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Istanbul Customized Tour: Explore Istanbul Your Way with a Private Guide
5.0
18 Ratings
Fatih
Experience the best of Istanbul on a customized tour with a private guide. Explore historical sites, shop at bazaars, and dine at traditional restaurants. Book now!
Experience the best of Istanbul on a customized tour with a private guide. Explore historical sites, shop at bazaars, and dine at traditional restaurants. Book now!
Duration:
6 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Hagia Sophia Mosque - Your guide will meet you at the entrance of Ayasofya Cami and will accompany you inside,explaining what you’ll see at each level.
- Topkapi Palace - You will visit famous Topkapi Palace museum with your private guide and hear all about the history of it. Harem section in the Palace is separate; please tell us if you want…
- Hagia Sophia Mosque - Your guide will meet you at the entrance of Ayasofya Cami and will accompany you inside,explaining what you’ll see at each level.
- Topkapi Palace - You will visit famous Topkapi Palace museum with your private guide and hear all about the history of it. Harem section in the Palace is separate; please tell us if you want to see that aswell. (extra ticket to enter)
- Grand Bazaar - Visit world famous Grand Bazaar with your private guide. Handmade carpets,tiles, ceramics, leather products, souveniers etc.
- Sultanahmet District - Extra free time to do whatever you want..you may need extra time to visit another mosque or visit rug dealers to find your dream rug or visit Spice bazaar or have a nice traditonal lunch..
What's Included
- Customizable tour plan
- About 6 hours of service of a quality, professional, local tour guide
- Private tour..only you and your private guide
- Customizable tour plan
- About 6 hours of service of a quality, professional, local tour guide
- Private tour..only you and your private guide
What's Not Included
- Food and drinks
- Gratuities
- Transportation to/from attractions
- Museum tickets
- Food and drinks
- Gratuities
- Transportation to/from attractions
- Museum tickets
Additional Information
Please also check my Trip Advisor page, “Ali’s Protravel & Tours,” where we have received 277 five-star ratings and reviews.
This cultural experience will be about 6 hours and will help you to explore the city with your private tour guide without any set tour plan. You will have 6 hours time and a nice, compatible private guide who will be ready to take…
Please also check my Trip Advisor page, “Ali’s Protravel & Tours,” where we have received 277 five-star ratings and reviews.
This cultural experience will be about 6 hours and will help you to explore the city with your private tour guide without any set tour plan. You will have 6 hours time and a nice, compatible private guide who will be ready to take you to wherever you want. Historical sites for culture and history, or historical bazaars for shopping, or traditional restaurants serving typical Turkish restaurants. May be all in one tour… As you walk, you’ll learn the history of this contemporary city and its ancient roots. Tour starts at 10am. at Sultanahmet and will end somewhere in the Old city area after 6 hours. No museum tickets or lunch or drink etc included. Everyday except for Sunday.
- Not recommended for travelers with children
Location
McDonald's
Divan Yolu Caddesi
In front of Mc Donalds at Divanyolu caddesi No 15 Sultanahmet. The street where the tram passes in Sultanahmet. Coming by tram; get off at Sultanahmet and walk 3 minutes to the meeting point. Private hotel pick up and drop off with transportation available at an extra cost.. please contact.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(18 Ratings)
5 stars
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1 star
Sherir
Oct 7, 2025
Perfect 2 days! - We had a remarkable day with Ali! Could not have asked for a more personable and knowledgeable tour guide. We booked him for 1 day and added a second day. We felt so taken care of. Highly recommended!
Review provided by Viator
Itchyfeet319
Jul 6, 2025
Excellent tour and guide - Ali took us on a private tour which included the Topkapi Palace, the Basilica Cistern and the Spice Bazar.
We have a particular interest in Turkish history and politics and Ali did a superb job of explaining the significance and background to the important moments in history but also, and I think slightly unusually, was able to put them into the context of world events at the same time allowing a fascinating insight. I had the sense that we only skimmed the surface of Ali's knowledge and when we return to Istanbul we will be sure to look him up.
As it was just the 2 of us and Ali we took our time which which meant we were able to contemplate and discuss further at the various sites and we parted ways feeling like we had a much better understanding of Istanbul today and in the past.
