54 licensed guides
Our guides
Five questions, and we will show you who fits.
54 guides
Ümit Işın: Archaeologist-Guide Bringing Anatolia’s Ruins to Life
Licensed guide since 1987 · 39 years guiding
English · Turkish (native)
Archaeology
Architecture
Mythology
Why this guide fits
Works in Antalya
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Ümit Işın: Archaeologist-Guide Bringing Anatolia’s Ruins to Life
Licensed guide since 1987 · 39 years guiding
English · Turkish (native)
Archaeology Architecture Mythology
Why this guide fits
Works in Antalya
Excavated at Arykanda and Kaunos and surveyed across Lycia and Pisidia before he ever guided. Since 2019 he has written and presented over 140 episodes of Anadolu Arkeolojisi on TRT 2.
Archaeology at Ankara University
- Academics
- Corporate & diplomatic
- Seniors
- Active
Meet Yeşim Arici: Our Tour Guide in Ephesus
Licensed guide since 1988 · 38 years guiding
English · German (fluent) · Turkish (native)
Archaeology
Bosphorus & maritime
Nature & birding
Why this guide fits
Works in Ephesus & İzmir
More about this guide
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Meet Yeşim Arici: Our Tour Guide in Ephesus
Licensed guide since 1988 · 38 years guiding
English · German (fluent) · Turkish (native)
Archaeology Bosphorus & maritime Nature & birding
Why this guide fits
Works in Ephesus & İzmir
Has taught at universities in Turkey, Syria and Europe, and interpreted professionally in German. No patience at all for the shopping-stop version of Ephesus.
German Language and Literature, History, and Cultural Heritage and Tourism, with a master's in Tour Guiding from Osman Gazi University
- Academics
- Corporate & diplomatic
- Seniors
- Moderate
Serif Yenen: The Pioneer of Turkish Guiding
Licensed guide since 1989 · 37 years guiding
English · Turkish (native)
Archaeology
Byzantine
Food & culinary
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
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Serif Yenen: The Pioneer of Turkish Guiding
Licensed guide since 1989 · 37 years guiding
English · Turkish (native)
Archaeology Byzantine Food & culinary
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
Wrote Turkish Odyssey in 1997, the first full cultural guidebook to Turkey by a Turk, now a three-volume set. He has chaired the national guides' federation and lectured at the Smithsonian.
at Kuleli Military High School, then English Philology at the University of Istanbul
- Academics
- Corporate & diplomatic
- Seniors
- Moderate
A Veteran Tour Guide: Tayfun Yalçın
Licensed guide · 30 years guiding
English · Turkish (native)
Archaeology
Neighbourhoods
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
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A Veteran Tour Guide: Tayfun Yalçın
Licensed guide · 30 years guiding
English · Turkish (native)
Archaeology Neighbourhoods
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
Thirty years of guiding and twenty-five of them licensed, across Istanbul, Ephesus and Cappadocia. He studied under the professors who built the discipline in Turkey.
at Ege University's Faculty of Professional Tourism Guiding
- Academics
- Seniors
- Moderate
Ahmet Faik Özbilge: Istanbul’s Master Tour Guide
Licensed guide · 30 years guiding
English · French (licensed) · Turkish (native)
Armenian heritage
Byzantine
Greek Orthodox
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
More about this guide
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Ahmet Faik Özbilge: Istanbul’s Master Tour Guide
Licensed guide · 30 years guiding
English · French (licensed) · Turkish (native)
Armenian heritage Byzantine Greek Orthodox
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
Licensed in French at twenty-two, and writing about Istanbul ever since: books, radio, national television. He was walking guests through Fener and Balat in the 1990s, when almost nobody else was.
at Galatasaray High School, then sociology at Boğaziçi University
- Academics
- Solo travellers
- Moderate
Hülya Civelek: Native German Speaking Guide in Türkiye
Licensed guide · 28 years guiding
English · German (native) · Turkish (native)
Archaeology
Architecture
Food & culinary
Why this guide fits
Works in Ephesus & İzmir
More about this guide
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Hülya Civelek: Native German Speaking Guide in Türkiye
Licensed guide · 28 years guiding
English · German (native) · Turkish (native)
Archaeology Architecture Food & culinary
Why this guide fits
Works in Ephesus & İzmir
Twenty-eight years on the Aegean, from Ephesus and Hierapolis to Aphrodisias and Perge. A native German speaker, so nothing is lost in translation, including the jokes.
