Istanbul Old City Highlights and Hidden Gems Tour

We had an absolutely wonderful experience with Eylem as our tour guide in Istanbul. From the very beginning, she was incredibly knowledgeable, warm, and accommodating—but what truly set her apart was how genuinely caring and flexible she was. On the morning of our tour, our daughter became sick, and Eylem immediately reworked the entire plan without hesitation. She thoughtfully slowed the pace, adjusted the itinerary, and made sure we visited one site at a time so our daughter could stay comfortable and enjoy the experience. Her empathy and professionalism in that moment meant the world to us. Beyond that, her deep knowledge of Istanbul’s history, culture, and hidden details brought every site to life. She struck the perfect balance between informative and engaging, and we never once felt rushed or stressed. This was one of those rare travel experiences where you feel truly looked after. We are 100% looking forward to booking with Eylem again on our next visit to Istanbul and would recommend her without hesitation to anyone traveling with family, especially those who value flexibility, kindness, and an exceptional guide. Thank you, Eylem, for making our trip so memorable!

Because it was our first time in Istanbul, Turkey, we had no concept of this ancient and great city. Luckily we met Elyem, who was knowledgeable, well prepared and very patient. It left a lot of good memories of our trip. Thank you.

Eylem Yalcinkaya is a brilliant gem of a tour guide. Recommended to us by a friend, she responded quickly and clearly to an inquiry and within a few days sent us an itinerary with costs. She kept in touch when we arrived in Istanbul. The tour itself was excellent. She met our small group and spent the day with us. She quickly understood who we are and morphed the day to meet our curiosities and energy levels. Certainly it was great to skip the lines at the main tour sites but even better was the insights and deep understanding Eylem was able to impart on us as we immersed ourselves into the rich historical landscape of Istanbul.

Eylem is an amazing guide and is the best I have ever had in over 85 countries she is warm, kind and knows so much about Turkish history and culture. Book her immediately if you can. She is great and uses photo aids and other tools to make sure you really appreciate this amazing city

Eylem is absolutely amazing… she is knowledgeable, fun, and very flexible. My friends and I really enjoy the Istanbul tour and can’t wait to go back to see the rest of the city and explore more with Eylem. She went above and beyond to make sure we enjoy our tour and see as many places as possible in the short time we had. THANK YOU

We spent two wonderful days with Eylem in Istanbul. It was money well spent. She has a great grasp of relevant historical information and skillfully tailor’s it to her guests needs and wants. She provided well organized days of activities at the depth we were looking for. She is flexible and quick to adjust plans. She met up with us at our hotel and delivered us back at the end of the day, teaching us how to navigate public transit, local neighborhoods, and beyond. Did I mention shopping? So helpful. Highly recommended!

We had the most incredible time with Elyem. It was like an old friend bringing us around the city. She was so knowledgeable, kind, and tailored the entire experience to exactly what we wanted. We walked everywhere, and she even brought us to amazing artisan stores where we bought gorgeous, authentic Turkish goods. If you’re in Istanbul, you MUST go with her!

Eylem is a wonderful tour guide! Our day was fun, informative and she took great care to ensure we were comfortable, well fed and spent the perfect amount of time at each site ❤️

Eylem was an incredible guide. She was knowledgeable, friendly and flexible in adapting the tour to meet our needs. We spent a full day touring the beautiful historic sites of Istanbul and learned so much from her. I can’t recommend her tour highly enough—best use of your time and money well spent!

Istanbul is a beautiful city grounded in deep culture. My wife and I saw many historical buildings, palaces, churches and mosques. All were beautiful with opulence and luxury. Most important, we had the best guide showing us around. Eylem, is very knowledgeable about all the touristic sites. She took the time to explain the historical significance of each building including the architecture and the art work. She is very friendly and accommodating and made us feel at ease with no schedule pressure. She also knows the best restaurants in town which is a huge plus for a visitor. I strongly recommend the tour and highly recommend Eylem as a tour guide.,