Reviews

Fantastic guide, delicious food and wine!

This was a fantastic introduction into Turkish wines. Andrea was incredibly knowledgeable, passionate and easy to talk to. She offered great recommendations on wines as well as some to travel tips for Istanbul (for the best food, wine and views). The venues visited were great with a good selection of snacks offered throughout the tour. While it may seem a bit expensive compared to other similar tours, the quality is next to none and will not easily be beaten. It was a great way to get the lay of the man’s and ease into Istanbul. Would highly recommend!

Mystery, magic and more on Agatha Christie’s Istanbul life

As a family of lifelong Agatha Christie fans we were thrilled to discover this tour and learn more about her time in Istanbul, visit the grand hotel she stayed in, and of course sample local wines – which were a delightful surprise. Our guide was a fabulous storyteller, patient with our endless questions and gave us a lot of time at each stop. Don’t miss out on this tour. You’ll definitely feel like you’re walking in Agatha’s footsteps!

The Highlight of our Istanbul Holiday!

I cannot say enough about the care and attention we received from Vines and Pearls. We did two tours with with Vines and Pearls on our recent family trip to Istanbul, and they were some our favorite days in Turkey! We loved the walking tour through the historic Jewish, Armenian, and Greek villages. Our tour guide Ahmet took great care in showing us many out of the way places and gave us a great historical overview of these fascinating Istanbul neighbourhoods. We enjoyed a delicious lunch at a charming Greek restaurant, and loved having the individualised attention and care than Vines and Pearls provides.

A key highlight of our Istanbul holiday was the Princes Islands private yacht tour! The captain and crew were friendly and gracious and took great care of us for the entire day. We started our morning with tea and treats and finished the afternoon with a lovely pairing of Turkish wine, yummy cheese, and savory Turkish pastries. Our tour of the Prince Islands included several stops to get a feel for the islands. The islands were quiet and charming and a relaxing change from the fast-paced frenzy of Istanbul. We enjoyed a delicious lunch at a waterfront restaurant with plenty of time to explore afterwards.  There is no better way to see Istanbul than from the water. This was a once in a lifetime trip and well worth the expense!

Thank you Vines and Pearls for making our long-awaited Istanbul trip so fantastic! We highly recommend booking any of the tours with Vines and Pearls if you’re looking for a unique and individualised experience in Turkey!

Beautiful Tour to Hagia Sophia

I really enjoyed our tour to the Hagia Sofia and it is truly a must see when in Istanbul. Be aware that the waiting time in the queue might be a bit longer than you expect. But to our advantage our tour guide used the opportunity to point out some interesting facts about the architecture and history of the mosque. The view inside was even more spectacular and you could feel the grandiose scale of the building with fabulous chandeliers hanging from the lofty ceiling. The tour guide gave many interesting insights to the interior details that represent a blend of Christian and Islamic design. After the tour, our guide took us to an amazing rooftop restaurant with even more amazing scenic views of Istanbul. While enjoying the beautiful sunset over the city, we had a chance to taste a variety of Turkish mezes that were paired with excellent local wine. All in all, it was a wonderful day enriched with marvellous views and colorful tastes!

Jazz Boat Picnic was great!

The boat trip was magical, organized to the tiniest detail – from the snacks and wine to the sax player. Nothing was missing, not even information cards telling you the story of the wine you are drinking… the best wine-jazz experience you can hope for!

Wine Tasting on a Private Yacht is by far the best yachting experience in Istanbul!

Wine Tasting on a Private Yacht is by far the best yachting experience in Istanbul!

We took a 2 hour private yacht tour. The host gave us 4 different wines to try and explained the origin of the wines and the history of the city and its buildings.

I wholeheartedly recommend the wine tour to anyone who wants to see the city from a different, less crowded, and more peaceful perspective while enjoying some local wines.

The boat was very clean, comfortable, spacious, and luxurious. We’d everything we needed down to the smallest details.

All in all a perfect experience.

Ottoman Pearl Tour & Wine Tasting on the Yacht combo was fantastic!

Goda and her team of experts at Vines and Pearls provide a highly enjoyable and informative alternative to a traffic-spoilt Istanbul holiday.  Her private sunset cruise on the beautiful Bosphorus provide a relaxing opportunity to enjoy an exclusive overview of so many top sites of this magnificent city. Accompanying the tour is a highly experienced and knowledgable local tour guide with impeccable English and Andrea a rare find. She provides an excellent introduction to the joys of top quality Turkish wines , the best of indigenous grapes and    the labels to look out for. All this is accompanied by excellent good humor. A must do high quality adventure.

