Beyhan Karace
Turkish and English
Professional Regional Tourist Guide, licence 016580, Istanbul chamber (IRO)
About us
A small tour company in Fatih, run by the guide who started it.
In short
What you need to know
- Founded
- 2012, in Istanbul, by Salih Batkin.
- Guides
- Licensed by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
- Group size
- Ten on food tours, twelve on walking tours, never more.
- Rating
- 4.9 out of 5 from 1,153 reviews on Tripadvisor.
A small tour company in Fatih, run by the guide who started it. Licensed guides, groups of ten to twelve, and a reply from a person rather than a booking desk.
Who we are
My Local Guide Istanbul is based in Fatih, on the old city side of the water. Salih Batkin started the company and still runs it. He was born in Istanbul and has been running tours here since 2012.
The tours are designed and led by people who live in the city. They are built for independent travellers who would rather walk beside Istanbul than look at it through a coach window, and who want the streets that are hard to find on your own as well as the sights everyone comes for.
Why the groups are small
Ten people on the food tours, twelve on the walking tours. There is a practical reason for it. A guide speaking to forty people needs a raised voice and a headset, and the group spends its day waiting for itself.
Ten people fit around a table in a lokanta. They get through a mosque door without a queue building behind them, and they can ask a question and hear the answer without it being repeated. The places we eat at are small kitchens, and small kitchens cook for ten.
The number on each tour page is the maximum, not the target. A tour needs three people to run, so quiet weeks often mean a group of four.
What a licensed guide means in Turkey
Guiding is a licensed profession here. The licence is issued by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, it is carried on a card, and it is what allows someone to lead you through a museum and talk about it.
Around Sultanahmet you will be offered tours by people who do not hold one. They are cheaper. They also cannot legally guide you, and if the day goes wrong there is nobody standing behind it. Every tour on this site is led by a licensed guide who lives in Istanbul.
Our guides work in English. For private tours we also have German, Spanish and Italian speaking guides.
How booking works
There are two routes, depending on the tour.
The scheduled small group tours are sold online. Choose a date on the tour page and pay there. The booking and the payment are handled by TuriTop, so your card details never touch this website, and a confirmation comes back to you.
Private tours are quoted rather than checked out. A family of three and a group of ten do not need the same day, so there is no single price worth publishing. Send us your dates, your numbers and anything you particularly want to see, and you get an itinerary and a price back. Change it as many times as you like before you agree to it.
If the date you want is not showing, or you would rather ask something first, WhatsApp is the quickest way to reach us.
Things worth knowing before you book
- A tour needs a minimum of three people to run. If we do not reach it, you are offered another date or a full refund.
- You can cancel up to twenty four hours before departure and get your money back in full.
- Tell us about allergies and dietary needs when you book rather than on the morning, so the guide can arrange the stops around them.
The full terms and conditions are short and worth two minutes.
Where to find us
Zeyrek Mah. Nevşehirli İbrahim Paşa Cad. No 24/8, Fatih, İstanbul.
Email: info@mylocalguideistanbul.com
Phone and WhatsApp: +90 534 200 55 65
See the small group tours, the private tours, or send us a message.
Who you are booking with
Salih Batkin
I'm Salih, a professional licensed tour guide and the founder of My Local Guide Istanbul. I have been guiding travellers since 2007, and in 2012 I founded My Local Guide Istanbul with a simple idea: to offer visitors a more personal, authentic and local way to experience this incredible city.
After more than 20 years of living in Istanbul, the city has become much more than the place where I work. It is a city I truly love and enjoy sharing with others.
Over the years I have had the pleasure of introducing thousands of visitors from around the world to Istanbul's history, culture, neighbourhoods and, of course, its incredible food. For me, guiding is not simply about explaining monuments and dates. It is about bringing the stories of Istanbul to life, introducing visitors to everyday local culture, and helping them discover places they might never find on their own.
Since starting My Local Guide Istanbul in 2012, we have grown into a small team of experienced, licensed local guides who share the same philosophy: keep our tours personal, informative, relaxed and genuinely local.
Whether we are exploring the great monuments of the Old City, walking through the colourful streets of Fener and Balat, tasting our way through local markets, crossing the Bosphorus to the Asian side, or discovering quieter corners away from the usual tourist routes, our goal is always the same: to help you experience Istanbul not just as a visitor, but like a local.
Welcome to Istanbul. I look forward to sharing my city with you.
- Born in
- Şanlıurfa, Türkiye
- Languages
- Kurdish, Turkish, English and Spanish
- Licence
- Professional Regional Tourist Guide, licence 010381, Istanbul chamber (IRO)
- Guiding since
- 2007, 19 years
The other guides who lead these tours
Every guide on these tours holds a Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism licence, issued through the Istanbul chamber. The numbers are here so you can check them.
Önder Denker
Turkish and English
Professional Regional Tourist Guide, licence 010364, Istanbul chamber (IRO)
Ready when you are
Book a date, or just ask us a question
Tours with a calendar can be booked on the spot. Anything private, or anything you are not sure about, gets a written answer from Salih.
Salih was an outstanding guide for this walking tour through Fener, Balat, and the old Greek and Jewish quarters. His knowledge of the neighborhoods' history was impressive; he brought the streets to life with stories about the different communities that shaped this part of Istanbul over the centuries. He was engaging, spoke excellent English, and clearly loved sharing his city with visitors. He also gave us great tips for exploring on our own afterward. Highly recommend this tour, and ask for Salih if you can. He made the experience truly memorable.
Exploring Balat in Istanbul was easily one of the highlights of my trip. The tour brought this historic neighborhood to life with its colorful streets, charming old houses, and deep cultural history. Walking through the narrow alleys felt like stepping back in time, with every corner offering something unique, from vibrant cafes to hidden churches and local artisan shops. What really made the experience special was the guide. They were incredibly knowledgeable, sharing stories about the neighborhood's diverse past, including its Jewish, Greek, and Armenian influences. It wasn't just sightseeing, it felt like understanding the soul of the area. I also loved how authentic Balat felt compared to more touristy parts of Istanbul. It's a perfect mix of history, culture, and everyday life. If you're looking for something beyond the typical attractions, this tour is absolutely worth it. Highly recommend for anyone visiting Istanbul, especially if you enjoy photography and history.
The tour was wonderful. Onder Denker is an excellent guide, kind, attentive, and he explains how other peoples, such as the Greeks and Jews, have been part of Istanbul's history. The Fener and Balat neighborhoods, with their hillsides and colorful houses, are delightful. The stop to have tea and a traditional dessert was wonderful. Having a guide on this tour is essential, as it's the only way to learn about the history of the area, including the churches we visited. I highly recommend it!
Where else to find us
The reviews, the photographs and the dates, on the platforms rather than here.
Awards and press
-
-
Written about by
- Jack and Jill Travel the World Istanbul's other Blue Mosque
- My Travelling Joys Exploring the Balat Salı Pazarı
- My Travelling Joys Top 5 tips for Istanbul with grandparents
- Oz's Travels A progressive dinner on two continents
- Jennie and Jim Istanbul, Turkey, July 2017
- Maggie Sale Photography Istanbul gallery
- Afar Progressive Dinner on Two Continents
- Trevor Morrow Travel Why Take a Food Tour of Istanbul
- A Breath of Foreign Air My Local Guide Istanbul, a review
- Adventures of Team B My Local Guide Istanbul tours