Fethi Karatas
Cultural tours provide enjoyable experiences through more meaningful connections with local people, and a greater understanding of the local issues. And Istanbul culture tours have exciting options for the avid traveler.
Typical city tours are not preferred as much as they used to. For the traveler, internet made everything so much easier. Both research for the right thing and booking as soon as you find it, has become child’s play.
But it also revealed that most of the stuff out there is all the same. And this is true especially for city tours. Well Istanbul has options for you.
BITINYA TOURS: OFF THE BEATEN TRACK
These guys have the charisma. They never really cared about their TripAdvisor ranking because they have the word of mouth going for them. We have had the utmost respect for this agency since day one. You can do wrong by booking their wonderful culture city immersive experience Off The Beaten Track Tour of Istanbul. It has a rich itinerary led by fantastic guides who get you in sync with Istanbul’s unique natural rhythm. Trust me, that’s no easy task! And they deliver almost every time. Highly recommended!
THE OTHER TOUR
There are endless ways to interact with the city of Istanbul. What The Other Tour offers on the other hand, is that you can get so much out of this gigantic living organism if you are ready to experience this 14 hour adventure into the soul of Istanbul.
The Other Tour is pretty engaging and one of the best istanbul cultural tours. Check out its 2020 itinerary here.
CIRCLE ISTANBUL
These guys are good. They offer a very fun itinerary that they execute with precision. Their tour is called Circle Istanbul Tours on Tuesdays, Thursday and Saturdays. The idea and style is similar to The Other Tour. So, may be perfect for those who don’t have Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays available.
MY LOCAL GUIDE ISTANBUL
Salih is the name the guide who founded and manages My Local Guide Istanbul. He has been doing a phenomenal job over the years. He helps his participants engage with the city from a much more cultural aspect than typical city tours. Providing a hands-on approach that allows the visitors to really, actually have a meaningful experience.
You wanna smoke hookah in local cafes after walking around amazing and untraveled neighborhoods of Istanbul, this guys will satisfy you.
TURKISH FLAVORS
This one comes for all the foodies making their way to Istanbul. Whether to learn Turkish way of cooking or just taking a culinary walking tour across the street markets, street vendors and little hidden gems of the city, Selin is the person to contact. We heard so much about how good their service is over the years…
She apperantly is a legend. She has the skills and an ocean of knowledge about her craft. We hope you like eating!
HOW ABOUT SELF GUIDED TOURS?
For interactive maps with the historic highlights pin-pointed, check out Big Boy Travel’s website here.
GpsMyCity.com has so much included in the iOS app “ City Maps and Walks (470+ Cities)” in iTunes and the Android app “Istanbul Map and Walks” in Google Play.
Also, here is Nat Geo’s interactive map that contains lots of cool info.
Guidebook author Tom Brosnahan has instructions on his website for an Istanbul Bazaars Walking Tour through the mazelike backstreets between the Grand Bazaar and Eminönü. Travel writer Pale Yale has written a number of pieces about exploring Istanbul’s little-known corners by foot; her thorough description of walking the land walls is particularly useful. BBC’s audio tour from Taksim Square to the Grand Bazaar – with a basic accompanying map – for download on its website. –TimeOut Istanbul
IstanbulEats also has wonderful suggestions and itineraries for culinary walks.
Turkish cuisine, like Turkey itself, channels cultural currents coming in from every direction, resulting in the delicious culinary chaos that is Istanbul.
And of course, the Blog with the domain IstanbulFreeWalkingTour.com
And one more: Atdaa’s post A Self Guided Tour of Ottoman Istanbul
But most importantly, the best istanbul culture tours are the ones that you spontaneously go on your own. That’s the style we embrace. Just hopping on a bus and ending up in a neighborhood you have no idea about. That’s when you’re in a new city. Especially a city like Istanbul.