Istanbul Cruise Port
- Address: Rıhtım Cd 2 Kemankeş Karamustafa Paşa Mh., Istanbul
- Admission: Free
ATTRACTION Keywords:
Tip - What to See & Do,
Pier / Waterfront / Port
Istanbul Cruise Port Reviews
We've found 156 Istanbul Cruise Port reviews from Viator.com travelers and members: what they loved, what they liked and what they think could be improved. It's all here to help you make the most of your next trip.
Review by Jan M, November 2012
Doing what: Istanbul Shore Excursion: Istanbul City Hop-on Hop-off Tour
The tour was a good and conveniant overview of the Big City
BUT it was very hard to find the right bus-stop among orher companies near the cruiseport. We asked people but with little success. No english speakers...
No toilet onboard during 90 minutes could lead to disaster!
Informative earphones
Review by Craig D P, November 2012
Doing what: Istanbul Shore Excursion: Istanbul in One Day Sightseeing Tour
A great tour if you want to see the highlights of Istanbul, but don't expect to spend alot of time at anyone site. Our tour guide was very knowledgable and spoke excellant English. The lunch was nothing remarkable, but for the price, I would certainly recommend this tour.
Review by Susan S, November 2012
Doing what: Istanbul Shore Excursion: Istanbul in One Day Sightseeing Tour
This tour was one of the better ones we undertook on our recent trip. Omar, our guide, was very knowledgeable and happy to answer our questions. The pace was quick but not rushed. The only disappointment was the lunch - it was really awful.
Review by Karen P, November 2012
Doing what: Istanbul Shore Excursion: Istanbul City Hop-on Hop-off Tour
As with all Hop-on Hop-off, a great way of getting around. Although the timetable seemed to go out of the window. We got on the bus and they told us it was ready to leave. We sat for 10 minutes nothing happened, they then said we would be leaving in 10 minutes. 10 minutes came and went. We were ready to get off and get a taxi as we had to get back to the ship, we were told they were leaving straight away and would make it to the ship in time. It turned out they were waiting for the staff from other buses to arrive so they could be dropped off on the way. We eventually got on our way 35 minutes after getting on the bus.
Review by Jacquelyn L, November 2012
Doing what: Istanbul Shore Excursion: Istanbul City Hop-on Hop-off Tour
A little confusing at first as to where to get bus from port. Once found, bus route gives you a good idea on where you want to hop off second time around. Walking thru spice mkt, blue mosque, the hearing of prayers.....Very Special.
Review by margaret n, October 2012
Doing what: Istanbul Shore Excursion: Istanbul in One Day Sightseeing Tour
Highly recommend Istanbul shore excursion The guide was very knowledgeable and caring of his group The location and content of the lunch far exceeded our expectations I shall book Viator in the future.
Review by Jeanine G, October 2012
Doing what: Istanbul Shore Excursion: Istanbul in One Day Sightseeing Tour
We thoughht we had booked private car for 4 of us but it was 17 on minibus. Turned out to be most outstanding tour on our entire cruise for half the price!! Omar was our tour guide, very easy to understand, excellent English and just amazing!
Review by Deanna S, October 2012
Doing what: Istanbul Shore Excursion: Istanbul in One Day Sightseeing Tour
Istanbul was wonderful in part because of our great tour guide.
Thanks
Deanna
Review by Paul B, October 2012
Doing what: Istanbul Shore Excursion: Istanbul in One Day Sightseeing Tour
We met Omar at the cruise terminal and again an easy access mini-bus vehicle, very clean and right on time. This time 12 people from the ship joined in this adventure. Price was less than half that from ship based tours. Group was smaller and more personable. Omar and the driver worked well together in some really tight traffic situations. Omar was very professional, a wealth of knowledge and gave us a lot of information with good explanations and illustrations/examples. While we were driving to the first location he talked to us in the van and explained the agenda for the day. It was a crowded day but he managed to move us into specific areas to explain what we were seeing without all the noise of the other tours. He gave us ample time to view different things and indicated where and when to meet again. He was always visible to the group. Tour included a pleasant lunch at a harbor side cafe.
