Istanbul Taste of Two Continents Food Tour - Spice Market & Ferry
Description
Ready to taste the best food on both sides of Istanbul? Start with a delicious traditional Turkish breakfast in Europe in the heart of the historic Old City, before you sail across to Asia and explore the vibrant streets of Kadıköy. With your foodie guide, you’ll make 8 delicious stops during your walk with a variety of samples at each – enough to fill your belly to the brim with all the fantastic Turkish flavors! From street foods and home-made Turkish food to traditional kebabs and Turkish ice cream, The Taste of Two Continents tour is your full-day immersion inside Istanbul’s food scene and a glimpse of Turkish culture and daily life.
Tour Options
Itinerary
The Taste of Two Continents food tour begins in Istanbul’s Old City. There, we meet to begin our tour in the heart of Eminönü, close to Spice Market.
Market Sourced Turkish Breakfast: Visit a breakfast market in the morning and gather an assortment of Turkish breakfast items, including cheeses, buffalo cream, hazelnut paste, honey, olives, dried beef pastrami, simit, and enjoy it all with traditional Turkish tea & menemen (Turkish scrambled eggs) at a local tea house. Listen to your guide’s entertaining & interesting stories about culture and daily life in Turkey while wondering if this could be your favorite breakfast ever.
Cross the mighty Bosphorus by ferry to explore the more modern and chic area of Kadıköy, on the Asian side. Kadıköy is home to some of the best local restaurants in Istanbul, frequented a new generation of Turks who love to dine out, while still savouring the flavours of their childhood.
You will nibble, sip and munch your way through the local Kadıköy market while your guide explains the colorful stalls and products. You'll want to bring your cameras out here to capture all the vibrancy that makes up the flavors of Turkish cuisine!
As you make your way through the colorful streets of Kadıköy market, you’ll sip on freshly brewed Turkish coffee while delighting in locally-made crispy golden baklava. You’ll savor the delicious tastes of popular street foods like dolma, tantuni, and kokoreç, as well as other local favourites.
The Taste of Two Continents tour finishes in Kadıköy Ferry Terminal. Your return ferry tickets are provided. Your guide will help you to catch the Eminönü ferry (back to the Spice Market) or Karaköy ferry.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Maximum group size is 10
- Comfortable walking shoes recommended
- Children aged 5 years and younger are welcome at no charge
- Tour runs rain or shine
- This is a walking tour. Max walking distance is 10 minutes between many stops. Total 2.5kms (1.5miles) walk.
- Not recommended for vegan, gluten free, lactose free travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with serious allergies or food restrictions
- Please advise any specific dietary/allergy requirements at time of booking
Reviews(3,494)
This was a very comprehensive tour, which was made incredibly special by our guide. We were fortunate to have a fun group that really clicked and even more fortunate to have the guide that we had. Aiesha was lovely in every single way. She was knowledgeable about the food, of course, but the tour also had the feeling of a bit of a history class. The history of the food, the people, the customs, the country. This tour had it all.
The experience was our first food tour and it was amazing! We met up with our guide Bahri pretty quickly and he was quite responsive on Whatsapp as we were running a few minutes late. The visit lasted well over 5 hours and every minute was enjoyed! They don’t take more than 10 pax per group which is great and we had 5 persons in our group so we had a bit more attention than most groups! If you are a foodie and want to learn and try the food culture (food you normally wouldn’t) with the knowledge of a local than we highly recommend this tour!
This is an absolute must for a trip to Istanbul! Ali was knowledgeable about all aspects of our food experience. We learned about the history, preparation, and culture of the foods. I tried everything, even foods I’m hesitant to eat at home and loved all of it.
Great tour! From the traditional Turkish Breakfast to the Spice Market and beyond! Wonderful day with a wonderful guide!
Thanks, George! What a lovely title for a review. We're so glad you had a great day tasting your way from the traditional Turkish breakfast through the Spice Market and across to the Asian side. We hope to welcome you back to Istanbul someday. :)
We really enjoyed the food tour through Istanbul. There was so much variety. We had a vegetarian in the group and were still able to find many items to try. The time to learn about the markets and the local foods was appreciated. There was so much food we were stuffed before the end. Highly recommended food tour.
Thank you! We're so glad you had a great day with us and came away stuffed before the end, that's exactly how it should be! Turkish cuisine has always had plenty for vegetarians to love, so we're glad your group got to enjoy that side of it too. We hope to welcome you back to Istanbul someday. :)
It was a lot to do very indepth. Lots of walking and learning. They will leave you if you stop to buy from a little old lady street vendor. It's very very fast-paced.
Thanks, Jason! We're so glad you enjoyed the depth of the day and got to see so much of the city on foot. There's a lot to fit in, with eight stops, a ferry to catch and vendors expecting us, so the day keeps moving, though there's always time to sit, eat properly and take it all in along the way. We hope to welcome you back to Istanbul someday. :)
Ali was such a wonderful guide! I learned a lot about the food culture of Istanbul. There were only 5 people in our group so it felt very intimate and all of our stops were local places. All of the food was amazing. I tried a couple of things I didn’t think I would like and I was actually surprised by how I enjoyed them. Walking along the streets of Istanbul and taking the ferry were also lovely. This was truly so much food, I was stuffed by the end of the tour. Definitely come hungry! I hope to visit Istanbul again in the future and would absolutely do this tour again.
Thanks, Lauren! We're so glad you had a great day with Ali and were surprised by a few dishes you didn't expect to love, that's one of our favourite things to watch happen. And every stop being a genuine local spot is exactly what we're about. We look forward to welcoming you back when you make it to Istanbul again. :)
Wonderful tour, I didn't know that food is the entrance to a city in the best way possible...
Thanks, Claudia! Food really is the best way into a city, and we're so glad you had a great day discovering ours with Kaan. We hope to welcome you back to Istanbul someday. :)
We had an absolutely wonderful experience with Bahri from Yummy Istanbul Tours. From the moment we met him, his warm personality, great sense of humor, and genuine passion for Turkey made the tour both fascinating and incredibly enjoyable. Bahri’s knowledge of not only Istanbul but Turkey as a whole was exceptional. He shared the country’s history, culture, and traditions in such an engaging way that every stop became more meaningful. It was clear that he truly loves his country and enjoys sharing it with visitors. The food selection was outstanding—every place we visited offered delicious, authentic local dishes, and the company throughout the tour was excellent. It was the perfect balance of great food, interesting stories, and plenty of laughs. We would highly recommend Bahri and Yummy Istanbul Tours to anyone wanting an authentic and memorable experience in Istanbul. Thank you, Bahri, for making our visit so special!
Thanks, Alex! We're so glad you had a great day with Bahri and got to eat your way through so many genuine local spots with him. Good food, real stories and plenty of laughs is what a day with us should be, and it sounds like you got all three! We hope to welcome you back to Istanbul someday. :)
The tour was fantastic. It was a great day out trying authentic Turkish food and some history with our wonderful guide Ali. Highly recommend booking it!
Thank you! We're so glad you had a great day out with Ali, tasting your way through our authentic Turkish food with a bit of history along the way. We hope to welcome you back to Istanbul someday. :)
