Istanbul walking tour - My 8 friends and I had the most wonderful time with Metin. He took us all around Hagai Sophia and shared tons of history. Then we went to the Palace and he took us to all the hot spots. We also did a quick stop at the Blue Mosque. After lunch we toured the Cistern. Having him allowed us to skip the line which was such a time saver. I’ve been on many tours and he is one of the best guides!

Can't Imagine a Better Guide than Metin Koca - My adult son and I spent several hours with Metin touring the Hagia Sofia, Topkapi Palace, Blue Mosque, and Basilica Cistern. It was time and money very well spent. I had learned of Metin through the Rick Steves Online Forum, where he was highly recommended by many people. Metin's passion for his city and its history is contagious, and his depth of knowledge is more than impressive. A bonus is that Metin has front-of-the-line access to most of the sites, so no time wasted standing in long lines. Metin also gave great advice as to what we could do when we were on our own. We can HIGHLY recommend Metin for your tour of Istanbul.

Istanbul Tour - We had a very limited time in Istanbul and Metin did a fabulous job making sure we saw the top sites. He knew how to organize our excursion to maximize our time. Metin was extremely knowledgeable and interesting. Highly recommend!

First time Istanbul - Our first time visit to Istanbul an amazing city. Our time in Istanbul was a little limited so we hired Metin Koca. He greatly enhanced our time in Istanbul. Metin's knowledge and mostly his passion brings the city, culture and history to life. We highly recommend him if you want a locals insights into an ancient and vibrant city. A great investment in your time. Good restaurant recommendations too!

Fantastic guide - go with Metin. - Metin was a fabulous guide. My family of three (me + wife and 11 year old son) had a 24 hour layover in Istanbul. With such a short amount of time I wanted to be sure to find a great guide to maximize our time/experience. While a bit more expensive than other guides, Metin was worth it. He was communicative leading up to the tour, helped us efficiently navigate lines and ticket purchasing, and was an absolute wealth of knowledge. He was passionate about Istanbul, its history, and the place that Istanbul/Turkey have played and continue to play in the world. He was gregarious, humorous, and engaging for every moment of our time together. One of the best tour guides I’ve had anywhere.

rewarding private tour of major sites in Eminonu and Fatih…. - We were fortunate to have the expertise of Metin Koca for two consecutive days of personal guided touring on our recent trip to Istanbul. Metin shepherded us through the Hagia Sophia, the Sultanahmet mosque, the Topkapi Palace, the Basilica Cistern, the city walls, the Kariye mosque, the Fatih mosque, various neighborhoods within Fatih and Eminonu, and the Suleymaniye mosque in addition to a few other sites. Metin’s adoration of the Hagia Sophia in particular made the experience exceptional. This remarkable building has so much history attached to it and it is impossible to depart from the site without sharing a feeling of awe at it’s significance after the interpretation provided by Metin. A word of caution however: if one is interested in merely racing from one site to another to collect photos like postage stamps then a tour by Metin is not for you. If on the other hand you seek a deeper understanding of how Istanbul has evolved over the last 2000 years then Metin is definitely the guy you want. When we visit Istanbul the next time we would not hesitate to hire Metin again.

Metin's tour was a highlight of our trip - Our day with Metin in Istanbul was amazing! We did a private full day tour with Metin and I'm so glad we chose him. He was absolutely masterful at getting us quickly through the long lines. He knew which lines were for people with tickets, and which lines were for organized tours. We would have spent hours longer in lines if we had toured on our own. He was making slight adjustments to our tour route through the sites to avoid crowds and large tour groups as much as possible. At first I resisted his suggestion to start as early as possible, but he convinced me to start early and I'm so glad. About our day: We were on a cruise and Metin met us at the cruise terminal. He guided us onto the tram and returned with us to the cruise port at the end of the day. We saw Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace (with Harem), The Cistern, the Grand Bazaar, Suleymaniye Mosque, and the spice market. We visited on a Friday, and we took Metin's suggestion to see Suleymaniye Mosque instead of the Blue Mosque to avoid crowds. The city views from Suleymaniye Mosque were outstanding! We also had a delicious authentic lunch at one of Metin's favorite restaurants. Metin provided fascinating history and details about each the sites and about life in Istanbul for it's citizens. He kept us interested and engaged through a long day. Because we started early, we were able to purchase entrance tickets with our credit card. Metin had a supply of skip-the-line tickets that we could have purchased from him if the ticket lines had been excessive. Our total cost for Metin's tour, plus the entrance tickets and lunch for the 3 of us was similar to the price of the cruise's "Ultimate Istanbul" tour. The cruise's tour didn't see the Cistern which was one of our favorite sites. And the cruise tour arrived back at the ship about 2 hours later than we did. Also, we had Metin as a constant companion through each of the sites; we saw many "guided tours" where the guide gave an overview at the entrance and then told guests to meet back at the entrance after xx minutes. Next time we go to Istanbul, I will definitely tour with Metin!

Private tour of Istanbul - Very good tour. Metin was on time and we got out early per his suggestion. Thought he was knowledgeable and gave solid insights to the venues we went to including Hagia Sophia, Palace, and Cistern. Only saw Blue Mosque from outside due to rain and we because we would have to remove shoes. Went to great place for lunch and also went to Grand Bazzar which was overwhelmingly. Suggest you go to Spice Market if time permits. Would highly recommend Metin. You will have no regrets

The history and magic of a great city - My wife and I hand a wonderful 2 days with Matin. We covered an enormous amount of territory both geographically and historically. Traveling by foot and public transportation we saw all the major sites including a trip all the way out to the Theososian walls. Matin is at the top of his game not only in his ability to impart knowledge but getting around the city most efficiently and minimizing the inevitable lines. We’ll done.

Worth the time. Worth the money. Best of Byzantium. - Personalized tour of Byzantine sites for 2 of us. Easy to communicate with from USA. Answers texts and emails timely. Easy to book date and time we wanted. Meeting point convenient (our hotel lobby at Pera Palace). Told him sites we hoped to cover during his 4-5 hour tour with us before our group tour started. Knowledgable about Byzantine sites we covered including Beautiful Chora church (now mosque) and restoration/ preservation of mosaics. Easy walking. Lots of history. Good tour.