German and English Language and Education at Dokuz Eylül University
- Corporate & diplomatic
- Families
- Seniors
- Moderate
Ali Rıza Serkan: Our Most Experienced Guide in Istanbul
Licensed guide · 25 years guiding
English · Turkish (native)
Contemporary art
Neighbourhoods
Photography
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
More about this guide
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Ali Rıza Serkan: Our Most Experienced Guide in Istanbul
Licensed guide · 25 years guiding
English · Turkish (native)
Contemporary art Neighbourhoods Photography
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
Lived in New York, Tokyo and London before deciding Istanbul was the city worth staying in. Reads it through Jung and Rumi as readily as through dates, and knows exactly where the light falls.
American Culture and Literature
- Academics
- Solo travellers
- Gentle
Uğur Vural: The Guide Who Turns History Into Conversation
Licensed guide since 2001 · 25 years guiding
English · Turkish (native) · Urdu (fluent)
Archaeology
Food & culinary
Mythology
Why this guide fits
Works in Ephesus & İzmir
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Uğur Vural: The Guide Who Turns History Into Conversation
Licensed guide since 2001 · 25 years guiding
English · Turkish (native) · Urdu (fluent)
Archaeology Food & culinary Mythology
Why this guide fits
Works in Ephesus & İzmir
Twenty-five years in, and still refuses to treat sites as separate stops. Even a short day gets tied back into the whole of Anatolia. Guides in Urdu as well as English.
at Ankara University's Faculty of Languages, History and Geography
- Families
- Solo travellers
- Moderate
A Master of Guided Exploration: Rubil Gündüz
Licensed guide since 2002 · 24 years guiding
English · Italian · Turkish (native)
Architecture
Food & culinary
Mythology
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
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A Master of Guided Exploration: Rubil Gündüz
Licensed guide since 2002 · 24 years guiding
English · Italian · Turkish (native)
Architecture Food & culinary Mythology
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
Helped shape the idea of The Other Tour in 2010 and has been part of it since. Guides in Italian, has run Anatolian itineraries since 2007, and knows every meyhane worth the walk.
Italian Language and Literature at Ankara University
- Corporate & diplomatic
- Families
- Solo travellers
- Moderate
Ebru Gökteke: One of Istanbul’s Most Cultivated Tour Guides
Licensed guide since 2002 · 24 years guiding
English · Turkish (native)
Architecture
Byzantine
Greek Orthodox
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
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Ebru Gökteke: One of Istanbul’s Most Cultivated Tour Guides
Licensed guide since 2002 · 24 years guiding
English · Turkish (native)
Architecture Byzantine Greek Orthodox
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
Was an arts correspondent, then managing editor of Gezi / National Geographic Traveler, before she ever guided. Her master's was in Christian iconography, and Byzantine Istanbul is her ground.
English Literature at Boğaziçi, then a master's in Art History at Istanbul University on Christian iconography
- Academics
- Corporate & diplomatic
- Seniors
- Gentle
Dr. Selda Özhan: The Scholar Guide in Bodrum
Licensed guide · 20 years guiding
English · Italian · Spanish · Turkish (native)
Archaeology
Bosphorus & maritime
Nature & birding
Why this guide fits
Works in Bodrum
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Dr. Selda Özhan: The Scholar Guide in Bodrum
Licensed guide · 20 years guiding
English · Italian · Spanish · Turkish (native)
Archaeology Bosphorus & maritime Nature & birding
Why this guide fits
Works in Bodrum
A doctorate in ancient history, fieldwork at the sanctuary of Apollo and Leto, and underwater surveys at Kelenderis. She has led expeditions for National Geographic and still walks the Lelegian Way.
