10 Tastings of Istanbul Spice Market & Historic Centre Food Tour
Description
On our Secret Food: Istanbul Spice Market & Galata Tour, you'll explore The best spice market in Turkey, get lost like locals in the backstreet shops and food stalls and taste your way with mouth-watering local cuisines. You'll discover the famous Spice Bazaar - it's the most colorful, fragrant, and often the most fun place in the city – as visitors can taste the goods on offer. We'll show you what to buy and how to bargain - such as the difference between real and fake Saffron. Also, make your way around the historical monuments, secret beautiful mosques and learn about the fascinating history of our food and culture. At the end of your tour, you'll have sampled some of Istanbul's most delicious dishes and gained a better understanding of our culture and history.
Tour Options
Itinerary
First, you will experience the most colorful, fragrant, and often the most fun place in the city. Here you'll learn a couple of important facts about Turkish breakfast and try traditional Turkish breakfast dish and Turkish tea in one of the best places in town.
Then you'll discover the famous Spice Bazaar with your expert guide tasting and learning how to shop for spices and what to prepare with each one. Sample wonderful teas and Turkish delights. We'll show you what to buy and how to bargain - such as the difference between real and fake Saffron.
You'll learn about Turkish Coffee History and see the oldest coffee roastary. You'll make your way around the historical monuments, secret beautiful mosques and learn about the fascinating history of our food and culture.
You’ll dine on mouthwatering Kofta meatballs with a traditional drink in a locals hole in a wall spot tucked between the Mosque and the Market.
You'll cross the Galata Bridge to explore a unique and different side of town. You’ll try Turkish bagel while enjoying the view of the monuments.
You’ll head to our secret rooftop dining room with a view over the city for a selection of mezze, homemade breads and Kebab grilled and baked in front of your eyes with a traditional drink that will accompany your food.
You’ll dine on grilled fish cooked straight from the fish market by the fisherman at a family run stall.
You’ll get lost like locals in the backstreet shops and food stalls. You'll experience our secret delicious dish and learn how to eat it.
You’ll try traditional dessert with Turkish coffee in Istanbul's trendiest district.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Comfortable shoes are recommended
- Please inform us of any dietary restriction you may have
Reviews(72)
Edmil was fantastic! Food was fun and interesting. highly recommend.
Thanks for taking the time to write a review! It's always rewarding to know the city left such a positive impression through your experience with us. We hope you'll discover another city with Secret Food Tours.
Our tour guide Erbil was excellent. He educated us on the history as well as food of Istanbul. The walking distance was perfect and the variety of food was great.
Knowing you had such a positive experience means a lot to our team. We're pleased the tour helped you discover a side of the city you may not have otherwise experienced. We hope you'll join Secret Food Tours again!
Erbil was amazing. Highly recommend
Thank you for your feedback! We're delighted that the tour offered a mix of great flavors and local discoveries that made your day even more enjoyable. Thank you again for choosing Secret Food Tours.
Istanbul's Spice Market is a great opportunity for foodies to add to their spice collection & sample famous Turkish treats. Our Guide walked us over to this market from our local hotel, and we visited a particularly friendly spice stall (one of a national chain) to pick out some spices & Turkish Delights dessert treats. Even if you're not a foodie, just the experience of the sales pressure and the extensive samples presented to you is an education in the local culture. This Spice Market is vary large, with multiple corridors & lots of stalls selling mostly food items. You could spend hours in here; suggest getting a guide who can point you to the particularly good ones.
We appreciate reviews like this so much. Knowing the tour gave you a chance to enjoy the day in such a memorable way is wonderful feedback. Secret Food Tours sends our thanks!
Excellent review of foods and culture.
Thank you for spending part of your visit with us! We’re happy the tour gave you a memorable way to experience the local atmosphere while enjoying some great food along the way. Hope to welcome you again through Secret Food Tours
Excellent secret food tour with Erbil
Thank you for sharing your experience with us. We’re pleased to know our tour left such a positive impression and gave you a memorable way to experience the city. We hope to welcome you again with Secret Food Tours!
Erbil was an excellent guide to the spice markets and to several bar/restaurants on both sides of the Galata Bridge. Due to flight cancellations the tour was only we too. Erbil tailored experiences and the pace of our tour covering spices, snacks Turkish breakfast and wonderful street-food mussels followed by brilliant fish rolls (option of Arak) in a waterfront bar. We are learning from experience that Secret Food Tours are best taken at the beginning of a stay, as the guides offer brilliant advice about what to do the. Erbil was great, even with public transport ticketing advice. Highly recommended!!
Thanks for sharing this with us! We’re glad the stops and our guide made the tour enjoyable. We look forward to having you again on another Secret Food Tours.
Really enjoyed our secret food tour of Istanbul with our excellent guide, Erbil, who was full of useful information and not only on food! Our tour lasted nearly four hours and took us into all the hidden food places that you simply wouldn’t be able to find or access yourself, providing a wonderful taste of the various culinary delights of the city, from Turkish delight to amazing fish wraps, from lamb shank soup to the most exquisite baklava and Turkish coffee A fantastic introduction to the city with all its incredible sights, sounds and tastes!
Appreciate you highlighting our guide here. That kind of presence tends to make the whole experience feel more personal. You’re always welcome back on Secret Food Tours!
We had a great time with Erbil on this tour. He had to improvise a bit, since Ramadan had just started and many places were closed, but we enjoyed everything we tasted, and he was super knowledgeable and great at answering questions, and also just really nice company. We went back to several of the places he took us to over the few days we had left in Istanbul. My husband was obsessed with the Beryan (goat?) soup and he wouldn’t stop talking about it and made us go back two more times.
We appreciate you writing about your tour. Our guides enjoy sharing the local food culture with guests, and it’s wonderful to know that made the experience even more special. You’re invited anytime to explore another Secret Food Tours!
Fantastic tour, Erbil (Kasim) is an excellent guide, knowledge, friendly and an all round great guy. A highly recommended way to see a city, through the lens of food and drink the local’s way
We appreciate your review! When guests enjoy how the tour feels as a whole, that’s a strong sign for us. You’re invited to join another Secret Food Tours in any city!
