Instanbul - Private Tour Recommendations?

[michelle028]

Hi Everyone,

 

Anyone have any recommendations for a private day tour in Istanbul?  Going in July. We are 3 adults on a cruise stop.

 

Thanks for your help!

 

[edinburgher]

 

Anyone have any recommendations for a private day tour in Istanbul? 

 

 

Will you actually need a private tour?  

 

Istanbul is a very easy DIY as you only need take a tram from the port terminal area to Sultanahmet where many of the sights are located in very close proximity to each other and easily walkable. There is actually more than enough there to occupy you for a day, especially if on a first visit, and you would simply pay any entrance tickets at the doors.  All you would need with you is online or paper notes on what you are visiting, or a guide book..

 

As your question is a FAQ, there have been many many previous threads and replies about  the ease of Istanbul sightseeing. from the cruise terminals.  (Perhaps this is why there have been few suggestions from CCers)You could use the SEARCH tool under your username to pull them up and read the replies.

 

I am thinking that a private tour guide is unlikely to pick you up and drive you around as traffic in Istanbul is notoriously slow and often gridlocked, and with parking in the Sultanahmet area tricky, I am guessing that your guide would be on foot with you, and use the trams to get you from and back to the cruise teriminal,as walking or using trams are the preferred modes of transport (and it is a looong walk and partly uphill to Sultanahmet from the cruise ships.)

 

Info and guides to using Istanbul trams should be very easily found online.  Tripadvisor Istanbul and others for info and images of the potential sites/sights you could visit.  And even an online map of Sultanahmet would show you just how close the main Sultanahmet sights/sites are to each other.

 

Perhaps others would have experience of a driver picking up at the cruise terminal and driving around and parking in Sultanahmet as it is not something we ourselves have done.  Perhaps you could tweak the wording of your thread to ask? Or do a little homework/research yourselves and DIY should there be no good suggestions made.

Edited April 8, 2023 by edinburgher

[edinburgher]

Or perhaps a guide would suggest meeting you in Sultanahmet in which case you would still need to get there from the cruise teminal and back by tram (recommended) or walking or taxi.

 

Topkapi is only a few minutes downhill walk from the main sights in Sultanahmet, and also worth a visit although you would likely spend at least a couple of hours there and you may not have time for that.  We bought a combo ticket which included the Harem, but note that at that time it had different opening hours and you would need to check.

 

Have also visited the Archaeology Museum ( again quite close by) and where we spent a good 3 or more hours, but we were on a land trip and had time to do that.

 

Enjoy your research deciding which sights are the most interesting  to you as Istanbul is a fascinating city with much to offer and you won't have time to see everything in one day.

[sansterre]

DH and I are looking forward to our first visit to Istanbul next Spring.   I have some mobility issues so hope to travel by car with a great guide and a small group of about 6 people.  High on our list to see is the 6th century museum/church - Sophia, I think it is called.

Other suggestions of what not to miss is greatly appreciated.  

Thank you for any and all suggestions!

[edinburgher]

Other suggestions of what not to miss is greatly appreciated.  

 

It is not so much a case of "what not to miss", but more "what you are able to do".

 

You will need to work closely with whichever company you choose, to tailor a tour specific to your abilities. (you don't for example say if you can manage stairs or inclines  or how far you can walk, and a tour planner would need to know these details)

 

Will the others in your "small group" agree with those decisions or  have different priorities and would a tour for only the two of you be a better decision for you all?

[cruisemom42]

11 hours ago, sansterre said:

.  High on our list to see is the 6th century museum/church - Sophia, I think it is called.

Other suggestions of what not to miss is greatly appreciated.  

Thank you for any and all suggestions!

Haghia Sophia (spelled various ways), was built as s church, converted to a mosque, was designated a museum, and is recently changed back to a working mosque again. Lines are reportedly long for entry, but it is for many the premier site in Istanbul. Other sites worth considering are Topkapi Palace (Ottoman Period, very spread out), the Basilica Cistern, Spice Bazaar, Grand Bazaar, Archaeological Museum and much more. 
 

I would suggest you get hold of a good general guidebook for Istanbul, read it carefully, then ask questions on the TripAdvisor forum for Istanbul about what would be manageable for you.

[edinburgher]

Do begin looking for a driver and guide sooner rather than later, although if you are not travelling until next spring, now may be a little too early. 

