Compare Exploring Istanbul by Peter Sommer Travels vs Classic Tour to Turkey by Odynovo
Compare details and see what other travelers are saying.
| Trip |
5 | Excellent
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5 | Excellent
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| Duration | 8 days | 10 days |
| Price From | $ 3,538 | $ 3,158 |
| Price Per Day | $ 442 | $ 316 |
| Highlights |
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| Trip Style | Small group tour | Private guided tour |
| Lodging Level | Premium | Premium |
| Physical Level |
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| Countries Visited | ||
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| Flights & Transport | Ground transport included | Internal airfare and ground transport included |
| Activities |
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| Meals Included | N/A |
9 breakfasts |
| Description |
A large number of our guests over the years have enjoyed doing a tour of Istanbul before or after one of our gulet cruises. We are often asked to recommend hotels, restaurants, sites to see and local guides in this amazing city, Peter’s favourite metropolis in the world. So we thought we should use our extensive knowledge and contacts to create the definitive Istanbul tour, the very finest historical adventure and exploration of this vibrant and exotic city. “Richard’s ability to describe was really magnificent - his detailed expertise really added to our experience.” David Blank, Ohio, USA Your expert guide, Dr. Richard Bayliss, is a Byzantine specialist and passionate enthusiast. The many years he has spent leading archaeological projects in and around Istanbul have given him an intimate knowledge of the city throughout its history: from its roots as a small Greek town on the Bosphorus, via its reincarnation as Constantinople, opulent centre of the Byzantine Empire, to the teeming apital of the Ottoman Empire. It’s hard not to speak in superlatives when describing this epic cradle of civilisation. No other city in the world has been besieged so many times, so greatly was it coveted by peoples outside of its walls. Not only is Istanbul ancient, unlike any other city on earth it sits astride two continents. During its time as capital of the Ottoman Empire it was the most multicultural city in Europe, on whose streets more than a dozen languages were spoken, from Italian to Persian, Greek to Arabic, Armenian to Turkish. This city utilised its mercantile dominance over the narrow waterway that connects the Mediterranean and Black Sea to grow wealthy and enhance its political strength. These succeeding cultures have liberally endowed the city with beautiful symbols of imperial power, from its imposing fortifications to its serene places of worship. On this escorted Istanbul tour you will see such world-famous sites as Topkapı Palace, Haghia Sofia and the Blue Mosque through expert eyes, and compare them with some seldom-visited wonders that only the true connoisseurs of the city ever visit. We sample some of the best food that Istanbul has to offer, from the long-established cornerstones of Istanbul-cuisine to traditional local eateries that have raised the simplest of local dishes to a culinary art form. Our Istanbul tours allow you to immerse yourself in a city that has been shaped and moulded by some of the key cultures of the western and eastern worlds for over 3,000 years. |
Turkey is a land full of incredible cultures and diverse landscapes. In the 10 days, with our knowledgeable guide, you will marvel at the historical treasure of the celebrated Byzantine Empire and Ottoman Empire in Istanbul, discover the fairy chimney and delicate paintings in humble rock-cave churches of Cappadocia, and explore ancient Greece ruins from Izmir to Bodrum along the east coast of the Aegean Sea. |
Day 1:
Our hotel is about 30 minutes from Istanbul’s Atatürk airport in the heart of the old city. Welcome drink and dinner.
Day 2:
We begin our historic tour of Istanbul with a stroll around some of the key sites of Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire. We visit the extraordinary Yerebatan Sarayı cistern, its vaults resting on a forest of columns, the Hippodrome, the Archaeological Museum, and the beautiful church of SS. Sergius and Bacchus, the prototype of the great Haghia Sophia.
Day 3:
A day out in the country, in Thrace. We head west out of the city, to visit two of Richard’s personal survey projects, the great aqueduct of Constantinople, the longest in the ancient world, and the Anastasian Wall, part of the city’s outer defences.
Day 4:
We head out to the walls of Constantinople, the mighty fortifications that kept besiegers at bay for centuries. We explore the beautiful little church of St. Saviour in Chora, housing some of the world’s finest Byzantine mosaics, and conclude with the Haghia Sophia itself, the greatest church in Christendom for almost a thousand years and one of the most spectacular buildings ever created.
Day 5:
We delve into Istanbul’s rich Ottoman legacy, walking around some of the city’s finest sights, including the great mosque of Suleyman the Magnificent, the elegant Rustem Pasha Camii, and the lively streets and market areas between the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Bazaar.
Day 6:
We head out onto the water on a private boat and cruise up the Bosphorus, the vital waterway separating Europe and Asia, and linking the Black Sea with the Mediterranean, which gave Byzantium its strategic significance. We visit Rumeli Hisarı, the impressive Ottoman fortification built by Mehmet the Conqueror during his siege of Constantinople and the beautiful Sadberk Hanım Museum, a private cultural gem.
