Bodrum Private Walking Tour with a Local

Fantastic tour of Bodrum with Selin

We did the three hour tour with Selin yesterday and had a great experience. She gave us a thorough tour of the neighborhoods and took us up to the antique theater where concerts are still help. We also went to Mindos Gate and the old time market area. We took a much welcome break from the heat at a little cafe. Selin speaks English fluently and is a very personable guide. We highly recommend booking with her.

via Tripadvisor

Great walking tour!

We had a great tour with Selahattin in Boudrin. He met us at the cruise port and took us up to the Antique Theater. From there we were able to walk down through the town to the Boudrin Castle and Underwater Museum. He shared his vast knowledge of the area, making the tour both fun and interesting. The pacing was perfect and Selahattin even timed our visit to the various sites in order to avoid the large crowds. Thank you Selahattin!

via Viator

Fascinating factual trip around Bodrum

We had a day trip to Bodrum from Kos & wanted to make sure we made the most of it with a guided tour of the city. Our guide, Selahattin, was fantastic. Full of fascinating facts about the history of the area, he took us to the ancient amphitheatre, the marina and the castle, amongst other things. He's so knowledgeable about everything and answered all the questions we had. Thoroughly recommend him & we'll definitely be back to explore for a longer trip 👌

via Tripadvisor

Selahattin is the best!

Our tour of the castle with Selahattin was an absolutely wonderful experience, and we cannot recommend him highly enough! From the start, he was incredibly thoughtful, contacting us in advance to arrange the easiest possible meeting point. His knowledge of the castle's history was impressive, and he brought it to life for us. Most importantly, Selahattin was exceptionally mindful and considerate of my father's limited walking abilities, ensuring the pace was comfortable and the route was manageable. His kindness and expertise made our visit truly special.

via Viator

Missleading description - Not a professional tour

The companion herself was friendly and courteous. My criticism is aimed at the operator, not at her. Misleading wording: The listing calls this a “private hike with a local.” In reality it was a simple city walk with little real substance. A hike is through nature, not through a city. The wording sets the wrong expectation. Castle effectively assumed: The listing says, the meeting point is in the museum, but in practice this meant Bodrum Castle and it was simply expected that I would pay 23 € extra for the ticket. When I declined, the guide was clearly surprised. So the Castle seems to be treated as default, although that’s not stated transparently beforehand. Key info only after booking: Only AFTER payment did I receive an email saying this is not a professional guide. That is crucial information and should be disclosed BEFORE booking! Questionnaire with false promise: Before the tour I answered a 8-question form. The operator thanks you politely and says a personalized itinerary will be created. In reality nothing is planned. The responsibility is shifted back to the guest, who is expected to decide what to do during the tour. It looks professional, but the promise is not fulfilled. Organization & flow (Plan B): After I declined the Castle, the guide did suggest a Plan B (Yalikavak). However, we then waited quite a while for a driver and drove roughly 25 km out to Yalikavak. If my answers had been used to plan ahead, an alternative should have been ready without this dead time. Basic facts off: Even simple questions were answered incorrectly (for example Bodrum’s population was stated as 500.000; it’s actually around 180.000). Value for money: 60 € for 2 hours is not justified, if the guest carries the planning burden and there’s little substantive input. It feels like paying for someone to walk alongside you. Bottom line: Friendly companion, but my issue is with the operator: The listing is misleading. The promised personalized tour never materializes, and crucial information (no professional guide) comes only after booking. Professional appearance on the outside, no real content inside. Not worth the price.

Response from the operator: Hello Steffi, Thank you very much for taking the time to share such detailed feedback with us. Your insights are truly valuable and help us improve the experiences we provide for our travelers. We’ll also be reaching out to our Lokafyer to better understand her perspective so that we can address this thoroughly. We’re very sorry to hear that the tour did not meet your expectations. To clarify, our listings describe these experiences as walking tours with locals, not hikes, as our concept is built around showing cities through the eyes of someone who lives there. We certainly never intend to mislead and always aim to be transparent about what is included. The follow-up message after booking is meant to provide additional clarity and to give travelers the opportunity to cancel if the concept does not suit their preferences. That said, we regret that this created frustration for you, and we take your comments about communication, planning, and value for money very seriously. Please accept our sincere apologies for the inconvenience caused. Your feedback will help us refine how we set expectations before the tour, so future travelers have a smoother and more fulfilling experience. Thank you.

via Viator