Questions

  Q: What is Istanbul Tour Studio? What do you offer?

Istanbul Tour Studio is a boutique travel agency that creates perfectly designed experiences across Turkey. We offer fully customized and turnkey travel itineraries for free independent travelers (FIT) to enjoy unforgettable journeys. We also provide tour and transportation services to a select number of high-end hotels in Istanbul, as well as DMC services for international companies and global travel agencies. 

Our team passionately and carefully takes care of your Turkey trip at each step: We offer made-to-order travel planning, daily tours, multiple-day private itineraries, luxury transportation, airport welcoming, corporate events, along with VIP and celebrity hosting. 

We provide a range of services to leisure and corporate travelers, as well as discerning bon-vivants and adventurists including:

  • Individual travel planning (FIT)
  • Family time
  • Special celebrations and anniversaries
  • Corporate events, destination boardrooms and offsites
  • Food excursions
  • Rest & Relaxation
  • Adventure pursuits
  • Transformative travel

  Q: Which cities Istanbul Tour Studio offers tours and activities?

Istanbul Tour Studio offers private tours and daily activities in Istanbul, Ephesus, Izmir, and Cappadocia. Additionally, we provide custom-made itineraries across all regions of Turkey. You can see all our regular daily Turkey tours at istanbultourstudio.com/tours

Istanbul Tour Studio works with trusted partners in Greece, Georgia and Romania, offering itineraries that expand to these countries. Please contact us for more information and details.

  Q: Where do your tours start?

Our tours, unless otherwise mentioned at our website, start at your hotel's lobby. We ask you to answer the following question at the booking stage “Where do you want your guide to meet you?” Please make sure to be clear and precise on your hotel's name and address.

Our special tours such as I'm Rowing in Istanbul, Jewellery Workshop and Spiritual Sunday start at their specific locations. If you book these tours, you will receive a detailed e-mail with their meeting point address.

  Q: How long does a tour last?

Our each tour has a different timing and duration. Daily tours last between six to seven hours. We also have shorter experiences that last between one to four hours. You can see the duration of each activity on the top of the specific web page. 

  Q: What language are your tours?

We offer professional guidance services in English, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, Arabic and Chinese. For any other language, please contact us at [email protected]

  Q: How does the transportation work on your tours?

We offer both private walking tours and private car/van service with professional drivers. Depending on your group size, you can book a comfort Mercedes van or a sedan car with a professional driver starting from $225 USD/total per day. Below you can see our car types depending on the number of participants:

  • 1 - 3 people: Mercedes E-class or Mercedes S-class or Mercedes Vito
  • 1 - 5 people: Mercedes Vito
  • 5 -12 people: Mercedes Sprinter
  • 12+ people: Isuzu 27 Seater Van
  • 27-46 people: Mercedes Bus 

  Q: What currency are your tour prices?

Our tours and services are quoted in USD and do not include 20% VAT tax unless otherwise mentioned. In multiple day itineraries, we also give quotes in EURO as most hotel rates are quoted in EURO in Turkey.

  Q: How can I book a tour with Istanbul Tour Studio?

Private daily tours: You can book private daily tours online at istanbultourstudio.com/tours. Each tour has available days and times shown at the booking stage. In order to book a tour, you simply need to enter your preferred tour date, time, number of people and your hotel address here in Turkey. Additionally, you can write your special inquiries and interests at the notes section. For online bookings, we require the whole payment in order to confirm your reservation. You can pay online either with your credit or debit card. We use Secure Credit Card Payment with a 2048-bit SSL encrypted payment system. Check this link for our cancellation and refund policies.

Special itineraries and multi-day tours: The more we get to know you, the better we will serve you. Hence as a start, we would like you to fill out our special inquiry form from this link. Detailed and accurate information will help us to customize your travel journey.  

Based on your feedback, we will handcraft a special itinerary for you including hotel reservations, domestic flights, private transportation, daily experiences and tours, eats and drinks. You will be able to request a revision to your special itinerary twice free of charge. For revision requests that exceed two, we will apply a service charge of $200 USD. This amount will be deducted from your total sum once you book the itinerary. If you choose not to proceed with the booking after two revisions, you will be charged $200 USD for our planning services. 