Jazz Boat Picnic is one of the best tours I've ever done - in Istanbul or anywhere else!

One of the best tours I’ve ever done – in Istanbul or anywhere else! We’d an absolutely fantastic host, a great relaxed atmosphere aboard a very comfortable, clean and cozy boat. All wines were top notch, live jazz music on board, perfect sightseeing of Istanbul and we even caught the sunset, the views and ambiance were to die for! Super suitable for couples as it can get very romantic. I can only recommend! It was worth every penny and an absolute highlight of our trip.

Yacht Wine Tasting experience on the Bosphorus

I highly recommend the Vines and Pearls Yacht Wine Tasting experience on the Bosphorus. Everything on the tour was seamless, from our initial booking to our hotel drop-off. The yacht was lovely and the staff onboard were extremely professional. Andrea, our wine expert, was very knowledgeable about Turkish wine and led us through a delicious tasting accompanied by a gorgeous cheese plate. The wine was bountiful and the views were unbeatable. We had so much fun! There really is no better way to see Istanbul than from a private yacht and the wine tasting was the icing on the cake. This tour is perfect for wine lovers who want a unique experience in Istanbul. In addition, Vines and Pearls understand the VIP experience for the discerning traveler and I would book another tour with them without hesitation. Thank you again, Goda for such a special experience in beautiful Türkiye!

Sailing Wine Picnic

I had a great time sailing on the Bosphorous, the atmosphere was awesome framed by a perfect sunset and a private jazz performance. Food and wines were professionally selected, and the staff is wonderful and kind, we will definitely do it again: Top Service!

Sailing Picnic with jazz musician and wine basket!

I had a fabulous afternoon time sailing on the Bosphorous thanks to sweet and professional Goda and her amazing team at Vinesandpearls, all was perfect: we admire the sunset while sipping well-selected Turkish wine, eating delicious food, and listening to live jazz, highly recommended!

Hagia Sofia & 7 Tastings Evening Experience is a beautiful thing to do and is absolutely worth visiting

The tour to Hagia Sofia was great! Hagia Sofia is not a museum anymore and functions as a regular mosque therefore it took some time to get in. However, our guide kept us engaged by using waiting time to tell more about the architecture of Hagia Sofia, surrounding area and it’s rich history. Hagia Sofia is beautiful and is absolutely worth visiting. Afterwards the guide took us to a rooftop terrace restaurant close to Hagia Sofia, where we tried Turkish wine and a selection of Turkish dishes that paired nicely with the wine. And the view was amazing! We learned more about the specificities of Turkish wine, food and about the mosques we could see outside the window. Day great spent!

Wonderful evening during In Chef's Dining Room experience!

I had such a with chef Arzu! Fantastic food and such a cozy place with a unique atmosphere. 10/10 ! The food was delightful, we had an Ottoman menu that felt very special. When Arzu took a break from cooking and started to play her piano so wonderfully I was astounded!

Beautifully planned multiday trip in Istanbul

Having reached the 60+ age you have to be more careful about your choices and preferences and thus quite often feel hesitant whether little pains, aces, avoidance of steep places and what not would be compatible with your wish to travel, to see and explore. A couple of private tours with Vines&Pearls (Iconic Istanbul, Haghia Sophia Evening tour & Ottoman Pearl ), which we took during the off-season period to avoid the heat and the crowds, proved that everything is possible, travelling can be enjoyed and not tiresome at all. The guides are very competent, their presentations of the history and culture of the city are clear, vivid and sometimes slightly humorous. At the same time they are very attentive and flexible in adjusting the pace and route of the tour according to our needs and possibilities.

Food tastings were well selected. For us they were very delicious and savory elegantly paired with local wine.

Wine tastings at local Istanbul bars were so much fun

The Vines and Pearls wine tastings at local Istanbul bars were so much fun, the locations were wonderfully chosen! Always enough time to enjoy the various stops – you never feel rushed. I love wine but knew nothing at all about Turkish wine and it was great to learn about the wide variety of Turkish wines. Of course, the best part was the wine itself and the great host Andrea! You could tell the host really loves wine and has amazing knowledge to share. Definitely one of the best things to do in Istanbul if you are a wine lover, absolutely recommended. 10/10

Ottoman Pearl Tour

Dear Vinesandpearls,

What a memory – fabulous food, wine, and friendships! I want to let you know I appreciated all the effort your wonderful team did.. I wish you all the very best with new beginnings and to bring forward a touch of difference to this wonderful ancient city of Istanbul. It bought me new friendships and laughter. Such a fun way to see this city & learn so much at the same time. Please pass my message to your team and I look forward to bringing my visitors along soon.