• Private Tour
• Instantly Confirmed
• Carbon Neutral

Ready for a jam-packed tour, full of history, culture, stories, and sights? Checkmark from your travel bucket list all your must-sees of Istanbul, because if there’s a Withlocals tour that shows you all the city's ins and outs, it’s this complete and personalized tour of Istanbul.

Destination

Istanbul, Turkey

Category

City Highlight Tours

Duration

8 hours

Transport mode

Walking tour

Available languages

English, Türkçe, Français, Español

Included

• Private Guide
• 1 Local Snack
• Tickets for Mawlawi house included
• Transportation
• All Withlocals Tours are Carbon Neutral

Excluded

• Extra tastings
• Entrance to attractions

What you can expect

Choose your local

Get to know these 14 passionate locals, each bringing unique perspectives and talents. Choose your favorite, check their availability, and book to create an unforgettable adventure tailored to you.

This is the plan

Check out the plan below to see what you'll get up to with your local host. Feel free to personalize this offer with the host of your choice.

1. Meeting point

   Meet at Meet in front of the German Fountain in Sultanahmet - Istanbul to start your journey

   View on Maps

2. Itinerary

   This is what our experience could look like, but it’s not set in stone! Once you book, you can chat directly with your host to make small tweaks to suit your preferences.

3. City Highlights

   See Topkapi, Area of Galata, Blue Mosque, and more must-sees of the city. Your local host will take you to the main spots of the city so you can get the perfect overview to what makes Istanbul so special

4. Hidden Gems

   long the way, your local host will show you treasures hidden in plain sight that only the locals know about. Get to know the city through a different perspective, the local way, and discover places and stories that not many tourists get to experience

5. Special Treat

   Follow your host to one of their favorite eateries for a snack or a drink beloved by the locals. Take a break and catch up with your new local friend and get the answers to all your travel questions

6. More Things to See

   With more time, you’ll have the chance to enter some of the landmarks and attractions your host has planned for you. Get in touch with the host of your choice to hear more about their plan

7. Make it yours

   Want to tweak the itinerary? Book directly & chat afterwards with your host to adjust highlights, skip stops, or make small changes to fit your preferences.

   Book risk-free: Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund.

   Need something special? Personalize your experience for more time, alternative locations or a completely tailored plan.

Flexible cancellation policy

• Feel confident booking

  Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund. Even up to 7 days before your experience, you’ll receive a refund, minus the service fee.

• Change of plans?

  Reschedule your experience to a date and time that works best for you.

• Loved by travelers worldwide

  Simple and flexible – your plans, your way.

Reviews from guests

Stephanie

(About local Abdullah)

8 June 2025

The 6 of us had an excellent first glimpse of Istanbul. Abdullah is knowledgeable but has also fun facts to share. His tour was interesting and very entertaining. The food he ordered for us was amazing 🤩 We can definitely recommend him ! Excellent and fun tour !

Wies🇳🇱 Netherlands

(About local Abdullah)

8 June 2025

We had a full day visit to Istanbul Sultanahmet with Abdullah and really recommend booking a tour with him! We told him in advance what we would like to see and he made sure we saw all of it and added some of his own recommendations. He was very knowledgeable about the sites we were visiting and gave us lots of recommendations besides that. We had a fun day and learned a lot, great way to start your visit to Istanbul/ Turkey - thank you Abdullah!Great guide in Istanbul!

Jessica🇺🇸 United States

(About local Gülce)

2 June 2025

We spent a lovely day with Gulce touring the most famous sights in the Old City of Istanbul. She is extremely knowledgeable about the history and is able to present it in an approachable manner. Without her, we never would have appreciated was we were seeing. I am now a convert to taking a private tour! Crash course in the history of Istanbul

Ben🇬🇧 United Kingdom

(About local Kadir Celal)

2 June 2025

Thank you Kadir for an excellent full day tour. We covered a lot and we greatly appreciated your expertise and knowledge.Full day tour

Sylvester (Sly)🇺🇸 United States

(About local Abdullah)

