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Joined 2026
Zeynep K.
Available Areas
Istanbul (Living)
Languages
English (Native), Turkish (Native)
Response Time
1 day on average
Availability Updated
4 days ago
About Tour Guide Zeynep K.
I was born and raised to Turkish parents in the suburbs of Chicago, I moved to Istanbul after earning my degree in History from Western Illinois University. Before becoming a tour guide, I spent eight years working as a journalist at The Washington Post’s Istanbul bureau. Istanbul is my favorite place in the world, and I love sharing my passion for the city with visitors.
Tours
All tours can be customized for you. Send me a message with your requests!
Categories
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Istanbul Highlight Walking Tour
Explore Istanbul’s greatest highlights on this classic walking tour. Visit the Hippodrome, Blue Mosque, and Hagia Sophia, uncovering the stories of Byzantium and the Ottomans. Descend into the magical Basilica Cistern, enjoy a short lunch break, then navigate the Grand Bazaar’s hidden corners. End at the peaceful Süleymaniye Mosque with stunning city views.
Istanbul Highlight Walking Tour
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Beyoğlu and its backstreets
Step beyond the crowds of Sultanahmet and discover the fascinating story of Beyoğlu, Istanbul’s most cosmopolitan district. This walking tour explores the grand avenues, hidden passages, and atmospheric backstreets that shaped modern Istanbul. From the bohemian neighborhoods of Çukurcuma, Galata, and Karaköy, we’ll then take a ferry across to the Asian side of the city for the bustling food market.
Beyoğlu and its backstreets
Reviews
Robert M.
“ Pleasant, memorable, and valuable”
Zeynep was a perfect choice for a guide in Istanbul, she is very thoughtful, knowledgeable and communicative. Pretty much at the very beggining of our tour she inquired what aspects we want to focus on during our walk and delivered all the context we needed at every point. She took care of everything from a practical point of view as well and gave us valuable tips and pointers for our remaining stay in the city. Overall a very friendly and knowledgeable guide with a true passion for what they are doing. Having such a guide in Istanbul is a treasure. Highly recommended.
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Zeynep K.
Thank you so much for this incredibly kind review! It was such a pleasure showing a historian around Istanbul! It was wonderful meeting you both, and I truly appreciate your thoughtful words and recommendation.
Kerri M.
“Fantastic Guide”
Zeynep is professional, knowledgeable, and flexible. We booked her twice! She knows Istanbul inside and out and will help you have a great sightseeing experience.
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Zeynep K.
Thanks so much, Kerri! It was such a pleasure diving into the details with a guest as knowledgeable as you.
Seth T.
“Top class expert”
We had a wonderful full-day tour of Old Istanbul with Zeynep, and she was truly exceptional. Her English is at a native level, as she was born in the United States and spent more than 20 years there. Her professional background is equally impressive: she is an accomplished journalist who reports from Turkey for The Washington Times and has an extraordinary understanding of modern Turkish society, politics, and culture. With this background, Zeynep brings remarkable breadth and depth of knowledge to Istanbul’s many civilizations and historical periods. Her explanations are detailed, accurate, and engaging, but what makes her especially unique is her ability to adapt the tour to the interests and prior knowledge of the group. She can make the discussion highly technical and sophisticated, or provide an accessible introduction for visitors who are new to the subject. She is also extremely family-friendly and has a natural ability to involve children and keep them engaged throughout the tour. Zeynep is a genuinely remarkable and rather unique individual. We highly recommend her to anyone looking for an intelligent, flexible, and memorable tour of Istanbul.
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Zeynep K.
Thank you so much for your incredibly kind words. It was a real pleasure spending the day with you and your beautiful family, and I'm so glad you enjoyed the tour. I truly appreciate you taking the time to write such a thoughtful review. Wishing you many more wonderful travels, and I hope our paths cross again someday.
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Berk Y.
Hi, I’m Berk, a licensed professional tour guide in Istanbul with over 7 years of experience. I specialize in private Istanbul tours, especially Istanbul Airport layover tours, helping travelers make the most of their limited time between flights. I also offer Old City tours, shore excursions, local experiences, and personalized itineraries. My goal is to show you both the iconic highlights and the authentic local side of Istanbul while making your visit comfortable, enjoyable, and memorable.
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Dilek O.
Hi everyone, My name is Dilek, a national - licensed tour guide. I am 42 years old and have been guiding for 14 years. My husband is from Mexico and with our two young kids we live in Istanbul. When I don't work I spend most of my time outdoor with my family, enjoy istanbul as much as we can. I am qualified in the knowledge of Turkish history, mythology, archaeology, history of religion and history of art. I speak English and Spanish. Following my university graduation, I lived in England for 5 years where I continued my education studying Travel and Tourism at Greenwich School of Management. After I lived a short time in Guatemala, Cuba to learn Spanish. In my tour I would like to show you architectural styles, historical fun facts, famous historical monuments, tell you about the peoples life in Istanbul, how we spend our days, where do people go to eat, what we eat, where we shop, what we listen, the best places to eat, drink and party. As your local guide, I am flexible to your wishes and needs. Making it interesting and enjoyable for you is my wish. With all of my years of experience in the travel industry, I hope to help you make the most of your time in beautiful Istanbul by taking a tour with me. I very much look forward to meeting you all!
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Serkan K.
I have been a professional tourism guide since 1996, and I live in Istanbul. In addition to my work as a tour guide, my experienced team and I are ready to warmly welcome our valued guests to our beautiful country, Türkiye.
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