Headout is an online booking platform offering activities, tours and tickets for Istanbul and a number of other cities. I receive hundreds of emails asking, ‘Is Headout Istanbul worth it?’ So, as an official tour guide who was born and raised in Istanbul, I’ve decided to write an article entitled ‘Headout Istanbul Explained’ to provide travellers with this information.
My article begins with an explanation of their services and offers, based on reviews. I’ll explain the actual terms and conditions of their tickets and activities in Istanbul. I’ll then go on to discuss how they deliver these services.
At the end of the article, I’ll answer the questions that readers ask me most often about Headout Istanbul. Here’s what you need to know.
Headout doesn’t explain how the whole thing works
During my own research on their websites, I noticed that Headout isn’t transparent. The information provided offers very little detail.
At the start of my investigation, I said: ‘It’s probably user-friendly, as people are reading less and less.’ Then I immediately noticed what was going on on the Headout website for Istanbul tours. I realised that this lack of information is deliberate, designed to sell their packages.
They reveal so little information that every user assumes they’ll find what they’re looking for. When I looked at some reviews online (outside their own websites), most of the negative reviews highlighted precisely this situation. I strongly recommend you take a look at the following review from a real guest.
Review 1: Avoid Headout tours
“Booked a 3 site combo in Istanbul. Chose my 3 sites. Tour was advertised as 3 hours long. Perfect as that was all the time I had. Ticket came back saying 3 combo (after I had paid) but itinerary included other things I didn’t want. Things I had already seen and done.Also 2 of the sites listed 3 hours just to see 2. Worse still, an itinerary was provided and 2 of the places would have been visited outside my 3 hour window. I paid for what they advertised but is not what I got. Asked them for a refund and they wouldn’t. They offered a small credit. No use to me as I am returning home (which is why I only had 3 hours. Even though they said they understood my concerns they still did not acknowledge that they fraudulently advertise, mislead customers, promote that you can cancel outside 24 hours (which I did) and they are breaking consumer laws. When booking what appears to be official websites watch out where you are really booking. It’s almost impossible to find them on TripAdvisor except for bad reviews in 2024. They have ruined my faith in tour operators and soured my other great experiences in Istanbul using different companies. Avoid them at all costs. Their address says New York based. I will pursue it further when I get home. A number of their representatives have contacted me and the results are always the same so ignore their response and attempt to be helpful. At least 6 people have given me the same result.”
Headout tours in Istanbul fall flat
Unfortunately, Headout also treats its guests unfairly, as the company apparently charges admission fees for free attractions such as the Blue Mosque.
The tours are not sufficient to satisfy the majority of guests, as they are too short. Added to this is a lack of information leaflets and directions: even when organising Bosphorus tours, they frequently fall short.
Almost every page on an independent review platform dedicated to Headout Istanbul mentions these issues very frequently. Here is just one example.
Review 2: Headout – Head Back!! Very Disappointing
“Booked Blue Mosque and Bosphorus cruise for 2 in Istanbul. The Blue mosque was ok – guide was good but the “tour” lasted about 20 mins at most & the actual entry is free!! There were no tickets given for the cruise and after wasting 3 hours trying to locate the boat operator & failed calls to the helpline we had to purchase tickets for the cruise.. Very disappointing and a waste of money. AVOID!”
Headout reportedly sends out used tickets
Some online customer reviews claim that sellers are sending out used tickets. I have seen enough of these reviews online to warrant mentioning this in this report.
Unfortunately, such incidents, particularly as there is no customer support: mean that travellers have to spend time and effort fighting for their refunds.
In such situations, it must be frustrating not to receive what you have paid for. On these occasions, people have had bad experiences rather than enjoying the hassle-free entry advertised. Here is one example, which you can read.
Review 3: £60 faulty tickets. Very slow to refund
“We purchased tickets for Basilica iCstern in istanbul, but tickets were invalid as already used by someone else. Head out wanted proof from the security guard’s scanner. No way was he going to show us that when he has a long line to get through. We heard the scanner make a rude noise and what would he gain by lying to us?
After a lot of emails and messages we eventually got our money back, but no explanation as to what had gone wrong and no real apology which meant we missed this attraction whilst in Istanbul.
We would not use Headout again and if you have problems be persistent in asking for a refund.”
Headout sells tickets for places where it cannot actually sell them
There are far too many online reviews stating, “We went there, but they didn’t accept our tickets.” I have no doubt that these people went to museums and were denied entry. Why? Because museums in Istanbul do not sell tickets online.
Headout owns a number of domain names that use the names of major attractions such as Topkapi Palace. Whilst the palace sells tickets exclusively at its ticket offices in the First Garden, these fake museum websites, such as Headout, try to circumvent the system.
We’ll go into more detail about how this all works later, but essentially they simply send confirmation QR codes to people who have made a booking. These QR codes are not official tickets, and the museums ultimately do not accept them. Here’s a review someone left about this.
Review 4: Awful Experience!
