Experience the best of
Istanbul with Withlocals

"Ugur was a fantastic guide. Very knowledgeable about the history of Istanbul and took us to some amazing local restaurants "

"Emir was an amazing tour guide. Me and my two friends came to Istanbul for just 2.5 days, so we knew we needed to make the most of our time. Emir’s kickstart tour gave us a great history of Istanbul, taught us about all the major sights, showed the neighborhood of Karakoy (which we would have probably missed on our own!), and guided us on must try foods and the best spots. He made sure we had a successful trip by showing us the best baklava in the city and giving us a list/links of must see sights. To top it off he has such a great and vibrant energy and is a wonderful storyteller. Thank you for being such an amazing host, Emir & going above & beyond! "

"We booked a three hour Istanbul introductory tour with Safiye. She met us right on time at Galataport. We took public transport to Sulthanamet via the tram. I booked specially because three in the group prefer Spanish and Safiye has a great working knowledge of the language, plus her English is excellent. We toured the Blue Mosque and Aya Sophia, and the Topkapi gardens, plus she provided tips to continue visiting Istanbul the next day (which was the last day as we were on a cruise). Safiye is very kind, personable, and patient, and deeply knows the city’s history and its landmarks. We very much enjoyed our time with her and highly recommend her if you are visiting Istanbul."

"We had a blast with Esra- from start to finish. We saw all the landmarks we wanted to see. Skipped the queues and heard the wonderful history from an extreme knowledge guide!!! Esra you rock. Will see you again soon!!!"

"Abdullah was a great guide—very informative, as well as being humorous. I recommend him as your guide—110%."

"This was our first trip to Istanbul and we had just one day and wanted to make sure we saw the major sights of the city but also could experience some off the beaten track spots and get a sense of the local flavor. Apo was an outstanding guide in that regard. He listened carefully to what we wanted to do and then crafted a great itinerary. Apart from the major highlights, we saw a gem of a street with lovely bookshops behind the Suleimani Mosque, had lunch at a lovely little restaurant that was not on the usual tourist beat, and he helped us shop for a few things that we wanted to pick up. Apart from his knowledge of the city and customizing the itinerary to exactly what we wanted, we liked that he has a great sense of humor and was not only informative but was great company through the day. Thank you for an outstanding introduction to your beautiful city Apo, and I hope you were successful in using the “you are like the moonlight” line! 😀"

"Emre gave us an absolutely amazing tour. He told wonderful stories about Istanbul, taught us about the culture, and was incredibly knowledgeable about the food. The tastings were fabulous. He was also very kind to our young kids and knew how to keep them engaged. Come HUNGRY! We skipped breakfast and met him at 11AM and spent most of the day walking around the city and eating. I would also recommend Emre as a general guide for anything Istanbul. "

"Emre was an absolute joy to spend the morning with in Istanbul. He took us off the beaten path through some charming neighborhoods away from all the hustle and bustle. He is incredibly knowledgeable and customized the tour to meet our needs. We enjoyed his laid-back personality and all the tastes of the local culture. This was definitely a highlight of our stay! I highly recommend Emre."

"We booked Lorena at the last minute—with just one day's notice—but still had a fantastic experience! She quickly got a sense of who we were and what our interests were. Despite the unique situation of it being a religious holiday in Turkey (Eid al-Adha), when many shops and restaurants were closed, Lorena remained calm and professional. She adapted seamlessly, showing us some of the city's cultural and heritage highlights instead of the planned culinary stops that were unavailable. Even after the tour, Lorena continued to add value by recommending some of her favorite local restaurants. Thank you, Lorena!"

"I was only able to spend a few hours with Muhammad but I can’t recommend him highly enough. Lots of insight. He got me to go over to the Asian side of the city and a ride on the ferry. Thank you. Made it special…and a lovely guy!"