  Q: How does your custom-made travel planning service work?

Special itineraries and multi-day tours: The more we get to know you, the better we will serve you. Hence as a start, we would like you to fill out our special inquiry form from this link. Detailed and accurate information will help us to customize your travel journey. 

Based on your feedback, we will handcraft a special itinerary for you including hotel reservations, domestic flights, private transportation, daily experiences and tours, eats and drinks. You will be able to request a revision to your special itinerary twice free of charge. For revision requests that exceed two, we will apply a service charge of $200 USD. This amount will be deducted from your total sum once you book the itinerary. If you choose not to proceed with the booking after two revisions, you will be charged $200 USD for our planning services. 

  Q: Do I have to make a downpayment for multiple day itineraries?

For multiple day itineraries, we require a 50% downpayment to secure your bookings. The remaining balance amount is to be paid 14 days prior to the commencement of the itinerary. You can view our cancellation policy from this page. 

For hotel reservations and payments, we may require the full amount at the time of the booking if the hotel requires so. We apply the cancellation policy of the hotel booked on behalf of the client. The client will be informed about the hotel's policy at the time of the booking. 

  Q: What are the available payment options?

For daily tours booked directly from our website, we offer direct online payments from our website with credit card (Visa, Mastercard, AMEX accepted). 

For special requests and multiple day itineraries, we either accept swift bank transfers or link payments with credit cards (Visa, Mastercard accepted, AMEX not accepted). 

Our USD bank account details are as below:

Bank name: QNB Finansbank Account Holder’s Name: Istanbul Tur Organizasyon Studyo Turizm ve Ticaret AS Branch city: Istanbul Branch name: Enpara Subesi Branch code: 3663 Account number: 84541913 IBAN Number: TR33 0011 1000 0000 0084 5419 13 SWIFT code: FNNBTRISXXX

  Q: What is your cancellation policy?

Istanbul Tour Studio has the following cancellation policies:

  • For daily tours booked online from our website: We refund the whole payment for cancellations made at least 72 hours before the tour departure time. However, in such cases, the bank transfer/wire fees as well as intermediary bank fees may be deducted from the payment. Tours cancelled less than 72 hours before the tour departure time are non-refundable.
  • For custom-made itineraries (multiple days): We refund the whole payment for cancellations made at least two weeks before the commencement of the itinerary (except the hotel bookings, for that please see below). However in such cases, a service fee of 15% will be deducted from the total sum. For cancellations made between 14 to 7 days before the commencement of the itinerary, 50% of the total sum is refundable. Cancellations made less than 7 days to the commencement of the itinerary are non-refundable.
  • For hotel bookings: We apply the cancellation policy of the hotel booked on behalf of the client. The client will be informed about the hotel's policy at the time of the booking. To make it clear, the above mentioned cancellation policy for custom-made itineraries do not apply to hotel bookings. 

  Q: Visa & Passport Information

It is each traveler’s responsibility to obtain their required Turkish visas. Visa requirements vary according to the nationality of the passport holder. For travelers who are not citizens of Turkey, please consult the embassy of Turkey for visa applications and requirements. For those who wish complete visa assistance in-advance please contact: https://www.evisa.gov.tr/en. Application timing and processing vary greatly, so please check online early for visa requirements.

  Q: Travellers requiring special assistance

Any disability requiring special attention should be reported at the time the reservation is made. Istanbul Tour Studio will make reasonable attempts to accommodate the special needs of such travellers, but is not responsible for any denial of services by carriers, hotels, and other independent suppliers. Istanbul Tour Studio regrets that it cannot provide individual assistance to a tour member for walking, dining, getting on and off motor coaches, ships and other transportation vehicles, or other personal needs. Travellers who need such assistance must be accompanied by a qualified companion.

  Q: Change on programs and re-scheduling

Istanbul Tour Studio reserves the right to cancel or reschedule any booking due to bad weather conditions, unexpected museum closures, security alerts and other reasons considered force majeure, on notice to the client. In this case, the company will try to rebook the same booking with a different departure date.