Compare Classic Istanbul Mini Adventure by G Adventures vs Odyssey at Sea: The Best of the Black Sea by Road Scholar

Day 1 Istanbul

Arrive at any time and spend the day exploring on your own. Later, meet your CEO and the group before heading out for a stroll through the Old Town to enjoy some of Istanbul's most famous street foods for dinner.

Day 2 Istanbul

Tour the world-renowned Haiga Sofia. After, explore a lesser-known side of Istanbul's Old Town and visit subterranean Roman and Byzantine ruins, the Hippodrome and the Little Haiga Sofia Mosque. Tonight, opt to visit a hammam (traditional Turkish bath).

Day 3 Istanbul

Enjoy a culinary walking tour of the trendiest districts in Istanbul. Wander through Taksim Square and the lively district of Karaköy on a CEO-led culinary walking tour, sampling local specialties such as baklava and Turkish coffee. Enjoy a sumptuous mezze lunch. Catch a ferry to Kadiköy, on the Asian side of Istanbul.

Day 4 Istanbul

Depart at any time, or spend another day exploring. Opt to book the "Colourful Istanbul Walking Tour and Bosphorus Cruise" full-day excursion and walk Constantinople's old city walls, see Roman mosaics and frescoes, stroll through the city's Jewish district and end the day with a cruise on the Bosphorus Strait for stunning views of the city. For travellers continuing on to another G Adventures tour, your CEO will help facilitate the joining of the new group starting in the evening.

Day 1 In Transit to Program In Flight

Day 2 Arrive Istanbul, Transfer to Port, Embark Aegean Odyssey Istanbul

Getting on/off a motorcoach with 4-5 steps up/down. Walking about 1 mile including ship and port corridors and gangways.

Transfer from the airport to the Port of Istanbul. Meals aboard ship will begin with dinner; a light lunch will be available for those who arrive in time.

Embark the Aegean Odyssey. Complete boarding procedures, get your cabin, unpack, and freshen up. Then begin to explore this comfortable ship that will be our floating home. The ship’s courteous and friendly staff are scrupulous about hygiene and you will find numerous dispensers with hand sanitizer we are encouraged to use. Along with everyone on board, we will meet at muster stations when called for the ship’s safety drill. During succeeding evenings aboard ship, there will be activities to choose from such as a guest speaker, a performance by talented musicians, and opportunities for interaction with fellow Road Scholars. Please note that lecture times and dates may vary due to time in port. Check your briefing memo for the most up to date lecture schedule. There is also a well-stocked library with daily newspapers received via satellite. Most mornings will begin with a group stretch session. On each full day of the program, we will gather for an informal “port talk” about what’s ahead. Each evening, we’ll get a briefing memo in our cabins with highlights of the next day’s activities. Periods in the schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. In most ports, we will have shuttle buses, or tender boats, running from/to the ship during the day for your convenience if you wish to explore independently. The extent and duration of elective walking and other free time activities depends on personal choice. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.

At leisure. Enjoy activities aboard ship, spend time with fellow Road Scholars, and be sure to check the briefing memo/daily bulletin placed in our cabins with highlights for tomorrow. The ship is scheduled to remain in port overnight.

Aboard ship, enjoy your first dinner on board in the venue of your choice: the a la carte Marco Polo restaurant, open for dinner as well as lunch on full days at sea; and the Terrace Café with its extensive buffet open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Meals feature fresh ingredients in tasty preparations including healthy choices. Both restaurants offer open-seating dining. All meals aboard ship — as well as afternoon tea and late night snacks — are included. Non-alcoholic beverages and select wines at dinner are included; other beverages are available for purchase upon request.

Day 3 Istanbul, Topkapi Palace, Archaeological Museum At Sea

Getting on/off a motorcoach with 4-5 steps up/down. Walking about 5 miles including steps at Palace; no handrails; standing up to 2 hours at each site. Popular sites may be crowded at certain periods. NOTE: The “On Your Feet” activity level group will not be going to the harem apartments.

Orientation: We will gather in the morning, and the Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. After the orientation session, we will step off the ship, walk to and board a motorcoach, and ride to the Topkapi Palace. Constructed from 1460-1478, it served as the residence of Ottoman sultans as well as their administrative and ceremonial center until the mid-19th century. A local expert will lead our exploration as we see aspects of the Imperial Treasury that holds riches of royal history including thrones, jeweled pendants and precious stones, sacred items from the tomb of the Prophet Mohammed, decorated weapons, and much more. We will also see parts of the harem apartments that originally contained more than 300 rooms including living quarters for the sultan and his family, bath houses, courtyards, dormitories for concubines, a hospital, laundry, mosques, and pavilions.

Next, we will visit the Istanbul Arkeoloji Muzesi, or Istanbul Archaeological Museums, complex. The museum was founded in 1875 by accomplished archaeologist, Osman Hamdi Bey, and is actually comprised of three different museums. Discover ancient treasures from the Assyrian, Hittite, Egyptian, Greek, Byzantine, and Ottoman civilizations.

At leisure. Enjoy activities aboard ship, spend time with fellow Road Scholars, and be sure to check the briefing memo/daily bulletin placed in our cabins with highlights for tomorrow. The ship is scheduled to leave Istanbul on our journey to Sinop.

