Feel the Essence of amazing Istanbul with your Local Guide at Old city tour Istanbul

Nesime was and is a wonderful host for an introduction to the history, culture/art, quirkiness that is Istanbul. She tailored our tour to our interests and described how Istanbul evolved over time while we were standing in the center of the change. From Byzantion to New Rome to Constantinople to Istanbul, we got a sense of the political and social and even environmental influences on the city and Turkey. She helped in our understanding of Islamic culture and ritual as well as in our appreciation for the creation of the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia -- two amazing places. Lunch took us to a wonderful restaurant not far from the action in the Golden Horn/Sultanahmet area. We stopped for a look at carpets and gained an appreciation for the work that goes into the craft. Finally, she booked a Turkish Bath for us and guided us in what we wanted to have done/what experience we were to get. Nesime is a great resource and highly personal guide in that she makes it all fun. I will book her again when in the area for another experience.

I was a solo traveler from the US and my tour with Nesime was amazing. She took me from the founding of the city by the Greeks to the Ottoman Empire and beyond! Hippodrome, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, the Blue Mosque and more. Meeting Turkish artisans and watching them work was an incredible bonus for the day. Nesime’s knowledge of Istanbul and Turkey is vast and her love of both and of history made the day an absolute joy from start to finish. Highly recommend!

This tour was fantastic! Nesime was super nice and an amazingly knowledgeable tour guide. She told us so much about the history of this fascinating city. We got to see several of the most important sites in Istanbul and had a really enjoyable day. I highly recommend this tour with Nesime Tanis as your guide.

Tours By Locals never disappoints. Nesime was a wonderful , knowledgable, fun tour guide. She made us feel like friends. Nesime has a fabulous personality well suited to be the great tour guide she is.

We were a party of 6 from the U.S. We very much enjoyed our day with Nesime. We accomplished a lot and had an amazing day - Hippodrome, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, Basilica Cisterns and more. With Blue Mosque under renovation, we got the detailed information from Nesime and the outside posters. A lunch fit for the Sultans was enjoyed by all at a restaurant Nesime selected. Her knowledge of the city and her country is vast and she loves sharing it in a fun, informative and relaxed manner.

Nesime was fabulous. Our first choice was Topkapi Palace and Hareem. She explained how the palace worked, who lived there and why. We started with the kitchen and the huge pots. We learned about coffee and serving dishes. We saw the vault with magnificent treasures, the weaponry, clocks and administration rooms. The most interesting was the Hareem, where the Sultan's family lived and it's hierarchy. The tiling throughout the complex was exquisite. After that we walked to the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque