Published on May, 2022

Diana was an outstanding guide. She knew her subject matter very well and was very professional. Also could explain things in context of the current situation

Published on Feb, 2020

Wow! Wow! And wow! This is one of the best experience to have in Istanbul. It takes an excellent guide, and be prepared with your extended distance walking shoes. Lutfallah, the guide, skillfully navigated the city. Superb!

Published on Jul, 2019

Our guide Lutfi picked us up from our hotel as arranged. My husband and I were the only ones on the tour which made it very special. We started with the highlight- Chora church mosaics. If you are interested in beautiful art, the mosaics in the Chora church will blow you away. The walls and ceilings were covered in mosaics mostly of reasonable quality. Absolutely fantastic to see! Lutfi told us the story of all the mosaics and gave us plenty of time to take photos. I was a bit disappointed that we started with the Chora mosaics as everything after would fade in comparison, but in hindsight it was better to start with this while we were fresh and unaffected by the heat. The tour comprises a lot of walking ( around 12km) and in the heat it is quite exhausting! The rest of the tour was great in that as well as looking at Byzantine mosques and monasteries which had mostly been converted from churches, we wandered the streets where few tourists go. It gave us an insight into another side of Istanbul. Our guide was very knowledgeable and helpful. Lunch was authentic Turkish fare ( but not tourist kebabs or pide as explained by Lutfi) and extremely filling! This was a remarkable tour for us, but may not appeal to everyone.

Published on May, 2019

We enjoyed this tour very much. Our guide Ilker was incredibly knowledgeable. His enthusiasm and warmth made this tour particularly memorable. We enjoyed a wonderful meal with Ilker at a restaurant in the Fatih district. He could not have chosen a better itinerary or restaurant.

Published on Jun, 2018

Marvelous! Absolutely marveIous! I was in luck since I was the only one having booked the tour that day. So a small-group tour turned into a private tour for me. And this tour was the highlight of my trip. After having experienced the big tourist attractions I wanted to find the hidden historical gems... and this tour did not disappoint! My tour guide was extremely friendly and he was also extremely knowledgable, and imparted the knowledge in really fun ways! I highly recommend this tour if you have visited all the big attractions Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque etc and want something a little different.

Oh, and the lunch included? Absolutely fantastic! Normally an included lunch is fairly standard, more filling than anything, but this lunch was at a restaurant with home cooked anatolian food.

One fair bit of warning for this tour though, there is much walking involved so if you are not prepared for that this tour might not be for you.