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Discover the first steps of Christianity in the mosaics and frescoes of the Chora Mosque. Visit the last palace of the Byzantine. Get ready to explore the cultural tapestry of old Istanbul's Muslim, Armenian, Jewish, and Greek Orthodox neighborhoods.

Destination

Istanbul, Turkey

Category

Day Trips

Duration

5 hours

Transport mode

Walking tour

Available languages

English, Türkçe

Included

• Private guide
• Welcome tea (or coffe) at the start
• Entrance Tickets for the Tekfur Palace

What you can expect

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 Kadir Celal.

1. Meeting point

   Meet at Pembe Köşk Aile Çay Bahçesi - 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. Chora Museum

   An old church, then a mosque, now a museum, containing unique religious frescoes and mosaics from the last Byzantine period.

4. Tekfur Palace

   Tekfur Palace Museum, which is the last Roman The last standing part of the Byzantine palaces is a very impressive tile museum, now.

5. City Walls

   Historical walls that have secured the Byzantines for centuries

6. Balat

   Old Jewish neighborhood with typical Jewish houses and many synagogues. Now a unique part of the city full of antique and junk shops

7. Fener

   Following the cute Bulgarian Iron Church we will also visit ecumenical patriarchate and St. Georg church, which is the religious center of most Orthodox Christians of the world.

8. 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.

I can personalize this tour for you

• Tell me your preferred date and group size
• Tell me your preferences and wishes so I can customize the tour for you
• Wait for my personal offer in your inbox!

Contact me

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

Jane🇬🇧 United Kingdom

29 September 2020

What a perfect time we spent. Kadir was kind and understanding as a few of us had health issues Kadir really is a local with lots of people waving and saying hello. He helped a local elderly shop keeper unload his lorry of sacks vegetables. I can say from the bottom of my heart it was a great tour, taking us off the beaten track. With so much knowledge of history of this great city A gentleman who loves his city

Dawn🇺🇸 United States

8 February 2025

Kadir is super knowledgeable, and took the less than ideal weather into account. He made the day informative and interesting, showcasing the history and beauty of the city. Thank you, Kadir!Great tour of Istanbul!

Katalin🇫🇷 France

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

S

20 January 2025

Kadir was a wonderful choice for a day or touring Istanbul. We were touring with our 97 yr old mother and he helped us locate a driver for a very reasonable price. Driver stayed with our Mom when there was no wheelchair access or if she needed a break. Kadir was very knowledgeable and made the day fun as well. Be sure that he takes you to Kadikoy on the Asian side to see the market. I could happily live there. Thank you KadirGreat day with Kadir

NYEIN🇹🇷 Turkey

18 January 2025

Kadir crafts a tour so that is completely about you and what you want to learn. I felt so taken care of--few tour guides (and people generally) have the EQ and intellectual curiosity that Kadir has, resulting in a tour is a dialogue and not a one-way flow of information and facts. There were so many subtle personal touches and acts of consideration that demonstrated to me that Kadir really went out of his way to make this an experience of a lifetime. Definitely don't miss out on what could be one of the best days of your vacation.White Glove Treatment

Elizabeth🇫🇷 France

18 January 2025

The rich tapestry that is Istanbul requires a skilled, natural storyteller like Kadir to reveal some of its intricate history woven in its colorful threads. Kadir’s deep knowledge, natural warmth and unhurried pace & generous time was a perfect combination after we had endured 2 long flights. And his patience to reply with deliberate thought, shared thoughts on current times and his easy engagement with locals — all that helped to make our first visit to Istanbul an experience worth repeating — for a longer visit next time. The tour ended beautifully with Kadir joining us for afternoon tea at his suggested Turkish patisserie shop. Enriching Few Hours Well-Spent

Mark🇺🇸 United States

4 January 2025

We had a great day in Istanbul with Kadir as our guide. Kadir worked with me to customize the tour for myself and 5 friends. We visited the hippodrome, the blue mosque, the Hagia Sophie and the grand bazaar. Kadir was friendly, courteous, and knowledgeable and he helped us navigate through the crowds and picked out several places to eat along the way. I highly recommend a tour in Istanbul with Kadir!Great tour in Istanbul

rolf🇳🇱 Netherlands

3 January 2025

We hebben een geweldige tour gehad met Kadir. Zeer bevlogen gids die ontzettend veel weet van Istanbul en de bezochte locaties in het bijzonder. Hij heeft uitgebreid de tijd genomen om alles uit te leggen en toe te lichten. Overduidelijk heeft Kadir veel kennis van de historie van Istanbul en de Ottomanen. Volgende keer kiezen wij zeker weer voor Kadir.Topkapi en Basilica Cisterne