30 May 2025

Our private tour of Istanbul with Abdullah was great! He was flexible and agreed to meet us at our hotel versus the identified meeting point. Two members of our group couldn’t stay the entire time-frame, so he tailored the tour to ensure they at least saw the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, and the Basilica Cistern. Abdullah did not only take us to these ionic landmarks, he provided detail information, the history behind each site and answered our many questions. He modified the reminder of the day when our group of three became just one, by taking me to one of his favorite restaurants for lunch, the food was very good and reasonably priced. As we walked through Sultanahmet he pointed out sites of historical significance. We had tea at an historic tea house located in a former religious school, that offered a glimpse into Istanbul's past. Lastly, we went to the Grand Bazaar, where he introduced me to some of his friends. When I mentioned my wife and her sisters, who had earlier left the tour, would love to see the bazaar, he called them up, determined their location and we all went back to the bazaar. I highly recommend Abdullah and will request his services when in Istanbul.Knowledgeable + Adaptable = Great Tour

Unknown

(About local Gülce)

21 May 2025

Gulch was flexible in adapting to a slightly different itinerary than originally requested when our friends could not make the trip . She had an excellent knowledge of the background and history of all areas. We traveled on local trams and funiculars to the old and new cities which got us around efficiently and enabled us to travel like locals. She gave us some great suggestions for our next day, and enabled us to feel comfortable traveling around on our own. We would absolutely recommend her and believe she is perfect for small groups wanting a more personal experience. Gulce was the perfect guide for us

Helen🇺🇸 United States

(About local Kadir Celal)

15 May 2025

We can’t say enough about Kadir. He is a wonderful person and an excellent guide. We are from the Midwest and Kadir’s English was perfect and his depth and breadth of the expansive, complex, fascinating history of Istanbul kept us so interested throughout our eight-hour tour. He knew all the best places to go….and all the best people to meet. We highly and passionately recommend Kadir. We loved him!!Fanastic!!

Michael🇦🇺 Australia

(About local Abdullah)

12 May 2025

We had an incredible day exploring the old city with Appo. As many others note he is knowledgable, gregarious, thoughtful and entertaining. He is equally at ease discussing history, architecture, politics, food and culture and adapted the day to suit our interests, some of which we changed during the course of the day. If you want to truly enrich your experience of Istanbul, this is the way to do it.

Melissa🇺🇸 United States

(About local Abdullah)

8 May 2025

I hope I can write a review that encourages someone to choose Abdullah. I now see why he is so popular!!! Friendly, funny and courteous. And!!!! Incredibly knowledgeable about the history and cultural intricacies of Istanbul and Turkey. More important, he is sensitive to his audience. He dials it up when there’s interest in the subject and knows when to move on when interest wanes. I would trust Abdullah’s suggestions and wisdom on anything Istanbul! It’s also obvious Abdullah’s kindness has gained many admirers around town. Store owners, food vendors, musuem staff all knew him by face and name and were so warm and welcoming to us by association. Can’t wait to return and spend another day with Abdullah. Will return for another tour with Abdullah

Keri

(About local Abdullah)

5 May 2025

Abdullah is a lovley guy. It was fun cruising around the old city with him. I think it would have been nice to travel outside of the old town area and see a little more of the city but we still had a nice day. Good knowage of the area

cavellino33

(About local Gülce)

26 April 2025

Gulce was an awesome guide. 10/10 in every way. Will recommend to anyone visiting Istanbul. Thanks for a great dayAwesome

jane

(About local Aysenur )

7 April 2025

What a lovely day out in Istanbul with Ayşenur! She is energetic and very knowledgeable. She gave us both historic and contemporary context to the main sites in the old city. Ayşenur shaped our day out to meet our needs. Great introduction to a spectacular city.Wonderful day out with Ayşenur

Charlotte🇳🇴 Norway

(About local Ahmet Can)

4 April 2025

We had a great day in Istanbul with Ahmet Can. It was interesting, fun, and informative. He met us at our hotel, and within the first ten minutes of walking towards public transportation, he had stories to share about the street we were walking in. This was indicative for the rest of the day: Ahmet was knowledgeable, engaging, and responsive to all our questions. He is a good representative of all that is good about using WithLocals. We can highly recommend him.Interesting, informative, and fun day

