Best Things to Do in Istanbul, Local Guide Recommendations
There are so many things to do in Istanbul, where many cultural-historical buildings and natural beauty are intertwined. Even if you visit it many times, you realize that you discover a different side of it every time.
Let’s start with the most popular activities for you.
Explore Sultanahmet with a local guide
If you say why you should start from Sultanahmet, you will first need to know the importance of Sultanahmet in the past and today.
Sultanahmet: Many historical Byzantine heritages are located in this region, as it has an important location that was used as a ceremonial area in the past during the Byzantine empire. At the same time, this region, which was very important in the Ottoman Empire, caused many Ottoman historical heritage to be made in this region. Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, Basilica Cistern, and Grand Bazaar are a few examples of these.
Since the Sultanahmet is the region with the most historical heritage in Istanbul, millions of tourists visit this region every year. As a natural consequence of this, long queues form in front of historical places in high season. If you want to travel comfortably without waiting in these queues, get information about all the details and take the best pictures, we recommend that you explore Istanbul with a local guide. Because local guides have priority in entering historical places, you can make your visit without waiting in queues. All tour planning and tickets will be prepared before you even come to Istanbul without having to deal with any details about the tour. You will only have to enjoy the tour.
Explore Istanbul Like a Local
Istanbul is not a city that can only be understood with a tour of Sultanahmet. If you want to experience the city by walking on the streets with your local guide, you need to walk from Sultanahmet to Sirkeci, Eminönü, Karaköy, and Galata towers, where the heart of the city beats.
First of all, taste the famous Turkish delight and confectionery on the way from Sirkeci to Eminönü. The most famous Turkish delights of Istanbul are sold in this region. As you get closer to Eminönü, it means that you have approached the Spice Bazaar, which is the most frequented place for the local people, which will be surrounded by the smell of spice and coffee. The Spice Bazaar, which is an old market, is where all kinds of spices, Turkish delight, and breakfast products are sold. Especially Kahveci Mehmet Efendi, who is the most famous for Turkish coffee, is located here.
Fish and bread; Do not leave this region without tasting the fish and bread cooked on the boats on the beach. Take a picture with the local people fishing while walking across the Galata bridge. Then, climb the Galata tower, the highest tower in Istanbul and the only artifact from the Genoese, and watch Istanbul from a bird’s eye view 360 degrees. You can take the most beautiful Instagram pictures here.
Istanbul indispensable, Bosphorus tour
The Bosphorus, identified with Istanbul, is indeed a must-see place. It is an activity that every tourist visiting Istanbul should participate in at least once.
What makes the Bosphorus so special? The Bosphorus has a unique feature in the world. It is a natural sea route that separates the two continents Asia and Europe. Due to this important feature, historical heritages from many empires, especially from the Byzantine and Ottoman periods, were lined up like pearls along the coast. Galata Tower, Maiden’s Tower, Dolmabahçe Palace, Beylerbeyi Palace and Rumelihisarı are a few of them. Joining the Bosphorus tour will allow you to see these historical heritages, take pictures, and get information about their history.
It is inevitable that there will be hundreds of different Bosphorus tours in the Bosphorus, which is so important for tourism. But which Istanbul Bosphorus tour? If you say it is suitable for me, we will try to guide you.
The general operation of all Istanbul Bosphorus tours is the same. Yacht or boat cruise along the Asian and European shores of the Bosphorus with or without a guide. However, we will recommend you 3 special Bosphorus tours.
Bosphorus Dinner Cruise with Turkish Night Show
Meet Turkish cuisine with a romantic dinner, cruise the Bosphorus on a luxury boat and get the chance to get to know Turkish culture closely with belly dance, whirling dervish show, Gypsy dance, Turkish folk dances. There is no guide service on this tour, but you will admire the shows on the tour.
Bosphorus Lunch Cruise
Delicious lunch, explore the history of the Bosphorus with a local guide, Bosphorus cruise on a luxury boat.
Bosphorus Sunset Cruise
The Bosphorus Sunset Cruise is really something else. It is one of the best times to take pictures of the Bosphorus at the sunset. With a 2.5-hour luxury yacht tour, you can sip your drinks, eat your snacks and learn the history of the Bosphorus in detail from a local guide.
