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Istanbul Layover Tour: Personalized, Private Journey with a Local

5.0

14 Ratings

Arnavutköy

Experience Istanbul like a local on a personalized layover tour. Skip the tourist traps and explore the city's iconic attractions, neighborhoods, and cultural diversity.

Duration: 8 hours

Cancellation: 1 day learn more

Highlights

Eminonu Pier - Join a like-minded host to explore Istanbul’s unique districts and discover hidden local gems along the way

IMPORTANT: As this is a private and personalised experience, the places you visit may differ from those listed and these will be chosen by your host based on your interests and preferences

What's Included

Walking experience (other transport at extra cost)
5 hours with a personal host
Airport transfers by taxi
Private and personalized tour
Host greets you at the airport

What's Not Included

Food and drinks
Tickets to any attractions
Additional transportation costs
Gratuities (optional)

Additional Information

Beat the layover blues and make the most of your time in a new city
even if it is only for a few hours. Join one of our hosts in a personalised experience where they will enable you to see Istanbul through the eyes of a local that knows it inside out! From iconic mosques to tangles of streets and bazaars that enrich its cultural diversity there is so much to take in and that is exactly what you will do with this totally customised experience tailored to fit your time, budget and interests. See the city’s most famous attractions such as an iconic art gallery or palace, or explore a nearby neighbourhood and soak up the local lifestyle. Having a host by your side means you will skip the tourist traps and dive into what really matters. Whether you are staying for a night, or stopping off for a shorter period of time, there is plenty to keep you entertained. Whatever your preference, make the most of your time with a host that can’t wait to show off their city.

Location

Istanbul Airport

Terminal Caddesi

After booking, you can adjust the meeting point to fit your preferences with the help of our Experience Planners.

Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings

5.0

(14 Ratings)

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1 star

Guanming_r

Mar 5, 2024

Exceptional Tour Guide - My flight got to Istanbul at 5:30 a.m. Despite the company's normal tour start time of 8:00 a.m., my guide Feruza picked me up at the airport at 7:00 a.m., giving me an extra hour in Istanbul. Feruza is knowledgeable about the city, personable, and thoughtful. In addition to sharing with me information about the Blue Mosque and other historic sites, she talked to me about Turkish history, culture, religious practices, and daily lives of the locals. Although my time in Istanbul was short, I had a good introduction to the city.

Review provided by Viator

Bo_w

Feb 21, 2024

My layover time well spent - IT IS Personal! IT IS Private! My guide Céline is awesome. Even though we had a little bit difficulty finding each other, as the phone number listed with the company was not updated, we found each other. I found 4 hours well spent. I’ll be back to Istanbul, will tour more in Turkey!😊

Review provided by Viator

Haris_s

Jan 23, 2024

Istanbul visit - Had a wonderful trip with my guide Feruza. She is an excellent hostess with tons of knowledge about the city. I highly recommend her service. I would like to visit again and will use her service.

Review provided by Viator

508hariss

Jan 14, 2024

Istanbul visit - I had a short stay in Istanbul and decided to visit the great city. Feruza, my guide made the experience excellent in every way. She is a superb host and very knowledgeable about the city. She navigated through the constraints of time, traffic and daylight to maximize my visit in every way. I highly recommended her services if you want to visit Istanbul. I’ll definitely use her services again for my next visit.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Anonymous

Nov 22, 2023

Awesome experience with a very friendly and knowledgeable guide - our tour guide was excellent. she shared much of the history behind the sights we visited. she was excellent!

Review provided by Viator

Joana_a

Nov 21, 2023

Feruza is amazing! - What an amazing tour! I had a 12 hour layover in Istanbul during my travels and decided to book the tour to break up my travel day. Feruza was the most incredible tour guide! I was left with a deep desire to come back and see more. Feruza walked us through old town, to Hagia Sophia and took me for local food. It was an amazing time!

Review provided by Viator

Nyla_s

Oct 15, 2023

Feruza is the best tour guide EVER! - When we arrived in Istanbul we had so much trouble just getting out of the airport that I was almost ready to cancel our tour all together. Once we met our guide I was frustrated and tired. However, our guide Feruza completely turned our whole evening around. She gave us the best tour of Istanbul that I could have imagined. She turned it in to a city and food tour, as she recommended all the best places for us to try local food and we loved it. She is so knowledgeable about the city and nice and flexible with whatever you want to do. She took plenty of pictures of us and just went above and beyond my expectations. Thank you Feruza for making our short time in Istanbul memorable. I would come back only to tour with you again on the Asain side this time! Thank you so much!!

Review provided by Viator

Maaye_n

Jul 15, 2023

Family-warmly welcomed - Feruza is mindful and cautious of my needs. She helped a lot during my tour. She is an awesome informative guide. It was fun to learn about the culture and food with her.

Review provided by Viator

Launa_s

May 15, 2023

Outstanding! - Absolutely wonderful! Feruza went above and beyond the call of duty as our host! She met us at the airport, showed us the sites in Istanbul while providing detailed information and context, introduced us to some delicious foods, brought us back to our hotel and made sure we didn't overpay for our taxi ride back to the airport the next day. She is also one of the most pleasant, kind, and generous people I've ever met. This tour turned out to be indispensable to us because there is no way we would have been able to navigate our way through Istanbul on a 1-day layover by ourselves and see all that we got to see. Thank you, Feruza and City Unscripted!

Review provided by Viator

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