Istanbul Private Guiding Service
Recommended by 90% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Istanbul, Turkey
- 6 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Overview
This fully customizable private guided tour of Istanbul ticks off the highlights with a bespoke itinerary, tailor-made just for you. Arrange to be picked up at your hotel or port, making this an ideal option for first-time travelers or cruise ship passengers. Get enriching background commentary on your choice of attractions, from ancient relics to Ottoman splendors, as you take in the history-packed city on a pay-as-you-go basis.
- A private, fully customizable guided tour of Istanbul’s top sights
- Guide works with you to tailor the route to suit your unique interests
- Cover as many sights as you can or follow a leisurely pace: It's your choice
- Skip the rigid group itineraries and enjoy a relaxing, flexible tour
What's Included
- A Bottle of Water
- Professional Licensed Tour Guide
- Any Transportation
- Entrance Fees
- Lunch or Drinks
Meeting and Pickup
You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup
What To Expect
1
Historic Areas of Istanbul
2
Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque
3
Blue Mosque
4
Hippodrome
5
Grand Bazaar Jewelers
6
Basilica Cistern
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- This is a walking tour that takes place in pedestrian-only areas of Istanbul’s Old City.
- Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays and religious holidays. You will visit the Spice Bazaar instead as an alternative.
- Topkapi Palace is closed on Tuesdays.
- Mosque visits may be subject to temporary closures during prayer times.
- 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 73 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
The booking started off very shakie as the operator wanted us to pay for pick when the booking specifically said that pickup for this private tour was included, that was unsettling to say the least especially since I'd already paid for the 3 of us. The operator reached out to me, they were very nice but I'd already reached out to Viator who told me not to pay a dime. The operator then messaged me to say that they would work something out. I was still not happy. Then I got a message from the operator to say that it was settled and that my transport would be there to pick me up at the agreed time. I've dealt with Viator before and found their tours to be true and honest to a fault. This is the first time that I had this experience.
The next thing on this tour was the guide, while he was very knowledgeable he seem to be guiding us to places and shops that he had an interest in/very familiar with the people. He insist on showing us a rug and jewelry shops that had very little to do with history. He had his own places that he wanted us to visit and seemed a little put out when we didn't show much interest. We arrived at the start of the tour at about 11:00am at about 3:30pm our 6hr tour ended with him saying that the driver had to leave and didn't want to be caught in traffic we were very shocked as it had only been about 4 hrs. He kept taking calls while on the tour. We could've gotten a taxi to the start of the tour for less then walk around and listened to the other tour guides, walked to the market and gotten a taxi back to the hotel for less. I'm sure that if it had started out different and the guide had been dedicated to his job, the experience would have been different. I've been on similar tours like this that were really enjoyable. So I'd say give it a try.
Response from Host, Aug 2026
We would like to clarify that transportation was not included in this tour. However, when you requested it, we arranged a vehicle for you to avoid any inconvenience. One participant also arrived approximately 20 minutes late, and as your pickup and drop-off were on the Asian side of Istanbul, around two hours of the total time was spent on transportation.
The museums on the itinerary require entrance tickets and several hours to visit. As you decided not to enter them, our guide took you to a carpet shop instead, as you had expressed interest in seeing local shops.
Our guide Sait has been working with us for many years and has received numerous positive reviews from our guests on our website. We are sorry that your experience was different.
We appreciate your constructive feedback and will certainly take your comments into consideration.
Kind Regards
Watch out ! They bring you to places like rug stores to sell to you , also a spice place looking to sell you something , and they have their own scarf place in case you forgot to bring yours ( this one did actually help me except I picked the $100 cashmere blend one .
They must all be in cahoots! That should NOT be part of this tour. This is wrong .
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you for sharing your feedback with us.
We are sorry to hear that the shopping stops negatively affected your experience. These visits are intended to introduce guests to local craftsmanship and products, but there is absolutely no obligation to make any purchases. We sincerely apologize if it felt otherwise during your tour.
Your comments are very important to us and will be shared with our team to help improve the experience we provide to our guests.
Thank you again for your honest review.
A private tour with a great guide makes all the difference! Seda, our guide was so knowledgeable! Very intelligent, interesting and personable. She took us through the attractions we wanted to see, and knew them so well!
Mert is a great guide with detailed knowledge of the history of turkey and the origins of the major sites. Very amiable and easy to follow
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Thank you so much for your kind words!
We’re very happy to hear that you had a great experience with Mert. His deep knowledge of Turkey’s history and his friendly, clear approach truly make a difference.
We appreciate your feedback and would love to welcome you again for more unforgettable experiences in Turkey!
