Our first guided tour package was spent with Neon. A Taste of Turkey package was exactly that, bite…read moresized pieces of the country and culture wrapped in a gold colored bus. Any guided tour review is going to be heavily influenced by the tour guide, amenities as described by the booking office compared to the ground truth you discover, and lastly the eclectic mix of people you've had the good fortune to share in your adventure. We were extra adventurous in bringing our 4 year old daughter along. The staff was extra accommodating and courteous for us. The extra bonuses we experienced using this company: Bus Butler - served drinks on the bus and assisted with luggage at each stop Guide - very knowledgeable man with a Master's In Turkish history who had a genuine love for what he does Time Savings - at almost each stop on the itinerary hours of waiting in queues was eliminated by having tickets in hand and a guide who knows how to get around End to End Service - From being met at the airport to being dropped off, Neon had us covered. Definitely would consider using this company for a tour again.

My partner and I travel a lot but have never done a group tour and were a little worried about the…read morestrictness of it, the pack mentality like feeling you are in school. We were pleasantly suprised that it wasnt like that at all. There were no problems at all on the tour. Easy airport pick up - Lufthansa lost our luggage and we were waiting an hour after landing to try and figure it out - but our transfer bus driver was there waiting for us with a sign. Luggage came 2 days later. we only had 12 people on the entire tour, so im sure that is rare. So check ins at hotels were very smooth. all the rooms were amazing (Pammulke not so great, you can read my hotel reviews separately). Food varied (also, Pammulke Pan Thermal not so great) but by and large was decent or sometimes amazing (Cappadocia's Lykia Lodge). The bus was temp was perfect, we stopped as needed for bathroom breaks and snacks (and lunch), and there was always communication if a stop was not needed (because we were such a small group). Our tour guide Ali was young and well versed in all things Turkish, from history to current events, geography and ethnography. She was personable and approachable. Our driver did his job well, as did Turguy the driver's assistant who was at our beck and call whenever needed. We would see him cleaning and scrubbing the bus every night, even though it gets washed at every gas station stop! We got this trip from a groupon and it was well worth the money. The hotels were all very expensive (posted prices) and the museums and attractions that are ALL included would add up quickly. Believe it or not, i only spent $50 the entire 2 weeks. i only ate a few lunches because the breakfasts were huge and I'd usually grab a piece of fruit or a yogurt for the road. I dont buy many souveniers, but did buy a scarf some candies, magnets. i got a few drinks, lots of water, bathrooms (they cost 1 TL/ $.50 even at rest areas and some restaraunts), we went out to eat 2x in Istanbul, a few doner kabobs - all for $50! when everything is included you really dont need much extra cash. none of the sites were packed except Ephesis and Pammulke, but even then you could find an area not as crowded. there was plenty of time given to see everything, and sometimes we would ask for more time if we all agreed we needed it. It is a big country and wake up calls can be early, but that is the only way to see it all. To maximize drive time lunch would always be at roadside restaurants and 'truck stops'. they dont do 'fast food' or 'to go' premade stuff in Turkey, so these were all sit down meals - that i usually skipped to go expore the area or pet a friendly stray dog or cat. Ankara was the only visit that was 'boring' compared to the amazing other cities/towns. but Ataruk's masoleum was cool, and it is half way from Cappadocia and Istanbul, so the stop is needed. The hotel in Ankara is next to a HUGE mall, and the saunas and steam rooms (included!) are the things to do. Our travel agent Vicki Sachs from Key Tours (Neon's american partner) was great and answered every question and email so promptly! She even, without my asking, got us a flight from PHL (where we live) so we didnt have to get to JFK for NO EXTRA COST! that is service, and that is what makes you use the same service/agent again and again. we would definitley do a group tour again and most definitly with Neon.

