Afternoon Bosphorus Boat and Bus Tour with cable car from Pierre Loti Coffee

Posted By : SNEZANA_S
We promptly arrived at the meeting point 15 minutes before scheduled time and waited for 1/2hour. There were several drivers in front of the hotel, we asked them if they are there to pick us up and no one was. The hotel concierge knew nothing about the pickup for the Bosphorus tour. Needless to say, the service was not provided to us. When we asked for the refund, we were simply refused with no explanation.

I would stay away from this tour, but I would also stay away from viator. When you book through them, they are not liable for the service to actually be provided.
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Posted On : 2024-06-02 00:51:14

Posted By : Mir_H
The places we saw wasn’t the problem, it was our tour guide IGRID, first he told us it’s only the cruise and spice bazaar but we had booked cruise and cable car. He just said that’s not my problem so we had to contact our travel agent to get that sorted out. Then IGRID was just moody towards and because the cable car was added by his manager he rushed the cable car Pierre loti experience, we only saw the view for maybe max 5 mins. And when getting on the cable car he tried to split my family into two groups even though the cable car was added for us because that what we payed for.
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Posted On : 2024-05-22 13:30:44

Posted By : Adventure24679205398
It is interesting to see the city from the water, you get an idea of the size of the city. Some palaces are visible from the water.
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Posted On : 2024-04-09 11:15:27

Posted By : Mandy_H
Very good .Picked up from hotel Guide and driver were very knowledgeable .Great value for money Bus clean .

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Posted On : 2023-05-01 13:20:40

Posted By : Nina155032
Organization-wise everything was perfect. The bus picked us up on time. All the activities went smoothly. The guide was very nice and made sure that everybody was comfortable and there was a nice and relaxed vibe in the group.

Suggestions:
1) Add a bit of story telling. To have an impact, the excursion needs to get participants to visualize the life of people who inhibited the palaces or who fought for the control of Bosporus in the past.
2) The guide speaks several languages very well. It's really cool. But I would suggest to mostly stick to the language of the excursion unless somebody has a difficulty. It's nice to understand all discussions going on between the guide and people from the group.
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Posted On : 2023-03-07 01:52:23

Posted By : OnAir53726574397
The guild was very knowable. Just the bus seat was a bit small, cramped. The boat ride was great and relaxing. Don't expect too much from the cableway, over very quickly.
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Posted On : 2022-12-16 10:34:44

Posted By : Hyder_M
The tour was supposed to be pickup from hotel but the operator messaged if I can walk to a pickup point (restaurant) that was 15 minute away, from there we were shuttled to the Bosphorus ferry.
The ferry was a 1.5 hour round trip with absolutely no description of what we are seeing our tour guide basically just sat and was on his phone. After the ferry we were shuttled to the top of Pierre Loti, for a five minute picture stop then rushed down the cable car back to the shuttle they then took us to an overpriced Turkish delight/ spice shop and spent well over 40 minutes while the owner had us a a captive audience selling expensive delights. We were then dropped off in the old city.

I would say if you are short on time and don’t care about any history except a quick ferry , cable tour then this is for you else it’s a waste of money.
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Posted On : 2022-06-28 04:02:03

Posted By : Javier_M
Wonderful tour guide explained everything with great detail. Timing was right. Visited the sites during a low season so we felt we were receiving a private tour. Crowds at sightseeing areas was understandable. Enjoyed snacks from places Pierre Loti, Ferry, and restaurant. Great pictures. Memorable chat with the tour guide.
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Posted On : 2022-03-21 01:38:13

Posted By : 54aminaha
Breathtaking cruise with amazing views. Weather was warm. Can be a little windy. Can purchase Drinks 10tr
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Posted On : 2020-03-14 02:15:11

Posted By : MarelizeDeB
We arrived at the designated meeting point, which was a restaurant. It was incredibly crowded, with 3 different tours groups already there. One group had blue scarves, another had a sticker with '83' printed on it, and the other group was predominately Chinese with a Chinese speaking guide.
We reported at one of the guides, and then a second gentleman came out with his cellphone, and confirmed our surnames and the tour. We were told the tour would leave in 5-10 Minutes. I went to the bathroom while my sister waited outside with the other tourists. It was very hot, crowded and there was no place to sit in the sun. No announcements were made, no groups were called.
After about 30 minutes we realized no one has called us, so we phoned the local contact number. The guide told us that we never showed up! When we informed him that no, we did indeed announce ourselves at the restaurant, and that our tour was confirmed to us, he then changed his tune and said that we can join, but we had to take a taxi at our own cost to meet us at the Harbor. We then chose to cancel our booking.  I would love to tell you about the Cruise, but we didn't get to experience that due to poor management by the tour operator.

Main points of the review:
1. Meeting point is terribly overcrowded, no shade or seats,you must wait on a hot crowded pavement
2. Tours aren't announced or called - The group leaves without announcement
3. When you do get through to the local phone number, you will be told that you didn't report for the tour, even if you did.
4.  There are so many other good tours in Istanbul - Skip this one
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Posted On : 2019-10-08 04:59:53