DAY 01 ARRIVAL – ISTANBUL (Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner) Upon arrival Istanbul Ataturk International Airport meet and greet your local guide then we proceed to old town of Istanbul for breakfast. The word for breakfast in Turkish is kahvalti. It can be translated as kahve–altı being under-coffee, meaning the food you eat before drinking coffee. So a nice long Turkish breakfast should of course end with a cup of well-made Turkish coffee. Turkish breakfast favorite is Sucuk cooked on a pan mostly with eggs Sucuk is dried sausage made of ground beef with garlic and a variety of spices like red pepper, cumin and sumac.On our breakfast plate, we have; white cheese (similar to feta), old cheese (kaşar peyniri), black and/or green olives (zeytin), butter, honey, jam, boiled eggs (yumurta), sliced tomatoes and/or cucumbers. Menemen Plate is basically Turkish scrambled eggs. It is a base of tomatoes and peppers cooked over a high heat, into which eggs are then scrambled. It is much more rich and tomato in flavour. We proceed to historical town of Istanbul which is called Sultanahmet. We visit Hippodrome Square former centre of sportive and political activities of Constantinople. See the famous Egyptian Obelisk, Serpentine Column and Wilhelm II fountain. Blue Mosque which is the second largest mosque in Istanbul, built to compete with St. Sophia. Dating back from 17th century. Mosque is Famous for its blue tiles and 6 minarets.We have lunch at a special restaurant for Ottoman Palace Kitchen. The Ottoman Empire reigned over the huge lands for centuries with many nations and cultures. By synthesizing all acquainted cultures in order to produce a unique taste of its own. The Ottomans enriched the Ottoman Cuisine. Several cuisines majorly deriving from Middle Asia, the Balkans, the Middle East and the Europe are the main contributors to the Ottoman Cuisine. We visit St. Sophia, which has been a cathedral and a mosque, now is a magnificent museum. Its mosaics, stained glass windows & decorated domes create an atmosphere of breath taking beauty. Transfer to hotel for check in and get some rest until transfer to dinner. Dinner will be at a Traditional Kebap Restraurant where you can taste delicious Turkish Style Kebaps and unique Anatolian Foods. Transfer to hotel. Overnight in Istanbul. DAY 02 ISTANBUL
(Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner) Breakfast at the hotel and today, we walk through
the Spice Market
which was built in 17th century. This bazaar area is often referred
as the ‘’ Egyptian Market’’ due to
the fact spices used to come to the market from India Southeast Asia via Egypt.
We can see and taste variety of Turkish Delights, nuts, dried fruits, safran,
spices etc… We walk in the bazaar and you will have a chance to taste famous
unique foods as Kunefe,
it is a heavenly
Turkish dessert made with cheese and shredded dough
soaked in sweet syrup. It has a very well balanced combination of cheese and
sugar, so it’s not heavy and you can even ask for a second plate! Borek,
it is a family of baked
filled pastries made of a thin flaky dough known as pyllo (or yufka), found in the cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire A börek may be prepared in a
large pan and cut into portions after baking, or as individual pastries. Baklava, it
is is a rich, sweet Pastry made of layers of filo filled with chopped nuts and sweetened and held together with Syrup or Honey. It is characteristic of
the Ottoman Empire Kitchen and is also found in central and South West Asia. We take a Ferry Ride to the otherside of Bosphorus which
separates Europe and Asia Continents. We explore the famous open air street
market of Kadikoy
Town We will see a big difference in atmosphere between Spice Market
and Kadikoy Town which is more active place with people cook and eat there. We
can feel the real bazaar shopping experience with fishmongers, bakers, butchers
and grocers. Lunch will be at a very well known restaurant with local foods. We meet our vehicle to have
experience for driving between Asia and Europe Continents. We cross overa Suspension Bridge. We haveTaksim Walking Tour, Taksim is known as the
non-muslim part of istanbul.It is alive for 24 hours, you can find shopping,
dining entertainment, nightlife at Taksim. We will visit the St. Antuan Catholic
Church at Taksim. St. Anthony of Padua Church, alternatively known as the Sant'Antonio di Padova Church, or locally as Sent Antuan, is a basilica and the largest church of the Roman
Catholic Church in Istanbul. You may visit Istanbul Hard Rock Café
there. This evening in Taksim Area we will have a light dinner with Street Food
Experience in the city. Simit, it
can be foundon every street corner. İt is a circular bread, typically encrusted with sesame seeds. Another particular street food is a Doner Sandwich. Conventional doner is prepared with lamb and
beef but you can also find Chicken Doner .
