Frequently Asked Questions

Choose a tour on its page and book online, or send us your dates and group size by email, phone or WhatsApp. Get Istanbul Tours is the trading name of Git Turizm Tic. Ltd. Şti., a licensed TÜRSAB member agency in Istanbul, and the same Terms and Conditions apply however you book. After booking you receive a confirmation email with the meeting point and start time. A booking is guaranteed once it has been paid in full, so check the date, number of guests and services before you pay.

It depends on the tour, so read the Included and Not included lists on each page before booking. Many private Istanbul walking tours include the licensed guide and skip-the-line help at the ticket desk, but not museum tickets, meals or a private van. Other tours, such as the Private Topkapi Palace, Harem and Cistern Tour, include the entrance tickets. Tips are listed as not included on almost every tour. Prices are per person unless the page says per group (transfers, cars) or per hour (yachts), and are shown in US dollars.

On a private tour only your own party takes part: the guide follows your pace and the start time can be adjusted. A small-group tour runs on a fixed schedule with other travellers and costs less. Our Small Group Best of Istanbul Tour, for example, starts from the German Fountain, needs at least 4 participants to run and costs from $55.25 per person, while private Old City tours start at $180. Families, slow walkers and anyone with a tight schedule usually do better on a private tour.

Most tours outside Istanbul's Old City include pick-up from your hotel, and the tour page says so under Included. On many private Istanbul walking tours the guide meets you on foot at centrally located hotels or at Galataport cruise port. If your hotel is not central, the meeting point is the German Fountain in Sultanahmet unless you add a private van; van service to hotels outside the centre or on the Asian side costs extra. Please be ready 15 minutes before the start time.

The cancellation terms shown on each tour page apply to that tour. On most of our day tours and activities you can cancel free of charge up to 7 days before the tour for a full refund, and cancellations within 7 days are not refundable. A cancellation must be sent in writing to [email protected] by the person who booked, with the booking reference. It counts only once we confirm it by email. Late arrival at the meeting point is treated as a no-show, and no refund is given.

For confirmed multi-day travel packages our Cancellation Policy uses a sliding scale on the total package price: 10% up to 30 days before the first service, 30% from 29 to 15 days, 40% from 14 to 5 days, 50% from 4 to 2 days, and 100% within 48 hours or for a no-show. Hotels we book follow each hotel's own cancellation terms, which we send with the confirmation. Approved refunds go back to the original payment method, usually within 7 to 15 business days.

We accept Mastercard and Visa. Payments are processed by Git Turizm Tic. Ltd. Şti., the company that runs getistanbultours.com, and bookings are charged in US dollars unless you ask for another currency on the page. Tours are confirmed after full payment in advance. For tailor-made trips and multi-day packages, the payment schedule is set out in your written quote before you confirm. If you have a question about currency or payment options, write to us before booking.

Every tour is led by a licensed local guide. English is our standard language, and we also arrange licensed guides in Spanish, Russian, Arabic, German and French. On some shared tours the languages are fixed and listed on the page; the small-group Old City tours, for instance, run in English, Spanish, French and Chinese. For a private tour, tell us your language when you book and we confirm the guide in writing. Rarer languages depend on availability for your dates.

Children are welcome on most tours, and many package pages show a separate child price. On several Istanbul tours, children aged 7 and under enter the museums free, so bring copies of their passports because staff check ages. Wine tasting tours are not open to guests under 18. Child seats for airport transfers are available on request. For private tours with young children, tell us their ages so the guide can plan shorter walking stretches and meal breaks.

Some are, some are not, and each tour page notes it where we know. The Half-Day Istanbul Private Food Tour is wheelchair and stroller accessible, while the Private Shopping Tour in the Grand Bazaar is not wheelchair accessible. Historic sites in Istanbul, Ephesus and Cappadocia involve uneven stone paths and steps. A private tour with a private van is usually the most practical choice, because the guide can shorten walks and add rest stops. Tell us about walking ability before you book.

Yes. Send us your travel dates, the number of travellers and the places you have in mind, and a planner replies with a day-by-day route and a full price. The proposal is free and you are not obliged to book. We can combine Istanbul, Cappadocia, Ephesus, Pamukkale, Antalya, Gallipoli and other regions, book domestic flights between them and add private guides and transfers. We change the plan until it fits, then book every service once you confirm.

Many package prices are shown without hotels, so you can pick the hotel for each city on the package page and its price for your dates is added to the total, or book the package without a hotel. The page lists the hotel we normally use, such as Hilton properties in Istanbul or Medusa Cave Hotels in Cappadocia, or one of a similar category. Package prices are per person based on at least two travellers. We also book hotels on their own in economy, mid-range and luxury categories.

You rent the whole boat for your group, priced per hour, with a minimum of 2 hours. Our Istanbul fleet runs from Aura at $190 per hour for up to 12 guests to Corona Tokyo at $1,050 per hour for up to 72. Boats leave from piers such as Eminönü, Bebek, Arnavutköy and İstinye, or include a hotel pick-up, depending on the listing. On hourly charters you may bring your own food and drinks and the crew serves them. Swimming stops need a charter of 4 hours or more.

Yes. The VIP Istanbul Airport Transfer uses a Mercedes Vito or similar for 1 to 6 passengers and starts from $60 per group. It includes meet and greet, help with luggage, flight tracking, parking and tolls, and runs 24 hours a day. The drive takes about 45 to 90 minutes depending on traffic and where you stay. For departures we suggest leaving your hotel at least 4 hours before the flight. Child seats are available on request. Private cars with drivers for other routes are quoted on request.

Our team works every day from 09:00 to 21:00 Istanbul time (GMT+3). By email we usually reply within a few hours and always within 24 hours. For anything urgent on the day of your tour, call or send a WhatsApp message to +90 545 307 67 88, the same number printed in your confirmation email. For a tailor-made trip, include your dates, group size and the places you want to see, and we can send a route and price in the first reply.