Madeleine

23 December 2024

We had an incredible tour in Istanbul with Kadir! We did the Jewish tour and Kadir was extremely knowledgeable and knew all the best places to see. He was warm and welcoming and a true lifelong learner. Kadir knows Istanbul like the back of his hand and showed us some of the city highlights along the way. He was also well connected and introduced us all over the place so everyone was very welcoming and treated us like family. We will work with him again next time we visit Istanbul and will definitely recommend him. Thanks Kadir for a wonderful day!Family in Istanbul

Alexis🇺🇸 United States

9 December 2024

We had the best day with Kadir. He was extremely knowledgable and explained everything in understandable terms. Kadir knew everybody in town - it was like getting a tour by the mayor! I highly recommend tours with Kadir.Wonderful Day

Roger🇺🇸 United States

15 November 2024

Kadir is gregarious and put us at ease about our questions. I got the sense he understood our striving to increase knowledge of a place we did not know and he related well.Enjoyable and informative

Adele🇬🇧 United Kingdom

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.

Ashok

12 November 2024

Kadir is so knowledgeable of the rich history in Istanbul! We loved that he shared small details that are easy to miss along with past and current customs of the Turkish people. Kadir’s delightful personality is infectious, he made the tour feel like a fun adventure. Our 23 year old autistic daughter is still talking about how much she enjoyed Kadir. We highly recommend Kadir, you will have just as much fun as we did; Guarenteed!Excellent Experience!

frederic🇫🇷 France

8 November 2024

Kadir can talk about History, archeology, arts, etc. He is friendly, always ready to help. Not just an ordinary guide : someone very educated, civilised, who perfectly know his beautiful town. He will adapt everything to what you need. Fantastic experience. Many thanks to him.Amazing guide

Jana🇵🇭 Philippines

6 November 2024

Kadir is very knowledgeable and fun to be with. A great tour guide who wants to see and know the history of Istanbul. Amazed by how he really took care of us. He gave suggestions and recommendations on where to buy souvenirs and where to eat. Highly recommended. Best tour with Kadir

Martyn🇿🇦 South Africa

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.

Renarta🇬🇧 United Kingdom

26 October 2024

Our family including our two sons aged 10 and 13 really enjoyed the tour. Kadir was knowledgable and made the information relatable. He was also v kind with toilet stops, crowds and giving me a scarf in line with mosque requirements. Would recommend. Brilliant experience

Cheryle🇨🇦 Canada

14 October 2024

Kadir was an amazing guide. He was flexible when we weee running a bit late. He took us to all the sites we wanted to see and was so knowledgeable about them, Istanbul and Türkiye. He also showed us some hidden gems to get sweets and great local food. At the end of the day he went above and beyond to get a taxi for us so we could get to our hotel on time. Throughout the whole tour he had fun and interesting stories. I highly recommend him as a guide and would ask for him again.A wonderful day

Eric🇺🇸 United States

7 October 2024

Kadir was one of the best tour guides we have had in recent years. His sensitivity and kindness cannot be overstated. His easy friendly demeanor and openness made us feel comfortable in this large and crowded city. Despite the large crowds, we were able to see most of the key sites of the city. Because of his knowledge of the city, he easily navigated us through the crowds making the best use of our time with him. He appears to have a great depth of knowledge which he was able to share with us in a very understandable manner. He made sure that our key interests were taken onto account when planning our stops which also included some shopping at the Grand Bazaar. He generously bought dried fruit, Turkish “pretzels” and even a shawl for my wife to wear when needed. He even had plastic bags for us to put our shoes in on Mosque visits. Kadir seemed to know many people along the way which gave us a sense that he was well liked by many in the tourist industry. We highly recommend him for your next visit to Istanbul.Great personalized experience in Istanbul

Jennifer🇺🇸 United States

28 September 2024

Our experience with Kadir was outstading in every way. Personalizing and booking our tour was easy. He was prompt and clear and worked with us to make sure we were getting the exact experience we wanted. Kadir gave us excellent recommendations for other places to visit, having nothing to do with this tour, and even took care of some of our bookings. Kadir was incredibly flexible and accommodating on our tour. When our tour ran late, he extended without a beat. There seemed to be no end to his knowledge of Istanbul's history, politics, and culture. He answered all of our never ending questions with enthusiasm. His pride in the city and its history and culture was unmatched. I enthusiastically and without reservation recommend booking a tour with Kadir. You will not be disappointed.Outstanding in every way!

