About Galataport Guide – your team at the port

We are a team of state-licensed guides who plan Istanbul around your ship's hours ashore.

Behind Galataport Guide stands a team of state-licensed guides who have been showing Istanbul to visitors since 1989 – more than 200,000 guests so far, in 25 guide languages. With partner offices in Istanbul and Kuşadası we know both the Bosphorus port and the Aegean coast. Many of our guests arrive by ship, so we know the rhythm of a port day: docking, passport check, the walk up from the underground terminal and the moment the city opens up before you.

Every tour is private: your family or your group, your own guide, never pooled with other passengers. Our fixed prices apply to the whole group, so you know the cost before you step ashore. You secure the date with a 30 % deposit, and the balance is paid in cash on the tour day. Our tours never include carpet, jewellery or leather shop visits – your hours ashore belong to the sights, not to sales commissions.

Our planning starts with a single time: all-aboard. From there we work backwards and build a timeline for four, six or eight hours ashore, with a buffer for traffic. We show you the city as sailors have always seen it – from the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn. And if you stay longer before or after your cruise, we take you by domestic flight to Ephesus, Cappadocia or Göbekli Tepe.