The information Dilek provided was illuminating. She responded to every question about structure and history. I had a strong sense of the expertise, brutality, and sacrifice that created the structure as well as of the choice and management of the materials with which it was built. An added benefit of Dilek's tour was that she shared some history about religious thought and in one instance of debate during different periods of its history. It was the best experience I had over all the historical sites I visited in Istanbul.

Having Dulek as our guide was the best decision. She is very knowledgeable, cordial and accommodating to our needs and questions. Professional and friendly. When you book with her you don’t have to stand in line. I highly recommend her.

We visited Istanbul and got in touch with Dilek. She met us near the Blue Mosque, reasonable price agreed for half day tour and visited all the major sites. Very impressed with her knowledge all explained with excellent English. Highly recommended and will definitely use again for our next trip to Turkey.

I have been wanting to visit the Hagia Sophia for many years, and I needed someone who could bring my understanding of this unique building to life. It was my great fortune to stumble upon Dilek Acikalin Turka, a respectful, well-educated and sensitive lover of the history and culture of all the civilizations that have called Istanbul their home. She arranged for our family to be fed and rested before beginning the tour, and took all the time we needed to explore the building and its surrounding. Her care for us was more than professional tour guide, it extended to real friendship, which is what I had found elusive in Turkey over our ten days there. I am grateful to Dilek for bringing us into the circle and helping us feel a personal connection to the amazing city of Istanbul. Several times over the next few days she checked in with us to see if we were doing well, answer questions and give us advice. She met me in my final moments in the city to help me with some long-delayed shopping. This was during the week of a major holiday, when I'm sure she had many personal and professional obligations. Dilek was a highlight in my 3 months of travel in the Middle East and Europe.

We met Dilek when we first got in line at Hagia Sofia, she was cheery and bubbly and offered to let us cut the line if we engaged her as a guide and we said yes immediately. Skipping the line is totally worth it, you don't want to spend your day in Turkey waiting under the scorching sun. Dilek didn't disappoint. She offered us engaging tidbits of information while observing our group carefully to see what interested us. It wasn't easy as our group was diverse and our questions could demand detail. If we had gone in alone, we would just have admired the grandeur of the building and missed out on the historical value of it. What I liked most about Dilek was her energy and bright disposition. That made it so easy to converse with her that we even went on the next tour with her to the underground cisterns.

We had a wonderful family day. DIlek helped us a lot with useful and complete information about Dolmabahce Palace and the history of Sultans, their way of living, customs and about how Turkey became a Republic. Cruise was lovely and we got the chance to enjoy both sides of the city, Europe and Asia. Then Dilek took us for lunch at an excellent place where we had a delicious fresh fish, actually I would say that was the best meal we had in Istanbul for our trip. Then she was very flexible because we decided to go to the grand bazar instead of the spice market. Its a great way to get to know some of the beauties of Istanbul.

Dilek was an excellent guide and very knowledgeable. She made the tour fun, educational and historical. The command of english was excellent and our children really enjoyed the tour.

We spent all the day in a tour in Istanbul with this guide. Every minute was interesting, we did not get bored, although got a lot of information. But this information was without too much dates and names of sultans, which we would not remember anyway :) Everything that was needed and nothing unnecessary. We asked not only about the history, but about the every day habits of the locals, clothing, national food and etc. Her English was very clear, even if you are not very good with it - you will definitely understand what Dilek is telling about :) We liked the tour very much and I would recommend Dilek to other tourists as well!

She was super nice with me, always considering what I wanted to see and what was more interesting for me to learn. We had a great time together in the half day tour that I booked. It is totally worth it ;)

Excellent knowledge of the area and of he places with good speaking English skills. . Definitely worth getting guided tour in the area to understanding the history.

I happened to take a tour during my transit in Istanbul with Dilek. I had an extremely tough night the day before and was rather drained out when the tour began. However, her choice of places for a short visit along with her enthusiasm had me energized and stoked about the tour of the city. She was helpful, resourceful and extremely tactful in dealing with the multitude. Moreover, she seemed to have extensive knowledge with a mix of her own personal perspective on monuments and historical places in Turkey. She was rather patient in dealing with everyone's needs and was always on the edge to help when asked. I would highly recommend her if you want to see Turkey with a warm and a charming personality who would be more than willing to accommodate your needs.

My family and I have made several visit to Turkey on our own and every time we experience something new and amazing. Dilek showed us what we did not see before she was amazing very informative, very friendly we felt she was one of us. I would highly recommend her. Sirfraz K.

I came to Istanbul with my parents and was lucky enough to book a tour with Dilek! Such an informative and friendly tour guide who is clearly passionate and knowledgable about all things Turkish. Dilek was flexible and accommodating and took us to all the key tourist sites we wanted to see including the blue mosque, Sophia Hagia, the grand bizarre etc. Such a great day - would highly recommend!!

Dilek was our private tour guide for a day in Istanbul. We ended the tour feeling we had made a new friend. She gave us insights into daily life in Istanbul and is very knowledgeable about the history of all the sites. Definitely wear your walking shoes! We requested that she take us to a local place for lunch and that's exactly what she did. It was a place we had walked by a number of times and wouldn't have thought to venture in, but once we did we had a great time! The time just flew by and when we go back to Istanbul, we will definitely look her up again.

A friend recommended Dilek's incredible guide services to me and my friends while on an unexpected, short trip to Istanbul (we got stuck for 5 days on a layover due to terrible weather in our home state). A trip that started as an inconvenience ended up being the time of our lives, thanks in huge part to Dilek! We spent two full days with her as she showed us the incredible historical and cultural sites of Istanbul. The Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, the Grand Bazaar, the Spice Market, rugmakers, potters - Dilek showed it all to us! She even took us to the Asian side of the city for a delicious seafood lunch. She's incredibly knowledgeable and so warm and friendly - really going above and beyond to make sure her clients have the absolute best experience touring the city. And she will customize any tour to fit your interests. Just make sure you wear your walking shoes! I agree with other posters - she offers such amazing service that her tour rates seem like a steal, so please do tip generously if you feel the same. We met Dilek as strangers, but we left as dear friends. I know I speak for my entire group when I say that we all cannot wait to return to Istanbul and spend more time exploring this beautiful city with Istanbul's best guide!