Istanbul’s history, culture, cuisine, and traditions. Those personal stories added a depth and authenticity that you simply can’t get from a guidebook.
The tour was well paced, allowing plenty of time to appreciate each part of the experience without ever feeling rushed. The Whirling Dervish ceremony was absolutely mesmerizing. I especially appreciated the historical and spiritual context that was provided beforehand, as it helped me better understand the symbolism of the ritual and connect with the meditative state of the dervishes.
The Turkish dinner was equally enjoyable—delicious, authentic, and very satisfying. By the end of the evening, I felt completely fulfilled: intellectually enriched, physically satisfied, and spiritually inspired. I highly recommend this experience to anyone wanting a deeper understanding of Turkish culture while enjoying an unforgettable evening in Istanbul.
Tyler_P, Jul 2026
We met our tour guide, Zeynep, at the Central Post Office in Istanbul. We then walked a few blocks to the Dervish show, stopping at a few food markets along the way. The walk was a little difficult because of the huge crowds of people and cars, but we made it. The Dervish show was unlike anything I have ever seen, and was definitely a highlight of our stay in Istanbul. After the show we took a private van to a restaurant, where our group ate a grand feast of several kabobs and other Turkish dishes. When the meal was over we were dropped off at the port to board our cruise ship. Zeynep was very friendly and enthusiastic about sharing her culture with the group, although I think organization and coordination with the driver could've been improved. Overall it was a great experience!
Simrat_B, Jul 2026
Excellent and thoughtfully put together tour! Highly recommend if you love traditional Turkish food and, of course, the mindful and reflective Deverish ceremony. This ceremony is an experience of a lifetime, not to be missed! The guide was superb and really looked after us well.
Elizabeth_P, Jul 2026
Zeyn was great to work with. She communicated prior to the tour. It's apparent she truly loves her job in her City. She gave us lots of information about sites we passed as we walked around the city. The Dervish experience was interesting and relaxing. Afterwards we stopped to sample a few local treats. Our dinner was the grand finale. Zeyn ordered authentic Turkish dishes that were served family style. All of us were stuffed and satisfied after the meal. This tour exceeded my expectations and I highly recommend it. Ask for Zeyn
ILCHE_N, Jul 2026
The evening was really special. Our tour guide, Zeynep was warm, welcoming, and very informative. She took us to authentic local spots for fantastic food. We really enjoyed her company.
The Sufi experience was enlightening. Really cool way to appreciate the history of Istanbul
Brian_C, Jul 2026
We had an incredible evening at the Istanbul Traditional Turkish Dinner and Dervish Experience. The entire experience was beautifully organized, with delicious traditional food, captivating cultural performances, and an unforgettable Whirling Dervish ceremony that gave us a deeper appreciation of Turkish heritage.
A special thank you to our amazing tour guide, Zeynip, who made the evening truly exceptional. She was warm, knowledgeable, friendly, and attentive throughout the tour. She shared fascinating insights about Turkish culture and history, answered all of our questions with enthusiasm, and made everyone feel welcome and comfortable.
If you're visiting Istanbul and want to experience authentic Turkish culture, I highly recommend this tour. It was one of the highlights of our trip, and thanks to Zeynip, it became a memorable experience we'll always cherish!
Tyler_D, Jul 2026
Saved this for my last night in Turkey and it was the perfect ending. Our guide Zeynep was extremely personable and made sure to learn our names even for the short time we were together. The combo of whirling dervish and dinner was just the right amount of time. If you want to enjoy pure Turkish culture and something a little more low key, this is the experience to choose!
Sunny_S, Jul 2026
It was great to taste Turkish cuisine and I enjoyed the Dervish show. Zeynep was very friendly and knowledgeable, she made the evening a lot of fun !
Florence_B, Jul 2026
You will eat a lot, make sure you go hungry. We were a bigger group and had two guides: Sule and Zey. Both lovely, soft spoken and very knowledgeable. The Dervish show was mesmerizing interesting. After the show you get taken to a restaurant where they keep the dishes coming. Lots of it and all delicious traditionally Turkish. I highly recommend this activity 👌
Ben_G, Jul 2026
Our tour guide Zey was incredible, very social and personable, she is really in the right profession as a tour guide. Thankyou so much for making the tour and our time memorable.
SushilKumar_S, Jun 2026
The dervish session was spiritual and quite nice. What made the trip more interesting and enjoyable was the company of Zeynep who was so passionate and friendly in making the trip comfortable for us and very pleasant.
Susan_K, Jun 2026
This was an excellent tour. But I'll start with the negative... I nearly didn't find the pickup point. I was given instructions for taking public transportation from the cruise port, but despite growing up using New York City buses and trains, I couldn't figure out how to find or use the tram. I ended up taking an extraordinarily expensive cab ride and the cabbie didn't even drop me off at the correct spot. Fortunately I had allowed time for getting lost. The tour guide Zey was in contact with me and helped me find my way to the spot. I was frustrated and hot so the evening did not get off to a good start. But after that, everything was wonderful. Zey is a ray of sunshine and her tour is smooth and very well rehearsed since she has been doing it for two years. We enjoyed two examples of street food before we went to see the dervishes. Then we took the van to a neighborhood restaurant which served the most incredible food. We all wanted more but we were so full. After the meal, the van dropped us back at our hotel or the cruise port which I appreciated so much. As a gift, Zey gave us a little tote bag with line drawings of sites and symbols to help us remember our time in Istanbul. After a frustrating start, I thoroughly enjoyed this tour.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Thank you for the nice review Susan.
The negative aspect you mentioned has nothing to do with us. You will get on the tram using your credit card at the Port and get off after 3 stops, that's all.
