Historic Off the Beaten Path Tour: Experience Authentic Istanbul and Local Hidden Gems
4.9
201 Ratings
Fatih

See Turkey like a local on this historic off-the-beaten-path tour of the real Istanbul. Go where the locals go, and experience life in the back streets of Istanbul. Wind through the hills of Fener, home to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate Church and colorful Greek and Ottoman Houses. Meeting point is Pudding Shop Lale Restaurant

Duration: 7 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Serefiye Sarnici - The Theodosius Cistern is one of many ancient cisterns of Constantinople that lie beneath the city of Istanbul, Turkey. Please note: Depending visiting times, it may be changed with Binbirdirek Cistern
What's Included
  • Light refreshment
  • Professional guide
  • Lunch
  • Public transportation; ferry and bus
  • Practice of hookah at favorite local hangout
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Drinks
Additional Information
  • Meeting point is Pudding Shop Lale Restaurant to departure the walking tour
  • Minimum capacity is 2 persons. We reserve the right to cancel a tour due to insufficient reservations. We will do all we can to reschedule your tour or a refund will be provided.
  • A maximum of 10 people per booking
  • Our tours are done by public transportation and walking so if you have any serious mobility issues, we advise you to book a private tour
  • Parents of children under 6 years are advised to book a private tour
  • On Religious Fests Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar are closed; May 2nd, 3rd, 4th, July 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th in 2022
Location
Pudding Shop Lale Restaurant
Divan Yolu Caddesi
Pudding Shop Lale Restaurant - For further explanation perhaps use the Sultanahmet tram stop as a reference. The restaurant is located on the street where the tram lines run through Sultanahmet, approximately 1-minute walk from the Sultanahmet tram stop
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(201 Ratings)
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Laura_c
May 21, 2024
My guide was fantastic... - My guide was fantastic and showed me some great hidden gems in Istanbul. She also picked great spots to sample Turkish cuisine, which was delicious.
Review provided by Viator
Vivek
May 12, 2024
Wonderful 7 hours tour of Istanbul - It was a fascinating tour . Sedat's ( hope I got his name right) knowledge and history was amazing.. and clearly his enthusiasm to impart it. I had booked a group tour but as I was the only one on it, it became a Private tour , covering the Suleyman mosque, the New mosque, the pavillion in front of The Blue mosque, the Grand Bazaar, the Spice Bazaar and the neighbourhoods of Balat and Fener - which I would never have done by myself. There was very little over lap of this tour and the other tours I have done so far. So it was all very fresh and interesting. It was a bit tiring at times though.. especially at the Greek Orthodox church we went to in Fener.. Sedat was going into too much detail ( bless his enthusiasm) though I wasn't so interested in all those saints. I would highly recommend the tour though to anyone interested in getting to know Istanbul better than the average tourist.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Claire_m
May 5, 2024
A wonderful wander around back streets. - 'Hidden' mosque near Spice Market. Turkish coffee in hookah cafe. Informative, very pleasant guide. Great to see sights that most tourists would not discover.
Review provided by Viator
Sandra_o
May 1, 2024
Historic Istanbul - Going to the shisha place, the old university bookshop and the Rustum Pasha mosque. I was with 2 English people and their company made this trip so enjoyable for me.
Review provided by Viator
Olivia_t
Apr 28, 2024
Definitely worth it - It was wonderful seeing the different areas of Istanbul such as the Jewish quarter and the Christian quarter. Our guide Yassin was excellent, taking the time to explain and even go more into detail
Review provided by Viator
Natalie_r
Apr 5, 2024
Great ‘behind the scenes’ walking tour with older kids too - Our guide Salih was very informative, chatty, helpful and we really enjoyed our time on this tour! He took us “behind the scenes” of the tourist areas of Istanbul - to areas that we would not have normally been able to find on our own. We went with kids aged 15, 13 and 10 and although it involved a lot of walking we all managed to keep up fine! Would definitely recommend this tour to others.
Review provided by Viator
Natalie_s
Apr 5, 2024
Amazing and thorough - I had been looking forward to this tour for months! Ozge was so kind and knowledgeable. Our walk covered 18,000 steps and lived up to its promise to explore less talked about parts of Istanbul. Highly recommend!
Review provided by Viator
Dan_r
Dec 25, 2023
Tour guide was excellent.... - Tour guide was excellent. He kept the tour interesting and fun. The tour was the perfect complement to the standard tours of the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sofia, and Grand Bazaar.
Review provided by Viator
Cross_a
Nov 28, 2023
Good tour - The guide took us to very places that are off the beaten path. Witouth her we could easily miss these places. She was kind and was always very polite and helpful.
Review provided by Viator
Sundar_v
Nov 17, 2023
The past and present of Istanbul - This is a must do tour of Istanbul. This one had a little bit of everything including visiting the spice bazaar, Fenwr, Balat neighborhoods, Sultaniyeh mosque and an Orthodox Church. The tram ride and the ferry rides were memorable too. Huge shoutout to Ogze the guide. Even though I was the only person in the tour she still showed up and it was a memorable time walking through history and the present of Istanbul. Highly recommend
Review provided by Viator
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up to 12 guests
1 Adult
June 2024
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