Day 7:
Our historic odyssey concludes as we discover some of the city’s best known and loved highlights. We visit Topkapı Palace, seat of the Sultans, their family and harem for centuries and the majestic Blue Mosque, built to rival the Haghia Sophia, still a place of worship whose silver dome and six minarets reflect the sun. In the afternoon we take tea and cake at the gloriously restored Pera Palace hotel, which first welcomed European travellers on the Orient Express.
Day 8:
Transfer to Istanbul’s Atatürk airport, about 30 minutes away.
Day 1: Arrival – Istanbul
Overnight: Istanbul
Welcome to Istanbul, the economic, cultural, and historical heart of Turkey. Touching down at the airport, be welcomed and transferred to your hotel by our representative. After settling into the hotel, you may stroll around the historical center of the timehonored Istanbul to spot some clues about the past Eastern Roman Empire and the Ottoman Empire.
Day 2: Istanbul
Meals: Breakfast
Overnight: Istanbul
Start the city exploration with a one-hour cruise on the Bosphorus Strait to capture the distinctive urban landscapes of Istanbul, one side Asian and the other side European. Disembarking the boat, on a hill at the European side of the narrowest point of this strait, you will see the Rumeli Fortress built on the orders of the Ottoman Sultan between 1451 and 1452. Continue to explore the exotic Spice Bazaar and get a panoramic view of Istanbul at Galata Tower.
Day 3: Istanbul
Meals: Breakfast
Overnight: Istanbul
Start the tour today from the Topkapi Palace, once the administrative heart of the Ottoman Empire and the main residence of its sultans. Be sure to visit the Imperial Harem, the forbidden quarter for the female member of the Sultan's family. Stepping out of the palace, several minutes away is the Hagia Sophia with history near 1,500 years, during which it has alternated between Christ church, Islamic mosque, and national museum. Nearby it, you will also visit the iconic Blue Mosque, the underground Basilica Cistern, and the historic Hippodrome hosting the Egyptian Obelisk and Serpentine Column.
Day 4: Istanbul - Kayseri – Cappadocia
Meals: Breakfast
Overnight: Cappadocia
After breakfast, take the private transfer to the airport for a short flight to Kayseri. Meet your local guide on arrival and move on to Cappadocia to discover the fairy chimneys at Devrent Valley and Pasabagi Valley. In the afternoon, proceed to discover the beautiful examples of Byzantine art in the cave churches of the Goreme Open Air Museum and the Uchisar Castle standing prominently as the highest point in Cappadocia and offering fabulous panoramic views of this dreamy land. The tour also includes a photo stop at the Pigeon Valley.
Day 5: Cappadocia
Meals: Breakfast
Overnight: Cappadocia
Ortahisar is a small town with a rock castle, like the Uchisar Castle, towering dominantly at 90 meters high over it. Start the tour in the morning from Ortahisar Castle, followed by the Kaymakli Underground City, which, for more than a thousand years, always provided refuge to those persecuted by war and political persecution. Continue to the Cavusin Valley to discover the old village carved into a mountain and inhabited by locals until the 1950s. Take some time in the afternoon hiking in the Red Valley, watching the setting sun sprinkling its dynamic colors over the sharp sandstones, and tasting a cup of local wine that benefits from the mineral-laden volcanic soil of this area.
Day 6: Cappadocia - Kayseri - Izmir – Kusadasi
Meals: Breakfast
Overnight: Kusadasi
Leave Cappadocia behind and get to Kayseri airport for your flight to Izmir, possibly with a connection in Istanbul. On arrival, meet your guide and explore Izmir with the Agora Open Air Museum and the historical Elevator, the best place to get a panoramic view of the city, before moving on to Kusadasi, the gateway to Ephesus.
Day 7: Kusadasi - Ephesus - Kusadasi
Meals: Breakfast
Overnight: Kusadasi
Focus the day on Ephesus, a ruined Greek city that is famed in its day for the nearby Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Walk around to explore the many monuments in the majestic archaeological site of Ephesus, including the Arcadian Way, the Antique Theater, the Roman Baths, and the Celsus Library. Before returning to Kusadasi, you will also visit the Shrine of the Virgin Mary and the Basilica of St. John about 5km from Ephesus.
Day 8: Kusadasi – Bodrum
Meals: Breakfast
Overnight: Bodrum
Continue south and you will reach Bodrum after about 2.5 hours. On arrival, check into your hotel and enjoy the otherworldly scenery of the Aegean Sea.
Day 9: Bodrum
Meals: Breakfast
Overnight: Bodrum
Scan the city with your guide. Discover the Bodrum Castle built by the Knights of St. John and with four towers bearing the names of English, French, German, and Italian, the four nations responsible for their construction. Proceed to the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. From the remains and the renatured model, you can imagine how it looked and why it was regarded as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Proceed to see the symbolic windmills and explore Bodrum Antique Theater.
Day 10: Bodrum - Istanbul – Departure
Meals: Breakfast
Free in the day until your guide meets and escorts you to the airport in Bodrum for your flight to Istanbul to connect with your homebound flight.