Ancient History, to doctorate
- Academics
- Corporate & diplomatic
- Solo travellers
- Active
Faruk Arslan: Bilingual Expert Guide in Old City of Istanbul
Licensed guide since 2002 · 20 years guiding
English · Spanish
Archaeology
Architecture
Food & culinary
Why this guide fits
Archaeology · Architecture · Food & culinary
From €400 / day
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Faruk Arslan: Bilingual Expert Guide in Old City of Istanbul
Licensed guide since 2002 · 20 years guiding
English · Spanish
Archaeology Architecture Food & culinary
Why this guide fits
Archaeology · Architecture · Food & culinary
From €400 / day
More about this guide Show lessHe's also a teacher and academic translator
Nişantaşı University
- Academics
- Corporate & diplomatic
- Couples
- Families
- Seniors
- Solo travellers
- Gentle
Ali Kütük: Lycian Way Trekking & Archaeology Guide, Turkey
Licensed guide · 17 years guiding
English · Turkish (native)
Archaeology
Nature & birding
Roman & Hellenistic
Why this guide fits
Works in Mediterranean & Lycia
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Ali Kütük: Lycian Way Trekking & Archaeology Guide, Turkey
Licensed guide · 17 years guiding
English · Turkish (native)
Archaeology Nature & birding Roman & Hellenistic
Why this guide fits
Works in Mediterranean & Lycia
Grew up on this coast and still guides it on foot. He takes the forty-minute climb to Tlos rather than the drive-by version, and walks sections of the Lycian Way most operators never reach.
Tourist Guiding at Kapadokya University
- Academics
- Solo travellers
- Active
Birsen Bulan: The Mindful Polymath of Nationwide Guiding
Licensed guide · 16 years guiding
English · Spanish (fluent) · Turkish (native)
Archaeology
Architecture
Food & culinary
Why this guide fits
Works in Ankara & Central Anatolia
More about this guide
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Birsen Bulan: The Mindful Polymath of Nationwide Guiding
Licensed guide · 16 years guiding
English · Spanish (fluent) · Turkish (native)
Archaeology Architecture Food & culinary
Why this guide fits
Works in Ankara & Central Anatolia
Degrees in archaeology, art history, Islamic theology and psychology, plus a yoga teacher's instinct for pacing a day so nobody is exhausted by the third site.
classical archaeology, art history, early-childhood pedagogy, Islamic theology and psychology
- Academics
- Corporate & diplomatic
- Seniors
- Gentle
A Top-Tier Tour Guide: Damla Arslan
Licensed guide since 2009 · 15 years guiding
English · Turkish (native)
Archaeology
Contemporary art
Food & culinary
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
More about this guide
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A Top-Tier Tour Guide: Damla Arslan
Licensed guide since 2009 · 15 years guiding
English · Turkish (native)
Archaeology Contemporary art Food & culinary
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
Excavated at Zeugma, reads Ancient Greek and Latin, and still guides the groups of the professors who led those digs. Also the person to ask where to eat.
History at Boğaziçi University, then Cultural Heritage at Koç University
- Academics
- Corporate & diplomatic
- Teenagers
- Moderate
Tarık Alabaş: Your Expert Cappadocia Guide
Licensed guide since 2010 · 15 years guiding
English · Turkish (native)
Archaeology
Byzantine
Mythology
Why this guide fits
Works in Cappadocia
More about this guide
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Tarık Alabaş: Your Expert Cappadocia Guide
Licensed guide since 2010 · 15 years guiding
English · Turkish (native)
Archaeology Byzantine Mythology
Why this guide fits
Works in Cappadocia
In Cappadocia since 2004 and licensed since 2010, with a hospitality background before that. The guide we send when the group spans three generations and the afternoon is hot.
Tourist Guiding at Erciyes University
- Families with young children
- Seniors
- Solo travellers
- Moderate
Betül Başak: The Guide Who Dug the Sites First
Licensed guide since 2011 · 15 years guiding
English · Turkish (native)
Archaeology
Byzantine
Neighbourhoods
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
More about this guide
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Betül Başak: The Guide Who Dug the Sites First
Licensed guide since 2011 · 15 years guiding
English · Turkish (native)
Archaeology Byzantine Neighbourhoods
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
Most guides describe an excavation. Betül worked one: two years beneath the Bosphorus on the Marmaray dig, cataloguing Byzantine harbour walls and Neolithic layers as they came out of the ground.
