This guided walk was the highlight of my visit to Istanbul. The enthusiasm and flexibility of the guide were genuinely commendable. I could not have asked for a more committed guide, we set off at 0900 and finished at about 1800. We walked, rode in trams, the funicular (cable) cars, sat and drank tea among the old Turkish men, visited the Hagia Sophia Mosque, drank coffee at the Federal Galata coffee shop and walked through large bazaars and markets. Interestingly, one of the more memorable things we did was to explore several Han. These are two or three storey buildings, which house small workshops for artisans. If you are thinking about a visit to Istanbul, then I wholeheartedly recommend using this organisation. Also, despite the world political situation, I found Istanbul to be a safe city, where no more than the usual security issues of travelling seemed to exist.

This was my first time in Istanbul, so having two days with a guide was essential for understanding this amazing city and its history. On my own I could not have found my way to so many places, or learned so much. Saban Sezer was an excellent guide; I always have questions to ask that many visitors would not, as I am interested in Islamic architecture and as I live in Egypt and am interested in how in the past Turkish traditions have transferred to Egypt, Saban was patient with my questions and with me wanting to spend longer in some places that interested me. He gave information even about places you don't have time to visit in your first two days, places we just passed on the cruise, and that makes me want to return for more exploring of Istanbul.

They picked up us late. We had to wait in the port for people coming from other hotels so we started the trip at 10.30 a.m. The trip was done in a public boat because we were told there were no private boats available this day. The island is nice but it stinks of horse dung. We took the carriage to make around the island and were left in a certain place, supposedly near the restaurant but without really clear instructions. Many of us had to ask about directions. The meal was very nice and the free time was also very convenient. We went back to the port a bit early than instructed and we could not find the guide until it became the time she had set for us. It would have been nice if she was there before. Overall it was a good experience.

My guide, Ismail, has been a great companion for this short sightseeing trip. Even though we had only one day and the weather has not been great (mostly raining all day), he has made the trip really enjoyable. His level of knowledge not only about the general Turkish/Muslim culture, religion, but also historical facts didn't leave any of my questions unanswered. He adjusted the plans so we were able to see everything possible, but we also made some time to enjoy some typical Turkish food and chat about everything. I recommend highly.

Our tour was very efficient and flexible. We had only one day in Istanbul and we saw the major sites of interest with excellent information. Our guide, Saban Sezer had great knowledge of the city and and very fine sense of humor. That made for a very informative, interesting and totally enjoyable day. He even arranged for our transportation around the city and for our return to the airport at the end of the day. In short a the experience was everything that one could wish for. Thank you Saban!