Need the most fun, knowledgeable, and genuinely caring guide for your 2026 Istanbul adventure? Meet Ömer Çelik — our lead guide, the person so many guests now credit as the reason Istanbul became their favorite city.
Table of Contents
Introduction: Guided by Passion
Istanbul isn’t a city you just “see.” It’s a city you feel.
From the shadows of the Hippodrome and the mosaics of Hagia Sophia, to the color-soaked streets of Balat & Fener, the sleek lines of Istanbul Modern, and the cigarette smoke curling above a Bosphorus-side tea glass—this city insists on being experienced with all senses.
To guide in a place like this, you need more than a badge. You need someone who:
Understands its Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman, and modern layers
Moves comfortably between mosques, bars, churches, synagogues, and stadiums
Can talk about Anatolian archaeology and then help you choose the right cocktail
Makes everyone from kids to CEOs feel at home
That’s why Ömer Çelik has become the beating heart of The Other Tour.
In 2025, as our lead guide, Ömer helped us deliver an incredible season of all 5-star reviews across Google, TripAdvisor and beyond — not through scripts or clichés, but through genuine connection, humor, and seriously deep knowledge.
In 2026, he’s back to do it all again.
From Sivas to the World: A Journey of Curiosity
Ömer’s story begins in Sivas, a city where Anatolian history is part of the everyday landscape. Growing up there, he absorbed the textures of Central Anatolia—its stories, its silences, its layered identities.
He studied Tourist Guidance at Erzincan University, where he learned the practical and theoretical sides of leading tours: interpretation, communication, and guiding ethics. But his curiosity refused to stay put.
Through Erasmus in Germany, he lived abroad, confronted new perspectives, and learned how to connect with people from all over the world. That’s why today he can switch effortlessly from explaining Ottoman urban planning to joking with an Australian backpacker or discussing poetry with an American professor over Turkish coffee.
Scholar & Storyteller: The Art of Interpretation
Alongside guiding, Ömer is studying Art History at Sivas Cumhuriyet University, building strong foundations in:
His tours are shaped by a deep interest in the Jewish, Armenian, and Greek Orthodox (Rum) heritage of Istanbul. When he walks guests through Balat & Fener, he’s not just pointing out pretty facades; he’s tracing centuries of life—churches, synagogues, schools, migrations, and stories often missing from mainstream tours.
He loves to say:
“Art and history are conversations across time. My job is to help you hear them clearly — and feel like you’re part of that conversation.”
So whether he’s guiding you through the Basilica Cistern, mapping out the Roman forums beneath today’s streets, or framing the Conquest of Constantinople from multiple perspectives, he’s always connecting dots between the past and the present.
Ömer is almost permanently in “R&D mode.” In his spare time, he joins the tours of senior guides across Istanbul and the rest of Turkey to sharpen his craft, constantly watching, listening, and refining his own guiding style. He devours books on antiquity, the Romans and Persians, the Seljuks and Ottomans, Egyptian and Jewish heritage, as well as modern geopolitics – with Jean-Pierre Vernant, Ahmet Faik Özbilge, Sevan Nişanyan, and Yuval Noah Harari among his favorite authors. Much of that hard-earned knowledge finds its way onto our blog, where Ömer has become one of our most prolific and insightful writers.
Most recently, he embarked on an intensive training journey along Turkey’s Aegean coast, immersing himself in Ionian, Carian, Hellenistic, Roman, and Anatolian Luwian heritage. In 2025 alone, he has led numerous tours to the ancient city of Troy for our guests – and the feedback has been unanimously enthusiastic.
2025 in Review: A Five-Star Year
2025 wasn’t just “a big year” for The Other Tour — it was a living proof of what’s possible when the right guide meets the right city and the right guests.
Over twelve packed months, Ömer guided guests:
Along the Full Extent of the Bosphorus, riding local ferries from the old walls up toward Yoros Castle, hopping off in sleepy neighborhoods and lively seaside districts.
Through our Roman Era Istanbul Tour, where the Hippodrome becomes a stadium again, the ruins beneath Sultanahmet come alive, and the Basilica Cistern becomes more than just a photo-stop — it becomes a story about engineering, religion, and power.
Across Istanbul’s Asian Side, from the village-like calm of Kuzguncuk to the buzzing streets of Kadıköy, where lunch might turn into a mini food tour and a casual stroll might turn into conversations with shopkeepers and café owners.
On Bosphorus cruises that included not just views, but context: villages, palaces, fortresses, bridges, and the day-to-day life of the shoreline.
To Princes’ Islands, where time slows, the air feels different, and the noise of the city fades into cicadas and bicycle bells.
Through Beyoğlu, weaving between art exhibitions, corners near Istanbul Modern, backstreets with street art, live-music bars, and rooftop vantage points.
Some days started with Hagia Sophia and ended with cocktails overlooking the Seven Hills Restaurant view, the city’s skyline glowing in every direction.
Other days began as “just a layover tour” and turned into midnight dancing in local bars, mussels with lemon on the street, and stories guests still message us about months later.
Our Clientele
We hosted people from all over the world:
Families marking milestone birthdays
Honeymooners, including an American Ivy League poetry professor and partner
Multi-generational families from the US, Europe, India, Australia and beyond
CEOs and young professionals between big meetings
Artists, poets, architects, and history buffs
Solo female travelers taking their first ever private tour
Football fans who wanted to feel the roar of the stadium from inside the stands
“Regular Joes” who didn’t think they liked tours… until they met Ömer
What tied the year together was not a single itinerary, but a consistent experience:
guests stepping off the tour feeling both more informed and more emotionally connected to Istanbul.
Why Travelers Adore Him: The Ömer Effect
Ömer doesn’t “perform” as a guide; he shows up as a human being.
He reads the group quickly:
Do they want depth and debate? More food and laughter? Quiet moments in sacred spaces? A bit of everything?
He never forces a script. Instead, he builds a day that feels organic, genuine, and tailored.
Guests routinely mention:
His ability to explain complex history in accessible language
His patience with endless questions (especially from kids and history nerds)
His sense of humor and easygoing warmth
His habit of staying in touch during the whole stay — restaurant tips, safety advice, neighborhood suggestions
The way he makes Istanbul feel less intimidating and more like a city of friends
As one guest said,
“With Ömer, you feel like you’re exploring the city with a friend who just happens to know everything.”
That’s the Ömer Effect:
You don’t just learn; you relax, laugh, and feel deeply welcome.
A Guide with Range: From Professors to Nightlife Lovers
Ömer’s range is one of the reasons we trust him with such a variety of guests and itineraries.
He has:
- Guided Roman Era Istanbul Tours, reconstructing forums, cisterns, and lost streets beneath today’s city.
- Led Conquest of Constantinople walks, balancing multiple narratives and touching on military history, urban transformation, and religious shifts.
- Hosted Full Extent of the Bosphorus days: ferries, hilltop views, fortresses like Yoros Castle, and villages many visitors never hear about.
- Explored Istanbul’s Asian Side, from Kuzguncuk’s village feel to the chaos of Kadıköy, often turning them into informal culinary tours.
- Joined guests at art exhibitions and Istanbul Modern, connecting today’s contemporary art to the city’s ancient layers.
- Brought nightlife lovers into Beyoğlu, curating evenings of cocktails, live music, and late-night bites.
- Taken football fans into the full match-day experience — chants, scarves, street food, and all.
- Helped guests explore Princes’ Islands and even led private trips back to Sivas and the Aegean Region, connecting them to the wider geography of Türkiye he knows so well.
On top of the guiding, he also writes blog posts on our website, sharing reflections on Istanbul, Anatolia, heritage, and travel philosophy. For guests who want to go deeper before or after their trip, his writing is a quiet extension of his tours.
From CEOs to backpackers, professors to party people, toddlers to octogenarians — Ömer somehow finds the right tempo, tone, and texture for each group.
The Other Tour in 2026: Authenticity at Its Best
In 2026, The Other Tour is doubling down on what works:
Honesty over polish
Conversations over monologues
Human connection over checklist tourism
As our Lead Guide, Ömer is right at the core of this.
Whether your day with him takes you to Sultanahmet and Hagia Sophia, the Basilica Cistern, the backstreets of Balat & Fener, the calm streets of Kuzguncuk, the terraces with panoramic views near Seven Hills, or out of town to Sivas or the Aegean coast, you’ll feel the same undercurrent:
You’re not just ticking off sights — you’re building a relationship with a city.
Conclusion: Join the Adventure
In a city as layered as Istanbul, the right guide doesn’t just show you the highlights; they change the way you remember the whole journey.
With his mix of academic depth, lived experience, warmth, humor, and genuine care, Ömer Çelik turned our 2025 season into a wall of five-star stories.
Now it’s your turn to write the next one.
“History isn’t just what happened — it’s how we experience it together.”
— Ömer Çelik
Book Ömer Çelik Right Now
Exploring Istanbul with Ömer is a pleasure and a great education about our culture and history. Get in touch with us to see if he’s available.
My favorite guide already! 🙂
Yes, he’ll be your guide in your guided tour of Istanbul’s old town. And he will take us all to the football the next day 🙂
We had a wonderful day with Ömer! He was fantastic – incredibly informative, perfectly organized, and made the whole tour a joy. I absolutely loved it. I’ll be recommending your company to my friends, and if anyone is interested in the Armenian tour or any of your other experiences, I’ll be sure to send them your way.
Thank you again!
Thanks Stephanie. Your kind words mean a lot to our team. Ömer really is a special guy and we couldn’t be more thankful that we have him spearheading our team!