Classical Archaeology at Ege University, then a master's in Art History at Istanbul Technical University
- Academics
- Corporate & diplomatic
- Moderate
Doğan Denizdağ — Licensed Tour Guide | English & Spanish
Licensed guide since 2014 · 12 years guiding
English · Spanish (fluent) · Turkish (native)
Food & culinary
Nature & birding
Photography
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
More about this guide
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Doğan Denizdağ — Licensed Tour Guide | English & Spanish
Licensed guide since 2014 · 12 years guiding
English · Spanish (fluent) · Turkish (native)
Food & culinary Nature & birding Photography
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
Twelve years of building the day around whatever the guest actually came for: photography, food, birds, or a quiet valley. Works in Spanish as easily as English.
at Ege University
- Families
- Solo travellers
- Moderate
Aziz Acar: Premier Spanish and English Guide in Cappadocia
Licensed guide · 10 years guiding
English · Spanish (c1) · Turkish (native)
Archaeology
Architecture
Food & culinary
Why this guide fits
Works in Cappadocia
More about this guide
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Aziz Acar: Premier Spanish and English Guide in Cappadocia
Licensed guide · 10 years guiding
English · Spanish (c1) · Turkish (native)
Archaeology Architecture Food & culinary
Why this guide fits
Works in Cappadocia
Reads Cappadocia's fourth-century rock frescoes the way most people read a page, and has mapped the region's food routes just as carefully. Also the guide we send with diplomatic groups.
Tourist Guiding at Nevşehir University
- Academics
- Families
- Solo travellers
- Moderate
Yagiz Ocal: Private Spiritual Tour Guide in Istanbul
Licensed guide · 10 years guiding
English · Turkish (native)
Architecture
Byzantine
Islamic
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
More about this guide
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Yagiz Ocal: Private Spiritual Tour Guide in Istanbul
Licensed guide · 10 years guiding
English · Turkish (native)
Architecture Byzantine Islamic
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
A thousand books on history, mythology and architecture at home, and a tarot deck in his bag. He reads Istanbul's myths as seriously as its dates.
Tourism Guidance at Marmara University
- Families
- Solo travellers
- Moderate
Mert Pamukcu: Your Musical and Historical Guide in Cappadocia
Licensed guide · 9 years guiding
English · Russian (fluent) · Turkish (native)
Architecture
Greek Orthodox
Nature & birding
Why this guide fits
Works in Cappadocia
More about this guide
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Mert Pamukcu: Your Musical and Historical Guide in Cappadocia
Licensed guide · 9 years guiding
English · Russian (fluent) · Turkish (native)
Architecture Greek Orthodox Nature & birding
Why this guide fits
Works in Cappadocia
Cappadocia born, twenty years in tourism, and a working musician throughout, so he treats a tour as a performance and often ends the day playing. Guides in Russian as well as English.
- Families
- Solo travellers
- Moderate
A Passionate Istanbul Guide: Ece Duluk
Licensed guide since 2016 · 8 years guiding
English · Turkish (native)
Byzantine
Cats
Neighbourhoods
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
More about this guide
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A Passionate Istanbul Guide: Ece Duluk
Licensed guide since 2016 · 8 years guiding
English · Turkish (native)
Byzantine Cats Neighbourhoods
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
Her master's traced how travellers have moved through Istanbul, from nineteenth-century explorers to now. Warm and unhurried, and one of the few we send confidently with children.
Tourism Management and Guiding at Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, then a master's in Istanbul Studies
- Families with young children
- Solo travellers
- Teenagers
- Gentle
Meet Said: Marvelous Tour Guide in Cappadocia
Licensed guide since 2019 · 7 years guiding
English (impeccable) · Korean (advanced) · Turkish (native)
Byzantine
Cats
Greek Orthodox
Why this guide fits
Works in Cappadocia
More about this guide
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Meet Said: Marvelous Tour Guide in Cappadocia
Licensed guide since 2019 · 7 years guiding
English (impeccable) · Korean (advanced) · Turkish (native)
Byzantine Cats Greek Orthodox
Why this guide fits
Works in Cappadocia
A double major in Korean and History, a master's on top, and a real command of Christian iconography. Guests joke that his eight-hour tours run to twelve, because he won't cut a story short.
a double major in Korean Language and Literature and History at Erciyes University, then a master's in History
- Academics
- Families
- Solo travellers
- Active
Eren Nacak: The Analytical Tour Guide Across Mediterranean
Licensed guide · 7 years guiding
English · Turkish (native)
Archaeology
Architecture
Nature & birding
Why this guide fits
Works in Antalya
More about this guide
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Eren Nacak: The Analytical Tour Guide Across Mediterranean
Licensed guide · 7 years guiding
English · Turkish (native)
Archaeology Architecture Nature & birding
Why this guide fits
Works in Antalya
Brings photogrammetry and 3D modelling to archaeology, so a ruin gets reconstructed rather than described. He has guided documentary crews and foreign ministers, and interpreted at UNHCR summits.
