We have just returned from our trip to Istanbul and would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to our guide, Serafettin Murtaza (whom everyone affectionately calls Sherih).
Thanks to him, these past few days were filled with fascinating stories, unforgettable impressions, and a deep dive into history. Sherih is a wonderful guide, a captivating storyteller, tactful, humorous, and incredibly knowledgeable. We found ourselves completely absorbed in his tales, historical insights, and local legends.
His love for his city is truly palpable, and it made our experience in Istanbul all the more special.
We wish him all the very best and much continued success.
— Svetlana and Sergey
Our tour has come to an end, and we’re now on our way back to Istanbul. I just couldn’t wait to share my impressions — right from the bus!
The tour was wonderful — fascinating and deeply informative. The organization was flawless, and the service was impeccable. The local tour operator deserves the highest praise. This trip exceeded all my expectations! It’s perfect for curious travelers who want to see Turkey from every angle. As soon as the quarantine restrictions are lifted and more programs resume, I’m planning to take the Eastern Anatolia tour. I wholeheartedly recommend the “In the Footsteps of Great Civilizations” tour to anyone eager to experience Turkey in all its grandeur. I’m in great spirits — the trip was a success. Thank you!
My wife and I traveled on the “In the Footsteps of Great Civilizations” tour. Everything was exceptionally well-organized and punctual from start to finish. Having read extensively about the history of Asia Minor, it was simply unbelievable to finally witness it all with my own eyes. We are sincerely grateful to your company for creating such insightful and enriching tours.
I would especially like to highlight two outstanding individuals: our guide, Shefat, and our bus driver, Samet. They are true professionals of the highest caliber.
Shefat’s knowledge of the tour’s subject matter was encyclopedic — and extended far beyond the scope of the program itself. I’ve been on many tours in different countries, but I’ve never met such a remarkable expert before. And Samet, our amazing driver, impressed us all with his calm, confident driving through even the most challenging city traffic in Turkey.
We would like to sincerely thank you for organizing the wonderful journey to Turkey starting on October 4th. Special thanks for the excellent seating arrangements — we truly appreciated it. We would also like to highlight our outstanding country guide, Shefaat Ejder, whose knowledge and professionalism made the trip even more enriching and memorable.
A heartfelt thank you for the excellent organization and the thoughtfully designed tour — everything was absolutely wonderful! Special thanks to Shefaat for sharing so much fascinating information, for his great sense of humor, attentiveness, and patience.
The trip was a complete success, and I truly hope we’ll meet again someday.
Our incredible journey with the wonderful Shefaat has come to an end, and we wanted to thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Thank you for the excellent organization of the tour, for assigning us the best seats on the bus, for the super professional driver — and most of all, for our amazing guide: intelligent, tactful, incredibly pleasant, and absolutely charming. It was a delight from beginning to end! Now we’re dreaming of our next adventure — “The Treasures of Eastern Anatolia” — though that will have to wait until next year.
Thank you so much once again!
At the end of January 2020, we found ourselves in Istanbul — not just on our own, but as part of a guided tour which included two excursions. The weather was kind to us, with only one rainy day — we were lucky. But our greatest stroke of luck was having Alfia as our guide. A wonderful woman — modest at first glance, but the moment she began to speak about what we were seeing, she transformed. Gently and gracefully, she wove historical facts into her storytelling, transporting us to past centuries. Our small group of just six people would mentally travel back in time as she spoke. The tours of the Hippodrome, the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, and the unforgettable Bosphorus cruise — all left a lasting impression. We are deeply grateful to Alfia for her patience, her attentive attitude toward every guest, and her multifaceted talent as a guide. Istanbul has gifted us unforgettable memories. We can still see it in our minds — the pedestrian streets, the trams, the shops, and the people. Wishing you, Alfia, good health, joy, and continued success in all you do. We sincerely hope to return to Istanbul someday. Our thanks also go to our driver David for his skill and confidence — he expertly maneuvered our minibus through the narrow streets and broad avenues of the city.
This is our second time using Solid’s services — five years ago we traveled through Turkey on the “In the Footsteps of Great Civilizations” tour. We can only express our gratitude for the excellent organization and professionalism of your team. No complaints whatsoever — just heartfelt thanks!
I recently traveled to Turkey on the excursion program “Weekend in Istanbul + In the Footsteps of Great Civilizations.” We visited Istanbul, Ankara, Cappadocia, Konya, Pamukkale, Ephesus, Kusadasi, Pergamon, Assos, and Troy. The receiving company was Solid.
First and foremost, I want to highlight the excellent organization. I was met at the airport exactly as agreed, with a company sign at the designated spot, and quickly transferred to the hotel. Most of the hotels along the route were centrally located, very comfortable, and mostly 4- and 5-star quality. Since we usually arrived after excursions around 6–7 p.m., we had time in the evenings to stroll through the city or along the seaside promenades.
