Istanbul · ISTANBUL HIGHLIGHTS TOURS
17 reviewed
Start with the experience you want, then compare duration, group size and what is covered. The strongest istanbul highlights tours are clear about the day they deliver.
Private guided Istanbul tour for 1 to 3 days, walking Old City highlights, plus Bosphorus, palaces, and neighborhoods with flexible timing.
“Thank you very much for two wonderful days of detailed history of Istanbul, also thanks to our driver who is very skill in driving us safety. Highly recommend if your hotel is away from old city.”
Istanbul highlights in one long day, with hotel pickup, guided visits to Blue Mosque, Topkapi, cisterns, and the Grand Bazaar, plus photo stops.
“I think this was the perfect choice I could have done, yes one long day walking lots & Lots but you end up seeing major sightseeing places in old Istanbul in one day. The guide Gurkan was amazing with great knowledge, A special thanks to him for this trip. I highly recommend this to all.”
Private guided Istanbul highlights in one day, hitting Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi, Basilica Cistern, and the Grand Bazaar with hotel pickup.
“Highly recommend. Volkan was our guide and showed us only the very best from the best spots to photo, to the very best spots to shop and buy one of a kind authentic Turkish rugs and tile art to the best Michelin star restaurant to eat. Would do again!”
Essential Istanbul small group tour covers the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia views, Hippodrome, and Topkapi Palace with hotel pickup and a calm pace.
“Absolutely amazing tour experience! Highly recommend for when you have limited time in Istanbul but want to learn more about the history and culture.”
Private Istanbul highlights with hotel pickup, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Grand Bazaar shopping, Hippodrome sights, and Topkapi or a cistern swap.
“Walking tour of Istanbul highlights is a must do. We had a great tour guide and very knowledgeable too. Paris was very helpful and we covered all the strategic sights. Would have preferred if we were dropped off to our hotel as my spouse was not comfortable on us returning on our own.”
A small-group day through Istanbul’s top sights, from Blue Mosque to Topkapi, with ticket help, a real lunch, and a lot of walking.
“Oğuzhan was an amazing tour guide for the day! There was only one other person on our tour, making 3 total so it felt like a private tour! We loved visiting all of the places. Oğuzhan made sure to tell us when he could not guide us (govt/site regulations) but would tell us about what to see and look for and why it was important. I'm glad we did this tour as we were able to see most of the big sites in Istanbul all in one day! Topkapi palace seems like it would be overwhelming without this as we saw the highlights, but it never felt rushed. I loved…”
Small-group Istanbul highlights with Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Basilica Cistern, Topkapi, Grand Bazaar, and a 90-minute Bosphorus cruise.
“It was a wonderful experience! The guide (Uğur) was very considerate, friendly and extreme knowledgeable. We covered all the main attractions in just one day. I highly recommend this tour!”
Private Istanbul highlights in 1 to 3 days. Customize your pace, hit top sights fast, and get expert guidance across palaces, mosques, and bazaars.
“Our guide all 3 days was Mustafa Gok and we can't say enough good things about him. He was always on time and adapted the excursion to our specific interests. Easy to understand his English. 3 days in Istanbul was about right to see the major sights.”
Private full-day Istanbul tour covering Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Hippodrome, Basilica Cistern, Topkapi and Grand Bazaar, with pickup.
“We had a great time exploring the historic sites in Istanbul. Our guide, Ismail, was very knowledgeable and paced our journey very well.”
Half-day guided tour of Istanbul’s Old City, from Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque to Basilica Cistern and Grand Bazaar, with tea or coffee.
“What an amazing guided tour of Istanbul by our amazing guide Salih. He was incredibly knowledgeable, professional, and friendly, and got us into all of the sites very quickly and efficiently, maximizing our time inside. I would highly recommend this tour, this company, and especially this guide to anyone. Thank you Salih for a wonderful day!”
Istanbul E-pass bundles guided skip-the-line visits to Hagia Sophia, Topkapi, cisterns, plus Bosphorus cruises and show tickets in 2-7 days.
“I like most is guide agents only spend with each sight seeing at the beginning to explain what should be seen inside, then remaining time is yourself for what your interested! What I don’t like is that most of the sightseeing times scheduled is very closed together, so unless you have a plan ahead, you won’t get much sites, and end up not saving much moneys by buying this e-pass.”
A 3-hour private Istanbul highlights walk with a local host, flexible route options, and key sights like Topkapi, Hagia Sophia, and Blue Mosque.
“Ahmet Can Gurel was our guide on the Hidden Gem tour. We secured a time of 3:30pm because it was on the same day of our arrival from JFK. It was a perfect introduction to Istanbul, partly because we wanted to stay awake to adjust quickly to the time change. Ahmet was knowledgeable and his English was perfect. I detected an American accent and later he shared his experience being an exchange student to the US in 1983! (Turkey to US, PA) We highly recommend Ahmet.”
Hop on and off an open-top bus for Istanbul’s biggest landmarks, with English audio and easy access from Sultanahmet.
“It was good, but make sure you aren’t on time frames, the traffic is so very bad it takes @ 2 plus hours to do the loop.”
Hotel and cruise pickup for a 7-hour tour of Sultanahmet’s top sights, plus Grand Bazaar shopping time and optional fast-track tickets.
“Ikler was our personal guide for the day. He is fascinating and very knowledgeable guide. He gave us choices to create our own day experience. He would ask us questions to better serve us with a detailed tour. He delivered the best tour we have had. Istanbul is an excellent city. So much to see and do. I advise you to use a personal tour guide to get the most out of your time and money.”
Small-group Istanbul highlights with a guide: Hippodrome, Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi, Grand Bazaar and Hagia Irene from hotels or port.
“A lot of walking and go early to avoid the influx of cruise ship tourists. That said the tour was excellent and our guide Merk was very accommodating and knowledgeable.”
