Tour Guide Semih Onerbay

Semih guided my brother and I through the old city of istanbul. He elaborated on much of the history and culture — I thoroughly enjoyed it and learned so much about Istanbul and Islam. He kept the tour moving at just the right pace, providing comprehensive explanations of all significant landmarks and addressing any questions we had. There’s a lot to see in the old city, but without the history associated with it, one may lack the true appreciate for it. I strongly recommend attending a guided tour of the city, and Semih is the guide you want. 5 stars for Semih, without a doubt!

Sam was amazing! My husband and I met him the first full day we were in Istanbul. We customized our tour into two sections. In the morning, we toured Hagia Sofia, the Golden Horn, and several mosques in Old Instanbul. Sam was incredibly knowledgeable and engaging. I am so glad we choose to do a guided tour. I would have missed so many interesting things had I not known to look for them! For instance, the first «photo shopped» mural in Hagia Sofia. In the afternoon, we did a food tour of both old and new Istanbul, and ended with a little more history of Taksim Square. I felt like with Sam’s tour, we were able to eat truly local foods and learn more about Istanbul’s culture, as it is today. Because we did a private tour, we were easily able to adjust the schedule throughout the day as we felt necessary (i.e stop and sit for coffee, pop into a local bar, stare at Blue Mosque as long as we liked…). Sam was a resource for us from the time we booked the tour, a month before our trip, until the day we left. He was so kind, offering recommendations for dinner, yoga, local spots to grab coffee, etc. He even made us dinner reservations! I highly recommend using Sam for a tour while you are in Istanbul. It was a great experience that made our trip very memorable.

Semih, or Sam as we called him, was awesome! His passion for showing his country’s history was infectious. He was engaging and also had a depth of knowledge about the architecture, history, folk lore, and culture that left our group feeling like locals by the end of the tour.
The extra mile is nothing to Semih — he took us to an awesome restaurant, found us a cab, recommended great places to visit for nightlife, arranged a private car for us, and he even helped us negotiate good prices in the Bazaar. Semih was so professional and didn’t put any pressure on us.
The tour covered the Blue Mosque and three other really cool ones, an off the beaten path hookah bar, free samples of Turkish delight, and the best off the grid restaurant that we have eaten at thus far in Istanbul.
Touring Istanbul with Semih would be like touring the White House with the President of the United States — you just do it if you get the opportunity!

Semih was a wonderful guide who led us to many fascinating places in Istanbul. He spun a story that brought history alive and made our visit so much more meaningful. He is very knowledgeable, spoke English well and is also licensed in Italian. We highly recommended him!

Semih gave my family & me a tour of Istanbul highlights and it was well worth the cost and time. We saw hidden corners where we tried a hookah, as well as the big mosques, where he gave us a wide overview of the culture. Semih is a fun, well-​informed, positive-​energy tour guide and I highly recommend him if you visit Istanbul. Anche per gli Italiani, Semih sarebbe una buona scelta per la vostra vacanza!

Semih was my tour guide for about four hours as we walked around old and new Istanbul. During the tour, we covered a significant amount of ground as he showed me some of Istanbul’s true hidden treasures– such a beautiful Armenian church hidden just out of view and a historic theater where I will be catching a whirling dervish performance tomorrow night. He is knowledgable of both distant and recent history as well as modern social issues and politics.
He can customize the tour based on your needs and availability. I’d highly recommend contacting him if this is your first visit to Istanbul or if you’d like to find new areas to discover.
Enjoy Istanbul while you’re here!