Private Tour

Istanbul - Old City Tour

Overview

Available languages

English

Turkish

Mobile ticket

Welcome to Grand Tour Istanbul. We offer private, customized day tours around one of the most interesting and historically important cities in the world. By far the best way to see Istanbul is with your own private tour. You'll get an itinerary customized to what you want to see and do but with the flexibility to change it as you go, on the fly! Your guide will be focused one hundred percent on what you want to see and do. Stop for lunch anytime or eat on the run. Linger for an entire afternoon in Topkapi Palace or just see the highlights. Want to see as much as you can in a limited time? Your guide will structure your itinerary to reduce travel time between sites. Whatever you want to do and however you want to do it, your guide will advise and assist in making your stay as fun and fulfilling as possible.

Additional Info

Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller

Service animals allowed

Public transportation options are available nearby

Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries

Not recommended for pregnant travelers

Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health

Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

What To Expect

TopkapI Palace

Topkapi Palace was the primary residence of the Ottoman Sultans for approximately 400 years (1465-1856) of their 624-year reign. As well as a royal residence, the palace was a setting for state occasions and royal entertainments. It is now a major tourist attraction and contains important holy relics of the Muslim world, including Muhammed’s cloak and sword.

2 hours • Admission Not Included

Blue Mosque

The Sultan Ahmed Mosque is an historical mosque in Istanbul. The mosque is popularly known as the Blue Mosque for the blue tiles adorning the walls of its interior. It was built from 1609 to 1616 during the rule of Ahmed I. Like many other mosques it also contains the tomb of the founder, a madrasah and a hospice. While still used as a mosque, the Sultan Ahmed Mosque has also become a popular tourist attraction.

30 minutes • Admission Not Applicable

What‘s Included

Private tour guide service.

Food and drink

Museum / attraction entrance fees

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Options

Istanbul - Old City Tour

Pickup included

Reviews

5.00

18 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

Nese was the best....
Dominic P,,Jun 2, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
Nese was the best. Distilled the history of key places to their core... Volumes of potential reading. She is easy to get along with and seems as if we had a friend just chatting about the place and its wonders. Will definitely call her again in our next trip here.
Wonderful tour of Istanbul old city with best tour guide
E9370HZmichelleh,,Jul 1, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
This tour was so much more than we hoped for. Nese is the most wonderful person and such an informative tour guide. She became a friend to us all in a short time ensuring there was something for each of us to appreciate and enjoy at every place we visited. The history of Istanbul is so immense and Nese was able to describe the salient points at each site and weave them together into a concise narrative for us. She ensured we were comfortable and understood all the required cultural protocols at mosques. Gave us choices and recommendations and helped us shop at the grand Bazaar. She has a large network so we were welcomed everywhere we visited and able to skip the queues as we were with her. A very memorable day and woman.
Beautiful city, wonderful guide
mackenzieh355,,Jun 30, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
We had an unforgettable time on our tour with Nese. There is a lot to see and we are glad that our guide accommodated us so it wasn’t overwhelming. It was good to hear about the history of the city from such a passionate and informed perspective. Always nice to have a local’s insight. Would highly recommend this tour for anyone, it was small-scale, engaging, and there were things for every one of us to enjoy.
Nese was so knowledgeable on the history of İstanbul. She was such a big help in offering information on things to do!
269shayk,,May 28, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Thoroughly enjoyed spending our day with Nese learning about the colorful history of Istanbul! I highly recommend her tours.
Best guide in all of Istanbul!
Compass13887792548,,May 28, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Nese and her your company was amazing! Very knowledgeable and kind. Went over and beyond to share the beautiful city and culture of Istanbul! Highly recommend!!!
Charme and informations
Borisf1967,,Mar 31, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Has been excellent, visits full of charme and informations, I strongly recommend it. All my family has appreciated it, including my teenager kids.
Unforgettable day with personalized tour
Sommerhus4,,Nov 16, 2023
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Just back after a three-day visit to Istanbul (Nov. 2023), and we are overwhelmed, fascinated and very thankful for all the wonderful things our hosts had planned for us – one of them was a one-day guided tour with Nese. Nese came to pick us up at our hotel in the Pera district around 10 in the morning, and when we returned in the afternoon around 16, we had visited the Bacilica Cisterns, Hagia Sofia and the Grand Bazar as well as numerous carpet and textile shops specializing in Suzani embroidery (after my wish). On top of that, we had a great lunch in a very local Turkish restaurant and a coffee break at a terrasse overlooking the city with stunning views. Istanbul is a hectic and vibrant city, but Nese managed to show us all this at a pleasant and easy pace without any stress. She is indeed an expert in transportation, and along the way she provided us with comprehensive facts and historical information, supplemented by many funny anecdotes. Not only is Nese extremely knowledgeable. She is also warm, kind and an engaging and dynamic communicator – last but not least, Nese is very good company. We had such a great day with Nese and feel we have made a very good friend in Istanbul.
Way to go Nese! You're the best.
kwanleon,,Nov 10, 2023
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
After we finish the 13 days tour around Greece, we have one day layover in Istanbul, book one day hotel stay right in the middle of old city and have Nese as our tour guide, she's more than a tour guide at the end of the night. we all became friends. she knows the city well and everywhere we go people greet her with respect and we talk about everything from what she like and unlike about Istanbul and also she has her son living in U.S. hope she'll visit us at the same time when she visit her son and family in California.
Amazing guides Adventure in Istanbul!
257reneu,,Oct 1, 2023
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
This was an amazing experience. Nese is knowledgeable, friendly, patient, helpful, and energized! She knows her way around the monuments, queues, people, restaurants, and shops. She will customize your adventure and will optimize time based on your likes and needs. Simply amazing. I couldn’t believe what we were able to accomplish that much in one day with her help! We even had plenty time among each visit to take pictures and to admire those so amazing monumental treasures!
Fabulous Taste of Istanbul
Nico,,Sep 25, 2023
- Review from Viator
5.00
Superb, tailor-made tour. Extremely knowledgeable guide who made the historical facts come to life. A taste of Istanbul, including points of interest we would have missed if touring independently. A fabulous way to see the highlights.