I'm looking to do a 3 day 2 night trip to Istanbul in early October. Can anyone recommend a great private guide? Also, where would be a great/authentic place to stay in the old city? We fly in on a Friday afternoon and leave on Monday afternoon. Our trip is in October.
Thank you for any tips!
Michael
Question
Posted on Aug 24, 2012
5 Answers
Myself and several of my friends have had a great experience with Sema Razak in Istanbul. All official guides go to school for several years to obtain their license, so they are all knowledgeable. Sema also brings a great personality to the adventure. She's a native Istanbulian, is well educated, and speaks excellent English. I highly recommend her! Reach her at Semarazak.com. And have fun! It's a GREAT city!
Posted Aug 27, 2012
Add a commentThanks Patricia! I'll check it out.
Posted on Aug 31, 2012
Hi Michael
See one of my highlights of Istanbul - My Local Guide Istanbul tours by Salih. Take one of the tours from the website or he can tailor make one to your needs. www.mylocalguideistanbul.com He's currently number 9 on Tripadvisor for tours of Istanbul too if you want to check out testimonials.
Posted Aug 29, 2012
Add a commentLeeann-thanks for the tip! Any hotel recommedations?
Posted on Aug 31, 2012
Depends on your budget but the And Hotel is clean and in GREAT location. You can book via bookings.com - if you're budget is less then Agora Guesthouse or Tulip Guesthouse are popular. I always suggest looking at tripadvisor to find the hotel right for you.
Posted on Sep 16, 2012
Leeann-
Thank you for the great tip. We ended up using “My Local Guide Istanbul” that you recommended. We had a fantastic time and our guide was excellent! He was very professional and took us to many” local only places” which was really cool. I would highly recommend their services to others. Below are few pictures from our guided trip:
Slideshow:
http://bit.ly/Qn1mNP
or
Gallery:
http://bit.ly/SZhzsK
The pictures probably do a better job at telling the story of our amazing trip instead of me writing it up This is the second time I’ve used Afar for a guide and it has been incredibly helpful. I love Afar!
-Mike
Posted on Oct 16, 2012
Go to the Ottoman Hotel, a boutique hotel, behind Hagia Sofia. They work with different private guides who can tailor "guide plans" according to your level of knowledge and interest.
Posted Aug 25, 2012
Add a commentHi Cris-thanks! It looks like the Ottoman is booked for the first week of Oct. Thanks for the tip!
Posted on Aug 31, 2012
Hello Michael,
Hope you sorted it out but if not check ayasofyakonakları.com
Ottoman houses are renovated into a boutique hotel, location is perfect for a first timer in Istanbul. Please contact me at semarazak@gmail.com or through www.semarazak.com
Advice is always free and I would like to help you out about Istanbul.
Several websites work with unlicensed guides, I have reported one "toursbylocals" to the Ministry of Tourism, please ask if your guide is licensed and check his license card which we have to carry on us during tours, it is very important!
Posted Sep 13, 2012
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Hi, Michael. My friend and I used New Faces (http://www.newfacestravel.com/) for private tours in Cappadocia and Istanbul. Yesim was our guide in Istanbul and she was fantastic. Have a great time!! Safe travels.
Posted Sep 20, 2012
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