Our guide Ozzy was... - Our guide Ozzy was amazing!! He was such an expert and knew how to get us around the fastest and most efficient way, waiting in no lines! His knowledge on not only the sites but the questions asked was impeccable. He made sure to spend time with everyone getting to know a little about them, you can tell he knows what he is doing. Not to mention his added expertise with the camera, made for some amazing photos throughout the day. It is a long day filled with lots of history and information but well worth it! We did this on our first day in town and I would highly suggest it as you get a little lay of the land and are aware of some of the Turkish history going in to the rest of your trip!

Amazing tour! - This tour was such an unforgettable experience all thanks to an incredible guide! My group and I (all friends from high school) had the absolute pleasure of being guided around Istanbul by Oguzhan, and it truly made our trip amazing. Oguzhan filled the tour with so much knowledge, fun, humor, and passion; truly being one of the best tour guides we have ever had. Oguzhan was incredibly well-informed and had a real talent for bringing places to life, painting vivid pictures of the past and present that made every stop feel so meaningful. Oguzhan also took the most incredible photos of our group that we will cherish forever. If you are considering this tour, we highly recommend; you will not be disappointed!

All the best of Istanbul - This was the best tour of Istanbul you could possibly ask for. Oz is an incredibly knowledgeable guide, so you're not only getting to bypass the queues (which can be very long) you are also getting an education in history and art throughout the day. If you want to see the primary sites in Istanbul, you should experience this tour. Even though I had been to these sites on a previous trip, this tour was so valuable for getting insight and knowledge I did not have before. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes and dress modestly as you are visiting religious sites.

Amazing experience - Excellent tour. We had a private tour guide because others cancelled and we had the fortune to have Ozzie as our tour guide who is 1 of 88 delegates for Instanbul tour guide association. He is very knowledgeable about history, art , culinary. Took us to a real historic restaurant too which was a highlight

Great tour, even better guide. - Oz is the best guide we have had in our many tours. Very educated with the history of Turkey, and other countries, and different languages. Very charming too…comes in handy!! Thoroughly recommend the tour.

Solo Greek traveler. - What a great day.Our guide Oguzhan was great a he took great care of us. I definitely recommend this tour for everyone that is looking for the history behind the magnificent city of Istanbul.

The City. The Love. The History - I have done many walking tours and will do many more. The problem will be for other tour guides to offer the same experience as Ozzy. From the moment the tour started until 9hrs later, the knowledge, warmth and openness to share his city was unsurpassed. I took my husband in a whistle stop tour when he was done walking one night and he could not believe the history I was able to share. This tour is the only tour as far as I am concerned

Amazing!!! - Ozzy was our guide and could not have been more delightful. He is full of incredible historical knowledge and kept the tour really fun. Highly recommend this tour!!

Fantastic guide, hands-down best value, very well organized. Just book it! - In short if you would like to hit all the main things to see int Istanbul's historic district in one day, and actually get an immersive history lesson in the process from someone who knows his stuff - book this tour without hesitation and request, if at all possible, Oguzhan Ceylan. If you read nothing further of the below, do this for yourself and I expect you will be thoroughly glad you did. Hands down Oguzhan (you can call him "Ozzy") was one of best tour guides with whom we had had the pleasure of dealing. Not sure if there is a way to request him specifically, but do try your best. He has a deep knowledge of the socio-political landscape of the region through the millennia, and regularly shares little anecdotes about the various periods of this city's rich history that truly help provide a colourful and robust imagery around each of the sites in the tour. It was easy to compare his delivery with that of other tour group leaders, because you can hear their commentary as they pass by throughout the day (there are many during this period as the season is really getting under way in late May) - and more often than not they were rather dry and droning deliveries that could easily cause one to disconnect - and eventually tune out (if one was close enough to even hear them). Having knowledge is one thing, being able to deliver it in a lively and engaging manner is another matter entirely - "Ozzy" has both - locked down. He also encourages everyone to ask as many questions as possible throughout this full-day tour (try and stump him - he likes the challenge), and is also happy to offer advice on any aspects of other upcoming travel plans you might have, as he also leads week-long (or longer) tours/ sojourns throughout the country. This tour company is extremely well organized (also providing each member of the group with wireless headsets so we could clearly hear commentary regardless of our proximity to, or the direction the guide may have been facing) - this is an excellent tool and one we could see most other companies did not offer. This was particularly evident with the massive groups - many with over 50 people - you could only feel bad for them as it was apparent they were simply lost and just moving though the venues like cattle. They may as well have been on their own and saved the money. Don't be one of them! Save yourselves. This tour limit of 10 participants is fantastic, you are in a tight little group, you get to know everyone, have a fabulous lunch together! All is included in the price, as are the entrance fees - so no waiting in line for tickets - Awesome! (an absolute God-send when the cruise ships pull into port and throngs of humanity flood the area.). Three had pulled in on the day of our tour - but we remained well ahead of that human tsunami, thanks to the organization and deft ordering of the venue visits. Please be punctual! Try and arrive a few minutes early, to help get the group underway on time - it just helps you stay ahead of what is eventually coming - "the hordes". We had two in our group who showed up about 10 min late (my family unfortunately :( ), not a crisis thankfully but best to help kick things off on time. It does take o few minutes to sync everyone's headsets - that's why getting there a few min earlier can be helpful. All in all the price ($165) may seem higher than many others, but keep in mind on this tour ALL entrance fees are covered, on most other tours you have to pay those separately. As I calculated it (in USD) after deducting for all the entrance fees I believe the actual "tour-guide" cost was just $35. Now deduct from that the included sit-down lunch which ran appx $25 on its own (soup/ salad, main; mixed grill kebab or veg option, Turkish coffee/ tea, AND dessert) based on the prices we had paid in similar establishments in the area - and I still can't figure out how these folks make a profit. It is a steal. Not to give them any ideas - but just in case, book quick! Happy trails!

Great, but.. - Firstly the postives. Oguzhan was a fabulous, friendly and very knowledgable guide. We wizzed around the highlights of Istanbul in a day and saw far more than we would otherwise have, and leant of its facinating history. We met a lovely group of people on the trip with us and the weather was wonderful! For me, the trip was somewhat spoiled when I realised I had been completely fleeced in the sweet shop that we were taken to. Trusting that we had been taken to a reputable place I didnt pay close attention to the price I was paying for turkish delights. My fault for not checking, but I do expect my guide to take us to honest and reputable establishments. The tour is fabulous. For me, it was spoiled by the 'opportunities to buy' that it includes. If these are included please make sure your guests are treated with respect.