So much to do....so little time. Istanbul is a gorgeous city, where the East meets West and results…read morein a multitude of colors, cultures and people... but conquering it within 48 hours is no mean challenge! Enter Walks in Istanbul. Our two day 'Highlights of Istanbul' tour with Walks in Istanbul and our guide Ebru was one of the best decisions we made during our short Istanbul trip. Here's the lowdown: Ebru gave us a precise directions on where to meet and the meeting point was easy to find. She also communicated with us two days before confirming the itinerary and other details. Ebru has a fantastic sense of humor, is warm and a virtual powerhouse when it comes to Istanbul. We loved our time with her - she was patient when we wanted to take a dozen pictures in the same spot, but also managed to herd us along and made sure we stuck to our schedule. We were a small of group of four and this was a really personalized tour, unlike being shepherded in a group of people on a shuttle or bus. We walked around Sultanahmet soaking in the sun and sights and took the tram/train when we had to get from point A to B. All this added to our experience of getting to know the city intimately and get a local flavor. On Day 1 of the tour we started with the Hippodrome and then visited the Ayasofya, followed by the Underground Cistern. After lunch we did the Bosphorus cruise and the Spice Bazaar. Day 2 was reserved for the Blue Mosque, the Topkapi Palace and the Grand Bazaar. My favorite parts of the tour with our guide were the Ayasofya, the Cistern, lunch at Hamdi restaurant and the Blue Mosque of course. Observations and comments: * We were given enough time to soak in both the Ayasofya and the Basilica Cistern and loved every minute of it. * The Blue Mosque felt a tad rushed (barely 15 minutes) and would have liked some more time to soak in the brilliance of this splendid piece of history. * Topkapi palace IMHO could have been a shorter visit - I felt dedicating 5 hours to it was a bit too much ...I understand it's an important pit stop, but I would have liked Ebru's expertise a bit more to navigate the complicated labyrinth of the Grand Bazaar. * At the end of each day Ebru left us at one bazaar - 1st day the tour ended at the Spice Bazaar & the next day at the Grand Bazaar. After giving tips and tricks to navigate both, most guides leave you to do your own thing. If you want more of their time or have specific questions - ask or make a list beforehand so you can maximize within the given time. * Lunch at Hamdi restaurant on Day 1 was excellent - the food, service and views were all beyond par. It was a great choice for vegetarians as well. * With a lot of other walking tour companies the entrance fee to major attractions and lunch is included. With Walks in Istanbul it's not. To sum up, none of this detracted us from enjoying or getting the complete essence of Istanbul's major highlights. While I was debating on which tour company to choose, I did email a few other before picking this one. Arzu, the owner and proprietor of this company was always prompt to respond and infinitely patient with all the hundred questions we had... she also sent in a detailed helpful list of 'Useful Hints to the City' and these small details went a long way. Splendid experience over all.

