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
- Offered in: English
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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 a street food tasting, dinner at a historical family restaurant loved by locals, and a dervish performance—an 800-year-old tradition. 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
- Watch the UNESCO-listed whirling dervish performance
- Enjoy private transportation for drop-off to key Istanbul locations
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
- Rüstem Paşa, Büyük Postane Cd. No:25, 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 20 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
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 767 reviews
Review summary
Last 12 months
437 reviews
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Travelers consistently praise knowledgeable, warm guides who provide detailed cultural and culinary insights, enhancing the authenticity of the experience. The well-planned itinerary smoothly combines diverse food tastings with a spiritual Whirling Dervish ceremony and traditional Turkish dinner. Communication is clear and timely, supporting seamless coordination. The immersive activities and abundant authentic cuisine stand out, while the mesmerizing Dervish performance leaves a lasting impression. Overall, the tour is described as thoughtfully organized and highly engaging.
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Outstanding Zev was a thoroughly knowledgeable guide and went out of her way to be helpful. The Dervish experience was very enlightening and spiritual. Dinner was another wonderful Turkish delight.
The session and dinner were amazing, and our guide, Zey was A+. There were a few issues with Viator - signed up for 5:30 session and got call that session started at 5 so missed the 1st 15 minutes. Also texted before to learn if I could be dropped off near hotel; they said yes but was not the case. Excellent Zey was able to arrange with driver for extra $20.
An unforgettable evening — the traditional dervish ceremony followed by an incredible dinner at a local restaurant. Zei was a perfect host, ordering different types of food for us to try and enjoy, including künefe for dessert. Her love of culture and food is infectious. Highly recommended!!
There are likely some mixed thoughts out there on seeing a dervish “show”, how can it be authentic if it is a paid performance? Watching the dervishes show their faith through music and movement was meditative and the meaning behind both was very interesting to follow. Learned something new!
Dinner followed the dervishes and it was delicious! We went to a family-owned place, multi-generationally run, called Siirt Şeref Büryan 1892. Meal was served family-style and just so good (also had one of my faves perde pilavi).
Lastly Zey, our guide, was so warm and kind. She made the evening.
This was an amazing experience!! The tour guide Zeynep was so personable and did such an amazing job bringing a group of strangers together like family at the most delicious Turkish dinner. And the Dervishes were the height of spiritual experience, authentic practices that we were invited to attend. A highlight experience!
The Dervish ceremony was magical. The dinner was great. Zeynep, our guide, was delightful. Everything was well organized .
Our guide Zey was delightful and very knowledgeable. She took care to explain background on the Dervish practice which gave us the proper perspective. The dinner was the best meal we had in Turkeyie. Authentic, delicious and generous servings!
This is a unique spiritual and cultural opportunity. The Dervish ceremony is moving! This tour also includes dinner, and our guide, Chu Chu, selected the perfect restaurant to experience an authentic Turkish dinner. The food was amazing - and there was sooooo much of it! Chu Chu was an outstanding guide! She went out of her way to ensure that everyone arrived home safely. She is a gem! Shelby
Our tour guide was Zey and she was outstanding. She had a wonderful personality and did a great job. She was very knowledgeable and explained the Dervish ceremony. There was a bad rain and wind storm but Zey got us inside quickly and safely. The dinner was the highlight of the tour. The food was excellent especially the flaming dessert. I would highly recommend this tour
It wasn’t what I thought I expected. It’s actually a religious ceremony. It was interesting and I enjoyed the evening. It was all apart of the cultural experience.
They changed meeting place and I don’t get the message. Whirling Dervish program was worth it. I skipped dinner with crowd as I’d already had a culinary tour and was full!
Response from Host, Oct 2026
We find your review extremely unfair and disappointing.
First of all, it is simply not true that you did not receive our message. Our message was delivered to you, but you did not open it. We also tried calling you, but you did not answer. We even adjusted the meeting point specifically to prevent you from being late and missing the experience.
You then informed us that you had a business meeting and decided to leave before dinner. Now, in your own review, you also mention that you had already joined another food tour and were too full to eat.
So we genuinely have to ask: What exactly did we do wrong? You chose not to participate in the dinner for reasons entirely unrelated to our service.
We put an enormous amount of time, effort, and care into organizing these experiences and making sure every guest has a wonderful time. It is deeply disappointing to see how easily someone can leave a low rating despite our efforts to accommodate them.
We respect honest feedback, but we also believe reviews should be fair, responsible, and reflect the service actually provided. Unfortunately, we do not believe your rating does that.
What a great experience. It was so awesome to experience the Dervish dancing. The meal afterwards was very good. Our guide Zeynep was so energetic and fun. Made the experience even better.
Zeynep is a lovely vibrant funny young woman who was looking after us throughout the evening with the utmost care and eye for detail. She organised the evening perfectly, is full of energy aswell as useful information. The dinner was lovely, the derwishes were impressive and Zeynep made it all happen. Recommended!
Friends of ours said we couldn’t miss this and they were right. The Dervish ceremony was mesmerizing. Zeynep was knowledgeable about the ceremony and took us to a nice family restaurant for an excellent Turkish dinner. Small tour groups are great as it’s easy to meet new people. Don’t miss it.