“DO NOT BUY tickets for Topkapi Palace in Istanbul! This was nothing but a stressful awful experience. I bought tickets for my family of 5 costing over £300 to visit the palace and harem. I have an autistic teenager so we wanted to avoid unnecessary crowds and I timed our visit carefully for this reason. We were sent ‘tickets’ via email and QR code on the app but the palace would not accept these and we were told to collect paper tickets. This was not made clear in the booking. We were directed to a meeting point which was a cafe 15 minute drive away from the palace. I had to leave my family at the palace entrance and take a taxi to the cafe to try and collect the tickets. There was no one inside or outside the cafe who knew about collecting tickets from Headout. Spent an hour trying to get help via the app and the phone number but was dealt with by a robot which asked the same questions in a loop and ignored requests to speak to a human. The palace closed in the time we tried to get this sorted so £300 lost. My teenager was so traumatised that they refused to engage with any sightseeing the next day. I have screenshot all conversation and am claiming through my bank as all requests for refund have been ignored. I would never recommend or use Headout again.”
Headout is not an ideal tour operator
Most of the tours organised through this platform do not seem to run as planned. I’ve looked into this, and it’s one of the issues that really concerns me.
Just put yourself in these travellers’ shoes. They’ve made their bookings and travelled to the event, only to find out on arrival that it’s no longer taking place.
All these tourists have invested money, time and effort in getting there, but were unable to take part in the event they had signed up for. Another comment on this is as follows.
Review 5: Please do not book via Headout!
“Please do not book via Headout!! Be careful! We booked a Bosporus Cruise Tour in Istanbul but the tour did not take place and we were not informed about that but went to the meeting place in vain. We paid 90 EUR (2 people) for this tour, but did not get our money back! What a fraud! We are still waiting for our money.”
Headout is making a promise it cannot keep
As the owner of an officially registered travel agency based in Istanbul, I can certainly understand their selling point: ‘No queues at the ticket offices’.
However, all their platforms deliberately give the impression that travellers in Istanbul can bypass every single queue outside the museums.
The whole thing has become heavily commercialised everywhere. I’ve even seen one of their paid content creators filming a video on this topic on Instagram. I know full well that, whilst they could do it, they have never done so, and never will, when it comes to the queues outside Istanbul’s tourist attractions. Please read what someone else has to say about this in the review below.
Review 6: Total scam. Look somewhere else
“I booked Istanbul Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace and Cisterns SKIP THE LINE, not guided tour.
- You CAN NOT skip the line and it is written in small print in whatever page of policy.
- You can not use you tickets, you get a QR code and hunt you actual tickets in different caffes in Istanbul – which is a mess
- This crap of service costs 10x actual ticket price.
Avoid at all costs”
How Headout organises tours and tickets in Istanbul
First of all, Headout does not have an actual office in Türkiye, in Istanbul. It is simply a website. The company merely creates websites, advertises them and forwards all bookings to its trusted local partner in Istanbul.
Once travellers book through Headout’s websites, Headout forwards their details to this local provider. Armed with the information provided (but without a ticket), you then have to track these people down yourself.
Once you’ve hopefully found them, their staff will take you to the most overcrowded group tours in Istanbul. The only exception is the Basilica Cistern. There, they leave a poor chap standing at the entrance to hand you your tickets.
Frequently Asked Questions about Headout in Istanbul
What is Headout?
Headout is an online platform that offers tours and tickets via its websites and smartphone apps. Although such websites are referred to as online travel agencies in the digital world, they simply pass on bookings to their local partners in return for commission, without offering any activities or services themselves.
Is it safe to use Headout in Istanbul?
Although the company engages in extensive digital PR, this investigation shows that its offers are, in many cases, fraught with problems. Headout fails to honour the promises and claims made on its website. Therefore, using Headout in Istanbul cannot be considered safe.
Are Headout tickets for Istanbul genuine?
No! All museums in Istanbul have their own ticketing systems and sell their admission tickets at their ticket offices inside the museums. For this reason, Headout tickets cannot be issued or accepted by the museums. There have even been cases where tickets that had already been used were registered and passed on to guests.
What do people say about Headout in reviews?
Headout does its best to defend its online reputation. The company commissions content creators to produce social media videos that showcase its services in detail. On the other hand, independent platforms publish genuine reviews from actual guests. Most of these external review sites, forums and blogs are full of negative reviews.
Does Headout offer refunds?
Most reviews containing the keyword ‘refund’ state that Headout is unresponsive and does not provide immediate customer service. Travellers have ultimately had to recount their bad experiences on third-party websites, and only a few of them appear to have received their refunds. It doesn’t look easy, but if you persist, it might be possible.
Conclusion: Is it worth booking through Headout?
As this investigation confirms, Headout is not the best website for booking activities in Istanbul. Customer reviews, blog posts and various travel forums all show that the platform falls far short of travellers’ expectations.
To sum up: Headout isn’t really transparent when it comes to the booking process. The website doesn’t provide precise information on what to bear in mind before, during or after the events. The services aren’t provided properly. Furthermore, the company occasionally sends its customers tickets that customers have already used. The museums in Istanbul also do not accept the tickets the company sells.
I have spent a great deal of time researching this topic after receiving emails and phone calls. Thank you very much for reading this far. You can find the rest of the articles on my Blog. If you have any questions, you can contact me via the contact form or through my social media channels.
Until next time!
