Contemporary Art Walk: Istiklal Street, Modern Art Museums

Name: Contemporary Art Walk: Istiklal Street, Modern Art Museums
Brand: Istanbul Walks
SKU: 5744ART
Price: 207.61 USD
Rating: 5.0 (10 reviews)

Istanbul, Turkey

Modern Art Tour of Istanbul Istiklal Street SALT Galata and Istanbul Modern Art Museum

3 hours 20 minutes to 4 hours 10 minutes
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Dive headfirst into Istanbul’s modern art scene on this 3.5-hour walking tour. Learn about Turkey’s rich art history as you follow your enthusiastic guide around the districts of Tophane and Karaköy, stopping to browse a selection of the city’s most interesting contemporary art galleries, including SALT Galata. Finally, learn about popular Turkish artists like Abidin Dino and Ara Güler, and view cutting-edge temporary exhibitions at the Istanbul Modern Art Museum. This small-group tour is limited to 15 for a personalized experience and includes hotel pickup.

3.5-hour Istanbul modern art tour, led by an art-expert guide
Stroll down bustling Istiklal Street and visit contemporary galleries such as SALT Galata
Explore select galleries around Beyoğlu, an artsy district that covers the Tophane and Karaköy neighborhoods
Visit the Istanbul Modern Art Museum on the banks of the Bosphorus, and explore its temporary and permanent exhibits
Learn about Turkish art from the 19th century onward and hear of Istanbul’s up-and-coming art scene
Small-group tour limited to 15 people provides an intimate experience
Hotel pickup included

What's Included

English speaking licenced & professional guiding
Hotel pickup
All Fees and Taxes

Food and drinks
Hotel drop-off

Meeting and Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Meeting point

Pera Museum
Asmalı Mescit, Meşrutiyet Cd. No:65, 34430 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Türkiye

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Start time

10:30 AM

End point

Istanbul Museum of Modern Art
Kılıçali Paşa, Tophane İskele Cd. No:1/1, 34433 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Türkiye

What To Expect

Istanbul Modern | Istanbul Museum of Modern Art

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

SALT Galata, Istanbul

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Pera Museum

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation

Not recommended for travelers with back problems
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 4 travelers

Operated by Istanbul Walks

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

5.0

10 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-9 of 10 reviews

Art historian-led tour brings deep Istanbul art perspective

Dean_S, Oct 2023

We met Art Historian Tuncer Gul at the Istanbul Modern Museum. We didn’t expect a tour guide with such an encyclopedic knowledge of Turkish art -- and how politics and leadership has changed it over the many centuries. In addition, he gave us astute perspective on how Turkish arts figures in the worldwide scene. One of us is a retired arts editor from the Washington Post, and learned more in six hours than she did in weeks of reading.

Response from Host, Jan 2024

Thank you for your comments & thoughts. We would love to see you again on your İstanbul vacations. Best wishes, Caner

We took this excellent tour in...

Adrienne_R, Jan 2018

We took this excellent tour in October 2015. I thought we had reviewed this already! I would rate this tour as exceptional - our guide Tunchas - apologies for mis spelling was incredibly knowledgeable, enthusiastic and attentive to our interests. Along with the well known galleries, he showed us numerous small and intriguing galleries that we would never have discovered ourselves. Absolutely recommend as a way of learning so much about Turkish art and culture, politics and history. Magnificent!

Very helpful and friendly tour guide...

Christopher B, Jun 2016

Very helpful and friendly tour guide - some good exhibits / artworks at the end Chris

I have done a review for this in...

Ray R, Oct 2015

I have done a review for this in September. Tour was excellent. the guide was very knowledgeable and good fun.

My friend and I were the only ones...

Darlene R B, Sep 2015

My friend and I were the only ones on the tour and our guide was fantastic - knowledgeable, personable and willing to adjust for our interests. His enthusiasm for his subject and passion for contemporary art were very apparent. He was welcomed by gallery owners wherever we went and really gave us insight into the current art scene in the city. I would highly recommend this walk.

My experience was fantastic! As it...

Thomas D, Sep 2015

My experience was fantastic! As it turned out, I was the only person booked on the tour that day, and in addition to being very friendly and extremely knowledgeable, my guide went above and beyond to customize the tour to my interests on the fly!, adding stops and rearranging things to make sure I was seeing things I was interested in. He is clearly very passionate about modern art in Turkey and clearly loves his job. With his insider knowledge, I not only saw the museums but also got to meet a few people connected with the art scene in Istanbul as well. Excellent tour, highly recommended.

It was absolutely fantastic. I was...

Taranveer S, Jun 2015

It was absolutely fantastic. I was the only one on the tour that day so it was a private tour with a wonderfully knowledgable guide Levent. I think it was lovely that the guide for this tour was an arts student. It was like being out on a morning stroll through various art galleries with a friend who is as passionate about the subject as you are. From the small galleries on the ISTIKLAL STREET to the stunning Modern Istanbul Museum, this whole tour was worth every penny. GO FOR IT : p.s. - The tour is a morning tour, i.e., it starts at 11 am but Viator has it listed as an afternoon tour. I am glad I called the tour company to confirm the hotel pick up time or I would've missed out on it.

An unusual unique walk that art...

dora, May 2015

An unusual unique walk that art lovers should consider the guide was knowledgable, passionate, energetic and was always helpful and able to answer questions. This walk takes you around places, little galleries and museums that are not as widely advertised as the overcrowded and overestimated Sultanahmet district. It shows the vibrant contemporary part of Istanbul that is also notable and worth seeing into.

I went on the tour with Tuncer on...

FromTweety, May 2015

I went on the tour with Tuncer on May 14, 2015. He is an art historian who has vast knowledge of Turkish Art. Since I was the only attendee for the tour, I had a personal guide through the contemporary turkish art scene. We visited various art galleries starting from Istiklai Street. Tuncer explained the each exhibition even the history of building where the exhibition was held. We visited an artist's studio where he painted. It was amazing to see how the artist brought his vision to life. We walked through the different streets where to see the daily life of people in Istanbul from upcoming trendy streets to residential areas. It was great to get a feel of the local life. Then we went to Istanbul Modern Art Museum. It has a great view looking over the other side of the Istanbul across the ocean. The pieces in the museum were intriguing and displayed the current interests of Turkish contemporary art. The tour covered not only the Turkish art, yet also guided through the turkish daily life and their interests. It was one of the best experiences I had in Turkey. Thanks to Tuncer for his incredible guidance!