Istanbul Off the Beaten Path Tour with Guide, Lunch and Transfers

Badge of ExcellenceIstanbul, Turkey

From $99.70

Price varies by group size

Select Date and Travelers

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

7 hours (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Discover Istanbul on a full-day tour that travels on foot and public transit to historic landmarks and local cultural hubs. Start by touring the Hippodrome, Serefiye Cistern and Grand Bazaar, then take a break for Turkish coffee, pastry and hookah (tobacco pipe). Visit the book and paper market Sahaflar Çarşısı, which started in the Byzantine era, then tour Istanbul University. Continue to Suleymaniye Mosque, the Spice Bazaar and the Church of St George before winding through the districts of Fener and Balat — the old Greek and Jewish neighborhoods.

Full-day off-the-beaten-path walking tour of Istanbul
Experience Istanbul like a local while traveling on foot, and by ferry and bus
See top sites including the Hippodrome, Serefiye Cistern, Grand Bazaar, Suleymaniye Mosque and Spice Bazaar
Stop into the Church of St George, located near the Golden Horn
Rummage through rare books at Sahaflar Çarşısı, a market on the site of a Byzantine book and paper bazaar
Visit the campus of Istanbul University
Learn the history of the old Greek and Jewish districts of Fener and Balat

What's Included

Light refreshment
Practice of hookah at favorite local hangout
Professional guide
Public transportation; ferry and bus
Lunch

Gratuities
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Drinks

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Pudding Shop Lale Restaurant
Alemdar, Divan Yolu Cd. No:6, 34400 Fatih/İstanbul, Türkiye
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

End point

Karaköy Pier
Kemankeş Karamustafa Paşa, Rıhtım Cd. No:13, 34425 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Türkiye
It ends near Galata Bridge and Karakoy Tram Station and your guide can explain how to go back to the hotel.

What To Expect

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
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.
Stroller accessible
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
Near public transportation
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
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 10 travelers

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.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

5.0

201 reviews

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

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 201 reviews

A wonderful wander around back streets.

Claire_M, May 2024

'Hidden' mosque near Spice Market. Turkish coffee in hookah cafe. Informative, very pleasant guide. Great to see sights that most tourists would not discover.

Historic Istanbul

Sandra_O, May 2024

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.

Definitely worth it

Olivia_T, Apr 2024

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

Great ‘behind the scenes’ walking tour with older kids too

Natalie_R, Apr 2024

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.

Amazing and thorough

Natalie_S, Apr 2024

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!

Tour guide was excellent....

Dan_R, Dec 2023

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.

Good tour

Cross_A, Nov 2023

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.

The past and present of Istanbul

Sundar_V, Nov 2023

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

Fun day!

RolandMio_F, Nov 2023

Imran was great! Very knowledgable and gave great tips about city. Tour was great way to see the city. Would definitely recommend!

Amazing experience of the city

Lindsay_R, Nov 2023

I’m so glad I did this tour, I really enjoyed getting to see some of the less crowded and touristy places and felt like my experience of Istanbul was very different today. I enjoyed our tour guide Atta very much and learned a lot. You get your steps in for sure!

Amazing feel of the local Istanbul

Renae_F, Oct 2023

Kenan was an amazing guide he showed us the true Istanbul and we felt like family.He is very knowledgeable and took us to places we would not have found on our own. We had an amazing lunch and got to experience the tram and the ferry . He went out of his was to ensure we had an amazing local experience one that we will always cherish.I would highly recommend this tour

Adventurous

Connie_A, Oct 2023

Wonderful adventure touring places I may not have seen otherwise in Istanbul! The guide made a great connection with you and provide a good sense of pacing. He was very knowledgeable, kind and caring.

Atahan and Istanbul, the perfect combination!

GRAHAM_B, Oct 2023

Atahan was a very attentive but easy going gentleman with excellent english. We choose the off the beaten path tour because it took us to places that we probably wouldn't have found ourselves on a short stay. Having Atahan with us made the whole experience smoother and he encouraged us to visit other places which were not on the tour and took his time to explain the tramway and boats available, which we did use the following 2 days of our remaining time in Istanbul. It's a great way to see a portion of a very beautiful but busy city. Atahan, thank you. You made our experience of Istanbul all the more special.

Great experience and wonderful lunch

Rachel_S, Oct 2023

Want to escape the standard tourist spots and crowds? This is the tour for you! Get a more authentic feel for Istanbul. Less Disney, more Turkey. Awesome information and sights. Great tour director.

Awesome, FULL, food filled exciting day!

william_w, Oct 2023

Amazing day with our private tour guide … he was considerate to ask EVERYTHING we had already done, then spent 7 hours + with us to show us a lot of Istanbul sections hidden from normal tourists …. The gypsy are, the old Jewish quarter, the Iron Church, taking the team to different areas. He was GREAT, his English was excellent. Highly recommended, October 2023.

Not worth the money we paid.

Sunil_B, Oct 2023

Paid $300 for the trip. It was not worth it - the guide had some knowledge about areas, but spent more time walking and waiting for lunch to arrive. Also ferry was going to be a part of it - did not happen.

Interesting

alla_r, Oct 2023

Our guide was very knowledgeable. The tour was very interesting and I would recommend this tour. I enjoyed going to places that is not main stream

Fabulous experience

Rufina_H, Oct 2023

Burak was very knowledgeable and a great deal of fun. We had a fantastic day. Getting to know Istanbul through the experience of a local is a wonder experience!!

Brilliant tour

Karen_O, Oct 2023

Very good tour, thoroughly enjoyed it. Sedat our guide was brilliant, very informative and very helpful

Response from Host, Oct 2023

Thanks for your nice review.

Brilliant tour guide!

Yvonne_T, Oct 2023

Brilliant tour highly recommend if you're wanting to go off the beaten track and go where the locals are. We had Sedat as our tour guide and he was fantastic. We learnt so much and saw where the locals ate and shopped which was lovely. Thank you for making our tour a brilliant one! Robin & Yvonne

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