The tours take visitors to iconic locations along the Bosporus with stops at photo spots along the way.
Tourists visiting Istanbul from Türkiye and around the world are exploring the city’s historic and tourist landmarks on retro motorcycles with sidecars, enjoying a different way to experience its unique atmosphere.
Entrepreneurs Cem Akkuş and Semih Aydoğan launched the tour concept in 2024 after bringing retro-style sidecar motorcycles from abroad for visitors seeking an alternative way to explore Istanbul.
The tours take visitors to iconic locations along the Bosporus, from the Historic Peninsula and Karaköy to Beşiktaş and Üsküdar, with stops at photo spots along the way. The tours, which are particularly popular with foreign visitors, offer a different perspective of Istanbul’s historic fabric and skyline.
As an alternative to conventional bus and walking tours, visitors sit in the motorcycle’s sidecar and feel the breeze as they travel through Istanbul’s streets. Along the route, they photograph the city’s landmarks while experiencing the atmosphere of the Historic Peninsula and getting a closer look at daily life in Istanbul.
The tours start at sunrise, allowing the sidecar motorcycles to enter narrow historic streets that larger tour vehicles cannot reach. Visitors can thus discover quieter and less familiar parts of the city.
“We wanted to show that Istanbul has many beautiful places that have not yet been discovered,” Akkuş told state-run Anadolu Agency.
He said they had noticed that tourists visiting Istanbul were looking for new activities and decided to launch the tour project about two years ago.
“We wanted to create an experience that tourists could return home and tell their friends about. Since we are also motorcycle riders, we wondered whether we could organize a motorcycle tour and photography experience. We noticed that retro sidecar motorcycle tours were being offered in tourist destinations such as Lisbon and Paris, and thought Istanbul would be the perfect place for this. We introduced it as the first and only service of its kind in Istanbul, and it has been running for about two years,” Akkuş said.
He said their aim was to help tourists make the most of their time in Istanbul.
“Our goal is to show them both the European and Asian sides of Istanbul, the Bosporus Bridge, terraces and gardens in three or four hours during their visit, and to leave them with beautiful photographs and memories to share with their families and children,” he said.
Aydoğan said Istanbul had many places worth seeing that tourists did not always have time to visit.
The route starts at Sarayburnu and continues along the waterfront before crossing the Galata Bridge and passing Dolmabahçe Palace. The tour then continues to Ortaköy and Yıldız Park before crossing the Bosporus Bridge to Nakkaştepe. From there, visitors descend to Kuzguncuk and continue along the waterfront toward the Maiden’s Tower before returning by ferry to Sultanahmet.
“They get to see Istanbul panoramically,” Aydoğan said.
He said they had chosen classic sidecar motorcycles because their old-fashioned appearance suited Istanbul’s historic character and allowed more than one passenger to travel at a time.
One visitor, Sabahudın Hrustıc from Bosnia and Herzegovina, said the tour had been a memorable experience.
“The tour was wonderful. I definitely recommend trying it. I felt like a bird, as if I could fly. It was truly an incredible experience, and I really enjoyed it,” he said.
His wife, Amıra Hrustıc, also described the tour as a wonderful experience and recommended it to others.