Other street foods are Kofte Ekmek (meatball
sandwich), Midye Dolmasi (stuffed
mussel),Kumpir (a stuffed baked
potato),fried mussels and corn on the cob.Durum, this meal in wrap in
different varieties such as chicken, lamb, beef or cheese. Kokorec, it is spiced sheep’s
intestine served in either half or quarter of a bread. Tantuni, a close relative of Durum
features beef, tomatoes, peppers and spices wrapped in the thin tortilla. Transfer
to hotel. Overnight in Istanbul. DAY 03 ISTANBUL – CAPPADOCIA By Domestic Flight (Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner) After breakfast at the hotel, we transfer to
domestic airport to take flight for Cappadocia. Upon arrival we visit Kaymaklı Underground City, one of the largest underground cities in Cappadocia, troglodyte
cave-cities were excavated as early as Hittite times, and expanded over the centuries as various
marauding armies traversed Central Anatolia in search of captives and
plunder.you will get a chance to see bedrooms, kitchens, dining halls, wine
cellars, chapels, stables and more. We visit Pasabag and Dervent Valley to see
different form of Fairy Chimneys. Lunch will be at Home Cooking Class where we
learn how to cook some Turkish Foods. Visit Uchisar an
old village of small dwellings carved into massive rocks. Visit a Cave House there.
On route, make a stop at the Carpet Factory. Check in hotel to get some
rest before dinner. This evening, we will have Jug Kebap for dinner. They prepare
some beef or lamb with some vegetables in a mud jug and they keep it wait in a
water well for one day to make the meat softer then it is cooked in the oven
for 4 to 5 hours. This is why some people call this special food from
Cappadocia Region ‘’Well Kebap’’ as well. Overnight in Cappadocia. DAY 04 CAPPADOCIA
(Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner) This morning we may enjoy with Hot Air Balloon Tour as our optional choice. After breakfast at the hotel we
have full day Cappadocia tour.We
visit Goreme Open Air Museum which is famous with cave churches and with their
frescos. Goreme Open Air Museum: It is registered to the World Heritage List by UNESCO.
Explore the rock-carved churches with some of it decorated with scratched
frescos.We will visit a Winery This
is the biggest and oldest winery in Cappadocia. We will tour the winery while
tasting their local wine (Grapes native to Turkey) This place also provides excellent storage
conditions for wine.We have lunch at a special kebap restaurant and we have
free time for shopping and taking picture in Urgup Town which is famous place
with traditional Turkish Houses. We visit and take some pictures with Fairy Chimneys
which are unique sights of Cappadocia region.Visit Avanos Village, this town is a
center of terracotta art since 2000 BC you will watch a demonstration of
pottery making in a traditional workshop. Overnight in Cappadocia. DAY 05 CAPPADOCIA – ISTANBUL By Domestic Flight (Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner) After breakfast at the hotel, we transfer to
domestic airport to take flight for Istanbul. Visit Topkapi Palace (Including Treasury Room)The seat of
the Ottoman Empire after it shifted its capital from Edirne to Istanbul. It is
today a museum palace with a wide Treasuries, Royal Antiques, Court yards, Holy
Relics etc.. In this palace you can see Moes’s stick, St. John’s arm and a part
of his scull covered by gold. We will have our lunch at Kumkapi Town which is
the most famous place in Istanbul with fish markets and fish restaurants. After lunch we visit 500 years old Grand Bazaar, a maze
of over 4000 stalls and shops selling jewelery, handicrafts, ceramics, turkish
Coffee and other local products. We will have a chance to try street foods or
famous local restaurants in the bazaar area. This is one of the best places for
the local taste of the city. Check in hotel. Overnight in Istanbul. DAY 06 ISTANBUL – DEPATURE
(Breakfast) Breakfast at the hotel and free time at your
leisure until transfer to airport to take flight back home with wonderful
memories. ***END OF SERVICES***
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