Istanbul Private Tours with Guide 2026

A standard private Istanbul tour includes: licensed English-speaking guide, private air-conditioned vehicle with driver, hotel pickup and drop-off, entry tickets to the main attractions (Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, Blue Mosque area, Grand Bazaar), bottled water, and 1 hour of lunch flexibility. Insurance and all taxes are included in the quoted price.

Private Istanbul tours are quoted per request, because the price depends on your date, group size, the sites you want to see and whether you add lunch. Send us your date and group size and we reply with a personal quote that lists exactly what is included — guide, vehicle, entry tickets and hotel pickup — and nothing is booked until you accept it.

Most private tours run 7–9 hours door-to-door. A "Classic Old City" tour is 6 hours covering Sultanahmet. A "Two Continents" tour is 9 hours adding a Bosphorus cruise and the Asian side. Multi-day private tours are also available — 3-day, 5-day and 7-day itineraries with consistent guide and driver across the whole trip.

Yes — private tours are 100% customisable. Tell us your priorities (Byzantine sites, Ottoman palaces, food markets, photography, shopping, family with kids) and we tailor the order, lunch venue, pace and stops accordingly. Last-minute changes during the day are also fine — your guide adapts to your energy and interests.

Yes — skip-the-line entries are included at Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, Basilica Cistern, and the Istanbul Archaeology Museum where applicable. The Blue Mosque is free and does not require a ticket but your guide times the visit between prayer-hall closures. Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar are also free.

Yes — all our private tour guides are licensed by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism (resmi rehber), fluent in English, and have minimum 5 years of guiding experience. Other languages available on request: Spanish, French, German, Arabic, Russian, Italian and Mandarin — please indicate the preferred language when booking.