Rebecca🇺🇸 United States

25 September 2024

We loved our tour with Kadir exploring the history of the Jewish people in Istanbul. We would never have been able to see so many places without him and it was obvious that he has a warm relationship with the people at every stop. It was the highlight and heart of our trip.Wonderful experience!

Jesper🇩🇰 Denmark

15 September 2024

Kadir was a absolute great guide, who we highly recommend. He is attentive and had great observations everywhere we went. He knew we were from Denmark and incorporated that into the tour and told us funny details ajour the Danes footprint in Istanbul throughout history. Again: Kadir comes with the best recommendations!Attentive, entertaining & engaging!

Karen🇨🇦 Canada

12 September 2024

We had a wonderful tour with Kadir. He moved us smoothly through crowded areas all the while highlighting the important points to take note of. Kadir's explanations helped make sense of the sights and connected different places in time. Kadir also offered some wonderful tips and advice for touring the rest of the city on our own. We followed his great advice and he was not wrong! Our only regret was that Kadir was booked up on following days and we could not tour with him a second time this trip. Not to worry, we will be back. See you then Kadir and many thanks!Delightful Tour

John🇦🇺 Australia

26 August 2024

We had a fantastic experience with Kadir. He is incredibly knowledgeable and gave us an amazing Jewish experience in Istanbul. We visited operating synagogues and the sites of old synagogues, as well as an excellent Jewish museum. Kadir provided a commentary on each of these and clearly explained the history of the Jews of Istanbul. A highlight was visiting the 500 year old Sephardi Synagogue on the Asian side of the city. Apart from this, Kadir is a very generous person. He helped us book a fantastic Turkish Bath experience and a Bosphorus River cruise. I would recommend Kadir without reservation.Bringing Jewish Instabul alive

Kimberly🇺🇸 United States

17 August 2024

Kadir was an AMAZING host. He made my sister and I feel so welcomed. He was very knowledgeable and kind with a touch of great humor. He was a perfect balance of professional and personable. He showed us everything we requested to see and also what we shouldn’t have missed in Istanbul. He went over and above to make sure we were comfortable and happy with our tour. BIG thank you Kadir for making our experience in Istanbul nothing less than exceptional. 10 Star Experience

Amy🇺🇸 United States

24 July 2024

We had the best day with Kadir. He was so knowledgable and you could tell he loved his city. We loved Istanbul and owe it to Kadir!Amazing day

LAURA

22 July 2024

We had a lovely day with Kadir. we explored many different spots. He was patient and gentle and answering all of our questions. Everyone around town knows him and was kind and generous. We were able to see many sites and taste many Istanbul treasure that otherwise would not have known what they were. It was like spending the day with a knowledge friend. This was the best way to see the city on a short visit. I would highly recommend booking Kadir.Wonderful day

Ruud🇳🇱 Netherlands

17 July 2024

Prior to a fourteen day cruise, we planned to stay two days in Istanbul, a city we had never visited before. We selected a private tour with Kadir Celal, because of his historic knowledge, as described in his CV. First contact was made easily through the site and we quickly agreed to a program that contained the unavoidable highlights but also the Archeological museum and extensive walks through (former) Jewish, Greek and Turkish quarters. Kafid is an easygoing, but knowledgeble guide, with useful and interesting information about the various historical phases of this dazzling city. He's also well organised, so that we could avoid standing in lines and were never thirsty. He also knew interesting local spots for lunch and dinner. It is certain that we could not have seen half of what we did in these two days. We therefore recommend him wholehartedly. Ruud Kroon and Wendela AspeslaghTwo wonderful days in Istanbul

Sharon🇺🇸 United States

4 July 2024

Excellent tour with Kadir focusing on "Jewish Istanbul". We spent 5 hours with this lovely gentlemen learning about Istanbul, both from a historical and present day Jewish perspective. Not only was Kadir well connected and knowledgeable about the Jews in Istanbul but Istanbul overall. His plans as he took us through various areas of the city also let us experience the many forms of public transportation. Excellent well organized and thought out tour with an excellent guide. Highly recommend touring with Kadir, you will not be disappointment. A Wonderful Day