Mingyu🇨🇳 China

(About local Aysenur )

1 April 2025

Ayşenur is an amazing guide who knows Istanbul inside out. She is very well versed in arts and history, and could really provide deep and authentic perspectives on many aspects of Istanbul beyond what a typical tour guide could offer. Highly recommended! Awesome guide in Istanbul

Jan🇺🇸 United States

(About local Abdullah)

30 March 2025

Spent a day with Abdullah, and all 3 of us give him strong 5 stars. Highly insightful, engaging, with historical and cultural depth and "breath". All discussions deeply seeded in Turkish/Ottoman culture and history. Great insight into modern Turkey. Recommend in the highest possible terms. One day long tour of Istanbul highlights

Unknown

(About local Esra)

30 March 2025

Esra was an amazing tour guide and very shortly into the tour we felt like we were seeing the city and visiting with family. Her passion for travel and love of her home town/country poured out through the historical details and cultural wisdom that she shared. She made our first day in Turkey fun and full! Without a doubt we would request her company, rely on her knowledge and recommend her to our friends for future travel guides/inquiries. With a heartfelt Tea-Sugar-a dream, Esra!🥰Lütfen!

Lillian🇺🇸 United States

(About local Abdullah)

17 March 2025

We had an absolutely fantastic experience exploring the Old City of Istanbul with Abdullah. From the moment we met, he made us feel incredibly welcomed and set the tone for an unforgettable day. His deep knowledge of history brought the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque to life, making every stop more meaningful. Not only was he super informative, but he was also genuinely eager to ensure we had the best experience possible. He helped us navigate the markets, taking us to the right places to shop without any pressure, which made our experience even more enjoyable. He even joined us for lunch at a fantastic local restaurant he recommended, giving us an authentic taste of Istanbul beyond the usual tourist spots. His enthusiasm, professionalism, and warmth truly set him apart. I’ve had many tour guides over the years, but he was one of the best I’ve ever had. If you’re looking for an exceptional guide in Istanbul, I highly recommend Abdullah. You won’t be disappointed!Best Tour Guide in Istanbul – A Must-Book!

Isabella 🇭🇷 Croatia

(About local Gülce)

19 February 2025

Gülce organized the whole tour based on our wishes. However, when we wanted to change the plan, she arranged that to be possible. Moreover, she had an answer to all of our questions (history, traffic and life in Istanbul). She gives an amazing recommendations for delicious local food. And, last but not least, she is a really interesting storyteller.The perfect guide for Istanbul

Katalin🇫🇷 France

(About local Kadir Celal)

30 January 2025

Kadir was very flexible and customised te tour as per our preferences. We learned a lot and the anecdotes Kafir told us where very refreshing. A serious guide, with humor and lots of attention to it's guests, it was a pleasure to discover Istanbul with him.Interesting tour, nice guide

Sleiman🇺🇸 United States

(About local Emre)

29 December 2024

Emere is very knowledgeable and was very pleasant throughout the two days he was with us. He took us to the places that we wanted to go to, and also to off the beaten path streets and places to visit and eat. I highly recommend him. Emere is excellent

Hilary🇺🇸 United States

(About local Abdullah)

24 November 2024

Our day with Apo was magical. He truly made our trip to Istanbul. Within a day we had a rich understanding of the important sights and history of this incredible city, but the most special was what we learned of the amazing culture of the place. We will heartily recommend a tour with the fabulous Apo to anyone! 5 ⭐️ all the sights, rich with history

Willem🇳🇱 Netherlands

(About local Esra)

24 November 2024

Although it was raining cats and dogs we had a great experience with Esra. She’s flexible, tells you al lot of stories about Istanbul and Turkey. She showed us some beautiful places. The best tourguide we could have wished for! A great day in Istanbul

Adele🇬🇧 United Kingdom

(About local Kadir Celal)

13 November 2024

Kadir is a wonderful guide, he came to our hotel to chat through what we wanted to see and do and then gave us a great tour of many of the major sites and some hidden gems to. He was so knowledgeable and made the tour interesting and fun, the day just flew by. I would highly recommend him.

