The Other Tour Reviews: What Guests Say on Google and TripAdvisor
The Other Tour is rated 5.0 on Google across 145 reviews, and 4.8 on TripAdvisor across 560 more. We have run private tours in Istanbul since 2011 under TÜRSAB licence #7651. Every quote below is word for word from a public review, and both full sets are one tap away.
145 reviews on Google, rated 5.0560 reviews on TripAdvisor, rated 4.8licensed operator, TÜRSAB #7651private tours since 2011Where the Reviews Come From
We ask every guest for a review after their tour, and that is where our part ends. The reviews sit on Google and TripAdvisor. We can reply to them there, but we cannot change a word anyone wrote.
You can open the Google listing or the TripAdvisor profile and read all of them yourself.
How to check these numbers. The 145 reviews rated 5.0 are Google’s figures for our listing, checked on 30 August 2026; the 560 rated 4.8 are TripAdvisor’s, checked on 26 August 2026. Neither is ours to edit. The 55 guides are the ones listed in our guide directory. When a number changes, we change it here.
What Guests Say About The Other Tour
These are the questions travellers ask us most before they book, answered in guests’ own words.
Is a Private Tour Worth It?
From the very first step, the Other Tour in Istanbul cracked open the city’s soul in ways no guidebook ever could.
John D Hanson, on Google
Our Other Tour experience was refreshing, out of the box, engaging and unique. Fethi puts his heart into his work.
Nicole Gaumont, on Google
The Other Tour is very much a counter tour that avoids the standard tourist sites and the standard approach of herding tourists with the occasional pointing and a few humorous remarks.
A professor, on TripAdvisor
Are the Guides Actually Good?
Guests tend to write about the person who spent the day with them, not the company behind it.
Not only does Monti know everything about the common tourist sites, but he can take you to many hidden gems. He’s personable with a great sense of humor.
Scott C. Hurley, on Google
History was punctuated with humour, facts were refreshed with an edge.
Jack, on TripAdvisor
Is It Different From an Ordinary City Tour?
Most guests who book have already tried a standard city tour somewhere and did not want that again.
A travel agenda which gave a totally different vibe than the Sultanamet area! To really see and Feel Istanbul one must go to “the other side”!!
David Vite, on Google
So. Much. Fun. We had the best time on our long layover exploring Istanbul by night with Ömer.
PAulo Sosa, on Google
You wouldn’t believe how much there is to learn about a culture and especially how much stays in your head about a city when it’s nicely packed and told.
TripAdvisor review
Does It Work for Families and Kids?
Families are a large part of what we do, and the pace is always set by the youngest person in the group, not by the itinerary.
This was the best tour we’ve had in a long time! They totally customized the tour to our family and needs.
K Forte, on Google
we were ecstatic to find that we were joined by two easy new friends to spend the day with
TripAdvisor review
How Private and Flexible Is It, Really?
I’ve used “The Other Tour” agency twice as a solo female traveler in Istanbul, once in August and again in March. Both experiences were amazing.
Amanda Mirus, on Google
I booked a tour with The Other Tour to Ephesus and Mary’s house and although it was last minute, Fethi was very communicative and I had already selected Hatice as I knew she would be my perfect guide.
Caroline Amer, on Google
So there’s not really an itinerary, everything is flexible. The itinerary is what you want to see, what you want to feel, what you want to share with them.
Lili, on TripAdvisor
What About Accessibility?
In August 2026 we spent two days with the Berteletti family. The second was planned around a wheelchair: a private vehicle, step-free stops on the Asian side, and a guide who had worked with wheelchair users before.
Our guide Deniz Karagözoğlu wrote up the full account: an accessible day on Istanbul’s Asian side. If accessibility matters for your trip, write to us with the details and you will get a specific answer.
Full Guest Stories
Some guests wrote whole stories about their day, and we published them in full.
Ask for a guide by name
The Guides Guests Write About
The names that come up again and again in these reviews belong to the 55 licensed guides we work with. You can ask for any of them by name when you write to us.
Want to choose your guide before you book? Meet five of our Istanbul tour guides and pick the one who fits the day you have in mind.
Questions About These Reviews
Is The Other Tour worth it?
That depends on how you travel. The guests who keep writing reviews are the ones who wanted Istanbul explained by people who live in it, not a checklist of sights read out loud. If that is you, the quotes on this page are the honest evidence, and each one links to its original review so you can judge the full version yourself.
Are The Other Tour reviews genuine?
Yes. Every quote on this page is word for word from a public review on our Google listing or TripAdvisor profile, where the platform owns the text. We can reply to reviews there, but we cannot write, edit, or remove one.
How many reviews does The Other Tour have?
145 on the Google listing rated 5.0 (as of 30 August 2026), and 560 on the TripAdvisor profile rated 4.8 (as of 26 August 2026).
How do I choose my guide, and can I compare them?
Most reviews name the guide who ran the day, and you can ask for that guide when you book. The guide directory lists all 55 licensed guides and filters them by language, region, theme and pace; five are introduced in detail. Or describe your group and we will suggest the right person.
Do the guides speak my language?
Every guide’s languages are listed on their profile, and the directory filters by language. If yours is not there, write to us anyway and we will tell you honestly whether we can cover it.
Can the day work around a wheelchair or limited mobility?
It has. In August 2026 we planned a day around a wheelchair for the Berteletti family: a private vehicle, step-free stops on the Asian side, and a guide who had worked with wheelchair users before. The full account is published. Tell us the specifics of your situation and you will get specific answers, not a general reassurance.
I travel alone. Is a private day awkward on my own?
One of the reviews quoted above began exactly there: a solo guest, “a bit skeptical at first” about being the only person on the day, whose review is titled “The highlight of my year”. The day is shaped around the people who are actually on it, and one curious person is a shape we know well.
Does The Other Tour ask guests to write reviews?
Yes, once, after the day is over. We do not offer anything in exchange and we do not ask to see a review before it goes up.
Book the Day These Reviews Describe
If you have read enough, tell us when you are in Istanbul, who is coming, and what you already know you do not want to do. A real person writes back, not a template.
You will hear back within a day with a plan and the name of the guide who would run your day. If you are not ready yet, the 145 reviews on Google and the 560 on TripAdvisor are still there.
Tell us your dates. We reply within a day.