Warm regards,
Melisa
Our guide Tim was very friendly and knowledgeable about the history and sights of Istanbul. He customized the tour for us. Highly recommend.
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Thank you so much for your kind feedback!
We’re delighted to hear that you had a great experience with Tim and that his knowledge and friendly approach made your time in Istanbul even more special. We're also glad the customized tour met your expectations.
We truly appreciate your recommendation and would be happy to welcome you again for more memorable experiences in Turkey!
Warm regards,
Melisa
The guide wasn't too interested to show around. He was more tired and frustrated to walk around. The sun and walk was troubling him. The time line of mo of hours for the chosen trip wasn't completed. At the end of the trip , he didn't even want to talk about last destination shown. He was more interested to reach back, as he was tired, wasn't comfortable with heat and wanted to reach home before 6 pm. As a passenger of same age I was willing to walk, see more. It was not a good experience for the cost taken. Also the company charged me for two adults inspite of me solo. There was no option of selecting single passenger. I urge the company to refund the money for one passenger which was charged extra. And even though I did the trip, it was not a good experience to have a negative, tired , boring guide.
Seref Aral was on time. He gave us the history of Turkiye and by so doing made us appreciate and understand the architecture of the buildings, the culture and food of Turkiye. Highly recommend. Spoke fluent English.
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Thank you so much for your kind words and for sharing your experience!
We’re so happy to hear that you enjoyed your time with Şeref Aral and that his historical insights helped deepen your appreciation of Türkiye’s architecture, culture, and cuisine.
His punctuality and fluent English are qualities we value greatly, and your recommendation truly means a lot to us.
We hope to welcome you back again soon for more memorable experiences in Türkiye!
Warm regards,
Melisa
It was a pleasure going around Istanbul with our personal guide. He was punctual and very knowledgeable and friendly. He took us to various places and gave us tips on where to buy great local food and souvenirs. This was the perfect tour 🥰
Response from Host, Aug 2024
Dear Luisa,
Thank you very much for your kind comments. We are delighted that you enjoyed Your tour guide’s knowledge and experience. We take great pride in sharing Turkish culture and history, and it was a pleasure to host you on this journey.
We would be honored to welcome you again.
Warm Regards,
We enjoyed two days of guiding through Istanbul with our own itenerary (of course we finalized it with our guide) and at our own pace. It is great to be able to talk one to one about history, monuments, every day things, ....
Response from Host, Jul 2024
Dear Marc,
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We are thrilled to hear that you had a great experience with your guide. It’s fantastic to know that his information, attitude, and perfect timing made your tour so enjoyable.
We truly appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you on another tour in the future.
Warmest Regards!
The reason we enjoyed is because is because of the guide Burak.
Pleasant, informative always checked if we wanted to skip, spend more time or change, or needed a break.
Response from Host, Jun 2024
Dear Mazen,
Thank you for your wonderful feedback regarding your recent tour with Burak. We are thrilled to hear that he played a crucial role in making your visit to Istanbul enjoyable and memorable.
Burak’s pleasant demeanor, informative guidance, and attentiveness to your needs are qualities we value greatly in our team. We are glad to know that he was able to tailor the tour to your preferences and ensure your comfort throughout the experience.
We appreciate your kind words and will certainly pass on your gratitude to Burak. Your feedback motivates us to continue delivering exceptional service.
Thank you once again for choosing our tour company. We look forward to welcoming you on future adventures.
Best regards,
Our guide Erin was wonderful. Very knowledgeable about Istanbul, Turkey and the long history of the region. We were able to see all the major sites in one long day. It never seemed boring or slow. Erin answered all of our questions about the city, history, culture and daily life. Without a doubt I would recommend Erin to family and friends traveling to Istanbul
Response from Host, May 2024
Dear Matthew,
First of all, we would like to sincerely thank you for taking the time to provide us with your feedback. Your comments are highly appreciated and will help us improve our services.
We are delighted to hear that you had a positive experience with us. It is our goal to ensure that every guest has a memorable and enjoyable time on our tours.
We hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you again on one of our future tours. .
Warm regards,
Great personal guided tour Zoe was so helpful and a pleasure to be with.
Excellent knowledge of all aspects of the sights in Istanbul
RB
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Dear Roger,
We are so happy to hear that you had a good time in our amazing country, and our tour guide.
We hope We can welcome you again in our beautiful Country.
Warm Regards
Seeing the history related to Alexander the Great at the Archeolgical Museum, and some fabulous shopping!
Response from Host, Nov 2023
Dear Liz,
We are so happy to hear that you had a good time with our services. We hope we can welcome you again in our beautiful country!
Warmest regards.
