Luxury Private and Guided Istanbul Food Tour with a local guide

Top notch tour and tour guide. We were lucky enough to get Furkan as our tour guide. He was, charismatic, funny, engaging and informative. We met one of the chefs featured on chef’s table and ate at his wonderful restaurant. We explored the Asian and European sides. You will not regret this.

This tour was one of the highlights of our amazing stay in Istanbul. Furkhan was our guide, extremely knowledgeable, affable, patient with our youngsters, funny, and just one of the coolest people I have encountered on my travels. It was a cold n rainy day, so rather than canceling the tour we were so looking forward to, he adapted to the conditions and turned the walking tour into a sprinter tour of two continents! We ate delicious food at restaurants frequented by locals, walked quaint charming back streets, and learned about the culture and history of this unique city. This was an epic n unforgettable tour! Thank you Furkhan

We just got back from Istanbul and hired Furkan from Private Istanbul Walking Tours. He was EXCELLENT!!! We told him we were most interested in learning about Turkish culture, politics, and regular life in Istanbul. He tailored our tour and gave us exactly what we wanted, even checking with us several times during the tour to make sure that he was focusing his tour the way that we wanted. Furkan had us stop to try local food throughout the day, including a fantastic huge meal with 20+ different dishes at a restaurant where the chef/owner (who was featured in Chef's Kitchen on Netflix) hugged and greeted him very warmly. He left us with several more recommendations that were excellent, including a mosque that we hadn't planned to see, but it turned out to be our favorite (Rustem Pasha). We've been on dozens of guided tours and Furkan was one of the best...and he was inexpensive too!

The guide furkan had a lot of knowledge , was very punctual and made us have a great day . We knew about the great part of the history of turkey .

Furkan is an outstanding guide and will tailor the tour so that you will get the most out of it. He has good intuition as to what he thinks his guests would enjoy, from the places visited, the foods tasted, and the logical order in which to do everything. Excellent!

We had an energizing, entertaining full-day tour of Istanbul's lesser-known areas with Furkan, who was a terrific guide, full of knowledge and humour, and extremely flexible. Somehow, he found a zipper store when we wanted one, and he introduced us to one of the most famous chefs in Turkey. He showed us many things we'd have never discovered on our own, and even connected us with a private laundry service that picked up and dropped off at our hotel. Recommended highly.

Furkan was an exceptional guide, very interesting and a pleasure to spend 2 days with in Istanbul. He organised my visit - took me to all the places I wanted to see without me having to do hours of research, the local knowledge was exceptional, I could not more highly recommend him - and when we come back - and we will Furkan will be a our first point of contact. Loved the food as well - and Furkan organised my Turkish Bath experience - fantastic

Furkan provided me a 1 day tour in Istanbul. I love walking and love seeing “the backstreets” or perhaps less of the “touristy” parts of the cities I visit. Furkan did exactly that. He met me at the hotel and we started to walk. He had tea in a local shop which had an excellent view (love the tulip cups and understanding more about how important tea is in Turkey/Istanbul). We then proceeded to meander around the streets and took a ferry over to the asia side where we had lunch. I was glad to get some typically local (and delicious) cuisine instead. We then went back to europe and had a quick walk through the blue mosque and the grand bazaar before heading back to the hotel. I think what I appreciated the most is Furkan explaining a bit if the public transit system and how to get a payment card. This greatly helped me over the next 2 days of touring around.

Derya was just amazing! I had just finished 25 days on the Silk Road and visited Cappadocia and Istanbul with Derya and she was by far one of the best guides we had the entire journey!
My Husband and I travelled through Turkey with his parents (we're in our 30's and the Parents in their 60's) and she really knew how to make sure we were all very happy. I would recommend this amazing woman and tour guide to anyone, no matter their age.

Furkan is a great guide who is always flexible with the itinerary. We started off with telling him what we'd already eaten and tried in Istanbul so he took care of showing us the rest. We booked this tour because we wanted him to help us get oriented with taking ferries to and from the Asian side. He also gave us navigational tips so we can find our way back which was very useful. He also gave restaurant recommendations which we took up on our own later. Best of all, the tour felt like we were hanging out with a friend.

We may have visited the main attractions in Istanbul but would never have experienced it without Derya and Furkan introduced to us by Hotel Amira. Furkan took my wife Rukshana in a wheel chair to see Topkapi Palace, Grand Bazar, Blue Mosque etc. We thank Furkan and Derya who mads our visit to Istanbul memorable.

without Furkan and Derya I may have visited the main attractions in Istanbul but would never have experienced the superb dining ( yes and the odd beer or two ) and attractions only the locals would know and find.

We had the most remarkable family tour with Furkan. Not only was everything perfect, but we felt, in every instance, that Furkan cared about us, both the kids and adults, and did his best to make this trip memorable. Furkan was very accommodating and was able to adjust the schedule to suit our kids ever-changing needs. We saw the most beautiful architecture, tasted the most delicious food and desserts and learned so much about Turkey’s rich history. Furkan was also very knowledgeable and fluent in English! It was the most eye-opening, and stunning tour - something we and the kids will remember, draw upon, and cherish for many years to come. My son keeps bringing up the tour and says he wants to live in Turkey some day 😊. Thank you greatly, Furkan!!! I would highly recommend using Furkan the next time you visit Turkey!!!

My family and I had a wonderful tour with Furkan. He is extremely knowledgeable about the history of Istanbul. Furkan is very friendly and tailored our tour to my family’s interests and the timeframe for our layover. I highly recommend enjoying a private tour with Furkan Gokcel!