tourism and ancient studies, and now a PhD track in Interdisciplinary Ancient Mediterranean Studies
- Academics
- Corporate & diplomatic
- Active
Lead guide
Ömer Çelik — Istanbul’s Lead Tour Guide in 2026
Licensed guide · 6 years guiding
English · Turkish (native)
Armenian heritage
Byzantine
Food & culinary
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
More about this guide
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Ömer Çelik — Istanbul’s Lead Tour Guide in 2026
Licensed guide · 6 years guiding
English · Turkish (native)
Armenian heritage Byzantine Food & culinary
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
Follows the Jewish, Armenian and Greek Orthodox threads through Balat and Fener rather than pointing at the facades. Spends his days off on other guides' tours, still sharpening.
Tourist Guidance at Erzincan University, and now Art History at Sivas Cumhuriyet University
- Corporate & diplomatic
- Families
- Solo travellers
- Teenagers
- Moderate
Buse Burcu: The Delightful Professional Guide in Istanbul
Licensed guide · 6 years guiding
English · Turkish (native)
Bosphorus & maritime
Food & culinary
Neighbourhoods
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
More about this guide
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Buse Burcu: The Delightful Professional Guide in Istanbul
Licensed guide · 6 years guiding
English · Turkish (native)
Bosphorus & maritime Food & culinary Neighbourhoods
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
A tasting walk with Buse means kokoreç, döner, liver skewers and roast lamb, at pace. One cruise passenger who joined by mistake gave up her Basilica Cistern ticket to stay.
Translation and Interpretation at Istanbul University, then Tourism Guiding at Marmara University
- Families
- Solo travellers
- Moderate
Elif Ünal: Expert Guide to the Soul of Cappadocia
Licensed guide · 5 years guiding
English · Russian (beginner) · Turkish (native)
Archaeology
Byzantine
Food & culinary
Why this guide fits
Works in Cappadocia
More about this guide
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Elif Ünal: Expert Guide to the Soul of Cappadocia
Licensed guide · 5 years guiding
English · Russian (beginner) · Turkish (native)
Archaeology Byzantine Food & culinary
Why this guide fits
Works in Cappadocia
Grew up in Cappadocia and is midway through a second degree in archaeology, so what she reads in the excavation reports reaches guests the same season. Also certified for valley hiking.
Tourism Guiding at Nevşehir Hacı Bektaş Veli University, a master's in Tourism Management, and now a second degree in Archaeology
- Academics
- Solo travellers
- Active
Ozlem Efeoglu: Warm-hearted Cheerful Guide in Istanbul
Licensed guide · 5 years guiding
English · Turkish (native)
Archaeology
Architecture
Bosphorus & maritime
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
More about this guide
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Ozlem Efeoglu: Warm-hearted Cheerful Guide in Istanbul
Licensed guide · 5 years guiding
English · Turkish (native)
Archaeology Architecture Bosphorus & maritime
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
Istanbul born, but the Black Sea is where she comes alive: misty highlands, mountain villages, and tea that arrives before you have sat down. She knows the families.
at Beyşehir Ali Akkanat Vocational School
- Families
- Solo travellers
- Moderate
Duygu Sınırtaş: A Passionate Guide with an Archaeologist’s Eye
Licensed guide · 4 years guiding
English · Japanese (intermediate) · Korean (high-level) · Turkish (native)
Archaeology
Food & culinary
Neighbourhoods
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
More about this guide
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Duygu Sınırtaş: A Passionate Guide with an Archaeologist’s Eye
Licensed guide · 4 years guiding
English · Japanese (intermediate) · Korean (high-level) · Turkish (native)
Archaeology Food & culinary Neighbourhoods
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
Dug at the Tepecik-Çiftlik Neolithic site and still publishes on archaeology. She also speaks high-level Korean and some Japanese, rare enough here to be worth asking for.
Prehistory at Istanbul University and Tourism Guiding at Marmara University
- Academics
- Families
- Solo travellers
- Moderate
Binnur Eren Kurtoğlu: Istanbul, Told Softly (and Properly)
Licensed guide since 2022 · 4 years guiding
English · Turkish (native)
Bosphorus & maritime
Byzantine
Food & culinary
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
More about this guide
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Binnur Eren Kurtoğlu: Istanbul, Told Softly (and Properly)
Licensed guide since 2022 · 4 years guiding
English · Turkish (native)
Bosphorus & maritime Byzantine Food & culinary
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
Spent ten years accompanying groups across Turkey before she ever took the licence, so she learned the rhythm of a travel day from the inside. Calm, unhurried, and best on a food route.
English, then Tourist Guiding at Cappadocia University
- Families
- Solo travellers
- Gentle
Expert Professional Guide: Kardelen Uyar
Licensed guide · 3 years guiding
English · Turkish (native)
Archaeology
Architecture
Armenian heritage
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
More about this guide
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Expert Professional Guide: Kardelen Uyar
Licensed guide · 3 years guiding
English · Turkish (native)
Archaeology Architecture Armenian heritage
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
The only guide here licensed for Eastern Anatolia: Ani, Akdamar's tenth-century Armenian church, İshak Paşa Palace. Eight years in tourism before she began guiding.
Travel Management and Tourism Guidance at Gazi University
- Families
- Solo travellers
- Moderate
Meet the Guide with No Flags – Furkan Emre
English · Spanish · Turkish (native)
Archaeology
Byzantine
Islamic
Why this guide fits
Works in Mediterranean & Lycia
More about this guide
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Meet the Guide with No Flags – Furkan Emre
English · Spanish · Turkish (native)
Archaeology Byzantine Islamic
Why this guide fits
Works in Mediterranean & Lycia
Took a four-year guiding degree taught entirely in English, specialising in ancient cities. Works without a raised flag, and describes guiding as talking about a book you're in love with.
Tour Guidance at Balıkesir University, specialising in Ancient Cities
- Families
- Solo travellers
- Teenagers
- Moderate
Burak Plakay: Istanbul Guide with a Sharp Mind
English · Turkish (native)
Architecture
Neighbourhoods
Ottoman
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
More about this guide
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Burak Plakay: Istanbul Guide with a Sharp Mind
English · Turkish (native)
Architecture Neighbourhoods Ottoman
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
His licence covers the Marmara region only, and he treats that as the point: depth over breadth, down to the tea gardens and the stories behind street names. Guests have invited him to their weddings.
- Families
- Solo travellers
- Moderate
Walk the City with Uğur Kayhan: English-Speaking Pro, Real Stories
English · Russian (intermediate) · Turkish (native)
Food & culinary
Neighbourhoods
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
More about this guide
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Walk the City with Uğur Kayhan: English-Speaking Pro, Real Stories
English · Russian (intermediate) · Turkish (native)
Food & culinary Neighbourhoods
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
The guide to ask for when someone in the party uses a wheelchair. He says plainly that he will push it, and means it. Started at sixteen selling shoes in the Grand Bazaar.
Tourism Guidance at Mersin University, with an Erasmus semester in Latvia
- Families
- Seniors
- Solo travellers
- Gentle
Hatice Kelek — Your Mindful Tour Guide to Ephesus
English · Portuguese · Spanish · Turkish (native)
Archaeology
Food & culinary
Islamic
Why this guide fits
Works in Ephesus & İzmir
More about this guide
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Hatice Kelek — Your Mindful Tour Guide to Ephesus
English · Portuguese · Spanish · Turkish (native)
Archaeology Food & culinary Islamic
Why this guide fits
Works in Ephesus & İzmir
A certified yoga instructor who builds unhurried days with real rest points, which matters on Ephesus marble in August. The only guide here who works in Portuguese.
at Ege University
- Families
- Seniors
- Solo travellers
- Gentle
Selim Özyürek – The Heart of Cappadocia in Human Form
English · Turkish (native)
Architecture
Cats
Food & culinary
Why this guide fits
Works in Cappadocia
More about this guide
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Selim Özyürek – The Heart of Cappadocia in Human Form
English · Turkish (native)
Architecture Cats Food & culinary
Why this guide fits
Works in Cappadocia
Carries a tablet of visuals he made himself, from geology diagrams to animated iconography to archive photographs of the valleys, so you watch the fairy chimneys form rather than hear about it.
Tourism at Mersin University
- Families
- Solo travellers
- Active
Meet Özgür Varol – Star Guide in Ephesus
English · Turkish (native)
Archaeology
Byzantine
Greek Orthodox
Why this guide fits
Works in Ephesus & İzmir
More about this guide
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Meet Özgür Varol – Star Guide in Ephesus
English · Turkish (native)
Archaeology Byzantine Greek Orthodox
Why this guide fits
Works in Ephesus & İzmir
Raised a short walk from the Ephesus ruins, and can read the inscriptions at the Prytaneion. Links Ephesus to Priene, Miletus and Didyma so the Ionian coast arrives as one story.
Travel Management and Tourism Guidance at Adnan Menderes University
- Academics
- Families
- Solo travellers
- Teenagers
- Moderate
Ezgi Tilki – Licensed, Lively, Local Tour Guide in Istanbul
English · Turkish (native)
Food & culinary
Islamic
Neighbourhoods
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
More about this guide
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Ezgi Tilki – Licensed, Lively, Local Tour Guide in Istanbul
English · Turkish (native)
Food & culinary Islamic Neighbourhoods
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
One of the few here whose licence covers all seven regions, so she can stay with you from Istanbul to Cappadocia to the coast. Still cheerful at the end of a long day.
- Families
- Seniors
- Solo travellers
- Teenagers
- Moderate
Enis Aköz: Francophone Private Guide in Istanbul
English · French · Turkish (native)
Bosphorus & maritime
Food & culinary
Jewish heritage
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
More about this guide
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Enis Aköz: Francophone Private Guide in Istanbul
English · French · Turkish (native)
Bosphorus & maritime Food & culinary Jewish heritage
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
Five generations of his family have lived in Istanbul, and he guides it in French with the precision a Galatasaray schooling leaves behind. He also translates books.
at Galatasaray High School
- Couples
- Seniors
- Solo travellers
- Gentle
Zeynep Karakasoglu – Tour Guide Beyond the Headlines
English (native — us) · Turkish (native)
Archaeology
Architecture
Byzantine
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
More about this guide
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Zeynep Karakasoglu – Tour Guide Beyond the Headlines
English (native — us) · Turkish (native)
Archaeology Architecture Byzantine
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
Reported on Turkey for the Washington Post for eight years before taking the licence. Raised near Chicago by Turkish parents, so she knows what needs explaining and what doesn't.
History
- Academics
- Corporate & diplomatic
- Families
- Solo travellers
- Moderate
Defne Erdoğan: Licensed French-Speaking Tour Guide in Istanbul
English · French (working language) · Turkish (native)
Bosphorus & maritime
Byzantine
Food & culinary
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
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Defne Erdoğan: Licensed French-Speaking Tour Guide in Istanbul
English · French (working language) · Turkish (native)
Bosphorus & maritime Byzantine Food & culinary
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
A francophone guide with real nuance rather than fluency alone, and in Istanbul since 2000. Fethi vetted her himself after another guide on the team put her name forward.
French Literature, then a master's in Tourist Guiding
- Couples
- Families
- Solo travellers
- Moderate
Esra Koçak: Meet The Warmest Licensed Guide In Istanbul
Licensed guide since 2022
English · Turkish (native)
Bosphorus & maritime
Byzantine
Islamic
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
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Esra Koçak: Meet The Warmest Licensed Guide In Istanbul
Licensed guide since 2022
English · Turkish (native)
Bosphorus & maritime Byzantine Islamic
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
Worked up through hotels before taking the licence: waitressing, front desk, reservations, then a year with Hyatt in New Orleans. It shows in how quickly she reads what a group needs.
at Nevşehir University
- Corporate & diplomatic
- Families
- Solo travellers
- Gentle
Tolga Bensan: The Gentleman Guide of The Other Tour
English · Turkish (native)
Armenian heritage
Byzantine
Greek Orthodox
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
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Tolga Bensan: The Gentleman Guide of The Other Tour
English · Turkish (native)
Armenian heritage Byzantine Greek Orthodox
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
Kadıköy born, licensed nationwide, and unusually easy to spend a long day with. He is the grandson of a Turkish consul general, and it shows in the manners.
- Couples
- Families
- Solo travellers
- Moderate
Kağan Özşakacı: Lead Private Guide for Antalya
Licensed guide since 2020
English · Turkish (native)
Archaeology
Architecture
Mythology
Why this guide fits
Works in Antalya
More about this guide
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Kağan Özşakacı: Lead Private Guide for Antalya
Licensed guide since 2020
English · Turkish (native)
Archaeology Architecture Mythology
Why this guide fits
Works in Antalya
Antalya born, and came to guiding through years in hotel operations, so when a road closes he is already three steps ahead. Greek mythology and Alexander are his ground.
