Best Recommendation: Food Tours In Istanbul
Istanbul food tours are one of the unique activities that are highly recommended to do. These tours allow us to experience typical Turkish food, especially in Istanbul, be it street food, tea, or coffee, and we can even experience eating with local people. With an Istanbul food tour package, we can experience a different dining experience.
Yes, in fact, Istanbul has good food. And its signature food is really worth trying. Istanbul is also famous for its delicious street food.
Are you a traveler from abroad? Highly recommended to take Istanbul food tours. Because only with food tour packages, you will get directions on which foods to try. And not a few Istanbul food tour packages, they provide a guide to accompany you on an adventure to taste the special foods in Istanbul Turkey.
Are you eager for an adventure to taste Istanbul’s specialties? Then this article will be perfect for you.
Find our recommendations for food tours in Istanbul in the next section.
Recommended food tours in Istanbul.
It turns out that these food tours are different from the usual Istanbul tour packages.
If in general people are looking for Istanbul city tour packages, or those with certain expectations are looking for private or luxury tours in Istanbul, it turns out that there are also many travelers who are looking for food tours in Istanbul because they want to taste its famous delicious specialties.
We have done a lot of research on what activities are related to food in Istanbul. And surprisingly, it turns out that food and drink tours in Istanbul are not only about exploring the food and then tasting the food but there are other experiences that make food tours in Istanbul more interesting.
We conclude, from the many food tours in Istanbul, can be categorized into three things:
- Istanbul food tours.
- Tea and coffee tours Istanbul.
- Food tours by a cruise in Istanbul.
Disclosure:
We got these food tours recommendations from Viator. And what we have written here, we have sorted by rating and those who have received good ratings from travelers who have tried it. We only choose food tours that are in line with the discussion of this article.
We will get a small commission if you buy this Istanbul food tour package. And there is no additional cost for you.
Istanbul food tours.
In this category, Istanbul food tours, we found eight food tours that are worth trying while you are in Istanbul.
There are many types of tours ranging from exploring Istanbul specialties, Istanbul street food, dining experiences with Istanbul local people, and many more.
Here are the Istanbul food tours recommendations:
1. Taste of Two Continents Food Tour in Istanbul.
This tour earns an Excellence badge from Viator.
The Taste of Two Continents Food Tour is a full-day small-group tour in Istanbul. This tour is limited to a maximum of eight people and will be led by a guide.
This food tour will start in the morning. You will meet your guide in the Old City area of Istanbul.
Before starting this tour, make sure you are hungry. Today you will be spoiled with various Istanbul specialties.
The tour starts with enjoying a traditional Turkish breakfast.
In this series of food tours, you will also be invited to explore the spice markets in Istanbul. After that, you also cross the Bosphorus to the trendy Kadikoy.
With this Taste of Two Continents Food Tour, you have the opportunity to taste Turkish coffee, visit several restaurants, and taste the must-try foods while in Istanbul.
This food tour is very good to be immortalized. Not only about food, but the guide will also show you the colorful stalls and products at Kadıköy market.
Still at the Kadıköy market, you will enjoy freshly brewed Turkish coffee accompanied by crispy, locally made golden baklava. You can also enjoy famous street food such as dolma, tantuni, kokoreç, and some other local favorite foods.
Ferry tickets and several other places to be visited are free, included in the tour service.
2. The 10 Tastings of Istanbul With Locals: Private Street Food Tour.
This tour earns an Excellence badge from Viator.
This package is a half-day private food tour in Istanbul.
This food tour showcases 10 of the best culinary offerings in Istanbul with meticulous tasting sensations such as raki, durum, and baklava.
Since this is a private food tour, your guide will give you full attention. And of course, you will get the opportunity to ask more questions, whether it has to do with typical food or anything else in Istanbul.
With this food tour, you will find many new favorite places that you may not have known before, which you can visit while you are still in Istanbul.
This food tour begins with a meeting with your guide in Beyoğlu and ends at Aga Hamami, a public bathhouse in Istanbul.
During this food tour, you will get some insights like:
- How can the round seeds of traditional bread and cheese differ between regions,
- Various types of pickles are consumed in Turkey, and why pickles are one of the mandatory foods that must be served,
- And many more stories of typical Turkish food.
In addition to the food tour, this tour also invites you to witness the oldest Turkish bath in Istanbul as well as explain how the hammam ritual in Turkey is.
Complete package! Food tour as well as knowing some Turkish history.
3. Private and guided Istanbul food tour – Taste of Istanbul.
This tour earns an Excellence badge from Viator.
Turkey, especially Istanbul, is full of culinary delights.
With this self-guided food tour, you’ll have the opportunity to taste some of its signature dishes.
And experienced guides will introduce you to foods that not everyone may know about. In addition, the guide will also show you popular items during the tour.
