Experience Art & Culture Tours in Istanbul with Withlocals

"This was a great way to start our visit to Istanbul—off the beaten tourist path. Alp was always helpful and knowledgeable, and a fun companion. The art was impressive and Kadiköy thoroughly enjoyable. "

"Kadir was a lovely man. He knew local vendors and we sampled several local specialties. He knew a great deal about the Jewish history of turkey. Very happy that he was our guide. highly recommend his services."

"Mine is an absolute fountain of knowledge. She was prompt and so incredibly knowledgeable, she could easily be a uni professor. I booked her for the Hagia Sophia tour and the insights and stories she told were fascinating. She is the pinnacle of the tour guide pyramid. She also advocated for me with a group tourists who were taking too long in front of a mosaic. "

"The grand bazaar can be a confusing and stressful experience with 1000s of stores and pushy vendors. With Mine you will have an enchanting and informative private experience, and the vendors leave you alone. Mine will show you the best authentic stores with high quality goods, usually multi-generational family businesses. \n\nBooking Mine is one of the best travel decisions I have made in years. A passionate and informed local is the only way to do this.\n\nDon’t hesitate- just book her!"

"Ugur gave us a very informative and wonderful tour of the Hagia Sophia and Topkapi Palace. Ugur was full of knowledge of the historical sites, the Turkish history and provided us detailed information. Ugur was passionate about Turkey and shared his love of his country with us, including Turkish basketball. We had a great time with him! Thank you."

"Kadir is genuinly interesting, knowledgable, beyond friendly.\n\nI you must always book him for his tours we will definately when we visit Istanbul next, it is because of him we will be!"

"Mine was a fountain of knowledge about the bazaar - both its history and the shops themselves. \n\nWe had an excellent 2.5 hour that took in the hidden nooks and crannies of the bazaar, some of its landmark shops, the hidden back streets and the spice bazaar. A good blend of insight, knowledge and fun that kept our two children (12 and 10) entertained.\n\nAll-in-all, a very good tour."

"Alp showed me the lesser touristy part of Istanbul: Kadiköy on the asian side of town. \nWe went to several art works and murals and Alp knew very much to tell about every artpiece. He also responded to my questions on culture, language and history in a very interesting and facing way. I learned a lot new facts about Istanbul and e.g. the role of Germans in the development of the railways in Turkey. We had coffee and turkish cay and chatted about photography.\nHope to come back to Istanbul and hopefully doing another tour with Alp."

"A hugely rewarding afternoon spent with Mine in Fener, Istanbul. Her knowledge is encyclopedic and brought to life through lived experience and friendships across many cultures. I look forward to discovering more of Istanbul with her in the future."

"Mine was an incredible guide. Actually, an incredible host. She asked in advance if we wanted to focus on a particular area and then adjusted seamlessly as we saw shops that jumped out. She has a deep knowledge of the city and the bazaars, introducing us to shop owners making remarkable products. Will do again next time I visit. "