Evgeny🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

(About local Ahmet Can)

11 November 2024

Ahmet is a perfect example of what a local guide should be - not young, but experienced; delicate, yet persistent. He knows Istanbul like a back of his hand and always at your service if you need extra story. And as an experienced and professional tour guide he knows a pack of stories which you will never get from an audio guide. Thank you, Ahmet! I highly recommend this guy to those who want to dive deeper than Cistern :-)Top notch service

Terry 🇺🇸 United States

(About local Abdullah)

30 October 2024

We are a group of three friends who spent the day on a walking tour of Old Town Istanbul with Abdullah. He is the best! In a city of millions, we never walked far without Abdullah knowing someone. He took us into the city’s hidden gems where we tasted meat roasting on a spit, watched silversmiths do their craft, had amazing rooftop views, drank chai with the locals in a 400 year old establishment, ate an incredible kabob lunch, toured the Cistern, Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar, and the Mosque of Suleyman the Magnificent. Abdullah is like a walking history book and shares his knowledge, wisdom, and humor in such a personable way. Spending our first day in Istanbul with Abdullah was a great decision. We had so much fun! An awesome day in Istanbul with Abdullah!

Martyn🇿🇦 South Africa

(About local Kadir Celal)

28 October 2024

Great guide, came through to our hotel to chat about the day, and then delivered a wonderful tour of the major sights with a great knowledge of Istanbul history. Easy going and fun Kadir made our day.

James🇺🇸 United States

(About local Emre)

27 October 2024

Emre was a super fantastic guide. He showed us all of the highlights of Istanbul and allowed us to go at our own pace. His knowledge was incredible, and he was able to speak, in-depth, on so many topics. There was never a dull moment, and, of course, his English was perfect. We will choose Emre, to show us around, every time we come to Istanbul. Choose Emre!

V🇩🇪 Germany

(About local Esra)

25 October 2024

Esra was kind, easy to speak to, enthusiastic and thorough! She picked up my parents from the hotel, took them everywhere they possibly could fit into a day and made the entire experience one worth it! She gave us a bunch of suggestions for other places to visit and restaurants to eat at. Would definitely recommend!Wonderful guide for Istanbul's treasures

Rafaela🇪🇨 Ecuador

(About local Esra)

23 October 2024

De una generosidad, carisma y voluntad increíble para hacer todos nuestros deseos realidad y cumplir con nuestras expectativas. Esra es maravillosa! La verdadera joya de Istambul. La joya de istambul

Andrew🇬🇧 United Kingdom

(About local Oğuz)

19 October 2024

Oguz was really knowledgable and flexible with what I wanted to see - from sites to local shopping and food . Be prepared for a lot of walking and experiencing the local transport - boat across the Bosphorus and trams and vehicular train to the Galata Tower. It was an incredible day and Oguz is highly recommended.Great Guide and flexible

Donna

(About local Gülce)

19 October 2024

We were a party of four (age ranging from early 60’s to mid 70’s). Our tour with Gulce was everything we had hoped for and more. She is extremely knowledgeable and very efficient. We were able to see everything on our “must see” list in Istanbul. We would highly recommend a tour with her. Thank you so very much Gulce (Rose), we hope to be back to your beautiful city.Gulce was a fabulous tour guide

Kim

(About local Dilek)

17 October 2024

Wanting to have an in-depth historical experience we chose a tour with Dilek. From the beginning she patient, kind, very experienced, knowledgable, and kind. We had an amazing experience and highly recommend Dilek as a guide - she was wonderful!Fabulous Istanbul

Julie🇬🇧 United Kingdom

(About local Dilek)

14 October 2024

Lovely to meet Delik for our Historic tour of Istanbul , we went with Deliks recommendations as the day went on so much knowledge and so many steps . Missing the long lines and revisiting later in the day. We thoroughly enjoyed our day with Delik . Highly recommend.Steps of interest

Linda🇬🇧 United Kingdom

(About local Abdullah)

13 October 2024

We had a great day with Abdullah. His knowledge and passion for Istanbul was immense. He paced the day to meet our needs. A tremendous introduction to the city. Thank you. Linda.