Efendi=High Quality on Short Notice. Two big thumbs up Yusuf…read moreKaraca of Efendi created a luxury package to Cappadocia in the span of three short hours, for a reasonable price. I was in Istanbul and though I could spend a month in the city without getting bored, I started wondering if I should see something more. It is a 12+ hour flight from Miami, so when would I be back? I decided Cappadocia would be perfect. Because Tom Brosnahan's Turkey Travel Planner is my bible for travel in Istanbul and beyond, I took his advice to contact Efendi. I sent a simple email to info@efendi Within minutes, Yusuf was emailing. There were no sales come ons, attempts to upsell or to pressure me to close the deal. There was, a pending deadline, because I was aiming to leave about 48 hours after contacting Efendi. Let me state up front, I'm a very independent traveler. I have seen vast parts of Europe, Latin America and far beyond -- with or without any local language skills -- on my own. I have booked daring travel way back before we had the internet, trip advisor and all the online ways of doing research. So to like a package tour, it had to be near perfect. Right off the bat, Yusuf found a 3-day, 2-night visit for about 500 USD. That was the price I would pay just for round trip flights, had I booked on short notice on my own. We ultimately settled on a package costing roughly 600 USD (we could have gone as remarkable low as nearly 400 USD) to ensure a great time. I was staying in an area on the tramway in Sirkechi. All of my previous taxis, ubers and drivers dropped me off blocks from my hotel. Pickups were more strung out delayed and confusing. Yusuf assured me that my driver would be at the door of my hotel, plus he would call ahead to let the front desk know if he was arriving late at all. This gave me such comfort and assurance. Through a smart phone, while tidying up my room, doing some light sink laundry, organizing my receipts and recharging my camera batteries on the middle day of a 14-day trip, Efendi completed the itinerary. Even though I could easily call up word docs and PDFs on my phone, Yusuf personally delivered a print out to my hotel and insisted the front desk place it in my room. The 600 USD included transfer to and from Ataturk airport, coach seats on a larger than I imagined jet to Nevsehir Airport, transfer from that Cappadocia area airport to my hotel and back, plus two full days of touring itinerary with an English speaking guide. Best of all, the extra 100 or so I spent got me a prime room at Yunak Evelri Cave Hotel. Now there are hundreds of cave hotels in Cappadocia, but few are a 4 to 5 star that Yunak is. The service was superb, the finishes amazing, the common areas upscale, etc. I feared the restaurant would be mediocre and expensive, since it was a bit of a hike into the ancient village of Urgup for a dining alternative. But it was the opposite a multilevel lounge deck -- with spectacular views of the canyon around us and the hotel's cliff facade -- welcomed with a fireplace, hip music (volume not too loud) and an array of items. Eating late and on the road, I opted for a simple margarita pizza and a gourmet, ultra thin crust creation arrived with a price tag far less than you'd pay in the states. Breakfast -- 95% of Turkish small hotels, be they rural or urban, have a buffet spread in the morning -- had all the traditional Turkish white cheeses, breads, olives, pickles and dips -- along with enough warm food, jams and other items to appeal to the more western palate. The room at Yunak was spectacular, though it involved climbing very many outdoor, smooth marble stair cases. It had a very modern and luxurious bath. There was a heater, but I never needed it. Plenty of comfy sheets and blankets made me at ease with the constant 67 degree interior. The room was large as a suite, stocked with free bottled water and amazing to sleep in, what with it's carved niches from being an ancient cave home. Each day, I was picked up around 9:30 a.m. and taken around to all the key sites and museums. I must say, the buffet lunch was fairly mediocre, but no lacking for items. There must have been 100 things to choose from, which is good for the picky eaters. Efendi and Yusuf even helped trouble shooting a problem of my own creation. The number one thing I wanted to see was the Goreme Open Air Museum. We were supposed to see it on the first day, but the on-site tour operator switched my itinerary. Day 1 was a long hike and my knee was acting up. The weather for the next day called for storms. I pictured my only visit to Cappadocia being marred by a sore knee and rain sweeping away photos I wanted to take in Goreme. I offered to leave the tour halfway into Day 1 and pay a taxi to Goreme. The tour guide was polite, but balked at it. I dialed Yusuf (he gave me his cell and told me to call 24/7) and quickly, the tour driver was depositing me in Goreme with the understanding that I would not have travel protection

This was one of the best airport pickups ever. The booknig process was fast, easy and accurate,…read morethe price was the cheapest out there and the staff were very helpful. The driver was waiting at the airport as promised in a nice vehicle and managed to get us to our apartment in spite of having an incomplete address. The pickup was on time and again very smooth. Drivers spoke good English and were courteous. Recommend these folk highly.

I'll start with WOW and go from there. I've done a few of the free walking tours with the…read moreSandeman's folks and they did a great job in Edinburgh and Prague but they're not in Istanbul so I turned to Yelp and found these folks. Meeting by the Cistern, we walked a solid 20,000 steps (according to my Fitbit) through a half dozen of Istanbul's best known sites including the Topkapı Sarayı, the Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome and Hagia Sophia. Along the way, we made several stops and there were a good number of spots where our super tour guide gave us time to explore on our own. When she led us around, she had constant knowledge of the sites and the city of Istanbul and of Turkey. A vast and deep knowledge. I was impressed. Our tour was well organized and well run. The lunch spot was excellent. A couple of tips. - Bring a backpack and a bottle or two of water. - An umbrella is a good idea as the tour runs even if it's raining. - Sunscreen! - Comfortable walking shoes that have a good tread. Istanbul's streets are smooth stone and you don't want to slip and fall. - For the Blue Mosque, you'll be expected to dress appropriately. There are free head coverings. - Extra batteries for your phone/camera. You will take a lot of pictures in six hours! - Pay attention to the meet up spots after the self-exploration. A certain Yelper *cough* Bruce K. *cough* got himself separated from the tour and was nearly stuck on his own until he spotted the green umbrella!

