Private Tour
Full Day Private Guided Istanbul Tour From Hotel or Cruise Ships
Overview
Available languages
Mobile ticket
Let's wander in Constantinople, the capital of Great Eastern Roman and Byzantine Empires, which has been the center of multicultural life, deep history, splendid architecture, delicious cuisine and global trade hub with the meeting point of Asia and Europe.
My Guide Turkey offers you qualified private tour guide services. You are engaging someone who knows Istanbul better than anyone. Our well experienced, knowledgeable and professional guides are ready to meet you.
Recomended daily tours itineraries :
Option 1 (Old City) :
Hagia Sophia, Hippodrome of Constantinople, Blue Mosque, Basilica Cistern, Topkapi Palace, Grand Bazaar.
Option 2 :
Dolmabahce Palace, Taksim Square, Istiklal Street, Galata Tower, Bosphorus Cruise, Spice Market.
Option 3 :
Fener and Balat Districts, St. Stephen Church, The Patriarchal Cathedral Church of St. George, Pierre Loti Panoramic Hill by Cable Car, Spice Market.
OR
Customize the itinerary according to your requests.
Additional Info
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Dolmabahce Palace is closed on Mondays. Topkapi Palace is closed on Tuesdays. Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays.
Tour guides doesn't have skip the line priority in Hagia Sophia. You may need to wait in the ticket and security line.
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
If there is a chance to use public transportation that will be paid by travellers.
This is a walking tour.
At time of booking, Cruise ship passengers must provide the following information at time of booking: ship name, docking time, disembarkation time and re-boarding time.
While visiting a mosque, women need to cover their heads, shoulders, knees. You can carry your own scarf to cover your head but please note scarves are provided at the entrance of every mosque (available at a charge). If you are wearing leggings, tights or skirts, wraps will be provided at the entrance (available at a charge).
Men also need to cover the knees if the shorts or bermudas are over the knees.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
Sultanahmet District
The old part of Istanbul where we can visit many attractions such as Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, Basilica Cistern and Blue Mosque.
TopkapI Palace
Topkapı Palace was an administrational base of the empire and the home of the Royal Family (Harem) and educational center (Enderun) of the Ottoman Empire for about 400 years. The palace is a great open-air museum within four courtyards, has been the home of Sultan Mehmet II and other sultans who came after him until Sultan Abdulmecid.
What‘s Included
Pick-up by guide from central hotels or port on foot
Private Tour
Skip the ticket line with the official tour guide
Private Expert Local Tour Guide
Admission fees of museums.
Food and drinks
Gratuities
Transportation
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Options
Full Day Private Guided Istanbul Tour
Pickup included
Reviews
22 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Everything was perfect with him.
U7239MNcarlosm,Jan 25, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Kivas was an excellent guide. Highly recommended. Very knowledgeable guide to the palace we went. He was very friendly and answered all our questions
Day tour of Istanbul
105angelac,Sep 21, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We had booked a tour of Istanbul with Viator. When we disembarked from our cruise, our guide Huseyin Kaya was there to meet us. He asked us what we wanted to see and tailored our tour to our needs. We got the tram to the city and spent time seeing the sights. We visited tha Basilica Cistern, the bazaar and spice market. Our guide Huseyin had a wealth of knowledge of history and facts about his city. We found him to be professional, of calm demeanour, fun and we enjoyed his company very much.
Once we met up, everything was great!
