We had a guide on our first visit in 2013 and like mjs enjoyed our discussions with the guide. I also agree the short Bosphorus cruise is more than enough, unless you’re staying a week or longer.

Even in 2013 shopkeepers would invite us to come look at carpets every time we walked down the street from our hotel. They knew us and knew we weren’t interested, but would still ask us to just take a look. Ignore them and just walk on.

Although I didn't use a guide, I had several long and fascinating discussions with staff at my hotel who were more than willing to answer my questions.

I found the merchants in Turkey quite pleasant. They invited me to buy or look at their goods, but they were never pushy. They did seem to appreciate a "no, thank you" rather than a "NO!" and rather than being ignored. When I did shop, bargaining always involved a friendly exchange.

I remember a funny moment at one shop selling scarves: I offered a price, the woman countered with a price that was higher than I was willing to pay, so I thanked her and left. She chased me onto the street to agree to my initial offer!

Yes, shopkeepers are rarely pushy. From Day 2 the ones on our street recognized us and would joke that we didn’t want to buy anything from them. They’d ask us to come in and have a cup of mint tea and just look around, no compulsion to buy.

This I have seen in North America too, Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt, everywhere they would offer you mint tea. In Ourzazzate, Morocco I accidentally broke an earthenware pot and the shopkeeper refused to let me pay for it, said it wasn’t important. He was totally Zen about it, but I was mortified and ended up buying a couple of gift items.

We've always mixed walking tours with DIY in our decades of travel, and as we've aged, we're far more attuned to the limits of foot pain and our needs for bathroom stops, so we're leaning further away from taking any tour. I don't think you need a guide in Istanbul as long as you've read up (which apparently you have) and I also second using the transportation system because that's part of the fun in the city. But there IS a type of tour I'd recommend heartily--a food tour.

The Culinary Backstreets company actually began in Istanbul as "Istanbul Eats" years ago by snagging the services of a beloved tour guide Angelis Nannos. Our tour with Angelis was the "Culinary Secrets of the Old City." It was exhausting and it was FABULOUS. Food IS history, and experiencing the history through food in Istanbul was fascinating.

There are many food tours out there now. I'd read the reviews for those and go for it.
And yeah, skip the Bosphorus cruise. It just eats up your time.

I agree with some parts of the feedback, especially regarding the value of hiring a guide in Istanbul, as it’s a great way to support local guides. That said, I managed to explore the city on my own during my visits, even without being fluent in Turkish, though having some basic knowledge definitely helped.

Istanbul might not be as chaotic as some people suggest, though certain areas like the Grand Bazaar can feel crowded.

Regarding performances, I think it’s important to experience authentic cultural displays rather than tourist-oriented ones.

Overall, Istanbul is a beautiful and vibrant city with a rich history, and the people are generally very hospitable.