Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Istanbul
Arrive at Ataturk International Airport. Meet your guide and transfer to the Divan Hotel. The hotel is located in the historic city center, within walking distance of Istiklal Street. Upon arrival enjoy a welcome cocktail, briefing and orientation tour of the hotel area with your guide.

Gourmet Details: Tonight's dinner will be at the Hacibaba Turkish local restaurant.

Overnight at the Divan Hotel in Istanbul.

Included meals: Dinner.
 
 
 
Day 2: Istanbul

After breakfast at the hotel, depart for a full-day sightseeing tour of the old city. The tour includes all significant landmarks: the ancient Hippodrome, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace Complex, and the Grand Bazaar. In the late afternoon we will return to the hotel and have an evening at leisure. Gourmet Details: Today's lunch will be at the Konyali restaurant, located within the Topkapi Palace complex. This restaurant, which is run by the fourth generation of the same family, specializes in the Ottoman Imperial cuisine. A total of 700 different dishes from soups to dessert are created throughout the year by the 250 chefs in the kitchens of the Konyali.

Here we will taste a cold appetizer specialty of the day (prepared in olive oil); traditional Turkish pastry with cottage cheese; kebab with smoked egg-plant puree and assortment of Turkish desserts.

Overnight at Divan Hotel in Istanbul.

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.

Day 3: Istanbul

In the morning - depart for a full day educational trip to Doluca Winery, the biggest wine producer in Turkey. During this visit we will have the opportunity to learn about all aspects of wine production in Turkey. Note: This visit is available on Saturdays and Sundays between 15 August and 15 September. Lunch en route is included in this program. We will return to the hotel in the late afternoon. This evening we will visit Taksim Square (the modern city center) for a short walking tour of the square and the pedestrian area of Istiklal Street. Dinner will include a tasting safari in the Flower Passage (Cicek Pasaji).

Gourmet Details: This evening we will have a rather unusual dinner - we will get acquainted with the tastes of Istanbul's dynamic city center at the Flower Passage. The Flower Passage has this name as it was once one of the great flower markets of Istanbul (remember, the Turks invented tulips). The Flower Passage itself is a small L-shaped galleria, four stories high with a glass roof. One end of the L opens onto Istiklal Street, the other onto a long covered alley which is one of the great delights of Istanbul. It is both a market and a dining area: we will choose among numerous varieties of authentic fast food - midye tava (fried mussels on a stick), kumpir (oven-baked potatoes with different fillings), mercimek kofte (mashed red lentil balls wrapped in a lettuce leaf), and many other types of Turkish appetizers - meze. Adjacent to the Flower Passage there is a glorious fruit and vegetable market which is open until midnight, and within the Passage there are about 60 restaurants packed to overflowing, with gypsy bands strolling through most of the restaurants in a raucous cacophony. Truly a night to remember.

Overnight at the Divan Hotel in Istanbul.

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

Day 4: Canakkale
After breakfast at the hotel, we will leave Istanbul and drive through ancient Thrace then further along the Dardanelles Strait. Before we cross the strait by ferry, we will lunch at a sea-food restaurant. We then continue to the famous site of ancient Troy. After visiting Troy, we will proceed to the town of Canakkale for the night. Today's dinner is at the hotel.

Gourmet Details: Turkey is bordered by four seas. Its shores are washed by the Black, Marmara, Aegean and Mediterranean Seas. Naturally, sea-food has an important place in Turkish cuisine. For today's lunch we will taste the grilled fish of the season, combined with a fresh herb salad. Lunch also includes a cup of Turkish vegetable soup and dessert. From our perfectly located restaurant we will also enjoy a beautiful view over the Dardanelles Strait.

Overnight at the Nazlihan Hotel in Canakkale.

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

Day 5: Kusadasi

This morning we will leave Canakkale and after a 2 hour drive reach Adatepe village. Here we will visit the museum of olive oil - first of its kind in Turkey. Then we will continue to a near-by olive processing factory and meet its owners, who will show us how olives are processed and olive oil produced.

After our factory visit we will drive to Bergama. When we arrive, we will stop for a lunch at a local restaurant. After lunch we will tour the ancient site of Pergamum then continue to Kusadasi. We will reach Kusadasi in the early evening and proceed to our hotel. Dinner at the hotel tonight.

Gourmet Details: Today's lunch will be at a private room of the Saglam restaurant in Bergama. The room is decorated with traditional craft items and has the style of a traditional Turkish house. Here we will taste various stews (meat and vegetables) from the open-buffet of the restaurant.

Overnight at the Kismet Hotel in Kusadasi.

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

Day 6: Kusadasi

This morning we will depart for a full day Ephesus tour. We will visit the ancient site of Ephesus, the House of the Virgin Mary and The Ephesus Archeology museum in Selcuk. We will also visit Sirince village and have a home-hosted lunch. We return to the hotel in the late afternoon for dinner and overnight.
Gourmet Details: After the tour of Ephesus, we will drive to Sirince village for lunch. The village has been a perfect synthesis of Turkish and Greek culture since the 1920s. After the Independence War, there was a "people exchange" between the Greeks and Turks and many typical Greek houses, although they kept their original outside characteristics, have been remodeled to the local preferences on the inside. In one of those houses we will have a home-hosted lunch. We will savor home-made stuffed pancakes - güzleme, stew prepared in oven - güveç, and freshly baked bread. After lunch we will have some time to stroll through the village and socialize with the locals. All the narrow streets of the village belong to the women, who are selling handcrafts of all kinds and olive oil. Another attraction of Sirince is its home-made wine.

Overnight at the Kismet Hotel in Kusadasi.

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

Day 7: Kusadasi

Today is at leisure to enjoy lovely Kusadasi on your own. In the evening we'll enjoy a farewell dinner at the hotel.

Overnight at the Kismet Hotel in Kusadasi.

Included Meals: Breakfast and Dinner.

Day 8: Return Home
Either transfer to the appropriate port to board your gulet for the next week or, transfer to Adnan Menderes International airport in Izmir for your homebound flight via Istanbul.

Included Meals: Breakfast.

More information from Aegean Sails:

• View trip on provider's website
  www.aegeansails.com/culinary-tour-turkey.php…
• Company profile, experience, and history
• View all of their trips