MsRio,Sep 20, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00My daughter and I were on cruise that stopped for 2 days on Istanbul. We had already pre-booked a shore excursion for one day, hence we wanted a tour where we could select other sites. We selected this private tour company that allowed us to decide how we would spend our time there. Everything was very good to excellent. The guide, Ozgur, was very knowledgeable, spoke very good and easy-to-understand English and was totally flexible with what we wanted to see. As a result we packed in quite a nice itinerary at our own pace - I highly recommend the company and him. The only weak part was the communication about the meeting point. The fallacy was that the company sent instructions close to the actual day via e-mail or What's App but, we did not have Internet because we didn't want to pay the high cruise ship costs. Hence, we relied on their website and earlier instructions that provided an address of a meeting point for cruise passengers that turned out be a closed hotel. The company had our ship name and time of arrival but did not tell us we could have been picked up at the port right from our ship. It was eventually straightened out by our asking a concierge at a nearby hotel to call the company's local number for us and then the guide was able to meet us. My recommendation is that the company should provide exactly how to meet the guide and where when they confirm the booking.
Istanbul walking tour
Pia S,Sep 2, 2024
- Review from Viator
4.00Met Atilla by the cruise terminal. Very professional and knowledgeable. Customized our interests for the tour. We walked and used the tram as needed and good way to see Istanbul. Would recommend his services.
Good intro to Istanbul
VIOLETA B,Jun 5, 2024
- Review from Viator
4.00Great customized walking tour. Guide Kaya very flexible, great communication, shared many practical tips
Amazing tour with Atilla!
hannahn270,May 27, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00My partner and I had a tour with Atilla on 18th March 2024. It was our first time visiting Istanbul (and Turkey) so we decided this was a great way to spend our first full day in the city. I’d say we both have quite the appetite for historical facts and insights as we are both passionate about history and have attended many historical walking tours in the UK and Europe. We were both absolutely blown away by Atilla’s knowledge, enthusiasm, humour and warmth! We learnt so much from him, from the history of Istanbul through the ages to what it’s like to live in Istanbul today and the must-try foods in the city. Atilla tailored the tour completely around our own interests. We saw all the key places we had wanted to see, including the Galata Tower, Hippodrome, Basilica Cistern, Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia. Long lunches and local cuisines are a holiday must for my partner and I, so we also went for a long lunch with Atilla, where we enjoyed his company and conversation over amazing food. Atilla was really patient with us – I like to take detailed notes of the walking tours I go on and he didn’t mind me asking him to repeat certain facts, dates etc. for my notes. He was also very patient with regards to any photos we wished to take and even took some of us. We would 100% recommend taking a tour with Atilla and now consider him a good friend! He made our trip to Istanbul really special and memorable and we used many of his recommendations of good local restaurants, street food and shops. He went above and beyond any tour guide we’ve met before in this way. For information, Atilla also speaks English to a native level.
See Istanbul’s main highlights in 6 hours
Jo V,May 16, 2024
- Review from Viator
5.00Great tourguide which took us conveniently from one location to the other. We had a great day! Thanks Huseyin.
Not worth it, do not go
Annalee D,Apr 28, 2024
- Review from Viator
1.00Atilla was our guide, and we did not have a good experience, we left early as we could not be with him. He made inappropriate comments and it made us uncomfortable. Additionally he did not take us to most of the places on the itenary and when we asked him he said it is far to walk too. And he was very impatient when we wanted to take pictures. He took us to only one square and then said we shouldn't go inside the palace as it's not interesting.
Not worth it
rehanna650,Apr 28, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
1.00Atilla was our guide, and we did not have a good experience, we left early as we could not be with him. He made inappropriate comments and it made us uncomfortable. Additionally he did not take us to most of the places on the itenary and when we asked him he said it is far to walk too. And he was very impatient when we wanted to take pictures. He did minimal explanation of what we were seeing and most of the places he said that we shouldn't go as its not that good.
Istanbul - full day city trip
581kubab,Apr 2, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We embarked on a captivating journey through the heart of Istanbul with a private guide, Kivanc, and discovered the city's mesmerizing blend of history, culture, and architectural wonders. From the iconic Blue Mosque to the bustling streets of Taksim Square, this full-day tour was an unforgettable experience of Istanbul's most cherished landmarks and hidden gems. My favorite place was Basilica Cistern and coffee at the local shop. Kivanc, was very dedicated and provided an unforgettable experience for us. We highly recommend his service.
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