The guide will give you personal attention.
Because this is a private tour, this tour can be customized according to your needs and taste.
This food tour is a six-hour walking tour. Apart from exploring the food, you will also see how the local culture has been going on for hundreds of years.
The tour will start with a Turkish breakfast such as menemen turkey, sucuklu omlet, kaymak, and honey.
On the Asian side of Kadikoy, you will be invited to taste Mersin’s tantuni. After that, you will visit the fish market where you can taste stuffed or fried clams, as well as pickles.
At the end of the tour, you will have the opportunity to visit the Spice Market. Here you can see how the locals have been selling their spices for hundreds of years.
4. Istanbul Evening Sightseeing and Food Tasting Tour.
This tour earns an Excellence badge from Viator.
Slightly different from some other tours, this food tour takes place at night.
With a night view of Istanbul, you will find Istanbul’s famous delicacies.
This food tour will be led by a guide. And will only be limited to a maximum of 14 people in one group.
One area to visit is the bustling Taksim Square. Here you will have the opportunity to taste Turkish specialties from various restaurants.
Enjoy some typical Turkish dishes such as authentic kebabs, icli kofte (spiced meat and beans), and baklava as desserts that are ready to pamper your teeth with their crunch and sweetness.
This food tour is suitable for those of you who are visiting Istanbul Turkey for the first time and want to feel the sensation of delicious Turkish food.
Don’t worry about how you will get back to the hotel where you stay in Istanbul. Because this food tour includes a shuttle service to the hotel.
5. Istanbul Culinary Tour: Local Tavern and Gourmet Street Foods.
This tour earns an Excellence badge from Viator.
This food tour is a guided walking tour.
Completely on foot, because you will be invited to explore several hidden alleys and paths such as Asmali Mescit, Hazzopulo, and Flower Passage.
With this food tour, apart from enjoying Turkish specialties, you will get to know the complex culinary culture of Istanbul. The guide will explain it very clearly.
You will later have the opportunity to stop at the traditional food market and meyhanes, and sample a variety of foods such as desserts, snacks, and drinks.
It’s not just about food, with this food tour you can explore and know more about the historic Pera environment.
The food tour starts from Beyoğlu (Pera), where here you can immediately find lots of food, desserts, snacks, and drinks such as raki and pistachio coffee.
And this food tour will end in the Istiklal area with typical Turkish tea. Turkish tea became famous throughout Turkey, even extending to several countries in the Balkan Peninsula and Northern Cyprus.
6. Istanbul by Night: Dining Out in a Turkish Way.
This food tour promises a different experience.
With a guide and only with a small group of up to 15 people, you have the opportunity to be like the locals and eat like them.
With this food tour, you will be invited to discover the best taste of traditional Turkish food, even from unusual places to eat in Istanbul.
From enjoying classic bagel simits from a well-known local bakery, visiting Kiraathane (meeting room), visiting a barbecue restaurant, grilling your own kebabs over an open fire, to enjoying live music and delicious mezes, you can get all of it by following this food tour.
With a small group and guide, you will get personal attention from the guide.
7. Evening walks, local food tasting tour.
You can imagine how nice it would be to have a night stroll in Istanbul through historic Sultanahmet to Taksim Square across from the Golden Horn, accompanied by a guide, and sample some of the food on your way to an evening walk.
Starting from the afternoon, watching the sunset from the Galata bridge and trying staple foods such as baklava and fried clams, and Turkey’s favorite food, the mouth-watering sweet filo, all the way to the evening enjoying the bustle of Istanbul.
This food tour will be accompanied by a guide.
The guide will recommend which foods are worth trying, as well as explain some of the past histories of several places that were passed during the walking tour.
And because this food tour is limited to no more than 14 people per group, then anyone who joins it will get personal attention from the guide.
A night out while enjoying Turkish specialties in Istanbul? Make sure you don’t miss it…
8. Eat Like a Local: Istanbul Food and Culture Tour with Dinner at Local Family Home.
This food tour is different from other packages because with this tour you have the opportunity to become a local resident and you can even join to eat with them, directly at the local people’s house.
For a moment you can feel how to be a local Turkish person and enjoy the essence of Turkish heritage.
Starting from exploring the streets of Sultanahmet, with a guide then you have the opportunity to enter the homes of local residents, meet their families, and experience the warmth of the Turkish people.
You can chat casually and feel how the Turks are very welcome with newcomers while enjoying a menu of 3 traditional Turkish home-cooked dishes.
During the food tour, you will also get the opportunity to inhale a shisha pipe.
Not only about the food tour, here you can see backgammon or football along the way. A unique experience is on the streets of Istanbul, Turkey.
This culinary food tour lasts about 4 hours and ends by exploring the backstreets of Istanbul.
This food tour, which is limited to a maximum of 12 people, allows you to always get personal attention from the guide.
