Istanbul Walking Tours

  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 Adam Dunton 
 
October 23, 2026
 
 
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+1
An Outstanding Guide Who Made Our Three Days in Istanbul Unforgettable!

We spent three full days exploring Istanbul with Murat Çelik as our private guide in mid-October, and we couldn’t recommend him more highly. His combination of historical knowledge, professionalism, adaptability, excellent English, and warm personality made an already fascinating city even more memorable for our family.

One of the highlights was our extended tour of Topkapi Palace. Murat maintained an excellent pace over several hours, checking in periodically to ensure we remained comfortable and engaged. He introduced us to fascinating areas we might otherwise have overlooked, including the clock museum. What particularly impressed us was his knowledge beyond the exhibits themselves: he shared updated archaeological findings about a clock previously believed to have been a gift, for which researchers had more recently discovered an order receipt. His knowledge was both extensive and current, making the experience far more rewarding than simply walking through a museum.

Murat also excelled at introducing us to authentic local experiences. Near Taksim Square, he recommended a spot serving ıslak burgers (wet burgers), where a restaurant employee escorted us to a separate building to find a table in an otherwise full dining area. It was a memorable, delicious experience we would never have discovered on our own. At another local café, Murat guided us toward a traditional drink made with orchid essence, which tasted like a delicious, warm horchata. These recommendations helped us experience a side of Istanbul beyond the usual tourist circuit.

His professionalism was equally evident when the weather complicated our plans. Following record flooding the day before our tour began, Murat remained readily available with practical advice. He also seamlessly managed the ever-changing logistics of our Bosphorus cruise, coordinating around weather conditions, boat operations, and our driver while keeping the experience informative and enjoyable.

Throughout our visits to Hagia Sophia, the nearby mosques, the Grand Bazaar, the Spice Bazaar, and Istanbul’s neighborhoods, Murat demonstrated excellent judgment, helped us find wonderful photography opportunities, and made navigating the city easy. He was kind, approachable, and attentive to our family’s interests, with a great sense of humor and a calm, confident demeanor that remained consistently professional.

Our only regret is that we didn’t have a fourth day to explore the Asian side of Istanbul with him. We understand he knows some excellent off-the-beaten-path spots there, and we’d strongly encourage anyone booking a multi-day tour to consider including that side of the city.

If you’re looking for a private guide who combines deep historical knowledge with authentic local insight, exceptional organization, and a genuinely enjoyable personality, Murat is an outstanding choice. He substantially enhanced our Istanbul experience, and we would happily recommend him to anyone visiting the city.
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Mark van der Hoeven 
 
October 22, 2026
 
 
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We had a wonderful experience touring Topkapi with Mert. He is knowledgeable on the history and nicely mixes in stories and anecdotes on Turkish culture. Visiting historic sites with teenagers is really enjoyable with experienced guides like Mert.
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Leanne Goegan 
 
October 20, 2026
 
 
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Great tour of Topkapi Palace and Harem. Our wonderful guide Mert was so friendly and knowledgeable and the perfect guide. So glad we did a 9:00 am tour as it was very busy later in the morning. The Palace is so much bigger than we expected and beautiful. Thoroughly recommend this tour.
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Asheesh Batra 
 
October 19, 2026
 
 
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Mert was a solid guide mixing in stories, history, and humor. Tour was alright, imo would have liked to do a little more and or learn more but still an enjoyable experience
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Laurent Sfumat 
 
October 19, 2026
 
 
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We had a lovely guided tour of the Blue Mosque, Haghia Sophia and the Basilica Cistern. Furkhan our guide was friendly and always available to answer questions. This was our first visit with Walks in Europe and we highly recommend this tour operator.
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Delia Chong 
 
October 19, 2026
 
 
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+0
Mert was a great guide n made the tour v interesting, entertaining n informative.! We had a v nice group of 8 pax.  He showed n explained the highlights of Topkapi n the Harem, with anecdotes n memorable facts. Gave us plenty of time to wander around the exhibits in different sections, avoided the crowds just in time (especially the toilet break thkq! N just before the v large group of elementary sch kids… phewww!) n encouraged n patiently answered our questions! Great job Mert!  Get Your Guide always give great tours!
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Alex Macpherson 
 
