Most of the mosques in Istanbul were built between the 15th and 20th centuries, when it was the capital of the Ottoman Empire. However, there are also noteworthy mosques built during the Republic period. In this article, I listed the most beautiful mosques of Istanbul from the eyes of a professional tour guide and tried to answer frequently asked questions about them. Of course, those planning a trip to Istanbul are wondering about the visiting hours and entrance fees of mosques in Istanbul. In the list below you can find information about the 20 best mosques in Istanbul. Since entrance to mos ..read more

Fener and Balat districts stand out with their centuries-old churches, mosques, synagogues and colorful houses. As a licensed guide, I organize private guided tours in Istanbul and you can discover the hidden treasures of these districts on my Fener Balat walking tour. On the Fener and Balat tour, you can learn a lot about the life of non-Muslims in Istanbul during the Ottoman period. Between the 15th and 20th centuries, Fener was the Greek quarter and Balat was the Jewish quarter of the city. Of course, Fener and Balat walk can also be done without a guide. You can take pictures of the colorf ..read more

There are many mosques, churches and museums among the best places to visit in Istanbul. In this article, you can find 10 of the most popular historical monuments in the city. As a private tour guide in Istanbul for many years, I accompanied hundreds of tourists. In this article, I have selected the most preferred places among tourists visiting the city. Thus, I believe that this list will help you in planning your trip to Istanbul. Best Places to Visit in Istanbul 2022 There are 10 titles in the list of the best places to visit in Istanbul for 2022. These places bear the traces of three empir ..read more

The Istanbul Museum Pass is a very useful card for those who come to the city for a cultural trip. Those who will visit several museums can easily cover the money they pay for the museum card. So is the Museum Pass Istanbul worth it? You can find insider tips about the museum card in this post. The museums in Istanbul are very crowded between April and November, the city’s tourist season. Especially in the spring and autumn, there are long ticket queues in front of the museums. The biggest benefit of the Museum Pass is that it saves you from waiting in lines. However, if you go to very crowded ..read more

Hello, I am Serhat Engul, I have been working as a private tour guide in Istanbul since 2004. If you want to explore the history and culture of the city with an experienced and friendly tour guide, you can book one of these half day walking tours of Istanbul. In the lines below, you can find 5 history tours you can take in Istanbul. Each of these tours are half-day walking tours. Thus, you can learn about Istanbul from a local who was born and raised in this city. Half Day Walking Tours of Istanbul You can see the traces of the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman empires in Istanbul. Many historical ..read more

Grand Bazaar is the most popular shopping place in Istanbul. Istanbul has some of the largest modern shopping malls in Europe. However, shopping in the Grand Bazaar, a 500-year-old historical building, is a different experience. In this article, you will find many tips about the Grand Bazaar. If you wish, let’s start with how to get to the Grand Bazaar. Because the bazaar has dozens of entrances and it is important from which door you enter the building to find direction. How to Go to Grand Bazaar? You can follow two ways to go from Sultanahmet to the Grand Bazaar. The first of these is to pas ..read more

Basilica Cistern is actually an underground water reservoir from the Byzantine period. Basilica Cistern currently serves as a museum and is located in Sultanahmet. The cistern was built during the reign of Justinian, the most powerful ruler of the Byzantine Empire. It was built to supply water to the Great Palace, Hagia Sophia and other administrative buildings, which were the most important structures of the city. In the 15th century, when Constantinople was taken by the Ottomans, the cistern ceased to be used. Even its existence was forgotten for a while. In this article you can find useful ..read more

Spice Bazaar is located in Eminonu, in the heart of Istanbul’s Old City. Eminonu is one of the transportation hubs of Istanbul and therefore it is crowded with people all day long. You can go to popular districts such as Kadikoy and Uskudar on the Asian side by ferry from Eminonu. In addition, you can take a Bosphorus cruise with the Turyol ferries on the Eminonu coast. Street food tours in Istanbul have been focusing on Eminonu and Sirkeci in recent years. These districts, where the oldest local restaurants and dessert shops of the city are located, offer visitors a historical atmosphere and ..read more

The best breakfast places in Istanbul are on the shores of the Bosphorus, in Beyoglu (Karakoy, Galata, Taksim) and Sultanahmet (Old City). When you go to these districts on weekends, you can see that Istanbulites enjoy Turkish breakfast. It is a great pleasure to have breakfast in Istanbul, especially with the view of the Bosphorus. For this, you can try districts such as Ortakoy, Bebek and Rumeli Hisarı on the shores of the European side. On the other hand, there are great breakfast places on the Asian shores of the Bosphorus. Among these, we can count the shores of Kadikoy, Uskudar and Beyko ..read more

Hello, I am Serhat Engul. I am a private tour guide in Istanbul, Turkey. I was born in 1980 in the Old City of Istanbul. I later settled on the Asian side of Istanbul and have been living here for a long time. So I had the chance to get to know every neighborhood of the city. History of Rome and Byzantium I am very curious about the history of Rome and its continuation, the Byzantine Empire. I also studied the 15th century and later, when the city experienced a great transition period. I see it as a richness that the Ottoman Empire brought a new identity to the city. The fact that there is mor ..read more