Tolun - Private Guide in Istanbul

Languages: Turkish, English, French, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Chinese, German

My name is Tolun. If you want to plan a private tour of Turkey you are at the right place, I am an archaeologist and have been working as a tour guide in every corner of Turkey for many years. During my tours I had a chance to make lots of friends from around the world. I like to meet different people from different countries. If you want a special tour of Turkey, I offer my own private tours with my own minivan. I will do my best to make your trip a wonderful experience. Start your tour in Istanbul, Cappadocia, Antalya or anywhere else in Turkey. I will arrange transportation, accommodation in enchanting hotels, meals of local delights and make sure that you see all the highlights of each of the areas you will visit. You will not have to worry about anything. Leave it all to me and just enjoy Turkey.

During our tour I can introduce you to my friends, the local Turkish people! I will propose you to get acquainted with our daily life and local traditions of Turkey. If you are interested, your tours can also include village and school visits, folk music and dancing, picnic, teahouse meetings, local artisans, handicraft and even more. I will accommodate all ages and levels of physical fitness, but enjoy taking my guests on exciting walks and if desired, challenging hikes.
Asia Minor or Asian Turkey, as it is known today, is a bridge between Europe and Asia and was the passageway and dwelling place of many ancient civilization
s. Come along with me, walk in the footsteps of the ancients and let me tell you about:
- Hattians and Hittites who were some of the earliest and most mysterious civilizations of Turkey.
- The Phrygians and their king, Midas, well known with his donkey ears and his magic touch which transformed everything into gold.
- The Lydians and their life and traditions, their capital, Sardis, and their kings.
- Alyattes II who fought against many nations. His war with Medes, ended after a solar eclipse in 585 BC because they feared the anger of Gods. Amazingly, Thales from Miletus, predicted that eclipse based on his mathematical calculations.
- Croesus, the last king of Lydia, who believed he was the happiest man in the world because his river, Pactolus, brought him gold.
- Cyrus the Great and the Persians, who defeated Croesus and destroyed the Lydian Empire.
- The Ionian Confederacy and its efforts for freedom after the Persian invasion. We’ll go back to 494 BC and learn about the sudden attack of the Persians which destroyed the Ionian fleet anchored near the Lade Island.
- The Phocaeans who sent their colonies as far as Spain and northward to the Black Sea.
- The Greeks and the victory of democracy.
- The Macedonians and their king, Alexander the Great, who always gained public sympathy by respecting the traditions of the countries he conquered.
- The Amazons, Cimmerians, and the Galatians who were great warriors but too independent to create
a strong unity.
- The regions where the Romans and their enemies, the Carthaginians, lived, and find out about the end of their brave commander, Hannibal, who finally committed suicide in Bithynia.
- The ancient Cilicia region in Southern Asia Minor where Cleopatra and Mark Antony fell in love in the city of Tarsus.
- The early Anatolian Christian communities. We’ll discuss the difficulties they encountered while they were living under Roman rule.
- The Byzantines and show you the fabulous masterpieces they created throughout the centuries.
- The Crusaders, Seljuk and Ottoman Turks and, of course, about Ataturk, the national father of our present Turkey.
Turkey is the cradle of ancient civilization, and I look forward to sharing my country and our history with you. It is my hope that when we discuss events of the past times, looking at advances and shortcomings, perhaps we can prevent historical mistakes from recurring. I would be honored to be your personal guide for one day or for your entire vacation.

Tolun 

Prices

The price for my guiding and driving service is:  275 US Dollars/day. Please consider adding 50 US Dollars/day for my Vw Caravelle minivan. This is a total of 225 US Dollars/day. (This sum is divided by the number of participants)

What is included? My services of guiding and driving, unlimited mileage transportation (fuel not included), my own boarding.

What is not included? Your lodging accommodations, the fuel consumption on your itinerary, your entrance fees for museums, sites, national parks etc., my own lodging or 75 US Dollars/day, parking, motorway or bridge tolls on your itinerary and ferryboat fees.

* Trips are based on beginning and ending in Istanbul. If your trip begins and/or ends in any other area, a 0.75 US Dollar per kilometer transfer fee will be charged to/from that location.

* The fuel consumption of my van is approximately 7.4 lt. of diesel fuel every 100 km. on regular motorways.

Payment: A deposit of non-refundable 25 % is due at the time of booking; balance is payable three months prior to the tour as soon as possible. Please use secure payment means (pay-pal or bank transfer) as described during our booking correspondence. I will send you a signed voucher giving you a full description of the cost and services you will have prior to your payment.

Cancellations: 25 % deposit is non-refundable; 50 % refund for cancellations until one month before departure, 25 % refund for cancellations received until two weeks before departure, no refund for cancellations received later.