Best of Istanbul City Full-Day Tour with Transfers

Recommended by 97% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

Istanbul, Turkey

Great choice

5+ bookings last month.

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

Why travelers loved this

4.8

· Reatha_C ·

Dec 2025

Best day out ever. We were picked up from our hotel and returned back. We met our tour guide and his name is Shoban best guide ever. He told us everything about all the places we visited . He asked us what we wanted to buy and showed us many stores of our choices. I love Istanbul.

· Carla_E ·

Nov 2025

This tour was very enjoyable. Eileen was an excellent guide! She is very knowledgeable about the sites and gave great recommendations for shopping and dining. I would do this tour with her again!

Overview

Get a great overview of Istanbul’s highlights in a day on this tour. In addition to visiting attractions like the Blue Mosque, learn about the city’s past, such as the distinctions between the Ottomans and the Byzantines. Since attraction entry fees aren’t included, you can choose what places you’d like to visit or skip.

Travel seamlessly with pickup and drop-off from Istanbul on the private tour
Enjoy some free time at the Grand Bazaar to shop for souvenirs
Your guide can help take photos of you and offer local recommendations
Join a group tour or upgrade for a private one

What's Included

Fast Track Ticket Avaliable
Professional Private Guide
Unique time to discover Turkish Handicrafts & Traditional arts

Gratuities (suggested)
Lunch
Admission Fee - Basilica Cistern

TRY1,500.00 per booking
Admission Fee - Hagia Sophia Mosque

€25.00 per person
Admission Fee - TopkapI Palace

TRY2,750.00 per person

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

Tour guide will pick you up from the Hotels or Istanbul cruise Port or Airbnb locations Topkapı palace is closed on Tuesday Grand baazar is closed on Sunday

Itinerary

Hippodrome

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Blue Mosque

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Basilica Cistern

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

TopkapI Palace

2 hours • Admission Ticket Not Included

Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque

1 hour • Admission Ticket Not Included

Grand Bazaar

2 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

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

Most travelers can participate
Topkapi Palace is closed on Tuesdays can be replaced with alternatives. Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays can be replaced with Spice Market. Ladies should bring scarf to cover heads Confirmation will be received at time of booking
If you are from cruise passengers please book private one
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 50 travelers

Supplied by

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 197 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Volkan was an amazing...

Gaston, Feb 2026

Volkan was an amazing guide. The tour covers the highlights of the area and is flexible enough to accommodate your needs.

Great tour seeing many of...

PeteRoberts, Jan 2026

Great tour seeing many of the main sights in Istanbul (European side). Volkan was a great tour guide and very experienced and knowledgeable.

Tour guide Zel. was...

Mohammad_A, Dec 2025

Tour guide Zel. was excellent. Very pleased from the start to end. Zel explained everything with interest.

Shobans #1 Tour Guide

Reatha_C, Dec 2025

Wonderful guide

Carla_E, Nov 2025

This tour was very enjoyable. Eileen was an excellent guide! She is very knowledgeable about the sites and gave great recommendations for shopping and dining. I would do this tour with her again!

Sabit and Istanbul

Terrie, Sep 2025

Sabit Kara was an excellent guide. Not only did he know his history well, he was funny and very respectful. We saw all we wanted to see and never felt rushed. I highly recommend any tour with Sabit as your guide.

Istanbul visit

Francis_L, Sep 2025

Excellent knowledge really good day with a really good guide who kept us informed all the way did not like the traffic

Fettah (Our Guide) was...

Mark_K, Sep 2025

Fettah (Our Guide) was phenomenal: Knowledgeable, Flexible & Took the time to explain the background of all sights. A true professional. Thanks!

Response from Host, Sep 2025

Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback! We’re delighted to hear that Fettah made such a positive impression with his knowledge, flexibility, and thoughtful explanations. He truly is a professional, and your kind words will mean a lot to him. We’re so glad you enjoyed your tour and hope to welcome you again for more memorable experiences!