Andreas🇩🇪 Germany

(About local Mine )

11 October 2024

Prophoned knowledge of everything We wanted to know, Art, history, politics, techniques of woodcraft, religion, wonderful Communication! Mine was very Kind and had a Special eye on my 12 year old son, so that he managed the whole day tour with interrest! Mine does her guiding with a lot of enthusiasm and passion that We always would Book her again! All the best to you from Noah and Andreas from Germany.Exellent

Nigel🇺🇸 United States

(About local Oguz)

1 October 2024

Friendly commutative and knowledgeable . A very fun and interesting person. Great one day Istanbul tour

Thomas🇩🇰 Denmark

(About local Abdullah)

26 September 2024

Abdullah er en energisk og humoristisk ung mand , der med stor historisk viden og entusiasme tog os rundt i Istanbul. Abdullah gav os gode anbefalinger til resten af vores tur. Vi kan anbefale Abdullah som guide.Abdullah har gode engelsk kundskaber og var let at forstå. Excellent introduktion til Istanbul

Bryan🇺🇸 United States

(About local Hakan)

25 September 2024

Our group of 8 had a great experience with Hakan as our guide. The Mercedes van was very comfortable. Hakan provided a lot of history and information. Highly recommended. Excellent day with Hakan

Joe🇺🇸 United States

(About local Mine )

10 September 2024

Mine was a lovely guide. She was effortlessly charming and thoroughly versed in the local culture, art, and history. She brought a terrific energy to the endeavor and intuited what we needed at every turn. I especially appreciated her ability to contextualize the architecture and art in terms of political power through the ages. I also appreciated that she gave us several restaurant recommendations for the days ahead and helping us decide what to emphasize for the balance of our visit. Choose time with Mine: you will not be disappointed!Exactly what we had hoped for!

Danielle🇺🇸 United States

(About local Emre)

23 August 2024

Our tour with Emre was even better than we expected! He personalized it to us, offering even more ideas than we had thought of. It was the perfect balance between a deep historical overview of the history of Turkey & Istanbul and an exploration of the current existing sites and their hidden marvels. Emre was fun and interesting and patiently answered our many (many) questions with thoughtful answers and fun related stories, demonstrating a deep historical knowledge accompanied his amiable and engaging personality. We highly recommend you take a tour with Emre and hopefully will do so again when we return to Istanbul!Exactly what we hopes for, and more!

Luis

(About local Esra)

17 August 2024

An unforgettable day in Istanbul. Even with the limitations of the cruise stopover, we enjoyed both the Bosphorus tour (magnificent explanations) and the city tour (the stop at the Grand Bazaar was very good). Thank you very much Esra (I hope there will be another time with fewer limitations)Unforgettable day

Patty🇿🇦 South Africa

(About local Ahmet Can)

10 August 2024

Ahmet Can was excellent, he even picked us up at our hotel & took us on public transport to the old part of Istanbul. Very knowledgeable and tailored the day to our pace. Can’t recommend more highlyDay tour of Sultan Ahmet, Istanbul

naresh🇺🇸 United States

(About local Abdullah)

30 July 2024

I booked this tour for a Friday which is Jumu'ah (prayer day). Many mosques had lot of locals for praying and tourists for visiting. I modified the visit, we went to Topkapi palace, then to Sulemaniyeh mosque which had mostly locals. We walked around the Grand Bazar, Galata bridge, Kadakoy and all over the streets around Sultanahmet. Abdullah has traveled extensively around the world, he is able to narrate stories and tales in a way that makes sense to foreigners. I will book him for future trips.Customize what you want to experience

Patricia 🇦🇺 Australia

(About local Tolga)

