Istanbul Private Guided Tour for Layover Flight. Transfer incl.
Description
Istanbul Layover Tours is mainly specialized on layover tours from Istanbul Airports. Meet and Greet: It is easier to find your driver at the airport now. You will be met and accompanied to the vehicle by a welcome host at a spesific spot / time. Timely & Safe Logistic; Enjoy comfortable round-trip transfer from/to airport with private and spacious van. . Fast Track Entry: Be VIP and save precious time at the museums ticket desks thanks to the accredited tour guides from Ministry of Culture and Tourism Professional and Enthusiastic Guides: Our guides are not only a good historian but also your travel companion. Learn about culture, politics & religion through personal stories and anecdotes. Eat like a local: Taste delicious, reasonable non-touristy local food at the eatiers where the only locals eat. Various food restrictions are welcomed
Tour Options
Itinerary
All listed attractions below are not meant to be visited on every tour scenario due to the time limitations and the tour itinerary can be shortened and altered by the guide's suggestion or traveler's instructions with traveler's consent due to the crowds or restoration work at the sites /museums, personal interests & fitness level, weather conditions & closure times of the places, public gatherings, political rallies, religious/public holidays, marathons, traffic situation and flight arrival times. A tentative itinerary will be communicated prior to the day.
The equivalent of Maxiumus Circus, city of Rome was immitated in new capital of Roman Empire as we call Byzantine Hippodrome; Hear the stories of glory chariot riders and amazed with monuments erected by the ambitios Roman engineers; Egpytian Obelisk, Serpent Colomn and Colomn of Constantine.
As an operating mosque, your guide will take you inside of mosque complex in between praying times and help you to barrow a scarf or skirt if needed. it is closed until 14.00 pm on Fridays due to Friday noon prayer service.
Explore the architectural marvel of Hagia Sophia Mosque with our licensed tour guide, delving into its significance in terms of architecture, religion, and politics. Note that Hagia Sophia opens at 10:00 am, closes on Fridays until 14:00 pm, and welcomes visitors until 22:00 pm. Hagia Sophia serves a dual purpose today, operating as an active mosque for Muslim worshippers and a museum for international visitors. Please be aware that the admission fee is 850 TL or 28 USD, and the duration of this enlightening experience is approximately 45 minutes. Admission ticket is not included.
Descending the stairs, you'll encounter a palace-like underground water system, crafted by the Romans in the 6th century. Its colossal dimensions allowed it to store ample water, catering to the needs of the Roman Palace and the surrounding neighborhood until it faded into obscurity. Today, it patiently awaits rediscovery. The admission fee for this historical site is 1500 TL or 35 USD.
The world's oldest shopping mall was buit in 1460s by the order of Ottoman Sultan Mehmet the Conqurer, in order to generate income for maintaining their newly converted mosque. The city, being in the meeting point of oriental trade routes made the bazaar Grand and Famous. Today, with 3000 thousand shops offer huge range of colourful item from simple souviners to expensive items such as jewelery, carpets, mosaic lamps, magnets, leather. Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays.
The mosque is active since 1556 and named after its commissioner, the famous sultan Suleyman the Magnificent. It is located on the 3rd hill of the old city. In a short walk from Grand Bazaar along the wall of Istanbul University, you will be guided through and rest by the amazing view of Asian side and new city from the terrace.
Taste delicious Turkish Delights, nuts and dried fruits while passing through a 400 year old stracture, Spice Market will help you to understand the origin of spices and Turkish Food.
Hop on a public ferry and make the fastest intercontinental trip to Asian Side of Istanbul. See Istanbul from old to new while passing by Bosphorus Bridge in distance. 2 USD Per Person
Explore hip neigborhood of Kadıkoy and eat your way through Kadıkoy Food Market. Sample Turkish food sourced from local suppliers. Maybe you would like to try some home cooked style in Ciya Sofrası, which has been recently featured in Netflix.
