15 Best Istanbul Tours & Experiences 2021

Awesome Tour

The wife And I did a full day tour and it was great! We got to see a lot of the main attractions and the guide did a great job telling us about the past of each area and building. He lead us to several key areas of the city and then took us to areas we might had no idea had such history. The tour was well worth it and a great time.

Things to do in Istanbul. Photo by Alexander.

Reviewed by Alexander • July 09, 2018

Off The Beaten Path of Real Istanbul Tour

As good as its words

The tour is exactly what it is marketed as - a trip off the beaten track. We saw the non-mainstream sights with a very knowledgeable guide, who was both attentive and informative while letting us enjoy the sights on our own a little bit. Fantastic way to finish off your Istanbul experience!

Reviewed by Никита • July 01, 2019

Off The Beaten Path of Real Istanbul Tour

Fantastic

It was a great experience. We had a very competent guide, very knowledgeable and attentive to our questions and needs. This is an ideal option if you are travelling with family (3-5 people), keeps it very personal and entertaining. Definitely would recommend it to a friend!

Reviewed by Никита • July 01, 2019

Top Sites Of Istanbul: Half Day Small-Group tour

Great fun

If you have the time, definitely do this class! You don't need to have a special background in art, anyone can do it. It's a one-in-a-lifetime memory. I am framing my art that I made :)

Reviewed by Никита • July 01, 2019

Turkish Marbling (Ebru) Class In Istanbul

Simply amazing!

This is what you call an actual dervish ceremony. The one you see at bosphorus tours is just for fun. This was actually spiritual. Loved it.

Reviewed by Rameez • October 24, 2019

Whirling Dervishes Ceremony in Istanbul Every Thursday

lovely experience!!!

i had the most fun learning Ebru with bettul and her husband. theyre both really lovely people and very good teachers.

Reviewed by Devika • January 11, 2018

Turkish Paper Marbling (Ebru) Class in Istanbul

An authentic experience

If you want to experience Whirling Dervishes Ceremony like a local then don’t miss that one.

Reviewed by Hisham • March 07, 2019

Whirling Dervishes Ceremony in Istanbul Every Thursday

Great experience for a tourist in Istanbul

Reviewed by Bushra • February 14, 2020

Pub Crawl in Istanbul

P

Great orientation of Istanbul

We had Gökhan show us around Istanbul on our first day in town and are really glad we did.

Prior to the tour he asked what we were interested in seeing and doing. We were interested in getting a feel for the city, seeing some of the things locals do on the weekend and finding some good places to eat. I said we didn't want to visit a heap of Mosques and museums as we're not big history buffs. He came up with a plan and also said he'd bring his wife along which worked out well.

On the day they were at our hotel on time and we set off for our walking tour. Things my wife and I liked about the tour:
- as we walked he told us about the things were passing
- he'd clearly thought about a plan for the day based on what we wanted to do
- showed us how to use public transport and we used it to quickly move between areas
- tasted a few local specialities
- showed us things they like to do on the weekend in Istanbul
- explained some of the major areas

After the tour he was more than happy to message us to answer questions and give more advice.

Gökhan is relatively new as a tour guide but we really enjoyed our experience with him. We felt like we could enjoy the city without having to check google maps every 2 minutes. He offers the tours because he is proud of Istanbul and likes to meet new people and it really shows through. I'd strongly recommend booking a tour with him

Reviewed by Paul • August 01, 2018

Personalised Tour of Istanbul with a Local

S

Paper marbling

We just got back from Istanbul and the I booked the marbling class for the last day. I was not expecting to have such experience. The artist talked about the whole process then walked us through step by step allowing us to creat more elaborate are as we went. I have very little talent but even so I was proud of my work. My daughter, on the other hand, is very talented and caught on right away. Even though the lesson was supposed to be a couple of hours, Ali worked with my daughter for double the amount of time. The attached picture shows what you can creat having never done this before. After we finished working we were welcome on the terrace for tea and cookies. I don't think there is a better view in all of Istanbul. We had to allow the paper to dry so we took a walk to the spice market to do a bit of shopping for kitchen items. When we walked back to the studio our artwork was dry and ready to take home.

The day was certainly not spent waiting on long lines to view tourist attractions rather experiencing something fun and unique.

An A+ company giving A+ experience.

Reviewed by sulphurlady / TripAdvisor • May 30, 2017

Turkish Paper Marbling (Ebru) Class in Istanbul

M

thoroughly informative and worth it.

the tour captured all the aspects that one was expecting although i added hagia sophia to the itinerary it did not deter from it.

our guide was very fluent in his understanding of the history and way of life of istanbul and offered incredible insight to this beautiful city full of history.

thinking back to our day spent with him brings back wonderful memories. he offered us local's insider which we greatly valued and needed as we were planning a shopping trip the day after.

my one major critisism with like a local is that i still havent received money that i booked another tour prior to booking this one on the 14th May 2018; that tour was full at the time and i was sent an email notifying me that the funds will be returned to my bank account, this has not yet happened and today is the 30th May 2018.
other than that, the like a local is a brilliant idea

kudos

Reviewed by Mfundo Archibald • May 30, 2018

Off The Beaten Path of Real Istanbul Tour

A

Enchanting Istanbul with an awesome guide!

Top sites half day tour with Emir
I got back from Istanbul with some wonderful memories!
They started with my first tour on the first day of my arrival.
I met Emir, the tour guide, at the pudding shop.
He was punctual and friendly on introduction.
Then went on to Hagia Sophia, I was impressed with the level of knowledge he had and the ability to share his sense of humour alongside an awesome tour!
Honestly this was my favourite tour of the city and top sites.