Ryan_D, Jun 2026
This experience was outstanding! The organization of the itinerary, conversation, and food was well thought out and executed. Sule, our tour guide was hands down the best guide we experienced in Instanbul. She offered history, context, recommendations, and most of all, a genuinely considerate and friendly energy. No one should pass up this opportunity to experience these pieces of Turkish culture. Sule is proud of her culture and country and is excited to share it with you in the best way possible.
John_V, Jun 2026
Highly recommended and ask for Zeynep to be your host!
The evening begins with being served street food by a local celebrity (I will not spoil the surprise you will need to book the experience), followed by some delicious Turkish delights. This is just wetting your appetite for the main course which is the mystical cultural experience that is the Whirling Dervish. The evening concludes with what felt like a family meal at a local Turkish restaurant. The main ingredient was our host Zeynep. From the moment she greeted us she was warm, witty and informative. She had ensured that we were all informed of the itinerary by texting us all on the morning of the tour. She made us feel we were spending a lovely evening with a friend, not a host
Well done !!
Haider_A, Jun 2026
We had a wonderful evening exploring the street food, culture and more delicious food, we travelled to the meeting point from the cruise port and were dropped off back to the port in the evening
Robert_G, Jun 2026
Great food and great experience with our guide Zey. First a quick taste of street food, then the dervish show and topped off with a great meal in the old town part of Istanbul.
bellamywells, Jun 2026
A fantastic night watching the show and then followed by the best Turkish banquet you possibly can have!
John_I, Jun 2026
Dervish performance was intriguing and captivating. The dinner after the show was fantastic. There were four of us in our group, each with a very different pallette. We each found several things in the dinner that we really liked, so all were happy.
Our guide, Bugra, was friendly and knowledgable.
The only negative I'd cite is communication before the tour. Originally we booked for 4:30PM, but that Dervish performance was cancelled, so we received TEXTS about a change to 6:30PM, and asking us if we wanted to do the tour at that time. The problem I had with this was that nothing in the texts mentioned "Kubi", the company we were taking the tour with. And the phone number we received the texts from was DIFFERENT from the phone number in the booking details. We went into our booking details and messaged the company thru Viator. They confirmed that the change was legitimate. So we forged ahead with this new time for the tour. We took a taxi from the cruise port to the meeting place, and our taxi driver expressed skepticism that it was a legitimate tour we were on. He called the phone number the texts had come from, and I believe he spoke directly with our guide. Nothing the guide said to him made him any more confident that the tour was legit.
Obviously the taxi driver was wrong. The tour was legit and we enjoyed it. But Kubi could avoid situations like this by having their employees identify themselves with the company name on any such correspondence. Also, it would be better to use the phone number in the booking details for such correspondence.
RedSpice, Jun 2026
Zeynep was a wonderful guide who was excited to show us some of the food highlights of Istanbul as well as introduce us to the mesmerising Dervish tradition. We had a small group and Zeynep included us all in conversations and made us all feel welcomed.
Mariangela_P, Jun 2026
This is a fascinating and moving experience with a wonderful meal. Zey was our guide and she was absolutely wonderful and very personable.
DARRON_S, Jun 2026
It is a religious ceremony.interesting,unique and a cultural experience.great commitment from the "sufis".
Julie_B, Jun 2026
Sule was THE BEST tour guide! She loves her city and has so much knowledge and experience and genuinely enjoys showing off her home with new friends! The food is absolutely amazing and the Dervish experience is authentic and “dizzyingly” unique. Do not skip out on this tour!
Geoffrey_C, May 2026
Great tour - highly recommend Sule! She was an amazing guide - explained everything we were seeing and doing in great detail. She also provided lots of supplemental info and an extensive list of recommended places to go. LOVED the traditional dinner and the Dervish show and suggest asking for Sule!
Aysha_L, May 2026
Ask for Sheelug as your guide. She is the best. Thoroughly enjoyed the evening, topped with good food.
Nick_T, May 2026
Sule’s Traditional Turkish Dinner and Dervish Experience was a real highlight — beautifully balanced between culture, atmosphere, and great hospitality. The whirling dervish ceremony was a serene, authentic Sufi performance that left you feeling peaceful and grounded. The dinner that followed was equally memorable, with a wide variety of tasty dishes, each explained with insight and enthusiasm. Sule herself was a wonderful host, full of engaging stories and warmth, making the whole evening feel both personal and genuinely special.
Simi_O, May 2026
I would give Zeynep a 10/5 if I could! She’s one of the best hosts I’ve toured with. She knows how to talk to you about Turkish culture in a way that’s warm and inviting. The street food was short, but really good. The dinner at the end was the best intro to Turkish food and the group conversation was great. I’d recommend that you do some brief research on Dervish twirling prior to the tour as it’s probably not what you expect.
TerryVitanza, May 2026
Great experience! Nice street food, amazing show, very good food (be hungry because it's a lot of food!) and especially our great guide Sule!
Only thing that could be better is having a shorter dervish show after the real one where we can take pictures (that's what they propose in other dervish shows in Turkey).
Melwyn_C, May 2026
A very interesting Dervish performance and good food experience.
Zeynep was more a friend, than a guide!
Suzanne_J, May 2026
Zey was a great hostess. The Whirling Dervish was a unique experience. The street food before and restaurant after felt very authentic, local, and comfortable. The food was incredible. I highly recommend this experience.
steve_c, May 2026
Our guide Zeynep, did a wonderful job guiding us through some tastes of the city, a Dervish experience, and then the grand finale - a great Turkish dinner. A fun evening apart from the traditional tourist itinerary.
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$101.65
per personWas $107.00
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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