Cercle Istanbul (Istanbul extraordinaire)

Metin was fantastic from first contact to the end of the tour day. I reached out via WhatsApp asking for a specific tour day with some friends when we were there for a conference. He was great at communication. Our actual tour day was amazing! We saw sites not usually on tours and he was informative and kind. We had an amazing day out on the Bosphorus. He even arranged a private yacht! Highly recommend. 10/10 experience.

Do this tour! Wonderful tour outside the tourist attractions, giving a real sense of the Istanbul culture, places, and with great food along the way. The Turkish bath was an interesting experience. Great tour guide!! Just wish I did not have to buy 2 tickets as a solo traveler to book the tour as that meant it was a very expensive tour dor me. Would stil recommend.

We all know the top sites to visit in any new city, so we wanted to see the other interesting places, learn about the culture from a local, and have a hamam experience with someone showing us the way. Our all-day tour with Metin was wonderful. We spent the entire day with him eating, learning, traveling together (walking, ferries, buses, taxi), and asking him a million questions. The food was great (we were never hungry, and most times were stuffed!), the amount of ground covered was impressive, and the hamam was something we probably wouldn't have braved on our own (side note to women - you will be on your own once you enter the segregated female area - please ask him all your procedural and tipping questions before you part ways. And bring an extra pair of underwear and a plastic bag). We did this on our first full day and it was an excellent overview of neighborhoods and ways to move around the city. I don't mean to represent that this is a private tour - I understand it can be up to six, I think. But since there have been cancellations due to the situation in the middle east we were spoiled by what turned out to be a private tour - it was nice of Metin to not cancel when it was only the two of us. We really appreciated that. It is really unfortunate people are cancelling travel to Turkey - we never for a moment felt unsafe. Tour guides in Turkey are the most educated we have encountered anywhere. They go through a rigorous training to become official guides. We highly recommend.

This was an in depth tour of a wide variety of different neighborhoods of Istanbul including the Asia side. We ate, traveled, walked, rode, shopped and experienced a Hamam like locals. We asked questions about everything we saw and learned so much about the varied neighborhoods in the city. Fantastic tour with very skilled, knowledgeable and experienced guide.

My husband and I had the pleasure of spending the day with our guide Onur for the Circle Istanbul walking tour. Onur was very informative, engaging, polite, and most of all, patient. It was a long, full day and he shared a lot of Turkish culture and the history of Istanbul with a smile on his face. We toured both the European and Asian sides of Istanbul. Onur took us to many popular landmarks and local places to try different type of Turkish cuisine. Although we had the experience of riding the bus and taking the ferries, keep in mind that the majority of this tour is walking. Be prepared. Wear comfortable clothing and good walking shoes. We walked over 14,000 steps and every single step was absolutely worth it. This was the highlight of our trip! If you want sights, history, cuisine and experiences; this tour is HIGHLY recommended.

It was amazing. A great way to see the true city, outside of tourist areas. We ate, explored, and shopped like locals. We've only been on larger tour groups so we weren't sure what to expect but our guide, Kerem, was incredible. Be prepared to eat the best food!

Kerem was an absolute delight to spend a FULL day with. Very knowledgeable and passionate about his home and its culture and rich history. This tour is full of everything you’d want outside of the busy typical tourist attractions and spots. Left us wanting to come back for more time to explore more of IST and all it has to offer. Would HIGHLY recommend

Karem made this a day we will always remember. What a fantastic introduction to Istanbul. So much food! Breakfast was fantastic, followed by snacks lunch and dinner. All transport and soft drinks included. Fantastic value and highly recommended.

Just…WOW! We wanted an “off the beaten path” type of tour that would give us exposure to many areas and experiences and food. This was a JACKPOT! We met at Taksim Square then walked for a little while. Metin (best tour guide ever!) shared lots of interesting facts about the area, then came the first treat of the day- breakfast. This was an incredible feast of authentic Turkish cuisine, the spread was endless. Lunch, dinner, and the snacks along the way were also delightful. It wasn’t just the food but the history behind each dish and the lesson on how to eat everything. Pickle juice, stuffed mussels, lahmacun, baklava are just a few of the things we ate. So many things experienced in this one day we’d have spent several days on our own trying and still not have discovered half of the areas or history. My husband and I felt like newborns after the Turkish bath. The boat rides on the Golden Horn gave us a chance to see some of Istanbul from the water. Metin set a good pace for the day, he kept us moving. We never felt rushed or that we were in any one place for too long. He looked out for our safety when we were in crowds or busy areas. He allowed us to add in things that were of interest to us and kept us entertained even then. Definitely pay whatever the price for this tour is because you’re getting an absolute steal! I hope you’re as lucky as us and get Metin as your guide! He made this a memory for a lifetime!

This was probably the best day tour we’ve ever done. Honestly it was a lot like I’d spend a day with a friend - lots of walking, stopping for coffee, occasionally popping into shops, snacking on the ferry with a beautiful view. It was very cool to go to a local hammam to relax in the afternoon. Our guide Metin was a lovely, enthusiastic person who has so much appreciation for the culture and architecture. He was the perfect tour guide: stopping to explain enough to orient us but also quietly letting us observe the people and neighborhoods as we walked around. He also was really accommodating to our interests as well. Come hungry for several great meals and lots of little snacks! Would definitely recommend, especially as a complement to the more tourist highlight tours. Thank you, Metin!