10 Days Turkey: A Journey Through History 2025

Itinerary

Day 1. Welcome to Istanbul
Upon arrival, you’ll be warmly greeted and transferred to our charming and luxurious hotel. The balance of this day is yours to relax and enjoy as you wish.
Overnight in Istanbul.

Day 2. Exploring a Fascinating City
Heralded throughout the ages as Byzantium, Constantinople, and now Istanbul, this bustling city on the Bosphorus straddles the European and Asian Continents and presents an intoxicating blend of cultures and traditions.

• Start with a visit to the Hippodrome, a handsome public square on the site of the ancient Byzantine stadium.
• Explore the 17th Century Blue Mosque, famous for its lavish interior decorated with more than 20,000 blue Iznik tiles.
• Visit St. Sophia, the Church of Divine Wisdom, dedicated in 537 by Emperor Justinian and now once again a mosque.

Take a break at Giritli, a charming restaurant blending Turkish cuisine with the chef’s favorite dishes from Crete.

• Visit the Basilica Cistern, the largest subterranean cistern famed for its 336 marble columns.
• End the day with a private cruise along the Bosphorus, offering captivating scenery with Europe on one shore and Asia on the other.

This evening, dine at Ali Ocakbasi Oligark with its creative cuisine and spectacular view overlooking the Bosphorus.
Overnight in Istanbul.
Meals: B&L&D

Day 3. Topkapi Palace + Grand Bazaar + Egyptian Market
Buffet Breakfast.

• Start with a privately guided tour of Topkapi Palace, the fabled residence of sultans, courtiers, concubines, and eunuchs for more than 400 years.
• Explore the Harem and view the Treasury’s glittering collection, including crown jewels and gem-studded daggers.
• Wander through the Grand Bazaar, with its labyrinthine passageways overflowing with jewelry, spices, leather goods, textiles, carpets, and ceramics.

Continue to the Egyptian Market, once the final stop for merchants traveling the Silk Road. Experience its bustling corridors filled with spices, Turkish Delight, farm-fresh cheeses, and Turkish Coffee.
Overnight in Istanbul.
Meals: B

Day 4. Cappadocia’s ‘Fairy Chimneys’ + The Whirling Dervishes
We’ll be Transferred to the airport for a flight to Kayseri.

• Visit the Goreme Open-Air Museum, a complex of painted cave churches carved nearly 1,000 years ago.
• Explore the Pasabag and Devrent Valleys, famous for their rock formations and Fairy Chimneys.
• Meet carpet weavers and pottery artisans in Avanos.

Evening: Experience the 700-year-old music and dance ceremony of the Mevlevis (Whirling Dervishes).
Enjoy dinner in the home of a Cappadocian family before checking into Argos, a boutique hotel in Uchisar.
Overnight in Cappadocia.
Meals: B&L&D

Day 5. Above and Below Cappadocia

• Start with an early morning hot air balloon adventure over Cappadocia’s rock formations.
• Visit a cave home in a Fairy Chimney for morning tea with a local family.
• Explore the tranquil village of Ayvali and the Rose and Pigeon Valleys.
• Visit Kaymakli Underground City, exploring living quarters, kitchens, and storage rooms carved deep underground.

Enjoy dinner at Elai, known for its fusion of Turkish, Mediterranean, and European cuisines.
Overnight in Cappadocia.
Meals: B&L&D

Day 6. Izmir + Excursion to Ephesus
Early morning Breakfast Basket and flight to Izmir.

• Explore Ephesus, including the Magnesia Gate, Baths of Scholastica, Library of Celsus, and the great amphitheater.
• Visit the House of Virgin Mary, believed to be her final home.
• Enjoy lunch and a visit to Urla Vineyards, with a tour and wine tasting.

Dine at Adabeyi, set in a waterfront building designed by Alexander Gustave Eiffel.
Meals: B&L&D

Day 7. Onward to Bodrum
After breakfast, travel to Bodrum.

• Visit the ancient amphitheater, built during the reign of King Mausolus.
• Explore the windmills of Bodrum, built in the 1700s.

Stay two nights at the Kempinski Barbaros Bay.
Meals: B

Day 8. A Day on the Aegean
Enjoy a private gulet charter exploring Turkey’s Turquoise Coast.

• Visit remote bays and quiet coves.
• Enjoy lunch onboard this traditional Turkish wooden sailing yacht.

Meals: B&L

Day 9. Back to Istanbul
Fly back to Istanbul and return to your luxury hotel on the Golden Horn.

The day is yours to explore independently or shop.

Enjoy a Farewell Dinner at Firuze Meyhane, set on a hill overlooking the Golden Horn, known for its modern Mediterranean style and traditional Ottoman cuisine.
Meals: B&D

Day 10. Depart Istanbul
After breakfast, transfer to Istanbul airport for final departure.
Meals: B