Shane🇦🇺 Australia

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

Miriam🇺🇸 United States

31 May 2024

(Writing this from my mom’s account) Kadir is an incredible guide who gave us a highly personalized, flexible, and interesting tour. He took us to a number of Jewish sites around Istanbul, including ancient and active synagogues, Jewish architecture and neighborhoods, and a large museum about the Jews of Istanbul. Yet, the tour was far more than just seeing the Jewish sights. Kadir is highly knowledge about not only Jewish Istanbul but also the city as a whole, and he took us to some incredible spots and told us tidbits of history about how other groups interacted with the Jews at different points in time. I appreciated how he tipped local business owners for their time and covered our cost of transportation wherever we went. He also helped us navigate large crowds, hail a taxi in a busy area (and negotiate a price with the driver), and go to places we would never have gone otherwise (including the rooftop of a Jewish building with the best view of Istanbul I’ve ever seen). I also appreciate how he adjusted the pace of the tour to ours and even went overtime to ensure we finished the tour at the pace we needed. Overall, Kadir is an amazing, friendly, and knowledgeable guide with great English and the skills to get you to all the Jewish sights of Istanbul and much more. I highly recommend this tour!Unforgettable Experience

Jim🇺🇸 United States

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!

Lisa 🇺🇸 United States

10 May 2024

Kadir was a wonderful guide! I'm so glad that we scheduled him for an all day tour - he showed us all around Istanbul! He is very knowledgeable about history and local culture. We really enjoyed our day with him and he showed us some amazing food places as well! We would definitely recommend booking with Kadir if you are in Istanbul.

Wendy🇺🇸 United States

5 May 2024

Kadir was a wonderful guide. He was very knowledgeable and helpful. Although Istanbul was extremely crowded (Cadir said he had never seen the lines so long) we were able to see most everything. He has a great personality very easy going and happy. You won’t be disappointed if you pick him as your guide.This is the first time I have used Withlocals.com I definitely will use them again.Money well spent.

Frank🇧🇪 Belgium

3 May 2024

Kadir is een uiterst aangename gids met kennis van de geschiedenis van Istanbul. Gedurende drie uur bezochten we de belangrijkste highlights van de stad met boeiende en hedendaagse uitleg en omkadering. Is zeker een anrader.Super geslaagde middag

frank-maubach🇩🇪 Germany

28 April 2024

Kadir is a beautiful Guide and Host. The time with him was great.Wonderful guide

James🇨🇭 Switzerland

27 April 2024

We (2) had the greatest pleasure of being guided by Kadir in April 2024. Kadir is a fountain of knowledge on history and you could really see his passion as he talked, you could imagine the men politicking in the chambers in the topkapi palace and we learned a lot about how the sultan retained power, the role of the mother etc. He was open, engaging, talkative and responsive to both our questions and inclinations. We navigated our itinerary with pragmatism, using his experience to judge optimal waiting times for the various sites. He had all the right items in his bag, a scarf for covering hair, bags to carry shoes in :) Kadir offered a range of insightful snippets and was able and willing to dive deeper when we had questions. His passion for Istanbul and knowledge shined through and - as it was a busy day - he kindly stayed with us an additional hour to ensure that we could complete our itinerary. A lovely day with a wonderful, friendly man - we highly recommend Kadir! We aren’t in Istanbul for very long but he offers other tours such as food tours and Jewish history.Warm, engaged, and knowledgeable

Sandra

19 March 2024

What we managed to see in just two days with the help of our guide Kadir was so interesting. If our group of 4 had tried to do this independently we would have failed. So many times he would point out some detail of life and the history of Istanbul in the streets and buildings. Kadir made our short time in Istanbul so wonderful! He was attentive to our needs (especially for good coffee) and displayed great knowledge of Jewish life past and present in this city. He also included general sights and experiences through his vast knowledge of the city. We experienced the local food market and the excitement of a crowd preparing for a local football match. But most importantly, he was incredibly flexible and responsive to our desire to see as much as we could of the culture, colour and complexity of this amazing city. He is just a lovely person who displayed great care to his guests! Discovering the many faces of Istanbul

Mark🇲🇹 Malta

24 December 2023

We would like to say that Kadir is an excellent Guide. He is well informative person without getting you tiered and was always giving a lot of attention to us. We recommend him as one of the best.Salvu and Rita

Tina 🇨🇦 Canada

6 November 2023

Kadir overall was great. There was a bit of a hiccup with our tour and he navigated it very well. We LOVED Balat side of Istanbul. Kadir was very kind, he was excellent with our kids and answered many of their questions. We got a fun little Turkish coffee experience and enjoyed some beautiful history and stories of the Turkish life. Thank you Kadir. Much appreciated. Great to meet Kadir!