Guide was very patient and helpful. He answered our questions and accommodated our request. He adjusted to our slower pace.
Response from Host, Oct 2023
Dear Customer,
We are so happy to hear that you had a good time with our services.
We hope we can welcome you again in our beautiful country!
Warmest regards.
We had a great time with Cihan. At the outset, we mentioned that we had been to Istanbul and were familiar with the big 'must see' sites and wanted to cover a
few different ones. He was happy to do so, unlike another agency on Viator that canceled our booking. So, this last minute booking worked out very well for us. We had great conversations on history and culture of this wonderful city and culture. We used the tram and walked a fair bit. He got us back in time for boarding the cruise ship. Overall, a terrific day and 5 star service from Cinan.
Response from Host, Oct 2023
Hello Pam
We are so happy to hear that you had a good time with our service and our tour guide
We hope we can welcome you again in our beautiful country.
Warmest regards.
Emel was an excellent guide who listened to our needs. Very helpful with the shopping.
Nice stop for coffee.
Response from Host, Oct 2023
Hello Rex,
We are so happy to hear that you had a good time with our services!
We hope we can welcome you again in our beautiful country.
Warmest regards.
Dear Ergun
We’re really appreciate all your knowledge that you share with us, we appreciated.
If any day you or any member of your family travel to North or SouthAmerica please let us know.
Thanks you
Guillermo Wehdeking
Eliana Borrero
Response from Host, Sep 2023
Dear Eliana,
We are so happy to hear that you had a plesant time with our services.
We hope we can welcome you again anywhere in our beautiful country and make you feel at home!
Warmest regards.
Our guide was excellent and listed to what we wanted to do. Plus she suggested things we would never had 5hought of
Response from Host, Sep 2023
Dear Stefani,
We are so happy to hear that you had enjoy your Istanbul Tour with Us.
We hope we can welcome you again in our beautiful country.
Warm Regards.
Mr. Erhan our guide wats increíble!!!! A great person, with great spanish and he did more than wey expected. He did it a gorgeous day!!!
Response from Host, Sep 2023
Dear Maria,
We are so happy to hear that you had enjoy your Holiday with our tour guide Mr Erhan!
We hope we can welcome you again in our beautiful country.
Warmest regards
We weren't prepared for a complete walking experience with the metro on either end ... picking us up and returning us. It was Hot and we thought a private tour would be more than this. The guide did well at navigating the attraction sites but kept a noticeable pace rather than slowing down some so we could enjoy the walk from place to place. The guide seemed knowledgeable so that was good.
Response from Host, Oct 2023
Dear Lori,
Thank you so much for your kind review.
Please, Kindly note that this is a ONLY guiding service, It is not a private tour with vehicle. It was clearly written on the itinerary. And sorry for the Hot weather.
We hope we can welcome you again in our beautiful country.
Warmest regards.
Exceptional. Our guide, Hakan, was truly exceptional. He was on-time waiting for us upon our cruise ship arrival. My wife was overcome with the Istanbul heat, so Hakan took my wife back to the tram and instructed her how to get back to our ship. Hakan then was my personal guide going to Hagia Sofia, the Grand Bazar, and the Blue Mosque. But that was not all. We stopped at a restaurant for refreshment drinks and a coffee shop for a taste of Turkish coffee. I collect Starbucks coffee mugs with the names of the local cities on them. Hakan took me to a local Starbucks and I was able to get four mugs with the names of local Turkey cities on them. Thanks for a wonderful time.
Response from Host, Sep 2023
Dear John,
We are so happy to hear that you had enjoy your day with our tour guide hakan!
We hope we can welcome you again in our beautiful country.
Best regards
Eren, our guide was so patient, informative, knowledgeable and gracious. We had a most delicious, authentic meal in a wonderful restaurant. We took advantage of shopping of authentic and fairly priced goods and we were taken to lmpressive landmarks. Eren was fantastic. We would do this again in a heartbeat.
Response from Host, Aug 2023
Dear Jeanette,
Thank you so much for your kind review.
We are so happy to hear that you had a wonderfull time with our services.
It would be a pleasure to us welcome you again in our beautiful country!
Warmest regards.
Being told the grand bazaar was open when the guide must have known it was closed. Being told by the guide the taxi back to our hotel would be 100 lira and the driver expected 350 lira.
Response from Host, Sep 2023
Hello Andrew,
We are totally suprised by your comment.
We informed you day before your tour that grand bazaar is partially closed due to religious holiday in Turkey.
Also kindly note that this is only guiding service.
We did not provide any kind of vehicle on this tour.
We are sorry to hear that you had a problem with the taxi but we didn't arranged the taxi.
We hope we can welcome you again in our beautiful country.