This was such a lovely experience and definitely one of the highlights of my time in Istanbul. Before dinner, we did a small food tour and got to try some Turkish delights along the way, which were really good and made the experience feel like more than just dinner and a show. The dinner and dervish performance were both enjoyable, but what really made the experience special was our guide, Șule. She was so kind and welcoming, and at the end she even gave us little bags as souvenirs, which I thought was such a thoughtful touch. I especially loved that it was something cute and actually usable. Șule was very knowledgeable and really made the experience memorable, and I would absolutely book with her again. I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone visiting Istanbul who wants a fun, cultural evening with great food and a thoughtful guide.
This was a very well organized and presented evening that we'll remember. Zey, our guide, was a great person to teach us about the activities but also to visit with over dinner. She kept us organized and moving. First the street food- excellent. Then, the Sufi Whirling Dervish presentation was so much more than I expected. A unique and moving presentation. The main meal in an historic neighborhood was excellent- tried things I loved that I might never have tasted on my own. And the transportation was professional and flawless. I would take another tour with Zey specifically anytime, and the communication through Viator was great. As a side note, I was hesitant to download Whatsapp as recommended but now that we've used it, I can see the value in having it for just such a purpose. The time of the event was adjusted to give us a full group, and having seen other reviewers mention that has happened to them, we made sure to check our messages in the afternoon. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.
A wonderful experience. Zeynep was a very knowledgeable, friendly, and intelligent guide. She gave us a insightful information about the Dervish ceremony and about the delicious food. She followed up with a list of places we should visit and the best restaurants. It was one of the best tours we had in any city.
Sule was a great tour guide and we loved the whole experience! Her recommendations were helpful for our whole trip!
This experience was so much more than I imagined! I really enjoyed the wonderful Turkish food, traditional snacks, and especially the spiritual Whirling Dervish ceremony. The ceremony felt very sacred and meaningful, and I really appreciated being able to experience and learn about this beautiful cultural and spiritual tradition.
Our guide, Zey, was wonderful. She was incredibly thoughtful, pleasant, and attentive throughout the experience. My name isn’t always easy to remember or pronounce, but she remembered it right away and kept calling me by my name, which was such a thoughtful personal touch.
I’m very particular about food, and although I’m not very familiar with Turkish cuisine, I could immediately tell that the restaurant she took us to was high quality. The vegetables were incredibly fresh, the food was delicious, and you could tell that the restaurant really paid attention to the details.
For the price, I honestly thought this experience was a bargain. I enjoyed it so much and am really glad I decided to join. If you’re visiting Istanbul and aren’t quite sure what to do, I would definitely recommend this experience. It was such a pleasant and memorable evening!
This tour was well organized and the itinerary was very curated. We received meeting place, overview, and drop off communication well ahead of time. Our guide Zeynep was very informative, friendly, and passionate about food and about sharing her culture with us. It was our first night in Istanbul and we were glad we elected to go on this tour and met Zeynep. On an added note, we had a family who had a person with a slight mobility issue. On the return, even though they thought they could have walked 20 minutes to their hotel, but Zeynep was so kind and made sure they were dropped off as close to their hotel as possible. We highly recommend this tour.
It was a wonderful combination of an authentic dervish ceremony and a food tour. Zana was an awesome guide who explained the food and the ceremony. Highly recommend.
Zeynep is an excellent tour guide. She is friendly, goes the extra mile, and is knowledgeable about the food, culture, and history of the Dervish Sufi. The community knows her well too which adds a personal/family touch as well to the experience :-).
The Dervish demonstration was a spiritual experience I haven't had before and I am glad I went. Great tour overall :-)
Zeynep treated us like family! Many in our group had problems with their taxi, she was patient and all went smoothly. The Dervish experience was soothing, the dinner was fablous. The lamb kabob was delicious. She dropped us off a short walk to our hotel.
Zeynep was an amazing guide who represents all that is good about the people of Türkiye. She did an excellent job of explaining the ceremony and gave great insight into the culture and food of Türkiye. She was organized and made every tour member feel appreciated. Viatour is lucky to have her represent them.
Not what you might be expecting. This is not a “performance” but a mystical experience. Our wonderful guide Zeynep arranged a seamless, entertaining and informative evening. We enjoyed a few local treats on the way to the performance. Zeynep explained the 800 year old tradition so we knew what to expect. The Dervish performance is “food for the soul.”
It is unique. The musicians create the environment for a trancelike almost spiritual experience as the performers
enter and begin their movement. Evocative. Spiritual. Silent. The experience was followed by a delicious traditional feast at “Siirt Seref” (est 1892). A traditional evening for the soul and the stomach.
Zeynep was a wonderful guide providing the right amount of information and insight into the Dervish experience. The food tour was delicious and the dinner felt like a family meal. Highly recommend!!
This evening was a great way to dive into Turkish and Muslim culture. The whirling dervishes is like nothing else I’ve seen and after an hour of the demonstration, you get to enjoy food at a top-rated restaurant that has been in the same family for 150 years. You sample a little bit of everything and you will leave with a full belly and heart! The Turks are welcoming and this evening highlights their gift of hospitality.
Zeynep was a great tour guide. Very accommodating, informative and personable. Made the experience a total pleasure.
An incredible experience that I highly recommend! The dervish ceremony was a memorable spiritual experience that I will never forget and the food was one of the best I had in Istanbul. Zeynep made the experience even better with her fun and passionate personality.
This was s terrific experience. Zey was a fabulous tour leader. I highly recommend this to everyone!
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per personWas $107.00(-5%)
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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