Thanks for your great tour Ali.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
753rennieg
Jun 14, 2024
Wonderful tour of Istanbul with Ali - My wife and I were very excited about visiting Istanbul, We did not know what to expect since this would be our first time and thought that investing in a knowledgeable guide would be the best way to learn about the city. We were lucky to have Ali as our guide. He is very personable and it was like touring the city with someone we had known for a while even though we had just met. We learned so much about the city, the culture, the food, historical buildings and institutions. We would recommend touring with Ali for a great introduction to an amazing city. Contact him and we are sure you will enjoy a great experience just like we did.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
862tamarm
Jul 17, 2023
Istanbul in 3 h - Walking thru the palace abs cisterns in Istanbul was a wonderful experience brought to life by Ali. These tours would have been meaningful without his guidance and teaching
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kwp2447mk
Jun 23, 2023
Can't imagine a better tourguide! - WOWOWOWOW!!! Ali was absolutely FANTASTIC! So knowledgeable--and not just about Istanbul: I really appreciated how he put info in a global and time-relevant context. Our sons--18 and 23--both related to him, as well. He really knew his audience.
Besides history and context, he offered insights to modern Istanbul, so we felt like we learned so much more than facts!
We would definitely recommend Ali!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Willie
May 29, 2023
An Exceptional Personalised Tour of Istanbul - Ali’s understanding of Istanbul’s deep history and his ability to relay it to us in a realistic storytelling manner was exceptional. At all times he was aware of our understanding and needs on this personalised tour. A remarkable tour which gave us a much greater understanding of this extraordinary city. Thank you, Ali, for a wonderful experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Vickdaisy
Feb 27, 2020
Amazing Tour - Ali was excellent to be with . He showed us amazing things and had massive amounts of historical info for us.
Great time, friendly, knowledgeable and helpful.
We will see him again on our next visit !
Thanks for your book !
Victoria
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Janet_tinker1
Jul 14, 2019
Bravo! A great trip - We spent 3 days with Ali touring the major sites of Istanbul - the principal mosques, the Topkapi Palace, a trip on the Bosphorus, the grand bazaar and spice bazaar and Roman cisterns. He was extremely knowledgeable about the history of Istanbul specifically and Turkey generally and also the country’s current situation. He captured the children’s (16 and 18 yrs) imagination with his stories and humour and they really enjoyed it.
We visited some excellent restaurants and ate like locals and on the last day visited the old area Balat, which was like going back in time.
He adapted the tour to how tired we were, the weather and the children’s attention span!
Bravo Ali - we had a fab time!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Victoria_warne
Jul 12, 2019
Sites, Laughs, History, and Baklava: A Tour With Ali. - Prior to my experience with Ali, I had biases towards 'tour activities'. As a traveler, you want to submerge yourself into a rich culture and learn from your surroundings. And that is precisely what Ali provided to my family and I. The tour Ali hosted was incredible. He has a passion for the city, history, all walks of life, and a drive to educate others. He is personable, kind, and his wide array of intelligence makes for the ultimate tour. Do not think that a tour with Ali will take away from a travelers experience: he enriches every moment and adds a personal touch to Istanbul.
P.S-
If you get the chance, ask him to take you to his favorite baklava shop. You won't regret it!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kristenb80113
Jun 25, 2019
Best Ever - Thanks to Ali, our first trip to Istanbul was spectacular! Over three days, he not only showed us the beautiful historic sites, bazaars, mosques and towers, but welcomed us with the warmth and genuineness rarely seen in a guide. As Ali shared his favorite neighborhoods, restaurants, dessert spots and even a street-side cart with delicious muscles, we gained an appreciation for Turkish cuisine and for what life is like as a local. He also directed us to quality, yet reasonable shopping destinations. (Plus, he arranged a fantastic guide (Ibrahim) for us in Cappadocia.) Most of all, we enjoyed Ali’s personality. We shared many laughs each day while he filled our minds with information of Turkey’s storied history, as well as, it’s present. We hope to return to Istanbul and couldn’t imagine not reaching out to Ali again. He was a perfect match!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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