Our guide was punctual, flexible, polite, knowledgeable w good command of English. We discussed my wishes before the trip and he was able to show us everything. We went to see Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topika Palace first courtyard, Grand Bazaar, Spice Bazaar, Galata Bridge, Galata Tower, and a few sights along the Main Street leading to Taksim Square. It was interesting to see the old and the new parts of Istanbul. We did a lot of walking, along w tram and metro. My kids who are teenagers got a bit bored half way. This is my first private tour, it delivered my expectation as i only had one day. However compared to free guided tour guides which i had quite a few tours with in various cities, I have to say the free guides are more animated and have a lot more interesting stories to keep the group excited and concentrated at all time. Cost aside, take a private guide if you want a customized tour w lot of personal attention. Go w the free tour if you want more animation.

The tour was extremely well organized. The local guide met us as arranged at our hotel and we took it from there. We suggested we didn’t want to use public transport and he was happy with our suggestion. The tour was a bit customized in accordance with our expectations. We were super happy with everything and hope to be using the same company for guided tour next time we are in Istanbul.

Halil is a very friendly and knowledgeable guide who told us a lot of interesting things about the local attractions. Although our tour lasted 7 hours and we had round feet in the end, the time flew by. The whole tour was very pleasant because we were a very small group and Halil was 100% responsive to our needs and questions.