Great guide

DEBRA_R, Sep 2025

You won't be disappointed. The guide was kind, professional and had a wealth of knowledge about the history of Turkey.

Response from Host, Sep 2025

Thank you for your kind and strong feedback for Guide Fettah. All your best !

Can was an excellent...

Heena_S, Sep 2025

Can was an excellent guide. He knew so much history and had great knowledge of all the places we visited. It was a day well spent.

Response from Host, Sep 2025

Dear Heena Thank you for your kind feedback. We’re delighted to hear that Can’s knowledge and guidance made your day so enjoyable. Always Welcome

Private tour Istanbul

Brooke_E, Aug 2025

Shaban was awesome! Very knowledgeable and allowed us to do what we wanted to do, not on a strict schedule. Took us to places that wouldn't rip us off as well. We had a great time and highly recommend!

Response from Host, Aug 2025

Thank you for your thoughtful feedback. We are delighted to hear that you had such a positive experience with Shaban. His flexibility, local knowledge, and commitment to ensuring guests feel comfortable and well taken care of are qualities we greatly value. We truly appreciate your recommendation and look forward to welcoming you again in the future.

Memorable Day

Nasar_K, Jul 2025

Fateh is probably one of the best guides I’ve ever had. He took time to go through each and every detail and made this trip most memorable. Thanks

Our trip through Istanbul to Rome.

Horace_L, Jul 2025

We had a beautiful city tour with Ege in Istanbul and he was wonderful in showing us the mosque and central city. He was also very helpful in assisting my wife because she has disabilities.

What a day!!!!

LYNNE_D, Jun 2025

What an amazing day with John. He was so informative (no idea how he remembers everything) and knowledgeable. He was friendly with a great personality and made the day extremely interesting. Would recommend him without hesitation.

Great tour of main sites of Istanbul

Maria_K, Jun 2025

Our tour guide Volkan was great, very informative and flexible with the tour. He guided us through all the sites of Istanbul at precise times to avoid crowds. I highly recommend him and this tour of the main sites of Istanbul.

Great walking tour of...

Ron_S, Jun 2025

Great walking tour of Istanbul, being picked up & returned to cruise port. Visited the sites we wanted to see.

Estambul

doniseva20, Jun 2025

The tour in Istanbul was exceptional. Our guide was very friendly, with extensive knowledge of the culture and literature of his country, and made us feel at home, always very safe in his company. He showed us the most interesting places we wanted to see. We ended at the Grand Bazaar doing some shopping — everything was excellent. We would recommend it to anyone, whether an individual, family, or friend who wants to take a tour in Istanbul. Many thanks to our guide.

Best guide mehmet in istanbul

Ankit_J, Jun 2025

Guide was kind and informative. He showed us all major places. Thanks for pick up and drop off. Best

Good experience

Christine_G, May 2025

our tour guide was very punctual and his knowledgeable with his job! thanks and i will recommend you guys to my friends!

It was fantastic. We got...

Wilmene_B, May 2025

It was fantastic. We got too see several cultural sights. Our guide was very knowledgeable about everywhere we went. He even showed us several traditional locations.

Great

Linda_S, May 2025

Wear good shoes and have a scarf Our guide Sabit. Was. Super! So much. Information We even experience a service at the Mosque

Istanbul- BEST Tour Ever!

Tim_L, May 2025

Ikler was our personal guide for the day. He is fascinating and very knowledgeable guide. He gave us choices to create our own day experience. He would ask us questions to better serve us with a detailed tour. He delivered the best tour we have had. Istanbul is an excellent city. So much to see and do. I advise you to use a personal tour guide to get the most out of your time and money.

Istanbul City Tour

Jeaneen_H, May 2025

Ilkar was wonderful. Knowledgeable, friendly and flexible. It was a terrible rainy day but the tour was amazing and helped to to learn and love Istanbul.

