Experience City tours in the best of
Istanbul with Withlocals

"Emre was a fantastic guide. His enormous knowledge, passion for his work, and wonderful way of storytelling made the tour truly special. It was a pleasure to listen to him at all times, and he brought Istanbul’s history and culture to life in a very engaging and personal way. Highly recommended!"

"Ayse was a fantastic guide. Her love of the city was infectious and she curated a seamless itinerary of historical landmarks and local stops throughout. She made the palace come to life with her storytelling. Highly recommend to anyone seeking a history-rich tour of Istanbul."

"Ayse is the best guide we had in many years of our experience with withthelocalas. We spend 3 hours walking and talking together with our two teenage daughters. Ayse showed us a wonderful side of Istanbul, small streets, passages, shops all complemented with talk about Turkey. It was like walking with a long not seen friend and we recommend her to anyone that wants to fell like at home in a new place."

"Tolga was a great guide, his knowledge of the city and it’s history was exactly what we were looking for. Having your own guide and able to structure the tour for exactly what you want to see was incredible. We had seen many of the major sites and were more interested in exploring a neighborhood (in this case Pera) and learning about the culture of the city, its history and getting recommendations for great restaurants. Tolga was really flexible and most happy to indulge. He has a ready laugh and we really felt we were on the same wavelength. We highly recommend booking a tour with him."

"After several visits to Istanbul we wanted a soft and friendly introduction to the city for our adult son and his wife (who was visiting for the first time). Goda was exactly the right person. Flexible, informative, easy going… some history, some social commentary and a young person’s perspective on life in the EU and Turkey. We walked and talked, had a cup of tea and enjoyed the sites as if visiting with a friend. We are recurring users of WithLocals and Goda is an excellent example of why we enjoy the site and its local guides. She has very good English language skills and a good command of Turkish. If a relaxed and informative tour with a friendly guide interests you, we would highly recommend Goda. Her consistently high reviews by others are well deserved. We did discuss the Turkish wine industry and, although we didn’t pursue it further, she would have been our first choice if time permitted a further tour on this topic. "

"Cengiz took us to Topkapi Palace and transforms into historian, foodie, shopping guide, photographer, and friend so easily. He is an extremely fun and friendly guy to spend time with and made us feel very comfortable on the tour and with the city! Could not have had a better time!"

"My evening tour with Goda and Friends was a highlight of my time in Istanbul. As a first time visitor to the city, I never would have ventured to the charming neighborhoods or known the stories behind the buildings had I not been on this tour. Not only did Goda & Friends add context and history to my exploration, she was a wonderful conversationalist. Not only did I connect with Istanbul as a result of this tour but I made a connection with a beautiful stranger. "

"I can't begin to write enough good things about Kadir! We do a lot of Jewish heritage tourism, and Kadir knows so much about the Jewish history of Istanbul and Turkey, but he knows just as much about everything and everybody in Istanbul. I think he knows all 20,000,000 residents of Istanbul, and if he doesn't, he sure acts like he does! His gregariousness provided us with many off-the-beaten-track experiences with a Muslim calligrapher, the "godfather" of Turkish coffee and lemonade and so much more. Istanbul is a difficult city to get around in because of its age and density. Trying to find some of the sites he took us to would be impossible for a tourist with only a smart phone. But with Kadir, around every corner was another wonderful site, an interesting story (have you ever heard of the Camondo family?) and of course, another place to get a great deal on souvenirs. (Don't deny it...you know that's important when you travel!) Just as important, Kadir loves to learn from his customers. My wife is a Jewish educator and did some translation of markers around the city, which Kadir appreciated in a true spirit of learning and adventure. If you pass up an opportunity to see Istanbul with Kadir, you are going to miss the real Istanbul."

"Esra was great with communication from booking. She was friendly and knowledgeable and taught us so much about Turkish culture. The tour felt personalized and it was great to have someone answer our questions along the way. Esra was generous with her time and we did not feel rushed. She gave us good recommendations for shopping, restaurants and activities. Thank you!!"

"We had an amazing time with Emre who was subbing for his wife, Gulce. Emre was an absolute wealth of knowledge regarding Istanbul and the nation of Turkey. He kept our attention the whole time and was quite witty as well. Thank you With Locals for having such qualified tour guides to make a city tour so meaningful. "