Private tours in Istanbul

My husband, Andy, and I were part of a group of six traveling to Istanbul, Turkey, in September’07 to join a cruise. We arrived early so we could see the city in more depth.

Kagan Kosagan of Tours in Istanbul (Lion Team Altiyol, Onur Ishani 309/3, Kadikoy, 34714 Istanbul, Turkey; phone +90 216 338 87 76, e-mail kosagan@yahoo.com or visit www.toursinistanbul.com) was a joy to work with, and our guide, Deniz Polat, was excellent. She listened to our wants and met all our needs.

Deniz met us at our hotel, the Barcelo Eresin Topkapi, and quickly organized us into our first day’s tour of about eight hours. She had an excellent plan, and off we all went with our own driver and well-maintained, air-conditioned van. We toured the usual tourist sites in Istanbul and had lunch at a small lunchroom, where we were treated like visiting royalty.

Deniz met us two days later at the ship and we had another seven hours’ touring with her. We went to the Dolmabahçe Palace, to a street market which was terrific and to the Chora, a wonderful small church/museum, having a stupendous lunch next door at a fabulous restaurant.

Including the guide, driver and van, the cost was €240 (near $378) per day, which, split by three couples, we thought was a very good deal for such an in-depth tour and personal service. We highly recommend contacting Kagan if you need a guide in Istanbul or Turkey.

LISA CUBBON

Marietta, GA