Dolmabahce Palace: Tours & Tickets

Kadir Kucekeren was absolutely fantastic. He is very knowledgeable and we saved lots of time enjoying Istanbul with him. He knows all the secrets to truly enjoy the city in a safe and efficient manner. He personalized our trip to fit our cultural interests - like Süleymaniye Mosque. He is very caring of his guests; he helped my mother up and down the old city steps. He is a true gentleman and I will always be grateful to him for his patience and understanding.

The tour was very well conducted by Hilal. She proved to be a very experienced guide who could help the group navigate the crowds of tourists at the various sites. She knew when to give members some time to wander around to admire the places and when to gather everyone to elaborate more on the historical backgrounds. I could sense that everyone felt relaxed and comfortable with Hilal and that in turn contributed to a wonderful sense of camaraderie within the group. I would certainly go through this tour again when I revisit Istanbul provided it is conducted by Hilal. Thank you and hope to see you again, Hilal! The "skip-the-queue" arrangement that is provided with this tour is an absolute God-send in terms of avoiding the snaking long queues!

Pluses - Very interesting routes. Staff was helpful and explained well. Boat trip was great. Minuses - Blue route comes one every hour and the last bus was at 16.00.

This was my first time in Istanbul, so having two days with a guide was essential for understanding this amazing city and its history. On my own I could not have found my way to so many places, or learned so much. Saban Sezer was an excellent guide; I always have questions to ask that many visitors would not, as I am interested in Islamic architecture and as I live in Egypt and am interested in how in the past Turkish traditions have transferred to Egypt, Saban was patient with my questions and with me wanting to spend longer in some places that interested me. He gave information even about places you don't have time to visit in your first two days, places we just passed on the cruise, and that makes me want to return for more exploring of Istanbul.

This guided walk was the highlight of my visit to Istanbul. The enthusiasm and flexibility of the guide were genuinely commendable. I could not have asked for a more committed guide, we set off at 0900 and finished at about 1800. We walked, rode in trams, the funicular (cable) cars, sat and drank tea among the old Turkish men, visited the Hagia Sophia Mosque, drank coffee at the Federal Galata coffee shop and walked through large bazaars and markets. Interestingly, one of the more memorable things we did was to explore several Han. These are two or three storey buildings, which house small workshops for artisans. If you are thinking about a visit to Istanbul, then I wholeheartedly recommend using this organisation. Also, despite the world political situation, I found Istanbul to be a safe city, where no more than the usual security issues of travelling seemed to exist.