Table of Contents
Welcome to The Other Tour, where the beaten path is left behind and the unexpected awaits.
Our tours are carefully crafted to take you off the tourist trail and into the heart of the city, where you’ll discover hidden gems, taste delicious local cuisine, and meet the people who make Istanbul such a vibrant and diverse place.
The Service We Provide
Travel Deeper. Travel Honestly. Travel With People Who Care.
The Other Tour is not a checklist tour company.
We are a collective of passionate professional guides, storytellers, researchers, and cultural mediators who believe that travel should feel personal, intelligent, immersive, and alive.
Founded in Istanbul, we began by challenging the conventional idea of what a “tour” is supposed to look like. Over time, that philosophy grew into something much larger: a boutique travel agency designing deeply human experiences across Istanbul and throughout Turkey.
If you’re looking for someone to rush you from monument to monument, we may not be your match.
If you want to understand where you are — historically, culturally, emotionally — welcome.
What We Actually Do
We design private, highly customized experiences in:
Istanbul (our home, our playground, our expertise)
Cappadocia
Ephesus & the Aegean
Pamukkale
Antalya & the Mediterranean coast
Southeastern Anatolia
And anywhere else curiosity leads you in Turkey
Every itinerary is built around the people traveling — not the other way around.
We create:
Private cultural tours
Off-the-beaten-path explorations
Multi-day city immersions
15+ day cross-country journeys
Family-focused itineraries
Accessible and wheelchair-friendly programs
Female-led tours upon request
Academic and intellectually driven visits
Food-focused and neighborhood-driven experiences
Football match experiences with full Pasolig handling
Chess meetups and local intellectual encounters
Luxury custom days with seamless logistics
From airport transfers to impossible-to-book match tickets, from hidden bazaars in Kadıköy to Bosphorus boat improvisations — we handle the details so you can live the moment.
Istanbul — Beyond Myth, Beyond Postcard
Yes, we guide in Hagia Sophia, Topkapı Palace, the Basilica Cistern, and the Blue Mosque.
But we also:
Wander residential districts where daily life unfolds naturally
Step into artisan workshops
Explore city walls most visitors never see
Visit local markets where no one is trying to sell you souvenirs
Cross continents by ferry and talk philosophy along the way
One recent guest described it best:
“We explored Istanbul through the eyes of a local. We could not have seen and experienced as much of this beautiful city on our own in such a short few days without them.”
— Renee C.
Another wrote:
“It’s called The Other Tour for a reason — we saw places no other guide would show.”
— Daniela Álvarez
That’s the point.
Accessibility Is Not an Afterthought
When Jeff contacted us shortly before arrival because his wife had broken two toes, all their walking tours had to be cancelled.
We organized:
A wheelchair
Accessible routes
Adapted pacing
Seamless entry to major sites
And even an impromptu Bosphorus boat experience
He later wrote:
“Highly recommended for a custom luxury tour in Istanbul.”
We believe culture should be accessible. Period.
Our wheelchair-friendly tours are thoughtfully designed — not improvised on the spot.
Football, Culture & Real Local Life
Booking football tickets in Turkey can be chaotic.
We handle the Pasolig system, ticket logistics, ferry crossings, and pre-match culture — so you can focus on the atmosphere.
One guest put it bluntly:
“These guys are the best people in Istanbul. They made a terribly complicated process look effortless.”
Football nights with us don’t end at the stadium. They begin in local neighborhoods, over beers, conversations, and spontaneous human connections.
Families, Scholars, Curious Minds
Traveling with children?
We design days that keep parents engaged and kids energized.
Architecture student?
We tailor routes through urban layers and design contrasts.
Interested in philosophy, religion, geopolitics, Ottoman history, minority communities, or everyday sociology?
We go there.
We’re comfortable discussing Alan Watts as easily as Byzantine vaulting techniques.
One guest recently wrote:
“He planned every second of the day… enthusiastic, attentive, energetic… It felt like a shared experience.”
That’s intentional.
Our Team
We are not a one-guide operation.
We are a team of licensed professionals:
Cultural historians
Multilingual guides
Female guides available upon request
Experts in different neighborhoods and specialties
Football insiders
Academic-minded storytellers
Local connectors
Each guide brings personality, humor, depth, and empathy.
As one guest said:
“Extremely good knowledge, enthusiasm, and a great sense of humor.”
We don’t script personality. We hire character.
What Makes Us Different
We do not separate logistics from meaning.
We believe:
Travel should be interactive.
Questions matter more than speeches.
Humor belongs in history.
Curiosity beats speed.
Connection beats consumption.
We create environments where guests feel comfortable speaking, asking, disagreeing, and engaging.
This is not passive tourism.
It’s participation.
What We Expect From You
We don’t require expertise.
But we do ask for:
Curiosity
Openness
Respect
A willingness to engage
A sense of humor
You don’t have to know everything.
You just have to be present.
2026 and Beyond
Turkey is complex.
Istanbul is layered.
Travel is changing.
People want:
Depth instead of noise
Flexibility instead of rigid programs
Access instead of performance
Authenticity instead of choreography
That is exactly where we stand.
We organize fully private, deeply customized tours across the entire country.
From a half-day hidden Istanbul walk
to a 15-day Turkey Trailblazer journey
to a luxury accessible day with adaptive planning
to a football night in Kadıköy
to a family-focused immersion
to a female-led cultural deep dive
We build experiences around humans — not templates.
If You’re Looking For:
IF you’re looking for something special.
A tour that feels like spending time with a knowledgeable friend
A team that handles complexity effortlessly
Guides who combine scholarship with humor
Access beyond the obvious
A company that cares about inclusion
A personalized journey anywhere in Turkey
You’ve found us.
Reviews
And don’t just take our word for it – our guests rave about their experiences with us, calling The Other Tour a ‘truly unique experience‘, ‘a real eye-opener‘, and ‘110% interactive‘. So why not join us and discover the magic of Istanbul for yourself? We can’t wait to show you the other side of this incredible city.
This is not a typical tour. The Other Tour suggests a deeper look into the places we visit. A chance to truly experience and gain precious insights..
The Other Tour is designed to discover Istanbul in the most honest and entertaining way possible. We do that with a unique perspective and a beautifully crafted itinerary that allows us to ‘really be a part of Istanbul’ by immersing ourselves into the lives of the locals and their traditions. We try hard not to compromise the qualities that make The Other Tour exceptional, which is a formula we believe consists of love, curiosity, honesty, courage, intelligence and willingness to break boundaries and shatter stereotypes.
The Other Tour is also all about laughter and fun. We believe in humour and we always pay attention to create an environment in which all tour participants could express themselves as freely and comfortably as possible.
Please consider joining us in this special adventure only if you are (or ready to pretend to be) fun, curious, adventurous and open-minded.