21 July 2024

Tolga is an absolutely amazing guide who has a very deep knowledge of the history and architecture of İstanbul, and he imparts this with extremely interesting stories and with a very gentle and understated manner. We walked around the Blue Mosque, the Basilica Cisterns, the hippodrome and Hagya Sofya as well and the Topkapi Palace. Tolga engaged us with many stories as well as historical facts and knew lots of areas to show us that we wouldn’t otherwise have seen without his expert direction. Thank-you for an exceptional day and I would definitely recommend him to anyone visiting IstanbulBest of Istanbul with Tolga

Jessica M.🇺🇸 United States

(About local Esra)

2 July 2024

The absolute BEST‼️No restrictions, no limitations, whatever you want to do she will go out of her way to make it happen for you. Thank you so much Esra for making my mom’s dream come true. ( Little story: My mom was going crazy about a Turkish series (Feriha) she was watching and she was dying to go see the building where this serie was recorded in Etiler, Istanbul. After a few hours wandering around Esra finally found the building and my mom was extremely happy🙃😂 :)) - We explored, we ate, I learned to make Turkish coffee in Balat ☕️🤪 it was a beautiful day and experience with Esra. I will definitely contact her back when I go back to beautiful Istanbul. I recommend Esra 💯 you will never go wrong. Our day tour was 100% customized by us 😆 and she was so flexible with everything!! Sorry I’m so late with my review Esra! You have my Love & Gratitude, Jess from LA ❤️🇹🇷😉Barriga llena, Corazon Contento!🍽️🥳🤩❤️

Willem

(About local Ahmet Can)

1 July 2024

Travelled to Istanbul with my two sons, ages 24 and 27, in June 2024. We were looking for a guide to offer us historic, cultural, and gourmet insights. Ahmet Can gave us a tailor-made tour, skipping most waiting lines and showing us places off the beaten track. He offered us a range of places for lunch. In a very pleasant and knowledgeable way, we got a high-level introduction to the beautiful city of Istanbul.Best Tour Guide for beatiful Istanbul

Hari🇸🇬 Singapore

(About local Gülce)

17 June 2024

Gulce is an incredible local to hang out with if you want to know the historical views of Istanbul but at the same time is very knowledgeable with her tips for shopping, food and getting around. Her very calm and patient demeanour is a great asset especially when she was taking my wife and I along with our two young boys around such a busy city. She understood the audience well and catered the speed and detail of the tour accordingly and adapted to the needs of young kids well. The food tour around Taksim Square left all 4 of us wanting more but the orur appetite was our only limitation. A knowledgeable and adaptive expert

Shane🇦🇺 Australia

(About local Kadir Celal)

8 June 2024

Absolutely amazing tour from a passionate knowledgeable local who adapted to conditions at the time to get us where we needed to be Seemed to know everyone where we went which wasn’t always the traditional sights you might expect along with the classic places Also showed us how to negotiate the public transport system saving us lots of walking Just book him you won’t regret it

Lacy🇺🇸 United States

(About local Nihal)

31 May 2024

We had a fantastic day with Nihal touring the sights of Istanbul. She was so knowledgeable about the city and history and it was a pleasure to spend the day with her. Energetic and friendly and showed us everything we asked for. She tailored the tour to our interests and gave us recommendations on what to do the next day. Thank you Nihal. I highly recommend her if you want to know anything about Istanbul!! History Tour

Jim🇺🇸 United States

(About local Kadir Celal)

22 May 2024

We were lucky enough to have chosen Kadir for the Full Coverage tour in Istanbul in 05/2024. Our day, and it was a full day since we were with him from about 10 AM to 9 PM, with Kadir was the reason we book guides. He took us places we would never have gone to on our own, gave us insights into the places we visited that would have been difficult to find and introduced us to people we certainly would not have otherwise met. Kadir was welcoming, friendly, happy to go at our pace as we slowed things down some to do some shopping and in a word, avuncular. He also transformed Istanbul from a sprawling, hectic city full of busy people to a place of neighborhoods, history, and friendly individuals. When we got back to the hotel room after our day with Kadir we both agreed we wanted to come back and learn more about Istanbul and the local environs. Fantastic tour!