6 Days / 5 Nights Cooking Tour of Western Turkey

Informazioni generali

Destinazione
Istanbul, Turchia

Il programma nel dettaglio

If you like cooking or want to learn how to cook, we offer you a very special itinerary to learn delicious Turkish cuisine while travelling through some of Turkey’s best historical sites and beautiful countryside. Places we visit include Istanbul, the Gallipoli Battlefields, the ancient site of Pergamon where one of the Seven Churches of St John is located, the ancient ruins of Ephesus close to Turkey’s Aegean coast and the beautifull hilltop village of Sirince.

If you like cooking or want to learn how to cook, we offer you a very special itinerary to learn delicious Turkish cuisine while travelling through some of Turkey’s best historical sites and beautiful countryside. Places we visit include Istanbul, the Gallipoli Battlefields, the ancient site of Pergamon where one of the Seven Churches of St John is located, the ancient ruins of Ephesus close to Turkey’s Aegean coast and the beautifull hilltop village of Sirince.

Day 1 - Istanbul Tour- Arrival Day – Welcome Dinner (included)
Welcome to Turkey, arrival into Istanbul. Transfer from airport and check in to your hotel. A welcome drink and chat with gourmet experts in Turkish cuisine is available after your arrival. Tonight you will have a welcome dinner, be introduced to our friendly crew and other travellers while enjoying traditional Turkish food and the mystical atmosphere of Istanbul at night. Overnight in Istanbul. (There are two airports in Istanbul. Istanbul Ataturk airport is 20 km away from city centre and Sabiha Gokcen airport is 55 km away. Transfer from Ataturk airport to your hotel is included; if you arrive to Sabiha Gokcen there is an extra charge).

Day 2 - Turkish Cooking Lesson Istanbul (Breakfast included)
After a morning orientation sightseeing tour of Istanbul, you participate in your first Turkish cooking lesson, preparing lunch and getting to taste the various delicious flavours of Turkey’s cuisine from different regions. After lunch we visit Topkpai Palace, the great palace of the Ottoman sultans between the 15th and 19th centuries and housing an exquisite collection of crystal, silver, and Chinese porcelain, robes worn by the sultans and their families, the famous jewels of the Imperial Treasury, miniatures, the Holy Mantle; enshrining relics of the Prophet Mohammed. Moving on to the Sultanahmet Imperial Mosque built in the 16th century by the architect Mehmet, it is known as the Blue Mosque because of its magnificent interior decoration of blue Iznik tiles. After this we visit the Hippodrome, scene of chariot races, with the three monuments, the Obelisk of Theodosius, the bronze Serpentine Column and the Column of Constantine. Ending at approximately 5pm we return to the hotel.

Day 3 - Gallipoli Tour - Cooking Lesson Canakkale (Breakfast, Local Lunch and Local Dinner included)
At 6:30am we depart for Gallipoli to visit the battle fields. Two hours later we will give you 20 minutes for relax in a restaurant area. We arrive Gallipoli around 12:00pm and have lunch and relax a little before departing for the battle fields and Gabatepe Museum. We begin with the Ariburnu Cemetery and Anzac Cove where the Gallipoli battle during WW1 began, then we visit Beach Cemetery, Shrapnel Valley and Plugges Plateau. We return to the hotel at approximately 5pm. Dinner in the hotel. Today you will taste the delicious cousins of Western Turkey, the area is famous for pide and lahmacun with cheese and vegetables. Overnight in Canakkale.

Day 4 - Troy Tour – Pergamon Tour - Kusadasi (Breakfast, Local Lunch and Local Dinner included)
We depart at 8:30am and drive 30 minutes to Troy, the famous archeological and mythological site, home of the Trojan horse and Helen of Troy. After Troy we have a 3 hour drive to Pergamon and stop for lunch around 1pm before visiting the magnificent acropolis of Pergamon. This ancient city’s impressive temples and library made it a renowned cultural and political centre while it was also famous for its’ jewellery, precious stones and silver. Arrival to Kusadasi around 6pm and overnight. Dinner in hotel.


Day 5 - Ephesus Tour and Making Wine (Breakfast and dinner included)
At 8:30am departure from hotel. Guided tour of Ephesus, one of the best preserved ancient sites in the world en-route visiting the site of the Temple of Artemis befire reaching the city itself. There are many marveloous sights to enjoy at Ephesus such as Curetes street, the Roman baths, the beautiful Celsus Library and the amphitheatre. We will have a lunch break at a small Turkish restaurant and then drive on to Sirince, a picturesque hilltop village once inhabited by Greeks. The village is renowned for producing wine - especially fruit wines so we will visit the vineyards and learn how to make fruit wine with Turkish wine makers. On the way to the hotel, we will visit a place which continues to perform one of the oldest arts of Turkey, a carpet weaving centre. Return to hotel approximately 5pm. Dinner in hotel and overnight in Kusadasi.

Day 6 - Kusadasi Tour- Izmir to Istanbul - End of Tour (Breakfast included)
Today we depart for Izmir airport for our domestic flight to Istanbul and the end of the tour.



Meeting/pick-up point: At the hotel.

Duration: 6 days.

Start/opening time: According to client's flight times.

End/closing time: According to client's flight times.

Languages: English. For private tours, other languages are available such as: German, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Arabic, Chinese. br />
Others: Included : All airport transfers mentioned in the itinerary, domestic flight from Izmir to Istanbul, 1 wine tasting, 2 nights in 5* hotel in Istanbul, 1 night in 5* hotel in Canakkale, 2 nights in 5* hotel in Kusadasi, 5 breakfasts, 3 dinners, all entrance fees mentioned in the itinerary.
Please Note: Hagia Sophia closed on Mondays, Topkapi Palace closed on Tuesdays, and Grand Bazaar closed on Sundays.
Not included: International flights, Insurance: all types, Turkey entry visa, Items of a personal nature such as alcoholic drinks, cold drinks, laundry, any others expenses which are not mentioned at the included section.

Location
Starting point:
Hotel pickup

Guiding options
Guiding type: Guide