Experience the best of
Istanbul with Withlocals

"Faruk was a fantastic guide and host, very knowledgeable, willing to share and go the extra miles (literally) to accommodate us. We scheduled our tour for the night of our arrival thinking it would be a great introduction and that’s exactly what we got. Faruk met us near our hotel in the Old City on a rainy eve of Republic Day and we soaked all it in. I only wish we weren’t as tired from our journey, would have loved to stop for tea, ice cream or a quick bite with Faruk. Next trip!"

"Emre is as absolutely awesome! We selected Emre, as our guide, because he had lived previously in Canada and has travelled the world . We thought he would be a great guide from these experiences..we were not wrong . Before we even arrived in Istanbul, Emre had reached out to us with a welcome text filled with welcomed information for first time travellers to Istanbul. He encouraged us to reach out to him for activities and food experiences even though we had not met yet . These were recommendations were plenty and accurate . I feel he just want d us to enjoy his city even though we were to meet him in two days !! Once we finally met him it was like shaking a hand of an old friend. We had the best experience with his tour. The food was ALL very authentic, my personal favourite was the pickle store. Advice, show up to your very very hungry as there is so much delicious food. Emre was very accommodating to allergy and preference requests. Emre was very gracious to answer all our questions about Türkiye, he is very knowledgable and you can tell he is very proud of his beautiful country. He showed us around the area pointing out historical places and neat new trends. We had the most amazing night with Emre, and we would highly recommend everyone to take this tour Emre!!! "

"Tolga, thank you for your guidance and flexibility with our schedule & planning. Easy to coordinate with, clearly loves and knows Istanbul from so many perspectives. Our favorite were the Greek stories inside the Basilica Cistern, added such a rich depth to the visual feast! Highly recommend having Tolga show you around. "

"Ugar is very knowledgeable in the history and city of Istanbul. He took us on a loop walk with the use of public transportation also around the city visiting many different neighborhoods including tips on navigation, history and culture for us. He also set us up with another tour guide for our next day, having her meet us at where we were having breakfast in the morning. He was so accommodating for our family of 6 and made our overnight stay easy for us to navigate around this amazing and bustling city. Many thanks to Ugur!"

"Farouk was a wonderful guide who explained the history of the city to us, as well as pointing out great food spots. He gave us the name of a local restaurant that will always be a core memory for us—only locals, no tourists, great food. "

"We booked a food tour with Ayse in October 2025. It was a culinary and culturally enriching tour, during which Ayse told us many interesting things about Istanbul and its hidden treasures. Highly recommended! Now we know that Istanbul has so much more to offer than kebabs and mosques. Thank you so much!"

"Emre revealed a new side of Istanbul through the food, history, and culture he shared in his tours! Even after being in Turkey for two weeks Emre gave us a variety of new Turkish cuisine to try that was unique and delicious. Thanks Emre!"