Turkey · PRIVATE TOURS
Good private tours fill up weeks ahead; the great ones go first. Below: the 15 to book early, what each includes and how they differ.
Review of a private Ephesus shore excursion from Kusadasi, with flexible sightseeing, local guides, port pickup, and on-time return.
“Hakan, the guide, is very knowledgeable and good. I enjoyed the trip very much. He organized the attractions with the intention of minimizing the time to line up. He took us to a nice local place for a reasonably priced lunch.”
Istanbul Airport transfer to Fatih, Beyoglu, or Besiktas with private vehicles, airport greeting, child seats, and free cancellation.
“Driver was playing on his phone the entire journey. We did not feel safe and we would not recommend.”
Explore Cappadocia privately with a guide, driver, and flexible route covering cave churches, valleys, pottery, and Kaymakli.
“This was a lovely, private tour in a comfortable van with driver. We were picked up at the hotel so didn't have to worry about finding a meeting point. Our tour guide, Ayhan, provided a ton of fascinating historical information at each site. The pace was relaxed enough to not be exhausting. We were taken to a nice restaurant for lunch to try Turkish fare. The tour concluded with a visit to a Turkish carpet making store. On the one hand it was interesting to see/hear the explanation on the procedure, on the other, we didn't like being subjected to a sales pitch. If you don't want to be sold…”
Explore Ephesus, Mary’s House, and the Temple of Artemis on a flexible private shore tour with an on-time cruise return.
“Amazing tour with Ozzy and Halil who took us all over Ephesus tour, Virgine Mary’s house, Fashion show and so on. Many thanks for all the explanation, was very complete”
Istanbul private airport and cruise-port transfer review covering pickup, pricing, vehicles, timing, communication, and who should book.
“Very friendly and efficient! They kept in touch with me throughout the entire process and answered all my questions.”
Review of Cappadocia’s private full-day tour, with Göreme, Uchisar, Avanos, fairy chimneys, costs, timing, guides, and practical tips.
“Eren was lovely, very knowledgeable, a bit self - deprecating and funny. Very personable, confident but not too full of himself. Even my 3 teenagers enjoyed his jokes. Tours very good. Wish we had longer in some places, but of course not possible to do so and get around everywhere. We went off season and visited a pottery which was nice, but some of the pottery staff were annoyed / rude to us since we didn't throw money at them. This was the only negative, and did not take away from the excellent tour nor the generous nature of our tour guide or driver. We chose not to purchase buffet…”
Review of a private Kusadasi tour combining Ephesus, Turkish lunch, local shopping, and a traditional hammam, with costs and practical tips.
“Great your guide, Seyhan, was great! He's flexible and informative and was csring to my elderly mom. Very memorable day. Our other relatives chose a taxi and they didn't have the great time we did. Keep in mind to budget for pricry entrance tickets to the ruins (very worth it) and moderate bath prices (nice and relaxing). You are taken to a couple of shopping places with sales oriented staff, just buy what you want and leave the rest. .”
Review of Istanbul’s private Old City tour, covering Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar, Topkapi Palace, pickup, costs, and practical tips.
“We had an excellent walking tour with Belgin. She was able to change our tour to include the Basilica cistern instead of the grand bazaar. Very informative about the history of each place we visited. I highly recommend this tour and our guide.”
Review of the private Ephesus and Temple of Artemis tour from Kusadasi, with pricing, itinerary, lunch, shopping stops, guides, and practical tips.
“We had an excellent trip with Seyhan, collected from our hotel only an hour after I booked the trip, in an air conditioned car. I booked the trip for myself and my 2 children (aged 8 and 13). My son (8) had a conversation about Greek and Roman Gods with Seyhan. Seyhan took us around a couple of local shops, where my son did some clay modelling with the "master" and we watched a fashion show at the leather shop. Seyhan told me my son could get in to Ephesus for free if had proof of age, so this is worth noting (age 8 and under). He was very informative…”
Review of Kusadasi’s private Ephesus shore tour, with Mary’s House, flexible sightseeing, local lunch, and a guaranteed ship return.
“It was a wonderful experience, we loved seeing the ruins. Our Guide Emma was fabulous, very knowledgeable and pleasant. We ate a delicious lunch and went to a workshop to see how carpets are made which was amazing to see.”
Review of Istanbul’s private cruise-port tour, with Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Basilica Cistern, Grand Bazaar, costs, and practical tips.
“We had a very enjoyable time with our tour guide Ozlem. She spent the day explaining the history and culture of Istanbul to us. I could see the love and pride in what she explained to us as well as her knowledge. I would recommend this tour to someone who has an extra day to spend in Istanbul.”
Review of Istanbul Airport private transfers: clear meeting instructions, clean vans, flight tracking, Wi-Fi, and fair group pricing.
“We had a clear instruction of the meeting place and had no issues. The driver initially took us to a wrong hotel but he did take us to a correct hotel. We had a nice and friendly driver.”
Review of a private Ephesus tour from Kusadasi, with port pickup, skip-line tickets, Mary’s House, guide tips, price, and practical advice.
“We had a great day with Leyla as our guide. Highly recommend this tour. Lunch was delicious as well!”
Review of Istanbul private airport transfers, with honest advice on comfort, meeting points, traffic, luggage, price, and value.
“My ride was waiting for me when I arrived, with personnel who were polite, helpful, and possessing an excellent command of English. It was great to have a stress-free introduction like this to a grand city like Istanbul!”
Review of Antalya Airport private transfer: VIP vehicles, meet-and-greet service, free drinks, Wi-Fi, pricing, timing, and booking advice.
“We booked our airport transfer from Antalya airport to the hotel in advance. No payment was necessary until the transfer was completed. There was someone waiting for us on arrival and after a short walk, we were on our way to the hotel. On Read more”
The coast, the caves, the old stones and the bazaars.