Don’t think too much, take this food tour, and feel how to be a local community, eat with them, and experience the warmth of the local community directly in their homes.
Tea and coffee tours Istanbul.
It turns out that Istanbul is not only famous for its food. But the drink is also the main attraction. Especially for its typical Turkish tea and coffee.
Not a few people deliberately visit Istanbul to hunt for tea and coffee.
Here are some of our recommended tea and coffee tours:
1. Turkish Coffee Experience (Cooking, Tasting) Afternoon Tour.
This tour earns an Excellence badge from Viator.
This coffee tour in Istanbul will reveal everything related to Turkish coffee.
With this coffee tour you can discover the traditional technique, the secret to making the perfect cup of Turkish coffee.
You will also have the opportunity to enjoy delicious Turkish coffee from several local places in Istanbul. Not only that, with a professional guide you will be invited to learn to make coffee production crafts in a shop.
With this coffee tour, you will also have the opportunity to visit the spice bazaar, where you will find out how the Ottoman secrets were in storing coffee.
Included in this coffee tour, you will take classes to learn how to make coffee. And you will receive a certificate after completing the class.
Not only about Turkish coffee, you will also witness a historical building, namely a building named Kurukahvedji Inn.
This coffee tour is a small group tour, a maximum of 15 people per group. Participants will get personal attention from the guide.
2. Istanbul Turkish Coffee Tour – Coffee Making Class.
Not only about its authentic taste, it turns out that Turkish coffee has a long history.
Coffee is the national drink of Turkey.
History begins when the Ottomans brought coffee beans from Egypt to Istanbul in 1519.
The first coffee shop opened in the Eminou district after 30 years from the time coffee beans first landed in Istanbul.
There is an area called the “Coffee Route” consisting of small streets, historic trails, impressive old bazaars and Ottoman coffee warehouses. And you will have the opportunity to enjoy Turkish coffee in this area.
During the tour you will also be invited to visit Haci Bekir, a Confectioner, which specializes in traditional sweets such as Turkish Delight.
At the end of this coffee tour, you have the opportunity to take a class or course to make delicious Turkish coffee. And you will get a certificate when you successfully complete the class.
Learn to make coffee, and bring delicious Turkish coffee to your home.
Food tours by a cruise in Istanbul.
Who does not know about the Bosphorus Cruise in Istanbul?
These cruises have become an activity that should not be left behind when visiting Turkey. Even this Bosphorus Cruise, over time developed into private and luxurious tours in Istanbul.
Food tours then developed and made cruises as a place to enjoy Turkish food.
There are three types of cruises that you can take for a food tour:
- Breakfast cruises.
- Lunch cruises.
- Dinner cruises and shows.
Here are our recommendations for each of the food tours on the cruise mentioned above:
1. Breakfast cruises in Istanbul.
Have you ever imagined having breakfast on the Bosphorus on a private yacht?
The answer is in the following package:
Breakfast Cruise In Bosphorus With Private Yacht.
For people who are traveling in Istanbul, cruising on the Bosphorus has become something that should not be forgotten.
But how about having breakfast on the Bosphorus? It will certainly be a very memorable experience.
After you are picked up at the hotel in the morning, you will be invited to cruise, in the waters that are very famous in Turkey, namely the Bosphorus Strait.
You will enjoy a traditional Turkish breakfast such as coffee, tea, cheese, olives, bread, honey, and many more.
Your breakfast will be accompanied by Istanbul landmarks such as palaces, mosques, and other interesting waterfront attractions.
Breakfast on a private yacht is a different experience from cruising on the Bosphorus.
This breakfast cruise is limited to a maximum of 9 people.
Are you looking for a unique experience while in Istanbul? Then you can consider taking a breakfast cruise with a private yacht.
2. Lunch cruises in Istanbul.
You haven’t had the chance to have breakfast while on a cruise on the Bosphorus? Don’t worry, because during the day you can have lunch on a cruise.
Here are some of the recommended lunch cruise packages:
a. Istanbul Lunch Cruise: Long Circle Bosphorus Cruise up to Black Sea.
This tour earns an Excellence badge from Viator.
This cruise on the Bosphorus is a long cruise because it turns out that this cruise is not only about lunch on the cruise, but also a visit to an interesting tourist spot.
This cruise will run for about 4 hours.
This lunch cruise will provide 2 menus, complete with tea, coffee, snacks, and fruit. Alcoholic drinks are also provided but at an additional cost.
During the lunch cruise, you can see interesting sights around the waters such as mansions, towers, mosques, and palaces.
The cruise will also cruise to Anadolu Kavagi, a picturesque fishing village, near the confluence of the Bosphorus and the Black Sea. Here you climb the hill to the old fort and take dramatic photos. From here you can see an amazing view of the Black Sea.
