Verified Company
Thank you, Umit, for an amazing and well-organized tour. Everything was perfectly planned, and we learned so much about the history and culture of Istanbul. Your knowledge and friendly attitude made the experience even more enjoyable. I would definitely recommend Eskinazi Tours to anyone visiting Istanbul.
We contacted Eskinazi Private Tours having searched extensively through the internet. We had several conversations by email with Sofia agreeing what we considered to be a very acceptable price when comparing it to our cruise provider’s offerings in Istanbul. Being both in our middle-70s but travelling with our daughter and grandson (19) we were keen to avoid over stretching ourselves while keeping it interesting for the younger group members. We limited ourselves to visiting Topkapi palace, Hagia Sophia and the Grand Bazaar with a late addition of the Underground Cistern.
Our guide Nahit met us from the ship at the agreed time of 9am with a driver, who took us to the Underground Cistern. Nahit led us to the entrance avoiding the line queuing. The cistern was really well-worth a visit, we were all glad we made the late addition to the programme. Moving on, we moved towards the exit of the Hagia Sofia, where Nahit persuaded the staff to let us ‘oldies’ avoid the line for the entrance while the youngsters queued with Nahit while he found someone he knew (he seems to know everyone in Istanbul) to take them towards the front of the line while we waited inside. It was a short wait before Nahit explained the history of the building in its’ several guises and several religions. After our visit, Nahit took us to yet another of his contacts where we could use ‘the facilities’ and see the other wares offered, in a house where the owner had resisted the temptation to sell to Hilton hotels (the neighbouring properties have indeed now been converted into a Hilton branded property).
We moved on to visit Topkapi and to see the artefacts collected by a succession of Sultans and featured in the film of the same name (1964). Nahit then took us to a restaurant which gave us a welcome break for lunch before setting off via an Iznic tile designer (8th generation personified in our demonstration!) to the Grand Bazaar. It would be fair to say that we were all flagging a bit but we persevered to visit a Turkish delight creator recommended by one of my wife’s students, who was delighted to see us. The Grand Bazaar reminded us of our visits to the Souks of Riyadh where we lived for two years.
All in all, a tremendous day and credit to Nahit who used all of his skills as guide and influence to take us readily avoiding queues and his charm to get us through the day.
Reply from Eskinazi Tours & Events
2023.04.18
Hello Mr. Greening, we are so delighted to hear your feedback and you enjoyed your time with us. It was a great pleasure serving you and your family in Istanbul. Enjoy the rest of your trip. With warm greetings from Eskinazi Team.
Desde el día que decidimos hacer nuestro viaje a turkia contactamos la agencia eskenazi y desde el primer contacto todo fue maravilloso con ellos. Nos organizaron todo el recorrido tal como lo queríamos, la puntualidad en responder nuestras dudas, la eficiencia en todo, nos asesoraron muy bien todo el tiempo, la atención de sus agentes es increíble, desde la recogida en el aeropuerto hasta el último día todo el servicio fue VIP. En fin, solo tengo agradecimientos por que hicieron que nuestro viaje sea una experiencia increíble. Gracias, gracias, gracias!!
Reply from Eskinazi Tours & Events
2022.11.10
Hola Janeth, Fue un inmenso placer servirle a usted y a su familia en Turquía. Estamos muy agradecidos de que haya disfrutado de su tiempo con nosotros. Espero verte de nuevo.
We (2 couples) spent 3 days in Istanbul with Umit Yildirim, our tour guide from Eskinazi Tourism Ltd. I had reviewed several tour companies and selecting Eskinazi and Umit was the best decision I made. Not only was Umit fluent in English, he was extremely knowledgeable with the history of Turkey and the sites. Umit presented the information in such a way that we became well educated with this ancient history. We spent 7-8 hours each day touring all the important sites as well as the city of Istanbul both on the European and Asian sides in a luxury Mercedes van. He took us to classic Ottoman and Turkish restaurants for lunches--not tourist spots. The tour was capped off on the 3rd day with a 2 hour Bosphorus Cruise in a Private Yacht. We all are still raving about this tour. Do yourself a favor and look no further than Eskinazi.
Very professional services, excellent guide, you will not be dissapointed
Reply from Eskinazi Tours & Events
2022.05.24
Thank you very much for your review!
We had Excellent tours with them. I even recommended my friend just this past month to Eskinazi...
Reply from Eskinazi Tours & Events
2021.08.18
Thank you very much Miriam!