5 Days Taste of Turkey Food Tour

Day 1 - Istanbul, arrival day

• Meet at the airport and transfer to your hotel.
• You will be given your room key and the rest of the day is yours to explore Istanbul.
• Overnight in Istanbul.

Day 2 - Istanbul city tour

• Breakfast included.
• Pick up at 08:30 from your hotel for a day tour of old Istanbul city.
• Visit to Hagia Sophia. This ancient basilica, built by Constantine the Great in the 4th century and reconstructed by Justinian in the 6th century, is one of the architectural marvels of all time.
• Visit to Topkapi Palace. The great palace of the Ottoman sultans from the 15th to the 19th century 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 and enshrining relics of the Prophet Mohammed.
• Visit to Sultan Ahmed Imperial Mosque. Across from Hagia Sophia built in the 16th century by the architect Mehmet, is known as the Blue Mosque because of its magnificent interior decoration of blue Iznik tiles.
• Hippodrome. Ancient hippodrome, the scene of chariot races, with the three monuments; the Obelisk of Theodosius, the bronze Serpentine Column and the Column of Constantine.
• Lunch break at 13:00. After the lunch, Murtis Tours will then take you to the Grand Covered Bazaar. In this labyrinth of streets and passages, there are more than 4,000 shops with each trade having its own area: the goldsmiths street, the carpet sellers, Turkish arts and crafts, such as hand-painted ceramic plates, hand-honed copperware, brassware and trays, water ewers, onyx ware, and meerschaum pipes.
• After the tour, transfer back to your hotel.
• Overnight in Istanbul.

Day 3 - Istanbul Bosphorus cruise and flight from Istanbul to Cappadocia

• Breakfast and local dinner included.
• After breakfast, depart for Bosphorus cruise tour. Enjoy a magical Istanbul Bosphorus boat cruise and spice market tour starting at 08:30.
• Enjoy the array of sites you can see from the boat including Spice Bazaar (Egyptian Bazaar).
• ‘Bosphorus by boat’, a traditional excursion by boat along the waterway separating Europe and Asia.
• Lunch break at the Turkish restaurant.
• After the lunch depart to Istanbul Ataturk airport for domestic flight to Cappadocia.
• Transfer from airport and check in to your hotel in Cappadocia.
• Overnight in Cappadocia.

Day 4 - Cappadocia tour

• Breakfast, local lunch and local dinner included.
• Today, you will get to know the Cappadocia region.
• You will be picked up at approximately 09:30 from your hotel to join the regular tour. Tour starts with Uchisar Castle, the highest point of Cappadocia. After Uchisar, you visit Goreme Open Air Museum, the Heart of Cappadocia. Goreme Open Air Museum is famous for frescoes dating to 10th century describing the life of Jesus Christ and monks. Next stop is Cavusin, which is an abandoned village with old cave Greek houses.
• After Cavusin you go to the restaurant in Avanos to have lunch.
• After lunch, you visit a pottery work shop, to see how to make potteries.
• Then you go to Pasabagi where you can see three-headed fairy chimneys.
• After Pasabagi, you’ll visit another workshop to see Cappadocian hand-woven carpets and kilims.
• Next stop is Devrent Valley, which is also called Imagination Valley, where you can see natural rock formations looking like animals.
• Then, you head to a wine shop in Urgup for wine tasting.
• Last stop is Three Beauties, three beautiful fairy chimneys with their hats, which is the symbol of Cappadocia.
• This tour will end approximately at 18:00, and you will be taken back to your hotel.
• Overnight in Cappadocia.
• If you do not have Capadocia pass, you can stay at the hotel or you can also buy one of the optional daily tours. There are more than 15 different options.

Day 5 - Cappadocia to Istanbul. End of tour

• Breakfast included.
• After breakfast, you will have free time for shopping in Cappadocia and later on you will depart to Kayseri airport for the domestic flight to Istanbul and then back to home.

• Cappadocia tour
• Istanbul Bosphorus cruise
• Istanbul city tour

Cappadocia region

Cappadocia is a volcanic area in which the geological formation started 10 million years ago. As a result of these formations phallic-like pillars have come to life. The beautiful horse country Katpatuka, (as the Persians called it) is an unbelievable strip of land, enchanting and mysterious. Cappadocia region is also famous for its arts, including ceramic and carpets.

Istanbul

Istanbul is a transcontinental city in Eurasia, straddling the Bosphorus strait between the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea. Its commercial and historical center lies on the European side and about a third of its population lives on the Asian side. By the end of the 19th century, Istanbul had established itself as a regional artistic center, with Turkish, European, and Middle Eastern artists flocking to the city. Istanbul has numerous shopping centers, from the historic to the modern. The Grand Bazaar, in operation since 1461, is among the world's oldest and largest covered markets. Mahmutpasha Bazaar is an open-air market extending between the Grand Bazaar and the Egyptian Bazaar, which has been Istanbul's major spice market since 1660.

• 1 local lunch during the tour
• 2 local dinners at hotel
• 2 nights at the hotel in Cappadocia
• 2 nights at the hotel in Istanbul
• 4 open buffet breakfasts
• All entrance fees mentioned in the itinerary
• Arrival airport transfer from Ataturk airport
• Arrival airport transfer to Kayseri / Nevsehir airport
• Domestic flight from Cappadocia to Istanbul
• Domestic flight from Istanbul to Cappadocia
• Guided Cappadocia tour
• Guided Istanbul Bosphorus cruise
• Guided Istanbul city tour
• Professional English-speaking tour guides
• Return airport transfer
• Transportation in a fully air-conditioned, non-smoking coach

• Any other expenses which are not mentioned in the Whats included section
• International flights
• Insurance: all types
• Items of a personal nature such as alcoholic drinks, cold drinks, laundry
• Turkey entry visa