We had such a wonderful day tour in Istanbul with our very knowledgeable and informative tour guide Ozlem. She had so much insight and took us to the places where everyday Turkish people shop, visit and go about their daily routines. We went to many neighborhoods including Kadikoy and Moda. We saw so much including going to the... read moreWe had such a wonderful day tour in Istanbul with our very knowledgeable and informative tour guide Ozlem. She had so much insight and took us to the places where everyday Turkish people shop, visit and go about their daily routines. We went to many neighborhoods including Kadikoy and Moda. We saw so much including going to the Egyptian Spice Bazaar. My sister was looking for a specific item and Ozlem knew just where to get it. We enjoyed a beautiful lunch in Kadikoy where the locals eat and had the best food where some items are only made in one city in Turkey which made it very special! There was a special shop we asked her about that makes this out of the world ice cream sundae and she took us there to have it. Beautiful picture taking everywhere and on the boat over the Bosphorus. There is a lot of walking but you get to see everything and Ozlem is a wonderful guide and only takes you to the best of the best places! read less

In the past year I've had some pretty fun adventures all over the USA, in China, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Germany, the UK, Spain, the UAE, and now Istanbul. While I've had a lot of fun in all those places, I can say unequivocally that my Istanbul Classics small group tour with Metin has been the best... read moreIn the past year I've had some pretty fun adventures all over the USA, in China, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Germany, the UK, Spain, the UAE, and now Istanbul. While I've had a lot of fun in all those places, I can say unequivocally that my Istanbul Classics small group tour with Metin has been the best $90 USD I have ever spent on any activity in any of those places. If you are considering a tour of Istanbul and questioning whether you should do it with Daily Istanbul Tours, with some other tour organizer, or on your own, I can assure you that the best decision will be to book with DIT and be sure to request Metin as your guide.I won't bore you with details of the sites we saw, since you can get all of that information from their website. What I'll do instead is share a little about why this tour ended up being the highlight of our holiday:* It's easy enough to find and get into the sites, but there is so much information out there about them that it's really hard to distill it all into useful material. Metin is an expert on each site and knows exactly what the most interesting and relevant details are; he'll definitely help you make the most of your time at each place you go. Going on our own would be been stupid; we would have wasted hours wandering around, not really knowing what the more significant parts were or what we were looking at, etc. With so little time and so much to see, it was important to use our time efficiently, which we definitely did.* There can be something intimidating about being in a foreign country, especially if you are easily recognizable as a foreigner, don't speak the language, and aren't traveling with a group. Spending a day with Metin lets you truly relax and focus on the amazing sites without having to constantly watch your back or worry about getting screwed (which is a concern in any major city). With Metin, there's no pressure to buy any random crap, no worries about cultural faux-pas, and nobody bothering you at all when they see you are with him. If someone does approach you, he will dispatch them quickly.* Whatever random questions you have, I guarantee Metin will be able to answer them. Want to know what material a wall was built from? Metin knows its chemical composition. Want to know what year a building was constructed? He can tell you when each part of it was created, how long it took, how it was made, who made it, how many times it has been destroyed, where the materials came from, etc. Curious about some Turkish or Islamic history? Metin knows the years, the people, the hows, and the whys. And don't worry about being able to understand him and communicate easily; his English is fantastic, with a slight British accent on some words, which is an extra bonus for us Americans who don't get to hear real English very often * Metin is very personable and took a sincere interest in making sure we had the best possible time in Istanbul. When I mentioned that I really wanted to smoke some narguile, he made sure we were able to get some after our lunch. While we were hanging out at the café, several of his friends happened to be passing by or were around, so he introduced us to all of them and we ended up having some very interesting conversations. We had such a great time on the tour but didn't have any plans later for our last night in Istanbul, so Metin invited us to meet up with them later since they would be hanging out along Istiklal near our hotel. We ended up spending another few hours together that evening and into the early morning hours talking about all sorts of interesting topics, exploring some really fascinating areas that we would otherwise have missed, and meeting more people.This was advertised as a 4 to 6-person small group tour, but due to the season and perhaps people's irrational fears about coming to Turkey, it ended up just being me, my dad, and Metin. This definitely helped contribute to the awesomeness of the experience, but I have no doubt that a group of any size would get great value out of a tour with him as well.We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Daily Istanbul Tours and Metin for making our trip to Turkey so memorable. read less

I'll start with WOW and go from there. I've done a few of the free walking tours with the Sandeman's folks and they did a great job in Edinburgh and Prague but they're not in Istanbul so I turned to Yelp and found these folks.Meeting by the Cistern, we walked a solid 20,000 steps (according to my Fitbit)... read moreI'll start with WOW and go from there. I've done a few of the free walking tours with the Sandeman's folks and they did a great job in Edinburgh and Prague but they're not in Istanbul so I turned to Yelp and found these folks.Meeting by the Cistern, we walked a solid 20,000 steps (according to my Fitbit) through a half dozen of Istanbul's best known sites including the Topkapı Sarayı, the Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome and Hagia Sophia. Along the way, we made several stops and there were a good number of spots where our super tour guide gave us time to explore on our own. When she led us around, she had constant knowledge of the sites and the city of Istanbul and of Turkey. A vast and deep knowledge. I was impressed.Our tour was well organized and well run. The lunch spot was excellent.A couple of tips.- Bring a backpack and a bottle or two of water.- An umbrella is a good idea as the tour runs even if it's raining.- Sunscreen!- Comfortable walking shoes that have a good tread. Istanbul's streets are smooth stone and you don't want to slip and fall.- For the Blue Mosque, you'll be expected to dress appropriately. There are free head coverings.- Extra batteries for your phone/camera. You will take a lot of pictures in six hours!- Pay attention to the meet up spots after the self-exploration. A certain Yelper *cough* Bruce K. *cough* got himself separated from the tour and was nearly stuck on his own until he spotted the green umbrella! read less

Having done bus tours & walking tours through other countries for 20+ years, I have to put Ali up there with the best of the best. Guides can sound like they're regurgitating facts because they do it every day to crowds that may not be receptive. While the sights & sites are the centerpieces, the guide makes the... read moreHaving done bus tours & walking tours through other countries for 20+ years, I have to put Ali up there with the best of the best. Guides can sound like they're regurgitating facts because they do it every day to crowds that may not be receptive. While the sights & sites are the centerpieces, the guide makes the difference between an interesting day and a 'checklist' day. The full day walking tour was perfect in seeing the Haggia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, etc. The day was a little warm, the humidity a little thick and the cruise crowds a little much but Ali found the ideal spots for us to gather and hear the rich history of the city and the people. Ali tailored the tour to each and every one of us in the group (all with different priorities). One of the members of our group had a bit of a cough so Ali had cough drops and then took him to a pharmacy to get him cough syrup! If I had to recommend ONE tour with ONE guide, it would be Ali for the Istanbul Walking Tour. read less