Experience Istanbul
Beyond the Guidebooks

Exploring Istanbul with my guide, Feruza was like spending the day with a friend, visiting various districts on both the Asian and European sides of the city. I told Feruza that I could see the well known Istanbul sights on my own and asked her to show me some of the local neighbourhoods. She shared many interesting stories about Istanbul’s history, social and cultural scene as well as handy tips on the public transport system, where to shop and eat, and suggestions for what to do for the rest of my stay. I did this tour on my first day in Istanbul and it was the perfect introduction to this remarkable city.

I felt like I was exploring Istanbul with a new found friend. Feruza was friendly, attentive and full of interesting facts and tips. It was the perfect introduction to the city which I can now go and explore further.

Feruza was a wonderful host. She infused the day with historical references, and made sure we hit some main spots, along with spots frequented by locals.

My guide, Feruza, was timely and met me at the discussed meeting location. She inquired about my sightseeing priorities. Her English was very good. She was a delightful guide. L

Fantastic Family Day in Istanbul with Ipek We were so lucky to have Ipek as our guide in Istanbul! As a family of three with a 10-year-old, we wanted something engaging beyond the typical sights we’d already seen. Ipek crafted the perfect day—exploring the Asian side via tram and ferry, wandering through Kadıköy and Moda, and making it fun for our son with a street cat-spotting challenge and feeding simit to seagulls. She introduced us to a great local lunch spot with new dishes to try, and we wrapped up at Miniatürk, an open-air miniature park that was surprisingly fun for all of us. Ipek was warm, thoughtful, and made the day truly memorable. We left inspired to return and explore more of Turkey!

Our private vegetarian tour with Ipek was the perfect day of digesting history and culture in Istanbul. She promptly picked us up from our hotel and immediately began sharing her knowledge on the unique and ancient area we were walking around. She answered all our questions along the way, and we were extremely impressed with the images and extra info she carried in her bag and iPad. She took us to many important landmarks and highlighted other significant locations casually found around town. Ipek also helped us with our (very broken) Turkish, and even got our fortunes read from our coffee grounds haha. It was awesome to eat like a local, with a local at all the local spots - and we were so full from all the food. 10/10 - would book again for the Asian side next trip :)

Ipek was a wonderful host - I really don’t believe we would have got as much out of the tour if we had done it ourselves - it would have taken so much more time and we would have missed out on enjoying the special moments .

Our guide, Ipek, was knowledgeable and flexible. She was open to giving us an off-the-beaten-path sort of tour. It was magical and she was amazing.

Burak, the guide for our walking tour around Istanbul, took us around the highlights in the Old City. Burak is an excellent guide, tremendously knowledgeable about the city and the sights within. He has a nice way of explaining them, and the pace is comfortable, but he makes sure you get to see what you want. I highly recommend him.

Burak was amazing! He listened to our requests and took us to many non touristy places just like we asked. His knowledge was incredible and I would highly recommend him as a guide!

We really wanted to go to the spice market and get an overview of the Asian and European sides of Turkey. Burak gave us exactly what we asked for. He answered our questions and pointed out the architecture and gave us some history. We stopped for lunch and enjoyed some Turkish foods too.

We booked a tour with Tugba with my 6 year old daughter and Tugba was just amazing, so patient and kind with my daughter, adapted the pace, and we overall had a wonderful experience!

An amazing experience with my 6 year old daughter. Tugba was such a kind, patient and knowledgeable guide, it was wonderful

We had a great day in Istanbul with Tugba who crafted her suggestions based on how much we could take in. We really enjoyed chatting with her and hearing more about life experiences in Istanbul. It was as our first day in the city, and it was so nice to let someone else do the navigation. We really recommend a day with Tugba!

We had such a great day with Tugba! She was informative without talking too much, and she was able to answer our questions informatively. We enjoyed talking about Türkiye, but also about her life experience. She was flexible when we wanted to change plans towards the end of the day, and she gave us information about a concert that we would not have known about. It was a perfect way to start our visit to Istanbul! Highly recommended!

The tour guide been really good, lots of knowledge and the tour was well organized and personalized.

Emir manages to combine fun with educational experience. His love of people made us so comfortable while learning cuisine, history and culture.

This tour was both educational and fun. My daughter and I got so wrapped up in the bazaar and market experience we rlforgot reality. Emir is a talented story-weaver. It becomes so lifelike, and the culture so mezmeeing, the stories spring to life and we forgot it was 2025. .. Truly a masree

We had an amazing time exploring Istanbul with Öztürk. Right from the start, he was warm, friendly, and clearly passionate about his city. He began the tour by showing us a brief history of Türkiye on his iPad, which helped us understand what we’d be seeing throughout the day. He didn’t just guide us—he truly took care of us. Whether it was helping us plan the day’s route or negotiating great prices at the Grand Bazaar, Spice Market, or even Hafiz Mustafa, Öztürk was on top of it. He seemed to know everyone! We started calling him “the mayor of Istanbul” because of how connected and respected he was. The highlight for me was our time at Topkapı Palace. The way he explained the palace’s history, especially the Islamic and Ottoman parts, made it feel like he had lived there himself. He brought the stories to life in a way that was both educational and enjoyable. If you want a guide who is knowledgeable, kind, and makes you feel like you’re exploring the city with a friend, I would 100% recommend Öztürk. This tour was a highlight of our trip.

We arrived in Istanbul two days early for a group tour of Turkey so I scheduled a private walking tour with Tolga to see if he could show us something other than the typical list of sites that were on our group's itinerary. I felt certain that there were neighborhoods that he could show us which we wouldn't otherwise see and Tolga did not disappoint. Along the way, he filled us in on history, culture, religion, and current events. He took us to an historic place for baklava and a cute spot for a quick lunch. We rode the tram, the bus and two ferries, and walked 8 miles! After seven hours, we finally called it quits, but he would have continued longer if we had wanted. We definitely got our money's worth and counted that day as one of the best of our entire three weeks in Turkey.

We arrived in Istanbul two days early for a group tour of Turkey so I scheduled a private walking tour with Tolga to see if he could show us something other than the typical list of sites that were on our group's itinerary. I felt certain that there were neighborhoods that he could show us which we wouldn't, culture, religion, and current events. He took us to an historic place for baklava and a cute spot for a quick lunch. We rode the tram, the bus and two ferries, and walked 8 miles! After seven hours, we finally called it quits, but he would have continued longer if we had wanted. We definitely got our money's worth and counted that day as one of the best of our entire three weeks in Turkey.

Kiymet is awesome tour guide! She made this a memorable experience for my wife and I.

Mert was exceptionally responsive in reaching out to us ahead of the trip and planning the trip with our requests in mind. We highly recommend Mert, especially when it comes to seeing places that are off the usual tourist path (and worthwhile seeing in Istanbul).