Simon

22 October 2023

Kadir is a great guide - we met as planned in central Istanbul and then he showed us around, told us lots of interesting things about the history and culture, and showed us some great hidden gems based on our interests. The kids were entertained too which is always a challenge! Highly recommended!Great guide - perfect for the whole family

DILIP🇬🇧 United Kingdom

19 October 2023

We spent two days in Istanbul, with Kadir.His experience and knowledge was excellent. He had planned the our trip in such a way to get maximum benefit . Istanbul experience

Rosalind 🇨🇦 Canada

16 October 2023

Kadir was a fantastic tour guide and he had a wealth of knowledge of the history of the Jewish community in Istanbul. He is so friendly and smart and I highly recommend him! Amazing tour with Kadir!

Leslie🇺🇸 United States

13 October 2023

We were delighted with Nadir and his vast knowledge not only of the Jewish history in Istanbul but also of the city and country as a whole. He is clearly loved by the shopkeepers and guardians of the synagogues we saw especially in Balat where we could easily have spent the day exploring the old Jewish neighborhood. A tour with Nadir is a must-do whether one has Jewish roots or simply deep curiosity into this unexpected and intriguing aspect of Istanbul. Thank you!Magical and More

Barbie🇺🇸 United States

13 October 2023

Kadir is amazing, Warm, Friendly and knowledgeable. Unfortunately because Israel declared war the Synagogues were closed to visitors. We did see various Jewish neighborhoods and the Jewish Museum which had window to look into the Synagogue. We rode the Venicular and a ferry boat ride. Lunch at a local vegetarian restaurant and tea at a local cafe.Very informative

Mark 🇨🇦 Canada

26 September 2023

Kadir provided my wife and me an excellent private Jewish heritage tour. He was extremely flexible adjusting our time together to add elements we were interested in; he appeared to know everyone we encountered and our entrances into synogogues, local sites and a restaurant were seamless. He would be the first to tell you that he is not an expert in Judaic practices but we weren’t looking for that but for someone very personable who took us everywhere we wanted to go at a reasonable price and exposed us to some interesting and moving history of the Jewish community in Istanbul. In a short time, we attended two synagogues (interiors) and the Jewish museum, walked about in two historical Jewish communities, saw several other synagogues from the outside (due to the holidays or limited access), and some non Jewish sites as well. Heartily recommend him. Excellent tour

Mara🇦🇺 Australia

19 September 2023

Kadir was the perfect choice for a local travel guide for me. Travelling solo meant we could skip the line into the beautiful sites without a fuss. We meandered the streets and met with the locals in the spice market who made me most welcome, chatting and inviting to sit and drink tea and taste their delicacies. So hospitable and welcoming. Kadir also presented me with a beautiful gift of calligraphy with my name from one of his friends in the market. Such at thoughtful gesture and one to treasure for sure. I’m always interested in different cultures lifestyles, family (especially if they have children of the same age as mine), the economy ie, wages, education etc. It is interesting to compare the opportunities/challenges presented to our young. So the mix of interesting in-depth historical information Kadir provided and the ability to be able to chat as we walked along, made for a fantastic day. I would highly recommend this company. Thanks Kadir for a memorable and most enjoyable experience!Unforgetable Istanbul

Daphne🇳🇿 New Zealand

18 September 2023

Kadir established great communication with the whole family. He answered every question asked (some of which were very specific questions) professionally. He didn't rush us around and didn't let us wait in line even though it was very crowded. In his backpack, there was equipment ready to meet all kinds of needs for emergencies. We were very pleased with our 3-day family tour and we definitely recommend Kadir to everyone who will visit Istanbul.Amazing Istanbul tour with Kadir!

Anubhav🇺🇸 United States

22 August 2023

Kadir was great. He was able to engage our children and us without being overwhelming. He knew a lot about the city, it’s history and all of the places around. He had great recommendations for food, and for activities to do on our own. Would definitely recommend Kadir to families traveling to Istanbul! Knowledgeable and flexible! Great guide!

Joy🇺🇸 United States

23 July 2023

We very much enjoyed our tour with Kadir. He is very knowledgeable, his English is excellent and he also gave us general information about Istanbul. I highly recommend him. Kadir was an excellent, kind guide.