A superb overview of Istanbul and a must for any short-term visitor to the city. The Blue Mosque takes your breath away, while the magnificent Haghia Sophia and Topkapi Palace hold tales told over centuries. Don’t try and figure them out for yourself – a Private Guide will illuminate your tour and make the experience far more worthwhile. The Grand Bazaar is a crazy rabbit-warren of a place but offers a great chance to practise your haggling for traditional Turkish goods. The tour finishes close to a waterpipe bar, which is the perfect place to relax and take in the experiences of a memorable day.

We were picked up from the cruise port right on time and then taken to our hotel at the end of the tour. Our guide was very informative and spoke perfect English. The meal at the Topkapi Palace was good and quick. We saw lots during the day, and with the traffic in Istanbul it was nice to have someone else do the driving! Carpet demo was interesting, no one in our group bought any rugs, so even though we did feel pressured it wasn't that intense. Would advise anyone going to Istanbul to take this tour to get the "basics" in all in one day.

Was very beautiful,plenty time to see everything!

Enjoyed it immensely, guide was extremely knowledgeable and courteous. Didn't care for the Grand Bazaar and think maybe replacing it with visiting the "Basillica" would have been more in line, but overall a wonderful day.

I was the only person, so it was essentially a private tour. The guide was wonderful. He was friendly and very knowledgeable. He gave me enough time to walk around each place on my own. We had a nice lunch inside the Topkapi Palace, and I got addicted to apple tea. The only part of the tour I didn't care for was the visit to the rug gallery. Since I was the only person, they had a captive audience. Though I did see many beautiful carpets, I didn't know enough to actually invest in one. I had to resist giving into the sales pitch. What I was more interested in were the ceramic tiles and brilliant plates they had. Most of the sites are close to each other, so you'll walk most of the time. I didn't mind it because everything was so interesting. It was almost a visual overload. Just remember a lot of these places do not allow flash photography, so bring a camera that can take good photos at slow speed. Also, no photos allowed at all of the artifacts inside the Topaki Palace. The visit to the Grand Bazaar was mainly just a walk-through at the end of the tour. My hotel was only a block away so I went back in the evening and bought some souvenirs. There's much to see in the old part of Istanbul, and the tour covers the most essential places. Many guidebooks recommend a few other places like the archeological museum and Suleymaniye mosque, which one can explorer on his or her own.