Visit Iconic Topkapi Palace; Learn about Ottoman History and see impressive collections of pieces from treasury to medieval weapons in this massive museum. The museum is closed on Tuesdays. Admission Fee is 2400 TL or 60 USD.
Get a panaromic view of city form this iconic tower, built late 13th Century by Genoise Colony as a part of defence and watch tower.
The New Mosque and later New Valide Sultan Mosque after its partial reconstruction and completion between 1660 and 1665, is an Ottoman imperial mosque located in the Eminönü quarter of Istanbul
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Arrival & Meet-Up: Upon landing at Istanbul Airport, proceed through passport control and follow signs to the Exit. Please Do NOT go to the Transit Area, unless you are arriving significantly earlier than the earliest starting time (which varies seasonally and by weekday, typically 06:00 AM or 06:30 AM on weekends) or heading to Business Lounge. If you are not going directly to your accommodation for an overnight stay, it is highly recommended to store your luggage at the airport's left luggage facility next to the Turkish Airlines Hotel Desk before exiting. Exit through Door #13 in the Arrivals Terminal. Look for an SBL MEET&GREET representative holding an “SBL” sign outside the terminal, just beyond the exit of door #13. They will be waiting for you there, not inside the terminal. Please approach and check-in for transfer. Expect to meet your representative approximately 1 hour after your flight lands. The SBL service is a 3rd party service to help direct you to your driver. They have no information on your tour. For any issues or if you cannot find the team, contact Mr. Latif immediately at +90 544 585 98 51 (WhatsApp available). Tour Commencement & Transfer Details: The standard tour service includes two-way airport transfers. Vehicles provided are not dedicated and reserved for the full day. After meeting the SBL representative, you will be transferred to the city center (45-60 minutes). There, you will meet your tour guide for your personalized Istanbul tour. After the tour, you will be returned to the airport at least 2 hours prior to your departure. If you require the van to be dedicated and reserved for the full day, or if you request a detour for hotels located outside of the standard touring area, additional fees will apply. For Cruise Travelers or Sabiha Gokcen Airport (SAW) Arrivals, pickup point info will be provided separately. Wish you a great Istanbul Experience on your layover!
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia are closed until 2.30 pm on Fridays.
- Topkapı Palace and Hagia Irene is closed on Tuesdays
Reviews(328)
This was an amazing experience with Latif. I was traveling as a family with little kids, and Latif was very accommodative to our needs and customized the tour accordingly. It was wonderful that he showed as all the key monuments, displaying the rich history of the city. The trip to Grand bazaar and the Spice Bazaar was incredible. The city is a melting point for History, Geography (between two continents), beauty (mountains and the seas), multicultural and stands as a testament of past. present and the future. Another highlight is he took us to the famous delicacies shops for Turkish Delights, Baklavas, Turkish Icecreams :) Right from the booking - he constantly kept in touch with us learning more about our needs and our plans. Stress free experience as we added also pickup/drop to the airport. I strongly recommend them, if you want to have a fullest experience of Istanbul tour.
The tour which was guided by the friendly and knowledgable Busra, was well organised and helped me to maximise the short time I had to explore the old city of Istanbul. Busra tried hard to make sure I was able to sample the foods and shop for the items I was looking for. The liaising with the driver was seamless and all very convenient for someone with a layover in Istanbul.
We had a wonderful experience with Mev. She was very knowledgeable and helpful. We enjoyed her immensely.
We were running late due to travel snafus, but our guide was waiting for us and extremely understanding! Once we started, we were able to prioritize and still see all the highlights possible. We learned a lot of the history and culture for such a quick trip. Made I sure we got a taste, and now we want to back for a more immersed experience!
We were unsure if we were going to leave the airport during our layover but we are SO glad that we did. Our guide Mev was incredible and made sure that we had the best time in Istanbul. Would recommend her to anyone!
