About Tour Guide Dilek O.

“Pure magic for families! Kept our 7-year-old captivated for 3 hours!”

Booking this private tour of the Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, and Basilica Cistern was the best decision we made in Istanbul. Dilek was absolutely spectacular, especially with our 7-year-old daughter. Taking a child on a 3-hour historical tour can be daunting, but she turned it into an interactive adventure. She kept our daughter completely captivated from start to finish by asking engaging questions, telling captivating stories, and offering fun little rewards that kept her motivated. Her ability to connect with children while delivering a wealth of historical knowledge to the adults is a rare and incredible skill. Beyond her deep expertise, she was incredibly warm, friendly, and helpful throughout the entire afternoon. If you are travelling to Istanbul with kids, do yourself a huge favour and book a tour with her. She made history come alive for our whole family! Vijay

Dilek O.

(7 reviews)

Dear Vijay and Sunisha, Thank you so much for taking the time to write this beautiful review. Meeting wonderful families like yours is the greatest reward of my job and reading your kind words made me so happy. I enjpyed guiding your daughter so much. Her curiosity and bright energy made our time exploring the Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, and Basilica Cistern so much fun. I loved going on that interactive adventure with he. She definitely earned all of those little rewards! It is always my biggest goal to make history engaging for both the adults and the kids, and I'm so happy to hear that you all had a magical afternoon. Thank you again for choosing to spend your day in Istanbul with me. Sending my warmest hugs to you, your wife and your sweet daughter. I hope our paths cross again someday,

“A Lovely Way to Discover Old Istanbul with kids”

We had a wonderful experience exploring Old Istanbul with Dilek. She was very knowledgeable, friendly, and made the tour enjoyable for the whole family. Most importantly, she was wonderful with our children and was very patient and engaging with them throughout the tour. She made sure they stayed interested while also giving us a great introduction to the history and beauty of the key highlights of the tour. We really enjoyed our time with her and would happily recommend her to other families traveling with children.

Dilek O.

(7 reviews)

Hi Isabel Thank you so much for this wonderful review! It was a pleasure exploring Old Istanbul with you and your beautiful family. I always believe that history is best enjoyed when everyone especially the little ones can connect with it and have fun. Your children were so curious and amazing to be around which made the tour enjoyable for me as well. Thank you for your kind recommendation and I hope to welcome you all back to Istanbul in the future

“Excellent guide to wonderful Istanbul”

My family (wife and two small boys under 8) visited Istanbul following a trip to Greece, and had arranged a private guided tour with Dilek to cover: Blue Mosque, Ayia Sofia, and the Basilica Cistern, as well as guiding us on walking tour from our hotel to and between the various sites. The tour was excellent. The intention was the for the tour to be specifically geared to our two children and I was worried about keeping their attention and making it interesting for them. We had experienced a couple of similar 'kids' tours' in Athens that were disappointing and not really for kids (despite the advertising), but Dilek's tour was a complete contrast: informative, genuinely calibrated to the two boys (she established great rapport with them, especially my eldest, and was very patient), educational (she was teaching and quizzing them!), and very enjoyable. Dilek patiently helped us with photos and was very tolerant and always friendly and helpful. I can strongly recommend Dilek as a guide for families like ours with small children: you will not be disappointed.

Dilek O.

(7 reviews)

Hi Richard. Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a beautiful review! It was a pleasure guiding your family through the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, and the Basilica Cistern. I know how challenging it can be to keep young explorers engaged during historical tours, so I am so happy that the boys enjoyed our time together. They were so bright, curious, and fun to quiz! I'm so happy that I could turn your previous worries into a positive experience for the whole family. It was really fun to capture some lovely family photos for you as well. Thank you for choosing to explore Istanbul with me. I wish you all many more wonderful family adventures, and I hope to welcome you back to Turkiye in the future!