My wife and I visited Turkiye in June 2026 and spent two fantastic days with Pinar Caglayan, who we found in Rick Steve's guide book. Pinar is friendly, bright, and speaks perfect English. She lives in Istanbul and knows the city intimately. Pinar customized a plan for us and ahead of time and discussed a few different strategies with us to maximize our time. I strongly suggest following her guidance, so that you can avoid crowds and see some of the best of the old city.
One of the things we really liked about Pinar was the way she weaves her knowledge of the old city and ancient Istanbul / Turkiye into the present and so that visitors can understand the how Istanbul's past influences its present. In addition, Pinar has a fine sensibility for the social and cultural richness of the country, its people, and helped us to understand the current cultural milieu. Also, because Pinar has spent a good deal of time int he United States, she is very easy to talk to and one feels understood.
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