In the past year I've had some pretty fun adventures all over the USA, in China, Korea, Australia,…read moreNew Zealand, Canada, Germany, the UK, Spain, the UAE, and now Istanbul. While I've had a lot of fun in all those places, I can say unequivocally that my Istanbul Classics small group tour with Metin has been the best $90 USD I have ever spent on any activity in any of those places. If you are considering a tour of Istanbul and questioning whether you should do it with Daily Istanbul Tours, with some other tour organizer, or on your own, I can assure you that the best decision will be to book with DIT and be sure to request Metin as your guide. I won't bore you with details of the sites we saw, since you can get all of that information from their website. What I'll do instead is share a little about why this tour ended up being the highlight of our holiday: * It's easy enough to find and get into the sites, but there is so much information out there about them that it's really hard to distill it all into useful material. Metin is an expert on each site and knows exactly what the most interesting and relevant details are; he'll definitely help you make the most of your time at each place you go. Going on our own would be been stupid; we would have wasted hours wandering around, not really knowing what the more significant parts were or what we were looking at, etc. With so little time and so much to see, it was important to use our time efficiently, which we definitely did. * There can be something intimidating about being in a foreign country, especially if you are easily recognizable as a foreigner, don't speak the language, and aren't traveling with a group. Spending a day with Metin lets you truly relax and focus on the amazing sites without having to constantly watch your back or worry about getting screwed (which is a concern in any major city). With Metin, there's no pressure to buy any random crap, no worries about cultural faux-pas, and nobody bothering you at all when they see you are with him. If someone does approach you, he will dispatch them quickly. * Whatever random questions you have, I guarantee Metin will be able to answer them. Want to know what material a wall was built from? Metin knows its chemical composition. Want to know what year a building was constructed? He can tell you when each part of it was created, how long it took, how it was made, who made it, how many times it has been destroyed, where the materials came from, etc. Curious about some Turkish or Islamic history? Metin knows the years, the people, the hows, and the whys. And don't worry about being able to understand him and communicate easily; his English is fantastic, with a slight British accent on some words, which is an extra bonus for us Americans who don't get to hear real English very often * Metin is very personable and took a sincere interest in making sure we had the best possible time in Istanbul. When I mentioned that I really wanted to smoke some narguile, he made sure we were able to get some after our lunch. While we were hanging out at the café, several of his friends happened to be passing by or were around, so he introduced us to all of them and we ended up having some very interesting conversations. We had such a great time on the tour but didn't have any plans later for our last night in Istanbul, so Metin invited us to meet up with them later since they would be hanging out along Istiklal near our hotel. We ended up spending another few hours together that evening and into the early morning hours talking about all sorts of interesting topics, exploring some really fascinating areas that we would otherwise have missed, and meeting more people. This was advertised as a 4 to 6-person small group tour, but due to the season and perhaps people's irrational fears about coming to Turkey, it ended up just being me, my dad, and Metin. This definitely helped contribute to the awesomeness of the experience, but I have no doubt that a group of any size would get great value out of a tour with him as well. We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Daily Istanbul Tours and Metin for making our trip to Turkey so memorable.

With five days in Istanbul before boarding a cruise, we wanted to venture to Cappadocia. After…read morecontacting Noreste Tours, Birdal provided us with an itinerary/proposal. For a private two-day tour including a stay at a luxurious cave hotel, flights, and tours. He was punctual, professional, and extremely knowledgeable making for an extremely memorable experience. The company can also do group tours in English, Spanish, and Turkish and will customize to your specifications. As an added bonus, the total cost of the tour for the two of us was half-off what the cruise line wanted to charge for a pre-cruise add on. Make the most of your visit to Turkey and arrange your tours with Noreste. You won't be disappointed.

