Small-Group Istanbul Old City Tour

Discover Istanbul’s hidden gems with a personalized, in-depth guided tour. Perfect for first-time visitors seeking a deeper understanding of the city’s rich history and culture.

Duration: 3 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • German Fountain - This will be our meeting location.
  • Hippodrome - The Hippodrome, the ancient stadium of Byzantium, could accommodate 100,000 spectators and showcased artifacts from across the empire. Among these, an Egyptian obelisk and a bronze sculpture of three intertwined serpents from Delphi have endured.
    The Hippodrome of…
What's Included
  • Guiding fee
What's Not Included
  • Entrance fees
Additional Information

This tour is ideal for first-time visitors to Istanbul, offering an in-depth exploration of the city’s treasures.
It provides an excellent introduction to Istanbul, allowing for a more thorough visit to key historical sites than typical tourist paths.
Participants will enjoy a customized tour where questions are encouraged, and have the chance to uncover…

Location
German Fountain
At Meydanı Caddesi
Our meeting point is GERMAN FOUNTAIN (Alman Çeşmesi in Turkish language) located in the heart of the main tourist area of Istanbul. It is just one minute away from Sultan Ahmet Tramway station.
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.9
(63 Ratings)
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Lara_f
Oct 28, 2025
Highly Recommend! - Israfil was such a wonderful guide. Friendly, Knowledgeable and entertaining! Thank you Israfil for showing us all the wonders of Istanbul!
Review provided by Viator
Christine_c
Oct 23, 2025
Highly recommend - The guide makes all the difference and Israfil is excellent. The tour touches the key sights in the Old City and he leaves you with a lot of other great recommendations. Israfil has great English and a wonderful blend of intellect and humor. Highly recommend.
Review provided by Viator
Helenw68
Oct 21, 2025
Great insight into some of the key historical sights in Istanbul - İsrafil is a very good tour guide. His English is excellent and he is friendly, very knowledgeable and approachable. We joined him on a small group walking tour and visited the Blue Mosque, Basilica Cistern and Spice Market.
Review provided by Viator
729calinm
Oct 16, 2025
Would recommend - Highly recommend this tour. Our guide was very educated and spoke excellent English. The tour itself was well paced, and the proper length of time. The information was interesting and digestible and provided unique historical context. We hit the major places in the historic center and the guide provided an excellent info packet for other places to visit during your stay. Please remember to bring cash for the cistern! Additionally, we stopped for coffee and tea at an outdoor restaurant that was also a hookah spot; so make a note if you are sensitive to smoke. Istanbul is very smoke friendly. Love this tour and so happy I went.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
762ronaldd
Oct 10, 2025
Perfect! - We Had a great trip with the family! Absolutely recommend! Great stories, skip the lines and Israfil is a nice tourguide.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Naob148
Oct 9, 2025
Wonderful tour with Israfil - We had a wonderful and very informative tour with Israfil. He knows very well, has a very good sense of humor, told us very interesting stories and facts and at the end also gave some helpful tips.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Haris_a
Oct 2, 2025
Israfil was... - Israfil was knowledgeable, courteous and accommodating. So much good information really heightened my experience of the city. Would definitely do again!
Review provided by Viator
932cadenm
Sep 24, 2025
A Highlight of Our Trip—Highly Recommend Israfil - We had an absolutely amazing time touring Istanbul with Israfil! He is incredibly knowledgeable and engaging, and from the very beginning, it was clear how passionate he is about sharing the history and culture of this incredible city. He is currently pursuing his master’s in Art Philosophy, which allowed him to bring such unique perspectives and insights into everything we saw—especially the cultural and religious history of Turkey. His explanations gave us a much deeper understanding and appreciation of the sites we visited. Israfil answered every question with detail, and you can tell he truly enjoys teaching and guiding people. This tour was one of the highlights of our trip to Istanbul! If you are considering a tour here, definitely book with Israfil! You won’t regret it!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Eric_c
Sep 24, 2025
great for solo travelors - Israfil gives a fantastic tour of some of istanbuls greatest hits. he has intimate knowledge of each site and spent time answering hundreds of my questions.
Review provided by Viator
Ellen_b
Sep 10, 2025
Great tour with İsrafil! - İsrafil was a great tour guide and we enjoyed the small group tour thoroughly. He was very professional, personable and knowledgeable. We enjoyed the personal service and itinerary for this tour. It was a perfect balance. Thank you, İsrafil!!! Highly recommend!
Review provided by Viator
From $45
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).