Recommended

Must-See Istanbul: Old City & Daily Life

Book Istanbul's most comprehensive free walking tour today!

💎 We cover Istanbul's Old City (Constantinople) in a highly comprehensive tour that covers over a dozen sites including the must-see sites, hidden gems and local hang-out spots. Moreover, we not only cover Istanbul’s past, but also it’s present day situation in a moderate pace that leaves enough room for questions & interaction. This tour has it all.

Why Book a Tour With Us?

➕ More Coverage

We simply cover a bigger area and more topics. Just look at our route map, we cover 4 different neighborhoods and over a dozen places. Plus, we talk about everything from history to modern day Istanbul, daily life and society.

🎨 Independent & Boutique

We don't hire people. We are two locals who do our own tours. We're artisans. We're boutique.

🔥 Full Dedication

We don't have another occupation. This is all we do, all we think about. We give it our 100%.

✅ Must-See Sites AND Lesser-Known Sites

We cover the essentials, but we also cover local hang-out spots hidden in the Old City.

📚 Online Library Access!

We provide you with a very comprehensive online library with PDF guides ranging from food to activities & pubs and much more!

🏝️ No Rush, No Stalling

We don't rush, we don't stall. Moderately paced. We cover a lot of places and topics, but we also give space for interaction, communication and questions.

IMPORTANT:

🗓️ Due to high demand and group size limit in season, we need reserved bookings to be able to accommodate our guests in our groups. Please book in advance.

🙏 This is our main and only occupation, we hope you understand and appreciate our efforts and dedication by contributing a reasonable amount at the end of the tour.

See availability now & reserve your spot before it gets full!

👇👇👇👇👇

The tour lasts 3 hours

Available in English

100% of travelers recommend this Free Tour

Guide: Istanbulian Guides

PRO

Tours since 2023

We're a duo of full-time licensed tour guides in Istanbul, Hakan & Emre, both with many years of experience in guiding and interesting background stories. Hakan is a born & raised Istanbulian, he grew up in urban Istanbul in a traditional family that owns a bakery. Spending his entire life in Istanbul, Hakan had the privilage to become a student in the most historical school in Turkey, Istanbul University. Having the opportunity to spend his student years in the only school located in the Old City of Istanbul, he learned the area like the back of his hand. After graduating from collage, he got his first job as a journalist. Fascinated with his hometown's history and the tourism sector, he went to his second university, and became a licensed tour guide. He's been working since 2019. Emre on the other hand, has his roots going back over a century in Istanbul. He spent his childhood in central Istanbul, and found himself abroad for his highschool studies. Later came back to Istanbul, and decided to learn the world's hardest language: Chinese. Spent 4 years in China, mastering the language and even participating in a band that performed in bars and festivals. Came back to his hometown Istanbul to finally realize his teenage dream of becoming a tour guide, did his masters in guiding and got his license. He's been guiding tourists in multiple languages since 2018.

4.94

1548 reviews

Professionalism

4.94

Fun

4.79

Communication

4.90

Quality

4.91

Route

4.85

4.94

1548 reviews

Professionalism

4.94

Fun

4.79

Communication

4.90

Quality

4.91

Route

4.85

12 stops

2.4 km walking

3 hours

Meeting point:Egyptian ObeliskYour guide will be waiting in front of the Egyptian Obelisk (Obelisk of Theodosius) with a GREEN flag. The obelisk is a giant stone column with ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs on it, located in the center of the Hippodrome, which is located between the Blue Mosque and Turkish & Islamic Arts Museum. Open in Google Maps →

Outside visit

Hippodrome SquareWe walk through the ancient Hippodrome Square where once tens of thousands of Romans and Byzantines watched violent chariot races.

Outside visit

Blue MosqueWe walk through the courtyard of the stunning Blue Mosque, talk about its history and the story of Sultan Ahmet.

Outside visit

Hagia SophiaWe take stunning pictures of Turkey's #1 historical landmark, the time defying 1500 years old Hagia Sophia, and unveil its deep history.

Free tours don't have a fixed price. At the end, each person contributes to the guide the amount they consider fair based on their satisfaction. As a guideline, Guruwalk recommends between €15 and $50 per participant.

Accessibility

Not suitable for people with reduced mobility.

Groups

Accepts bookings of up to 20 people.

Pets

Not suitable for bringing pets.

Minimum attendees

Requires a minimum of 5 people to conduct the tour.

Additional costs

The tour does not require payment for entries or additional expenses.

Free cancellation

If you cannot attend the tour, please cancel the reservation, otherwise the guide will be waiting for you.