 

Reason I mention it, is because I remembered seeing a fairly recent thread (January this year also for Istanbul)which had this comment which may be of interest to you.  I found it and it was this one

 

Looking to get a private tour guide for the day that can provide highlights in the morning and then check out some breweries in the area. This requires a guide with a car. Have found lots of walking guides, but not driving ones.

 

There is a different forum which you could consider posting your own thread on as others with mobility issues may have suggestions.  You could always firstly search that forum with the word Istanbul to pull up previous threads specific to the city without having to back page.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/775-europe-disabled-cruising/

 

 

Edited April 13, 2023 by edinburgher

[indy406]

We had a very good experience last year with "ephesusporttours.com" We used them in both Ephesus and Istanbul. Good local guides and we got a price break because we used the company at both port stops.

[doccide]

Check out ksgtours.com.  I used them in 2006. I will use them again in august. They are excellent 

[doccide]

They will meet you at port and take the tram to the old city

[Torfamm]

We recently did this small group tour. They were limiting groups to 6 and we really enjoyed it. You can book and be placed with others, no need to form a group. I believe it could be arranged privately though.

 

https://www.curiotravel.com/tours/small-group-tour-with-tram-max-10-guests-ancient-hippodrome-blue-mosque-topkapi-palace-hagia-sophia-grand-bazaar?tur_id=146

[YourWorldWithBill]

Thanks to all for these tips. The last day of our November cruise will be in Istanbul, with a full day (61/2 hours) excursion, that will include the most famous sites. We are staying a day after the cruise, at a hotel in Sultanahmet, so we are considering a guide for the extra day.

 

I will check out the tour companies mentioned by some of you, which seems like a good way to see more, rather than trying to chose what to do.

 

The other option we are considering, however, is just walking around the area and thus spending as much time as we want in the market, etc. Looking forward to hearing from you!

[edinburgher]

On 6/20/2023 at 10:46 PM, YourWorldWithBill said:

with a full day (61/2 hours) excursion, that will include the most famous sites.

You may not need a guide for your day 2, if for example you were to visit Topkapi Palace or the neighbouring Archaeological Museum, both located only a few minutes downhill walk from Sultanahmet. It does of course depend on your interests, but either  could take in excess of 2-3 hours using at least half your day should you visit both and I suspect that neither would be part of your Day 1 tour although they may well be as you didn't state which of" the most famous sights" you would visit on day 1.

 

Or consider visiting Dolmabahce Palace on the Bosphorus.  Easy to get there by tram from Sultanahmet to the Kabatas tram stop which is the terminus of the T1 tramline so you cannot go wrong..  From there it is only a max  5 minutes walk, probably less.

 

Reviews for all of the above can be found online as reading them could help you decide. Also check opening hours.

Edited June 25, 2023 by edinburgher

[YourWorldWithBill]

4 hours ago, edinburgher said:

You may not need a guide for your day 2, if for example you were to visit Topkapi Palace or the neighbouring Archaeological Museum, both located only a few minutes downhill walk from Sultanahmet. It does of course depend on your interests, but either  could take in excess of 2-3 hours using at least half your day should you visit both and I suspect that neither would be part of your Day 1 tour although they may well be as you didn't state which of" the most famous sights" you would visit on day 1.

 

Or consider visiting Dolmabahce Palace on the Bosphorus.  Easy to get there by tram from Sultanahmet to the Kabatas tram stop which is the terminus of the T1 tramline so you cannot go wrong..  From there it is only a max  5 minutes walk, probably less.

 

Reviews for all of the above can be found online as reading them could help you decide. Also check opening hours.

Thanks for the great info!

[edinburgher]

22 hours ago, YourWorldWithBill said:

Thanks for the great info!

Another option for you to consider is a Bosphorus boat ride/tour.  When cruise ships pass along the Bosphorus they sail quite far out from shore, but the local boat trips and ferries stay close to shore so you get much better views of the shoreline buildings and palaces.  There is also no need for an actual bout "tour" with commentary if you are happy to use one of the local ferries.  The only differences are, the cost is much less and there is no commentary. They all leave from and return to  Eminonu so quite convenient for you.  We have used Turyol ferries and had no complaints.  There should be info found online  with timings, ticket cost etc and reviews to help you decide.  Istanbul is a fascinating city so  you will have a wonderful time whatever you decide.

[YourWorldWithBill]

3 hours ago, edinburgher said:

Another option for you to consider is a Bosphorus boat ride/tour. 

Thanks again; this is one of the things we've considered.

[cruisemom42]

39 minutes ago, YourWorldWithBill said:

Thanks again; this is one of the things we've considered.