The excursion program was well thought out and incredibly engaging. Our group was small, just 17 people, which made everything more comfortable and enjoyable. A huge thank-you goes to our amazing guide Shenol — active, responsible, knowledgeable, responsive, and absolutely charming. Thanks to him, we were often the first group to arrive at key sights, had plenty of time to explore, and never felt rushed. We were given museum passes and audio devices so we could hear all of his fascinating explanations clearly — even when visiting places beyond the official itinerary. In Istanbul, our experience was brought to life by our guide Ilaria. She was incredibly professional, attentive, and knowledgeable, showing us the most captivating corners of the city.
It was a shame that both the Blue Mosque and the Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan) were partially under restoration, but even so, we were able to visit them and truly feel their grandeur and energy. In Cappadocia, we had the chance to take optional hot air balloon rides or go on a jeep safari to see the balloons from the ground. I chose the safari — it was a little extreme, but breathtaking. We watched the balloons being filled with gas, visited stunning viewpoints over the mountains and flying balloons, took sunrise photos, and had an exhilarating off-road jeep ride. I absolutely loved it, though I do regret not experiencing the balloon ride itself.
Thank you to our tour operator VAND and to Solid for such a warm welcome and incredible organization. I returned home in complete awe — filled with impressions, not a trace of fatigue, and with a sense of true emotional renewal. Endless thanks to our wonderful guides.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to your company and your partners for the excellent organization of our combined tour in Turkey!
Every aspect of the program was executed flawlessly, the selection of hotels throughout the tour was excellent, the guides were professional, knowledgeable, and attentive. The experience exceeded all of our expectations! And a special thank-you for the wonderful weather — it truly made the trip unforgettable!
I would like to express my sincere appreciation and gratitude to the leadership and staff of your company for their professionalism. The trip was both fascinating and enriching. A special thank-you goes to our guide, Shefaat. His experience and deep knowledge, as well as his love for his work and his country, are truly admirable.
Many thanks also to our driver, Hasan, for his attentiveness and careful driving throughout the journey. Wishing you continued success and prosperity — and wishing everyone peace, love, and good health!
We have just returned from the tour and would like to express our sincere gratitude to the local team — especially to our driver Emir and our guide Shenol Boz. Thanks to the well-thought-out organization, the skill of our driver, and the professionalism of our guide, the tour never felt tiring, even with the long drives. This trip has inspired us to explore even more of Turkey in the future!
Wishing you all the best!
Our travelers have returned full of excitement and unforgettable impressions! Everything was organized perfectly — transfers, excursions, hotel check-ins and check-outs — everything ran like clockwork. They especially praised the work of the guide: fluent in Russian, very knowledgeable about Christian history, always attentive to the group’s wishes, offering to visit sites beyond the planned itinerary, and managing time with precision.
In short — everything was excellent. They send their thanks to both you and us!
Excellent organization of the tour “In the Footsteps of Great Civilizations” — a fantastic guide and a great opportunity to discover new facts about the country’s history. Highly recommended!
A wonderfully organized excursion program — and most importantly, an outstanding guide, Ilaria! She is a highly professional expert with impressive erudition, who opened up a whole new side of Constantinople–Istanbul for us in a truly captivating way.
The fact that she is originally from our country — though now a “Turkish citizen” — only adds to her professionalism, as she understands the psychology of her audience so well. We truly hope you’ll be lucky enough to meet her on a tour in Istanbul too!
I went on an incredible journey — “In the Footsteps of Great Civilizations” — this November. The entire tour was perfectly organized, from our arrival in Riga to our departure from Istanbul. The team at Solid Travel Group was very welcoming, efficient, and precise in every detail. Our guide, Shenol, was truly a professional — we are deeply grateful for his work.
We enjoyed every moment of this unforgettable trip!
I’ve taken 3 guided tours with Solid — and each one has been excellent! Huge thanks to the organizers and all the team members who make these trips so comfortable and engaging.
I wholeheartedly recommend traveling with Solid — you’re in great hands!
A huge thank-you for the wonderful tour “In the Footsteps of Great Civilizations”! Everything exceeded our expectations — we returned full of impressions, feeling refreshed both in body and soul. The program was incredibly engaging, Shenol is a truly pleasant person and a very knowledgeable guide, and everything — from transportation and the driver to the hotels — was just perfect.
We would be happy to travel with you again on our next adventure!
I took the Weekend in Istanbul tour with the guide Shefaat Ejder — everything was amazing! Now I would love to join Shefaat again on the In the Footsteps of Great Civilizations tour.
Dear Solid Team, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to our tour guide, Ilaria.
We came to Istanbul for just a few days, and although we had visited this fascinating city before, we didn’t expect to discover so much! So many new insights, unexpected angles, and fascinating facts about places we thought we already knew. Ilaria is an exceptionally knowledgeable guide who truly understands her guests. She has a natural, seamless way (or as we say in Russia now — “blending in without a seam” 😊) of tuning into the needs and interests of each traveler. Her depth of knowledge — whether about the city itself, specific landmarks, or historical facts — made us fall in love with Turkey and Istanbul. And that’s coming from seasoned travelers!
To be honest, Turkey hadn’t been high on our priority list before this trip. But now — even before leaving — we’re already planning our next journey with you.
