private guides in Istanbul?

welcome to the forum, msullivan3646. This is a frequently asked question, searching for "private guide Istanbul" gives many suggestions, here are similar questions from the last two years: https://search.ricksteves.com/?button=&date_range=2y&filter=Travel+Forum&query=private+guide+Istanbul

I can't help you with your question - but we always use TOURS BY LOCALS and have always thought they did a good job.

You can also use the SEARCH BAR to find the answer for this as I'd imagine that others have posted reviews of the area with Guide suggestions.

I will endorse the above recommendations to do a search on this site for similar threads as there are many guides recommended across many threads. Many posters include direct contact info for those guides so that you don't have to go through a tour aggregator site like With Locals or Tours by Locals, which charges the guide a finder's fee of something like 15-30%.

A friend and I did a couple of days with Metin Koca 2 years ago. He was highlight #1 of my 4 days in Istanbul. Here's what I wrote about him in my trip report:

Highlight #1: Two Days of Touring with Metin Koca. Very good guide.
For our first day, he volunteered to stand in line early at the Hagia
Sophia so that we could have first entry. The young adult and I
decided to join him early in line instead of making him wait on his
own. It was AWESOME being the first visitors to enter the Hagia Sophia
and seeing it for a short time before it was overrun by other
visitors. In our two days with Metin, we saw popular to not-so-popular
mosques, the main old cistern, the old walls of the city, Topkapi
Palace, and other things. It was a very good experience.

Multiple people on this forum have recommended him. His e-mail address for booking directly: [email protected]

But peruse other recommendations and see if someone's description of another guide speaks to you more.

Thank you all for your great suggestions! I appreciate you taking the time!! I will check them out.
All the best ......