 

If you are considering it, there are some tours that offer this as an evening cruise. I've done it both ways and I'd recommend doing it in daylight hours. Sure, the evening view is pretty of Istanbul, but as you head further up, fewer things are lighted and you miss a lot of the scenery.

 

 

[michelle028]

Is it safe around the Galataport area at night? Our cruise does not leave until 11pm at night!

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, michelle028 said:

Is it safe around the Galataport area at night? Our cruise does not leave until 11pm at night!

 

The Galataport area has been extensively redeveloped to serve as a cruise port terminal but also has shops, green space, even museums. It is a bit farther away from the Galata bridge and the old city are (Sultanahmet) than the previous cruise port.

 

While I've not been to the new port (yet; will be there twice in October), I had no qualms taking the tram from Sultanahmet after having dinner there back to the ship at around 10:00 pm at night, as a solo female. It seemed very safe to me. Of course, in any large city there is no way to provide a guarantee.

 

[Wayfairers]

On 6/26/2023 at 8:27 AM, edinburgher said:

Another option for you to consider is a Bosphorus boat ride/tour.  When cruise ships pass along the Bosphorus they sail quite far out from shore, but the local boat trips and ferries stay close to shore so you get much better views of the shoreline buildings and palaces.  There is also no need for an actual bout "tour" with commentary if you are happy to use one of the local ferries.  The only differences are, the cost is much less and there is no commentary. They all leave from and return to  Eminonu so quite convenient for you.  We have used Turyol ferries and had no complaints.  There should be info found online  with timings, ticket cost etc and reviews to help you decide.  Istanbul is a fascinating city so  you will have a wonderful time whatever you decide.

 

On 6/26/2023 at 12:38 PM, cruisemom42 said:

 

If you are considering it, there are some tours that offer this as an evening cruise. I've done it both ways and I'd recommend doing it in daylight hours. Sure, the evening view is pretty of Istanbul, but as you head further up, fewer things are lighted and you miss a lot of the scenery.

 

 

I am considering taking a Bosphorus cruise while we are in Istanbul next year.  I checked on a private boat and the cost was more than I want to pay.  Is it possible to walk up to a ticket window, buy the ticket and take the ferry or cruise without a tour guide?

[cruisemom42]

6 minutes ago, Wayfairers said:

 

I am considering taking a Bosphorus cruise while we are in Istanbul next year.  I checked on a private boat and the cost was more than I want to pay.  Is it possible to walk up to a ticket window, buy the ticket and take the ferry or cruise without a tour guide?

 

Yes indeed. Or you can book something in advance. There are a number of options including just taking the basic ferry that serves as local transportation. For a few of the other options, here is one listing (note, I am not endorsing the website, haven't used it):

 

https://www.bosphorus-*****/

[cruisemom42]

6 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Yes indeed. Or you can book something in advance. There are a number of options including just taking the basic ferry that serves as local transportation. For a few of the other options, here is one listing (note, I am not endorsing the website, haven't used it):

 

https://www.bosphorus-*****/

 

Weird, not sure why the last part of the link is not showing, but the link still works.

 

If you are interested in just taking the regular ferry, the Rick Steves guidebook for Istanbul gives good directions and how-to's.

[Wayfairers]

1 minute ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Weird, not sure why the last part of the link is not showing, but the link still works.

 

If you are interested in just taking the regular ferry, the Rick Steves guidebook for Istanbul gives good directions and how-to's.

Thanks - I had clicked on the link and saw it worked.  I’ll check out the Rick Steves guidebook - thanks!

[edinburgher]

3 hours ago, Wayfairers said:

 Is it possible to walk up to a ticket window, buy the ticket and take the ferry or cruise without a tour guide?

Of course it is, and you have been advised to check the Rick Sterves guidebook on how to do this.

 

In addition , as i already  posed above, we used Turyol ferries and there will also be  info on their website, plus Turyol Bosphorus  tours reviews on sites such as Tripadvisor.

3 hours ago, Wayfairers said:

I checked on a private boat and the cost was more than I want to pay

Were you looking at hiring a completely private boat for only your group? There are so many Bosphorus tours to choose from (with or without commentary) that you should be able to find one which costs less if you don't mind sharing with others.

[Wayfairers]

2 hours ago, edinburgher said:

 

Were you looking at hiring a completely private boat for only your group? There are so many Bosphorus tours to choose from (with or without commentary) that you should be able to find one which costs less if you don't mind sharing with others.

Yes. I was looking at a private boat so we could be on our schedule.   I found the shared tours.