He made sure that the tour was structured around what everybody wanted to do and we decided as a group the time needed at the bazaar. Due to the fact that our group was so much smaller than any cruise excursion, we were able to get more information, insight and a more customized tour. Great value for money- We highly recommend this company, very professional and reliable.
Review by Paul B, October 2012
Doing what: Istanbul Shore Excursion: Istanbul by Night Turkish Dinner and Show
This being our first Viator Tour we didn't know what to anticipate. We were on a HAL cruise and usually used the ships tours but in comparing the pricing for the same venue we decided to try Viator and we were glad we did. We were met at the pier by the driver and much to our delight three additional couples also booked this tour. Good driver, clean comfortable mini-bus type vehicle and right on time. We did get to see some of the city on our way to the show. We arrived at least 30 minutes before the other big group tours and were seated on the balcony overlooking the stage. Our delicious meal and drinks were served in the normal sequence in a relaxed time frame. The big tours were jammed into long tables on the main floor and we observed the meals being served out of sequence. Talked to passengers later who took the ship's tour and they were disappointed at their seating and not receiving the complete meal.
This was a great introduction to Turkish food and excellent entertainment - belly dancers, knife throwers, folk dancers (even some audience participation with the belly dancers if you are brave enough! ) It was concluded by an entertainer who sang songs from around the world, based on the nationalities in the audience. As we exited the building our driver was there to meet us and a short walk to the van and we returned to the ship. Excellent night, great ambience, hospitality, food and we do recommend this trip.
Review by Pauline S, October 2012
Doing what: Istanbul Shore Excursion: Istanbul in One Day Sightseeing Tour
Many thanks for an excellent day with a very informative tour guide who managed to get just ahead of all the crowds !! After being collected from our cruise ship we saw some amazing sites together with an enjoyable lunch.
We were very lucky as there were only six of us on our tour and we all got on well together.
This was our first Viator trip and will certainly use you again.
Review by Borodog, October 2012
Doing what: Istanbul Shore Excursion: Istanbul in One Day Sightseeing Tour
Met as directed at the Pier gates, a bit of confusion at first as there were so many agencies vying for custom. However once identified and in the minibus, the tour took us to all the places that we wanted to see. Our guide was excellent avoiding queues wherever possible, answering questions with patience and generally making sure that we saw everything we wanted. The lunch provided was excellent in the patio area of a riverside hotel. The final call was at the Grand Bazaar where we were given 45 minutes really just to sample it because you will never see the Grand Bazaar in one call so we came back next day on our own to wander around without time restriction. We could have done without the carpet presentation. Intersting enough to hear about how they are made and see the handiwork but talk about the hard sell !!! We could have done without that and it was essentially a waste of time. For the price we paid, it was an excellent tour and we will use Viator again in the future if we need such a service.
Review by Peter P, October 2012
Doing what: Istanbul Shore Excursion: Istanbul in One Day Sightseeing Tour
Istanbul certainly surpassed my expectations. It is a vibrant, modern as well as ancient city. The Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque and the Grand Bazaar were fascinating. It is a clean, progressive, friendly city that I would like to return to and spend more time. Viator did an excellent job. A much better deal than a ship's excursion.
Review by Evelyn, October 2012
Doing what: Istanbul Shore Excursion: Istanbul in One Day Sightseeing Tour
I am so glad I booked this through Viator rather than the cruise ship's options. Our guide, Omar, was so knowledgeable about everything and his English was so good it seemed as though it was his native language. Our group consisted of 5 people rather than the 40 - 50 that are typical through the cruise ship options. The restaurant we had lunch at was absolutely wonderful, beautiful decor, helpful staff and decent food. I would not hesitate to use Viator again and highly recommend this tour.
Review by Valerie E G, October 2012
Doing what: Istanbul Port Arrival Transfer: Cruise Port to Central Istanbul
Our transportation was waiting when we disembarked from the ship. The driver and his mate were extremely helpful and courteous. On the whole it was a an excellent service. I would use your company again.
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