Write to the people who actually guide the palace.
No call centres, no chat bots, no forms that disappear into a ticket system. Two guides, one support address, replies within two working hours during Istanbul daytime. If we don't know, we tell you we don't know.
Email is the primary support channel.
We use email for everything ticketed — bookings, refunds, rescheduling, invoice requests, accessibility arrangements. It creates a written record both sides can refer to, which saves problems later. WhatsApp exists for the urgent stuff (side panel).
Open emailOnly when it's on the day
If you're meant to be at Gate 1 in the next hour and something's gone wrong — running late, can't find the meeting point, the confirmation email never arrived — WhatsApp is faster.
Leyla and Can · 09:00–23:00 Istanbul · replies typically within 15 minutes during working hours.
Open WhatsAppWhat we can help with, and what we can't.
Transparency about scope saves you time. Some things we handle in-house; some sit with our partners. Here's the split.
We can help with
- Booking changes and reschedules. Within 2 hours of your slot, we'll try; within 24 hours, it's guaranteed if we have availability.
- Refund requests. Up to 24 hours before your slot, automatic. Less than that, case-by-case and we'll explain the reasoning.
- Pre-booking advice. Which slot to pick, whether to add the Harem, how to pair with Hagia Sophia. We reply to "just curious" emails with the same speed as paying customers.
- Missing or duplicated confirmations. We can resend the QR ticket, find your booking from your email, or consolidate duplicate bookings.
- Accessibility arrangements. Wheelchair, stroller, mobility concerns. Email in advance and we'll assign a guide who knows the accessible routes.
- Language requests. English, French, Spanish, Italian on our public slots; German and Arabic available with 48-hour notice.
- Invoice and VAT receipts. For business travel, we'll send a proper fatura with our VAT number.
- Complaints and feedback. Good, bad, or mixed. A real person reads every message.
We can't help with
- Tickets purchased on a different site. If you bought from GetYourGuide, Viator, or another reseller, contact them directly — their refund policies are different and we don't have access to your booking.
- The standalone palace box-office ticket. If you bought the €30 walk-up ticket at Gate 1 on the day, the Ministry of Culture handles those. We don't.
- Harem entry disputes on the day. Ministry-run. We can re-sell you an add-on remotely but can't override a Ministry decision at the Harem gate.
- Closures for state events. Occasional presidential visits or state funerals close the palace with zero notice. We'll refund or reschedule; we can't make the palace open.
- Hotel transfers. We're a ticket-and-guide product, not a tour operator. We don't arrange pickups. Tram or a 15-minute walk from any Sultanahmet hotel.
- Legal interpretation of the dress code. We can tell you what staff enforce. We can't guarantee how individual guards will interpret borderline outfits on any given day.
The policy, as we apply it.
Three windows. Same policy every day. No weather clauses, no "non-refundable under promotion" exceptions — we don't run those promotions.
Before your slot
Full refund, automatic. Processed back to the original payment method within 3 working days. Alternatively, reschedule to any open slot for no fee.
Same-day window
Rescheduling free if we have availability. Cash refund 50% (we pay the guide regardless). If the reason is illness or documented travel disruption, we'll usually refund in full at our discretion.
Last-minute or no-show
Not refundable in most cases — the guide has arrived and the slot is gone. Exceptions for emergencies, documented. Rescheduling possible if we have a late-afternoon opening.
Our side of the deal: if we cancel (state closure, guide unavailable, Ministry event), you get a full refund automatically within 48 hours plus a goodwill credit for the inconvenience. Happened twice in three years, both handled within two days.
A licensed small operator, not a platform.
Istanbul Tourist Information Ltd is a TÜRSAB-licensed travel agency, registered in Sultanahmet, Istanbul. We run five related micro-sites (this one, Hagia Sophia, Basilica Cistern, Bosphorus, Whirling Dervish) because Istanbul's attractions each deserve a dedicated explanation — and because lumping them into one super-site makes the support worse, not better.
All our guides are licensed by the Turkish Ministry of Tourism. Our payments are processed by Stripe; we never see your card number. Our registered office handles correspondence in English, Turkish, French, Spanish and Italian.
If for any reason you need to escalate above support — say, a dispute that we can't resolve — TÜRSAB maintains a formal complaint channel, details on request.
The small print, kept readable.
Three documents. We rewrote them in plain English last year; if the lawyer lets us, we'll keep them that way.
Booking terms
What you agree to when you book. Covers the guide hand-off, the Harem-inclusive combo card, what happens if you're late, and our liability if we cancel.
Read terms 02 · Refund & changeRefund policy
The three windows above, formalised. No hidden clauses — what's on this page is what's in the document.
Read policy 03 · PrivacyPrivacy policy
What personal data we keep, for how long, and why. Spoiler: email address, booking slot, payment reference. Nothing else.
Read policyAsk before you book — we prefer that, honestly.
Most of our best bookings come from people who emailed us first with a specific question — "I have half a day on Friday, is this the right move?" or "My parents are 75, will they manage the steps?" — and booked after. No pressure either way; we'd rather sell the right slot than the nearest one.