October 19, 2026
 
 
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Our tour guide around the Topkapi Palace was Mert who was exceptional. He was entertaining and knowledgeable ensuring that you were fully engaged for 3 hours which flew past. One of the best tours that I have done!
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Donal Cahalane 
 
October 18, 2026
 
 
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+2
Fantastic tour of the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia (although it was under construction) and the Basilica Cistern. Elif was a wonderful, knowledgeable and very engaging tour guide. She provided all the history and background for these incredible monuments that practically brought them to life. Highly recommended.
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 le muet eileen 
 
October 17, 2026
 
 
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Visite très complete et très bien organisées ; merci a Sabih pour ses explications très interessantes et pour sa bonne humeur. Nous sommes ravis de cette visite
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Alastair Manning 
 
October 15, 2026
 
 
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Two superb tours, first in the morning with Elif around the blue mosque and Hagia Sophia. Elif was exceptional as a guide and bought the buildings to life with the stories and histories. In the afternoon Umut who was also superb showed us the Topaki Palace in detail and we very much enjoyed him sharing his knowledge with us as we toured the grounds. Thanks to both for your time and expertise. I would very much recommend taking the tour as it makes the experience much more meaningful to have some local knowledge.
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Cole Demert 
 
October 15, 2026
 
 
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Really enjoyed my time on the tour and Elif made it a great experience. She was kind, funny and very knowledgeable about the monuments and the country. Her enthusiasm was really impactful and I thank her for the experience. Would definitely recommend to anyone else or come back myself
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Fintan O'Connor 
 
October 14, 2026
 
 
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We had a wonderful time with Umut. He was an excellent guide, who was charming and engaging with a great sense of humour. He brought the history of the Sultanahmet mosque and the Hagia Sophia to life.
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Matthias P 
 
October 14, 2026
 
 
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Die Tour mit Ali war super! Meine Frau und ich waren die einzigen Teilnehmer, die sich für die deutsche Tour angemeldet hatten und so hatten wir eine private Führung zu zweit :-). Ali hat nicht nur die geschichtlichen Hintergründe souverän erzählt, sondern uns auch geschickt an den Schlangen vorbeimanövriert. Dabei immer witzig und sympathisch. Volle 5 Sterne!
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Effie S 
 
October 14, 2026
 
 
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+5
Umut was a remarkably knowledgeable guide who highlighted significant information and history for all the sites we visited. He was courteous, friendly and helpful towards any city advice the tour participants were interested in. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and a very enjoyable experience!
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Mary Rose Keyes 
 
October 13, 2026
 
 
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+1
Elif was a knowledgeable, interesting & personable for our small group tour of the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and Cistern
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Jack Klees 
 
October 13, 2026
 
 
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Umit is an excellent tour guide. He was informative and entertaining and had great recommendations.
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Bernhard Bohlig 
 
October 12, 2026
 
 
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It was a very interesting Tour with many Insights. Our Tourguide Ali was very inspiring and made it an experience which will not forget.
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Susan Stewart 
 
October 11, 2026
 
 
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We had an amazing tour of The Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and Basillica Cistern today. Our guide Eliv( I think that is how you spell it) was wonderful. She was so knowledgeable about the history of Istanbul but she wove in lots of humour and made plenty of time for our questions. The pace of the 3 hours was perfect.
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Axelle Figard 
 
October 11, 2026
 
 
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Really good tour and experience with Furkan. He is extremely knowledgeable and made the 3h visits worth the experience. Thank you!
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Jeppe Valbjørn 
 
October 11, 2026
 
 
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My girlfriend and I went on a tour with Murat. It was a fantastic experience. He was very knowledgeable about everything we saw and he took the time to explain things in detail. We saw things that we never would have seen if we hadn’t been with ham. 2,5 hours of very interesting history. And as a bonus - Murat shared a list of local places to eat and drink. Thank you, Murat🙏🙏🙏