This took me a while to write. Two opposites to the experience. The GUIDE was great Busra. I would have her guide and suggest her. However the driver was impaired, either drunk or drugs. On the trip to the airport, I clocked him driving so erratically. My notes from the trip: "38-86 mph on D020 - 61-138kph on D020. Constant drifting in lanes. Almost hit cars. Could not stay in lane. Constant jerk of car to correct. We had one car try to pull him over since he almost hit him. " When I went to speak with the owner about the experience, it was blown off and my experience devalued. Felt like he was trying to cover it up and address it.
Dear Neil, Thank you for your honest and detailed feedback. We truly take your comments very seriously. We were genuinely shocked and deeply concerned to learn about this situation. After reviewing the matter with our driver, he acknowledged that he had not been feeling well and was not properly rested the day before. This is something we absolutely do not tolerate, as the safety and comfort of our guests must always come first. What made this even more difficult for us is that we only became aware of the seriousness of the situation after the ride had ended on return to airport, especially as you had kindly thanked us for a great tour and wonderful guide before returning to the airport. Had we been informed during the tour or even during ride, we would have immediately taken action and arranged a replacement without hesitation. Our former driver Mr. Ümit had been a long-standing member of our team, and we had always appreciated his dedication and work ethic. However, this incident did not meet our standards and expectations, and as a result, we have ended our cooperation with him. In addition, we have now partnered with a professional transportation company where drivers operate under regulated 8-hour shifts. This ensures they are properly rested and not overworked, reinforcing our commitment to safety and service quality. Please accept our sincere apologies for the distress this experience may have caused. This is certainly not the level of service we aim to provide, and we are taking firm steps to ensure such a situation does not happen again. Kind regards, Latif
This was an excellent and fluid layover trip through the city of Istanbul. Our guide Alp was in contact from the moment we touched down until he left us at our car back to catch our flight. He was knowledgeable about each stop and gave us options to ensure the tour was tailored to what we wanted to see in our amount of time we had in our layover. We ended our tour with a lovely dinner spot for locals and Alp ordered all his favorites for us to try. A perfect layover experience.
We had a 10-hour layover in Istanbul arriving very early in the morning, so rather than hanging out at the airport we booked an individual tour guide through Istanbul Layover Tours (ILT). We were picked up at the airport by a driver who took us into Istanbul itself. Our guide, Busra, met us at the car and took us on a walking tour starting with coffee at a great place with a gorgeous view over the Bosphorus Strait, then on to Sophia Hagia, the Basilica Cistern, the Grand Bazaar, a Turkish Coffee experience, and finally a stroll across the Galata Bridge before being picked up by our driver and taken back to the airport. Busra was the perfect guide for us, she had a lot of interesting facts to share, and was able to answer all our questions. She structured the tour to our pace and interests. We would highly recommend both ILT and Busra.
We had an incredible experience on this layover tour, and I can’t recommend it highly enough. From start to finish, everything was seamless, flexible, and thoughtfully tailored to our family — especially our four‑year‑old, who absolutely adored our guide. What made this tour stand out was how customizable it was. Our guide adjusted the pace, the stops, and even the timing based on what worked best for us, which made the entire day feel relaxed and enjoyable rather than rushed. Whether it was choosing quieter routes, adding kid‑friendly moments, or giving us options at every turn, the flexibility was outstanding. Our guide was also wonderful with our child — patient, warm, and genuinely engaging. They made the history and sights come alive in a way that kept all of us interested, and they never made us feel like our family’s needs were an inconvenience. Traveling with a young child can be unpredictable, but our guide handled everything with ease and kindness. We saw so much of Istanbul in such a short time, and yet it never felt overwhelming. It was the perfect way to turn a long layover into one of the highlights of our trip. I would recommend this tour — and this team — to anyone, but especially to families. Truly exceptional.
Very knowledgeable guide. we had a great time seeing the city highlights. Very personable and professional