Tourist Guidance at Akdeniz University
- Academics
- Families
- Solo travellers
- Moderate
Deniz Karagözoğlu — Excellent Guiding in Istanbul
English (native) · Turkish (native)
Archaeology
Bosphorus & maritime
Neighbourhoods
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
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Deniz Karagözoğlu — Excellent Guiding in Istanbul
English (native) · Turkish (native)
Archaeology Bosphorus & maritime Neighbourhoods
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
London-born and dual-national, so his English is native rather than excellent. He'll move from Byzantine wall-building to last weekend's derby and make both feel like the same conversation.
Tour Guiding at Anadolu University, and now Tourism Management
- Corporate & diplomatic
- Couples
- Families
- Solo travellers
- Moderate
Gülșah Şenol : Expert Spanish Guide Across Marmara
English · Spanish · Turkish (native)
Architecture
Byzantine
Food & culinary
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
More about this guide
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Gülșah Şenol : Expert Spanish Guide Across Marmara
English · Spanish · Turkish (native)
Architecture Byzantine Food & culinary
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
Guides the whole Marmara region in English or Spanish: Istanbul, Bursa, Edirne, Gallipoli. Paces a day like the writer she is, with a photographer's eye for where to stop.
- Families
- Solo travellers
- Moderate
Anıl Yılmaz: The Youthful Energetic Guide of The Other Tour
English · Turkish (native)
Cats
Neighbourhoods
Photography
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
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Anıl Yılmaz: The Youthful Energetic Guide of The Other Tour
English · Turkish (native)
Cats Neighbourhoods Photography
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
Istanbul born and raised, and the guide guests most often describe as feeling like a friend who happens to know everything. Runs the cat tour and the Kadıköy street-art walk.
Tourism Guidance at Anadolu University
- Families
- Solo travellers
- Teenagers
- Moderate
Meet Albert Eli: Expert Private Tour Guide in Turkiye
English · Spanish (fluent) · Turkish (native)
Food & culinary
Jewish heritage
Neighbourhoods
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
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Meet Albert Eli: Expert Private Tour Guide in Turkiye
English · Spanish (fluent) · Turkish (native)
Food & culinary Jewish heritage Neighbourhoods
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
Grew up in Istanbul's Jewish community and guides inside the Ahrida and Yanbol synagogues, heritage he belongs to rather than researched. Owns six guitars and firm opinions about meze.
at the Private Ulus Jewish High School, then at Gelişim University
- Families
- Solo travellers
- Gentle
Dr. Ismail Gunduz: Expert Scholar-Guide in Ephesus
English · Turkish (native)
Archaeology
Food & culinary
Greek Orthodox
Why this guide fits
Works in Ephesus & İzmir
More about this guide
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Dr. Ismail Gunduz: Expert Scholar-Guide in Ephesus
English · Turkish (native)
Archaeology Food & culinary Greek Orthodox
Why this guide fits
Works in Ephesus & İzmir
A certified specialist in the Seven Churches of Revelation, which makes him the guide for biblical itineraries through the Aegean. He also knows exactly where to eat afterwards.
Travel Management, then a master's and a doctorate in Tourism Management
- Academics
- Families
- Seniors
- Gentle
Samet Köytepe: French Speaking Tour Guide in Central Anatolia
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Samet Köytepe: French Speaking Tour Guide in Central Anatolia
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Orcun Kamit – Master Tour Guide of Istanbul’s Old Town
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Orcun Kamit – Master Tour Guide of Istanbul’s Old Town
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Batuhan Cataltepe: Archival Storytelling Expert Guide in Istanbul
English
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
More about this guide
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Batuhan Cataltepe: Archival Storytelling Expert Guide in Istanbul
English
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
Gülsen Rüstemli – Expert Russian Speaking Female Guide
Food & culinary
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
More about this guide
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Gülsen Rüstemli – Expert Russian Speaking Female Guide
Food & culinary
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
New
Buket Kıcır: The Guide Interpreting the Living History of Istanbul
English
Archaeology
Architecture
Byzantine
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
From €346 / day
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Buket Kıcır: The Guide Interpreting the Living History of Istanbul
English
Archaeology Architecture Byzantine
Why this guide fits
Works in Istanbul
From €346 / day
More about this guide Show less- Academics
- Corporate & diplomatic
- Couples
- Seniors
- Solo travellers
- Active
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