Istanbul Classical Tour

We, a party of three sleepy but determined travelers did a one day private tour of Istanbul with Reminder Tour on April 8, 2025, and we are still talking about it! Mostly in the form of “Remember what Zeynel said?” Before the trip, we had a few email exchanges with Furkan, who was wonderully responsive and even provided helpful updates about the recent protests in Turkiye, which was helpful, honest and calming especially when you are planning from afar. On the day of the tour we were met at our lobby by Zeynel, a kind, endlessly patient and delightfully witty young man. He had the challenging task of guiding three extremely jet-lagged adults through the historical whirlwind that is Istanbul – and he did it with a smile, humor and a pace that even our foggy brains could keep up with. We explored Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, TopkapI Palace and the Grand Bazaar, all while Zeynel filled our heads with fascinating history and stories that made the centuries came alive. He’s like a walking talking Istanbul edition of Wikipedia. Although we did manage to stump him with a question about spices, no shame in calling mom for backup! Now, I must confess: I got sidetracked by the cats in Istanbul more times than I care to admit. Zeynel quickly realized that he needed to keep one eye on the road and the other on me. He eventually promised to show me how to catch a street cat like a real Turk. Five Stars just for that alone. Zeynel did not just guide us – he cared for us, and made sure we experienced Istanbul through stories, sights and spontaneous laughs. If you are thinking of booking with Reminder Tour, dont hesitate! You wil cut down on the wait time at major attractions by a lot! And if you get Zeynel, congratulations – you have hit the tour guide jackpot.

I was in Istanbul for a short period of time but wanted to try to get the most out of the short time I was here. So decided to book the classic tour. This particular tour is a guided tour one on one with a guide. Kaan arrived on time at my hotel and greeted himself. We took a taxi to the old city. We started with the Hippodrone of Constantinople, then the Blue Mosque. The Grand Bazar was included in this tour, but it is closed on Sundays, so Kaan asked if I wanted to see the bizarre next to the Blue Mosque. It was so helpful having him with me to guide me through the bazaar. We then went to the Hagia Sophia, we then stopped and had lunch. As we were heading to the final destination on my tour, the Spice Bazaar, Kaan suggested we see the underground basilica cistern, which I am so glad we did. It was actually my funnest part of the tour. Built by the Romans to store their water and seeing all the columns, it was fabulous. Then we ended the tour at the spice bazaar and took the Metro train back to a block from my hotel. Kaan was very personable, very knowledgeable, spoke excellent English and was a joy to hang out with. I had great conversation with him. Highly recommend this tour and hopefully you get Kaan!

I can highly recommend Oyku Demir from Reminder tours. I spent the day with her exploring the blue mosque, hippodrome, Hagia Sofia and Topkapi palace. She was extremely knowledgeable remembering every detail. Not only that she is very friendly. I highly recommend searching out Oyku for your tour.

Having a private tour is essential if time is short and I was so happy with ours. Kaan was supremely knowledgeable and so friendly what a nice person to meet. You will not regret spending time with him. We learnt a lot not just history but everyday lives,

Having never been to Istanbul, after looking at all the travel sites and YouTubes, I decided to get a tour guide for my first of five days in Istanbul. There are so many things to see and do that I figured it was a good investment to get a guided tour the first day and a plan for my remaining days here. I got that and so much more! Berat is a font of knowledge about Istanbul and Türkiye. He explained the histories of all the sites we visited, as well as explained the intricacies of the grand bazaar and spice market; we visited a few rooftop restaurants for tea/coffee which had extraordinary views of the city and the Bosporus, we ate delicious döner, and he gave me great tips on where to exchange money, where to eat and drink, and how to navigate the city’s public transit system. In addition, and most importantly, I feel like I have a friend in Istanbul. I highly recommend him.

Furkan did a very good tour organization for us. Kaan was also very interested in the tour and explained every place in detail. I definitely recommend you to take the Istanbul tour with a guide.

Our family loved the Istanbul tour! The guide showed us cool places like the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia. We learned a lot about the city’s history and got to try yummy local food. Totally recommend for a great time in Istanbul!

Exploring old town of Istanbul was awesome! We saw neat places like Topkapi Palace, Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia. The guide told us interesting stories, since it was a private tour, it felt like a tour with friend. If you like history, you’ll love this tour!

100% recommend. We had our tour with Kaan and it was an amazing experience. He is very knowledgeable and me and my family enjoyed learning about the places we visited. Highly recommend it.

It felt like going back in time – Istanbul has so much history and charm. I’m glad I’ve booked this tour and didn’t do the tour on my own. I learned a lot. Thank you Kaan!

I highly suggest this tour. We visited all the historical places in the old city, we learned a lot of things. We also skipped the ticket line in Topkapı Palace and it saved us a lot of time. It was a private tour for me and my husband, we really enjoyed it.

In this tour, you can see the most important monuments of Istanbul. All the places are close to each other. Our guide, Kaan, was very knowledgeable. What I liked the most is that it’s a private tour; you are not touring with huge groups. It is more personalized and enjoyable. Will book your services again for sure.

It was a great tour to get the know the old town of the city and learn the history. Our guide was very knowledgable and fun.