I would highly recommend this tour early on in your visit because you get fast track entry to the sites so you're not waiting around in the long queues.
Whether you're travelling alone or in a group, definitely book the tour with Emir! You really got a sense of him being proud of his city and how he loved sharing his knowledge with others!

Wishing him all the best to his future!
Until the next visit!

Activity in Istanbul: Top Sites Of Istanbul: Half Day Small-Group tour. Photo by Aqsa who visited that tour.

Things to do in Istanbul. Photo by Aqsa.

Image by Aqsa who visited Top Sites Of Istanbul: Half Day Small-Group tour.

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Reviewed by Aqsa • November 30, 2019

Top Sites Of Istanbul: Half Day Small-Group tour

T

We did the "Real istanbul" on our first morning in the city. Emre, our guide was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the city and was able to quickly get us orientated. He was passionate about sharing the culture, traditions and religion which have played their parts in shaping the city and its people. The tour took place in the main sites but also gave us a taste of some of the more quieter and hidden areas just a few steps from the tourist trails.
Emre bought some local teas, pastries and organised a hookah at a traditional cafe and later provided baklava. we used bus and ferry too to go old greek district and to come back from there to Eminonu

This is great tour to do on your first day. The tour started at 9 am and finished about 5pm and was well paced for the guests.

Reviewed by Thea H / TripAdvisor • November 16, 2015

Off The Beaten Path of Real Istanbul Tour

S

I've just returned from a short trip to Istanbul where I wanted to see as much as possible. I decided to get some assistance, so I booked myself on Real Istanbul Tour. The tour started with Hippodrome, the Blue-Mosque and Hagia Sophia. After which, we had leisure time in a hookah cafe to enjoy shisha smoking, drink Turkish tea and eat delicious food. Our guide then showed us Istanbul off the beaten path, visiting colorful areas, listening to Turkish music and tasting local deserts. We returned back by ferry, to end the journey in the grand Bazar to do some shopping.The tourguide was easygoing and was not rushing us. I absolutely loved my weekend escape to Istanbul!

Reviewed by solo_traveler_2010 / TripAdvisor • November 16, 2015

Off The Beaten Path of Real Istanbul Tour

E

Great Experience

I am a long-time fan of the poet, Rumi, so this authentic experience of seeing a whirling dervish ceremony was one of the top highlights of my trip to Istanbul. The educational session beforehand was excellent and our guide was well organized and thoughtful. I booked this excursion two weeks in advance from the states, and the guide answered all of my emails/questions promptly beforehand. I highly recommend this event for anyone who is interested in learning more about the true history of the whirling dervish community.

Reviewed by Elizabeth • October 04, 2018

Whirling Dervishes Ceremony in Istanbul Every Thursday

R

Great tour

Our guide was knowledgeable, accommodating and friendly. We enjoyed getting a taste of the rich history and not spending the entire day doing it.

We’re well traveled and enjoy seeing the highlights of any spot we visit but we’re not interested in dragging things out unnecessarily. Our guide picked up on that and got us to the best spots with maximum efficiency. He even accommodated our schedule change graciously due to a mix up on our part.

Would absolutely recommend!

Reviewed by Ryan • October 05, 2019

Top Sites Of Istanbul: Half Day Small-Group tour

J

Fun and educative

This was a fantastic class with Betul and Ali. They showed my friend and I the techniques of Ebru (Turkish paper marbling, which is not unlike west European paper marbling), showed us how to make some traditional floral designs, then left us to our own devices. We made 20 or 30 sheets, some independent pictures, others we plan to use as a basis for painting and/or collage. The workshop is fantastic, in historic Istanbul with a view over the Bosphorus.

Reviewed by Joad • January 10, 2020

Turkish Paper Marbling (Ebru) Class in Istanbul

M

Great Experience :)

We've had a great experience learning how to draw on the water in Ebru method, we had a great artistic talk with Mr. Ali the ebru teacher.

very friendly place in a great tourist area if you want to visit the blue mosque and Sultan Ahmet area.

The booking process with Hakan is smooth and easy and we got his confirmation on very quickly in short notice.

This experience is highly recommended by me and my friend that share with me the experience.

Tour in Istanbul: Turkish Paper Marbling (Ebru) Class in Istanbul. Photo by Mohamed K.

Things to do in Istanbul. Photo by Mohamed K.

Image by Mohamed K who visited Turkish Paper Marbling (Ebru) Class in Istanbul.

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Reviewed by Mohamed K • April 08, 2019

Turkish Paper Marbling (Ebru) Class in Istanbul

S

Great tour with a very knowledgeable guide

I've been on masses of Segway tours (over 100) all around the world but this tour had probably the most knowledgeable guide I've had. What he didn't know about the history of Turkey and Istanbul wasn't worth knowing!

It's a great way of getting around Instanbul and leaning about the history of the sights plus we went up some hills so had the most wonderful panoramic view of the city and river.

I can't recommend this tour highly enough!

Reviewed by Sue • September 25, 2019

Segway Istanbul Old City Tour - Morning

M

A breath of fresh air

Thanks to our lovely captains Basak and Anil (they were attentive and so fun!), We had an absolute blast during pandemic time.

The Bosphorus tour was simply fascinating, we did not even realize how couple of hours passed. Snacks and drinks were satisfying.

Surprisingly, we got to see numerous dolphins close up, which was my favorite part of the tour.

Highly recommended, will definitely do it again! 😊

Reviewed by Merve / Tripadvisor • July 16, 2020

Private Luxurious Yacht Tour