Best regards.
Perfect day in Istanbul! Our guide Eren was fantastic. Excellent information, flexible with agenda, and simply stated, a genuine individual. Could not have asked for anything more. Thank you Eren once again for the best day ever!
Response from Host, Jul 2023
Dear Michelle,
Thank you so much for taking the time to write a review and to share your recent experience with our company.
It's a great pleasure for us to hear that you enjoyed your trip with Ada Vegas Travel. Your feedback always motivates us to serve you better.
We are looking forward to welcoming you on your next trip in the very near future.
Warmest Regards
This was out first time in Istanbul and really did not know what to expect. Then Cemil our guide shows up. All we can say is WOW!! Cemil is an incredible guide. His knowledge of the history and his gift of explaining was truly amazing. We have a true appreciation for the country after our tour with Cemil. We will be back...
Response from Host, Jun 2023
Dear Alam,
Thank you so much for taking the time to get in touch with us to share your recent experience with our company.
It's a great pleasure for us to hear that you enjoyed your trip with Ada Vegas Travel. Your feedback always motivates us to serve you better.
We are looking forward to welcoming you on your next trip in the very near future.
Warmest Regards
The guide came on time to our hotel and called for a taxi and took us to the sites in Sultanampet. He also put us on a taxi All the sites were beautiful. The guide seemed like a laid back guy, not very informative . He took us to some stores and was hoping that we would buy a carpet. He was gently pushy! I was happy about the personal shopping in Grand Bazaar.
Response from Host, Jun 2023
Hello Dear Guest,
Thank you for your kind information. Your reviews are very important for us to improve ourselves.
Kindly note that our guide's first mission is being iformative about the city. It's always our only priority!
I hope we can welcome you again in our beautiful country.
Warmest regards.
We had a great experience with the Guide being right on time in the morning. She was very educated and knowledgeable about history and the entire area. We made a plan for the day around what we had already seen. And then she helped us plan the next two days out. We had a wonderful lunch… I highly recommend this activity.
Response from Host, May 2023
Dear Danielle, Thank you for taking the time to get in touch with us to share your recent experience with our company.
It's a great pleasure for us to hear that you enjoyed your trip with Ada Vegas Travel. Your feedback always motivates us to serve you better.
We are looking forward to welcoming you on your next trip in the very near future.
Warmest Regards
Our wonderful guide , Erkan, made our day in Istanbul such a wonderful experience!! He was so kind, friendly and knowledgeable about all of the places that we went!! I highly recommend this option.
Response from Host, May 2023
Dear Martha,
It is great to hear that you had a good time with our tour with Mr. Erkan!
We hope we can welcome you again in our beautiful country.
Your views and comments are valued for us.
Warm regards
Taken to shops I was not interested in seeing and feeling pressure into buying things I could do with out…
Response from Host, Feb 2023
Dear Alely,
We have just read your personal comment on the tour you had with us on (7th february 2023) and We are truly sorry about that unexpected experience and we hope that you will be able to have better moments in our country with us next time.
We would like to explain the situation kindly just to be understood clearly;
At first we would like to remind you that the service you demanded from us was only guidance , so the tour you had could not include any vehicle and already around the area you visited that day it was legally forbidden to drive in vehicle.
We discussed the issue with our tour guide and he also feels so sorry about the situation,
We have been informed that you were taken into the shop (souvenir shop) as it was a cold rainy day,
So We assure you that the intention was to protect you from the bad (raining) climatic conditions of the day and in addition to this , the personal of the shop can not dare to let you feel any pressure as your tour guide was with you all the time spent in the shop mentioned.
Before we end our explanation , we want you to accept our apology and reevaluate the situation please.
Thank you
Gaye our tour guide made this a most memorable tour. Right from the beginning she was friendly and made us feel very comfortable with her. It was lovely to be able to walk at our pace with her, as she didn’t hurry us at any time. Nor did she hurry us through the Mosques or the Egyptian Market. We were able to purchase items, at no time feeling rushed. She even did my shoes up for me after leaving the Mosque. Thank you Gaye for a wonderful day we will never forget.
Response from Host, Nov 2022
Dear Joy, Thank you for your kind sharing of your valuable thoughts and comments. Your comments will absolutely assist someone who would like to travel to Istanbul with Us. We are very happy to hear and pleased that you had wonderful memories and times during the tour with our services
Kind Regards
From $110.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Istanbul Private Guiding Service
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6 hours 30 minutes
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Attractions in Istanbul, Turkey
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More attractions near Istanbul, Turkey
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- Topkapi Palace (Topkapi Sarayi) Tours & Tickets
- Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan Sarayi) Tours & Tickets
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