in istambul we purchased an excursion as part of our (excellent) cruise on Viking Cruise Line. We…read moreleft the ship on bus, drove to the Blue Mosque, then walked to the Sultans Palace and finally to the spice bazaar. Our Tura Turizm tour guide was excellent. She was good at keeping the group moving, spoke English well, was enthusiastic about sharing information about the sites, had a nice voice, gave us plenty of time to see things and seemed very sincere in wanting us to appreciate what we were seeing. She gets an A+. The last stop was the spice bazaar. I'm glad we went because it's definitely something unique. The noise, the smells, the building...all made for a great experience. Our guide did give us tips on shopping in the bazaar, acknowledging that there were some shops that could be "trusted" more than others. So, she brought us to a specific "trustworthy" shop where they gave us samples and explained their merchandise . I bought a couple of things, and the salesperson used his calculator to assure me of the price in U.S. dollars. When I paid for my items, I was encouraged to use a credit card instead of cash (hmm?). Before I signed the credit slip I asked to know the amount in U.S. dollars and, was told the correct amount. I signed, left, and returned home to a credit card charge $100+ dollars over the what should have been charged. The credit card company said I could dispute it, but needed more information from the store. I tried to contact them multiple times, incliding via the email address on their website, but got no reply. I learned a lesson (use cash in a place like that) and came home with Spice bazaar story to share, but I can't help thinking that the tour guide would be really embarrassed to know that this happened in the one store that she recommended. If Tura Turizm would have responded to me in any fashion, I probably wouldn't be writing this tome of a review. Oh, and the store in the Bazaar was named Bogazicibah.

We took a guided tour of Ephasus in Turkey as one of the shore excursions from our cruise. The…read moreguide himself was SUPERB: warm, knowledgeable, and fascinating. The bus had greatwestern-style air-conditioning (!) and was a welcome respite after the heat of the day walking through the ruins, which were among the most incredible we've ever seen. Our guide was able to bring the ancient world to life with his stories blending culture, history, and myth. Yet, one major drawback: upon our arrival in Kusadasi, at the end of the tour, we were taken on an "educational visit" of the carpet store Topkapi to learn how Turkish rugs/carpets are made. This was simply a sales job, and a badly done one at that. After an interesting demo of silkworms and weaving, we were ushered into a large room (seated at the back - truly trapped!) and shown carpets. The loud, aggressive sales manager was fakely over-friendly and frankly dishonest; he said several things about rug prices, for example, which we later learned in Istanbul were not true. Not to mention that his prices were grossly inflated. It's too bad that this company chose to end a wonderful tour with this charlatan: we are sure that American consumers are far more intelligent that he supposes. They kept telling us that they "didn't want us to get a negative idea about Turkey or carpet salesman"; unfortunately they imprinted a further stereotype.

Best Turkey Experience Romos Travel Agency is the best…read moreIstanbul-based Turkish travel agency. From when we first contacted them, they were highly professional and courteous, patiently explaining all the divergent opportunities and the best ways to attain them. They were exceptionally friendly and catered to our schedule and limitations, changing the itinerary whenever needed, regardless of any difficulties posed. During our visit to Turkey, whether we were in a city for a short or long period of time, they provided us transport to various landmarks and iconic sites, giving us detailed historical backgrounds on each one. They even organized a trip throughout the entire country, calling us every time we reached a new city to ensure everything was going smoothly and that our accommodations were met. In addition, they reminded us of all the things we could do, made sure the pricing for everything was within our budget and of the best quality and customized our itinerary so it fit our interests. Moreover, they were quick to ensure our safety when the forest fires occurred in the cities we were staying in and just showed great care and attention to us throughout our entire trip. I loved my experience with them and will continue to use them anytime I am in Turkey. I highly recommend anyone interested in traveling to Turkey to also use them for the best experience! Wasif KHAN

Bitinya offers many tours in Istanbul and all over the Turkey. We have booked Off The Beaten Track…read moreand Istanbul Tastes and we had fantastic tour I would recomend to anyone anytime. Our tour guide, Erkan, showed us around European and Asian parts of the city, took us to bazaars, mosques, little shops, amazing restaurant, etc. We travelled by different kinds of transport: Erkan took care of the card and transportation fees. In one day we had so many experiences, impressions and information about Istanbul history and culture which would not be possible to achieve in such a short trip.