Do you still want to spend more time on a cruise while spending your day? Then you can consider taking the following extended lunch cruise:
b. Istanbul Lunch Cruise on Bosphorus and Black Sea.
The concept of this lunch cruise can still be considered the same as other packages. However, when viewed from what is offered, this lunch cruise offers to explore more areas around the Bosphorus.
This lunch cruise will be your best friend when you leave the hustle and bustle of the city during the day.
This lunch cruise will sail to the Black Sea to explore the city of Beykoz which is located on the coast of the Asian side.
When sailing you will feel calm, because you will be treated to views of the beautiful Ottoman-era mansion and the minaret of the mosque in Istanbul.
This experience will be more exciting when you see these beautiful views while having lunch with a menu of special meze dishes and grilled chicken.
You can walk to the boat deck to sunbathe or just enjoy more views such as the Galata Tower or the huge Bosphorus Bridge that connects Asia and Europe.
The cruise will continue sailing to the Black Sea and stop at the small coast of Beykoz. Here you can take a walk in the lush hills of the surrounding area.
Before this cruise returns to Istanbul in the afternoon, you still have the opportunity to see the ruins of a medieval fortress and several other landmarks.
3. Dinner cruises and shows in Istanbul.
Previously we have discussed the breakfast cruise and lunch cruise. To be more complete, we will also discuss the dinner cruise.
Especially for a dinner cruise in Istanbul, many organizers then make it one with the show. And it turns out, this can attract a lot of visitors’ attention.
The following are recommendations for food tours, namely dinner cruises with shows, which we have selected based on ratings from travelers on Viator.
a. Bosphorus Dinner Cruise & Turkish Night Show (All Inclusive).
Generally, a Bosphorus Cruise is a cruise on the Bosphorus Strait and looks around the waters that border Istanbul on the European side and Istanbul on the Asian side.
It will be a more pleasant experience when you have the opportunity to have dinner on a cruise, watch shows, as well as enjoy the amazing Istanbul night atmosphere.
While onboard, you will be treated to a delicious 3-course dinner with unlimited soft drinks. And you can see live performances such as belly dancing, whirling dervishes, and also DJs.
You don’t have to worry about how you go on the cruise and return, because this dinner cruise organizer provides hotel transfer services. Both for pick-up and drop-off.
In this dinner cruise package, you will have the opportunity to see Istanbul’s landmarks such as Dolmabahce Palace, Beylerbeyi Palace, Bosphorus Bridge, Rumeli Fortress, Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, Ortakoy Mosque, and also the Maiden’s Tower.
Very interesting! Of course, you can consider taking a dinner cruise if you want to get a different dining experience in Istanbul.
b. Turnatour Dinner Cruise On The Bosphorus with Traditional Show.
This dinner cruise will start by enjoying the sunset over the Istanbul horizon.
On board, you will be treated to 3 traditional Turkish dinner menus and taste Turkish wines.
For drinks, this cruise provides unlimited wine, rack, beer, vodka, gin, and soft drinks.
While having dinner, you can enjoy some live entertainment such as belly dancing and folk music.
During the cruise, you will have the opportunity to witness Istanbul icons such as the Blue Mosque, Dolmabahce Palace, Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, Maiden’s Tower, and many others.
The organizer also provides hotel pick-up and drop-off services.
One more dinner cruise option that you can consider for you to join.
Still with the dinner cruise concept which is more or less the same, you can also consider the following dinner cruise packages:
c. 5 Star Bosphorus Dinner Cruise – All inclusive.
This tour earns an Excellence badge from Viator.
What distinguishes this dinner cruise from the others is its 5-star facilities.
Better facilities will certainly make the quality of your dinner different.
In this 5-star cruise, you will sail between two continents, and eat Turkish meze for 3 hours in Istanbul. And during the cruise, you can also enjoy complete live entertainment such as belly dancing and folk dances.
While having dinner, you will be amazed by the historical buildings of the Byzantine and Ottoman empires.
Dinner cruise with 5-star facilities, of course, you can add this package to your wishlist.
Conclusion.
Food tours are one of the things to do that are most sought after by travelers when they visit Istanbul.
In fact, food tours are not just about tasting food. But a food tour in Istanbul provides a different experience.
Several food tours in Istanbul offer attractive packages such as excellent service, revealing delicious food in Istanbul that not many people know about, and even you can interact directly with local residents and eat together in their homes.
Only in Istanbul where you can experience eating while on a cruise across the waters of two continents. You can choose whether you want a breakfast cruise, lunch cruise, or even a dinner cruise with live shows.
Are you staying a few days in Istanbul? Make sure you stay at the best Istanbul hotels and experience the food tours. You won’t be disappointed.
Travelers who come to Istanbul are definitely looking for these two things.
Please click on each button.
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