Highly recommend!

Sandy_E, May 2025

100% worth doing! See and learn about this wonderful city's history with an expert guide. So much better than being with a group!

Tour guide BerkeCan was...

Sarah_N, May 2025

Tour guide BerkeCan was good, meeting us on time at cruise terminal and giving us options of sites to visit. Unfortunately the city was really busy, lineups were long (about 2 hours wait time for Hagia Sophia), and too many smokers inside the Grand Bazaar that made the visit unpleasant. It was May 1st when we visited, can’t imagine what the city is like during peak summer season! The city should implement timed entry for all the famous sites instead of making people wait for hours in lineups.

5-Stars for the guide; 3-Stars for the company.

EDWIN_W, Apr 2025

+Positives Pick-up was on time and a short drive to the starting point of our walking tour. Our guide Ege was very energetic and full of stories that you would not find on Wikipedia! Although there was a lot of walking, Ege took us to visit the sites in an order that avoided the busy periods (the queues are insane in most sites)! What we enjoyed most was visiting a small kebab store which he frequents ("best price:performance" for him!) and getting free sweets at his friend's shop! We highly recommend Ege if you visit! Return transport back to your hotel is also provided but we decided to continue in town after the tour. -Can be improved 1. Pre-trip COMMUNICATION. I sent at least 3 messages to the company via Viator and also sought help from Viator customer service but received ZERO replies!!! This caused a lot of anxiety as we were not sure if anyone was going to pick us up in the morning. They only sent a text in the morning itself about an hour before the pick-up time. Imagine if they decided to cancel, it would be too late to book another tour. 2. As a result of ZERO/INCORRECT communication, we ended up having to: a) Pay cash TRY6,000 (3 pax) to buy tickets for Topkapi. The issue was not the cost as it was clearly stated that tickets were not included in the cost of the tour but we DID NOT CARRY enough cash! This meant we had to pay extra charged to withdraw from a nearby ATM, not to mention the inconvenience. In addition to sending them several messages before the day about payment via credit card, and receiving no reply, I also Whatsapp them on the morning before the vehicle arrived and the company confirmed that we could pay via credit card card, which turned out to be not the case for Topkapi and it meant lining up with everyone else to buy tickets at the counter. b) We had to LINE-UP to buy tickets at both the Cistern and Hagia Sofia, when the tour stated that we had FAST TRACK access. This meant we had to line up twice for both of those sites - once to buy tickets, and again to enter. 3. Ege offered to bring us to see a leather goods and ceremic making store and we declined both as we had no interest in them and wanted to spend more time at the sites. However, it seems the company kept on asking him to bring us to the ceremics store so we obliged but tour operators should not force this on guests. CONCLUSION 1. We were not happy with the way the tour operator managed this and i would not recommend using them. 2. Ege is an excellent guide and very informative. We believe he is a free lancer and works with several operators so hope you will find a better tour operator and request for Ege!

Istanbul tour

Ayman_A, Apr 2025

It was a great tour full of history. Ege did a great job. He is very knowledgeable. I did enjoy the tour

Incredible Guide

Deanna_C, Apr 2025

My guide was incredible—well traveled, knowledgeable, and deeply passionate about Istanbul. Highly recommended!

Fettah Awesome Guide

Joseph_B, Apr 2025

Great experience in Istanbul with very knowledgeable guide. Would recommend Fettah as a guide to anyone.

Sabit Kara, most Phenomenal Guide in Istanbul

Karen_G, Apr 2025

Sabit Kara was the absolute best guide in Istanbul! He is extremely personable, accommodating, knowledgeable, flexible and wished to make our experience in Istanbul a cultural and memorable one, which he definitely did. We did a one day tour with Sabit and wish he could have been our guide for the 2 week tour of Turkey. You will be most fortunate if Sabit Kara is your guide, and you will not be disappointed!!