What is a private chauffeur service in Istanbul?
By Istanbul VIP Chauffeur · Updated
A private chauffeur in Istanbul means one car and one driver assigned to you rather than shared. For a single transfer that is a vehicle waiting only for you; for a stay of several days it is the same chauffeur throughout, who learns your schedule and your addresses. With us, since 2008, the car is our own Mercedes and the chauffeur is our employee, not a freelancer.
Our chauffeurs are salaried employees, not gig drivers. They are background-checked, SRC-certified, uniformed and briefed on discretion before they ever collect a guest.
Assigned, not dispatched
The same chauffeur and vehicle for the duration of your booking or your visit.
Your schedule, not a meter
Point to point, by the hour, or a full itinerary planned with the desk in advance.
Local knowledge
Restaurants that need a call ahead, streets a van cannot enter, the fastest of three routes at that hour.
Discretion as standard
No photography, no questions, no conversation unless you want one. Written into every contract.
Who books a private chauffeur in Istanbul?
Private chauffeurs in Istanbul are booked mostly by executives on multi-day visits, families who would rather have one trusted driver for a week than a stranger each morning, and guests moving between wedding or event venues. The car is chosen for the group: an E-Class or S-Class seats up to three passengers with three large cases, a V-Class Vito up to six with six.
Is a private chauffeur the same as a private driver?
A private chauffeur and a private driver are the same booking in Istanbul when the car belongs to a company and the driver is its employee. Private driver hire can also mean someone who turns up in their own car; we only offer the first arrangement. The car is ours, maintained and insured by us, the chauffeur is on our payroll, and we have worked this way since 2008.
You can hire a driver for a single journey, by the hour for a busy day, or for your whole stay with the same chauffeur throughout.
How much does a private chauffeur cost in Istanbul?
A private chauffeur in Istanbul costs from €199 for a four-hour package in a V-Class Vito, €275 in an E-Class and €500 in an S-Class. Prices are per vehicle, not per passenger, and include fuel, parking, tolls and the chauffeur's waiting time.
Single journeys, such as an airport transfer, are quoted as one fixed price per vehicle. Multi-day assignments are quoted per day with an agreed number of hours, and we tell you in advance what happens if the day runs long — no surprises after midnight.
How do I book a private chauffeur in Istanbul?
A private chauffeur in Istanbul is booked by sending your dates, pickup addresses and the number of passengers by WhatsApp, email or the contact form. The reservation desk answers around the clock, usually within an hour, with a fixed price per vehicle. Once you confirm, we send your chauffeur's name, photo and phone number by WhatsApp 12 hours before the first pickup.
What is included with a private chauffeur in Istanbul?
A private chauffeur booking in Istanbul includes the vehicle, the chauffeur, fuel, motorway tolls, parking and the chauffeur's waiting time, priced per vehicle rather than per passenger. Bottled water and Wi-Fi are on board, and child seats of any size are free when requested at booking. Museum entry, meals and a licensed guide are not included. Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before pickup.
Is a private chauffeur in Istanbul licensed and insured?
A private chauffeur in Istanbul should work for an operator that holds a D2 passenger transport certificate, because carrying paying passengers in Turkey requires one, together with commercial passenger insurance. Our chauffeurs are employed by Coşar Turizm, which holds a D2 certificate and TÜRSAB licence No. 11345, and every vehicle is commercially insured. Ask any operator to name its licence before you book.
Can a private chauffeur in Istanbul also be your guide?
A private chauffeur in Istanbul drives, waits and can suggest where to stop, but guiding inside museums, palaces and mosques is a separate licensed profession in Turkey. When you want commentary at Hagia Sophia or Topkapı Palace, we arrange a licensed guide to join you for an additional fee, and the chauffeur waits with the car for the full eight-hour day.
Related chauffeur services
- Hourly chauffeur service in IstanbulFor days with more than three stops, hourly hire is almost always cheaper than booking each leg — and infinitely less trouble.
- Corporate private chauffeur hire in IstanbulOne account, one point of contact, one invoice at the end of the month — and a fleet standard that does not change between the CEO and the visiting team.
- Day trips and intercity chauffeur from IstanbulA mountain, a lake, an Ottoman capital and a coastline are all inside three hours of the city — and none of them are worth reaching by intercity bus.
Common questions
Yes — those are the same service under different names, and we answer to all of them. What matters is the arrangement behind the name: the car is ours rather than the driver's own vehicle, the chauffeur is on our payroll rather than a freelancer we called, and the two are assigned to you for the booking. A guest who asks for a personal driver and a guest who asks for a chauffeur driven car in Istanbul are asking us for the same thing.
Yes, and we recommend it. Tell the desk your dates and we assign one chauffeur for the period, with a briefed substitute only if illness makes it unavoidable.
Yes. Within an hourly or daily assignment the vehicle stays with you, including waiting time, parking and any repositioning.
All work in English. Arabic, Russian, German and Turkish are available within the team — request the language when booking.
Yes, starting from Istanbul. Journeys to Bursa, Sapanca, Şile, Edirne or Çanakkale are quoted as one fixed intercity price per vehicle, including tolls, ferry crossings and the chauffeur's expenses. Tell the desk the destination and how long you plan to stay.