In the Terrace Café — and on the Lido Deck in nice weather — there are hot and cold dishes to choose from such as eggs, breakfast meats, cereals, fruits, breads, pastries, and a variety of healthy choices as well as milk, juice, coffee, tea, water. Meals feature fresh ingredients in tasty preparations.

In a local restaurant.

Your choice of the Terrace Café or Marco Polo Restaurant.

Day 4 Free Time, Lectures at Sea At Sea

Extent and duration of free time activities dependent on personal preference.

Free time. Enjoy the activities of your choice aboard ship, including a lecture on topics relevant to our program. You might like to take a seat in the observation lounge with fellow Road Scholars, find something to read in the library, relax by the pool, or enjoy the spa.

Free time. Enjoy the activities of your choice aboard ship, including a lecture on topics relevant to our program. We will gather for our first port talk in the late afternoon.

At leisure. Enjoy activities aboard ship, spend time with fellow Road Scholars, and be sure to check the briefing memo/daily bulletin placed in our cabins with highlights for tomorrow. We will continue our journey to Sinop.

In the Terrace Café or on the Lido Deck in nice weather.

Your choice of the Terrace Café or Marco Polo Restaurant.

Your choice of the Terrace Café or Marco Polo Restaurant.

Day 5 Sinop, Free Time At Sea

Getting on/off a motorcoach with 4-5 steps up/down. Driving from the port through the city to the first stop could take 1/2 hour or so depending on traffic. Walking about 4 miles; mostly flat terrain, steps at mosque; no handrails; standing up to 2 hours. Popular sites may be crowded at certain periods. NOTE: This day may be operated in reverse for some groups. NOTE: The “On Your Feet” activity level group will not be visiting the ruins on Balatlar Kilisesi.

We will step off the ship and board a motorcoach for a field trip to medieval Sinop, a walled city perched on a promontory overlooking the Black Sea. Founded by colonists from the Aegean port of Miletus in the 800s BCE, Sinop became a major port thanks to its fine natural harbor. We will explore remnants of its medieval city walls; the Alaeddin Mosque dating from 1267 and its medrese (seminary); and the ruins on Balatlar Kilisesi, a Roman temple converted into a Byzantine church. The Greek philosopher Diogenes — one of the founders of Cynic Philosophy who carried around a lantern “looking for a good man” (and not finding one!) — was born in Sinop.

Free time. This may occur in the morning for some groups. Enjoy the activities of your choice aboard ship, or take advantage of this time for independent exploration. The ship is scheduled to leave Sinop on our journey to Odessa.

At leisure. Enjoy activities aboard ship, spend time with fellow Road Scholars, and be sure to check the briefing memo/daily bulletin placed in our cabins with highlights for tomorrow.

In the Terrace Café or on the Lido Deck in nice weather.

Your choice of the Terrace Café or Marco Polo Restaurant, or you may choose to stay on shore and dine on your own.

Your choice of the Terrace Café or Marco Polo Restaurant.

Day 6 Free Time, Lectures at Sea At Sea

Extent and duration of free time activities dependent on personal preference.

Free time. Enjoy the activities of your choice aboard ship, including a lecture on topics relevant to our program.

Free time. Enjoy the activities of your choice aboard ship, including a lecture on topics relevant to our program. At the end of the afternoon, we will gather for a port talk.

At leisure. Enjoy activities aboard ship, spend time with fellow Road Scholars, and be sure to check the briefing memo/daily bulletin placed in our cabins with highlights for tomorrow. We will continue our journey to Odessa.

In the Terrace Café or on the Lido Deck in nice weather.

Your choice of the Terrace Café or Marco Polo Restaurant.

Your choice of the Terrace Café or Marco Polo Restaurant.

Day 7 Odessa, Free Time Odessa

Getting on/off a motorcoach with 4-5 steps up/down. Driving from the port through the city to the first stop could take 1/2 hour or so depending on traffic. Walking about 3 miles; mostly flat terrain, steps at Cathedral, no handrails, standing up to 2 hours. Popular sites may be crowded at certain periods. Elective walking during free time according to personal preference. NOTE: The “On Your Feet” activity level group will not be going to the Archaeological Museum.

Odessa was compared to Paris as one of the most beautiful cities in Europe in the early 19th century. We will set out by coach to explore the highlights of Odessa with either our Group Leader or a local expert for an overview of Prymorsky Boulevard, lined with 19th-century gas lamps, majestic trees, and aristocratic palaces, and ride past Catherine Square and the Potemkin Steps. Next, we’ll visit the Transfiguration Cathedral, Odessa’s largest church. The original edifice dating from 1794 was expanded throughout the 19th century, only to be destroyed by the Soviets in 1936. Rebuilding commenced in 1999, and was completed in 2003. We will then move on to the Archaeological Museum. This is the oldest museum in the Ukraine, established in 1825. The museum’s permanent collection houses around 170,000 exhibits, and was declared a national treasure in 2008. We will return to port after our field trip where you are welcome to enjoy free time aboard ship or stay ashore and explore independently.

Free time. Enjoy the activities of your choice aboard ship or take advantage of the shuttle bus available for independent exploration.

This evening, you may take in a performance at the Opera House or spend some time at leisure. Enjoy activities aboard ship, spend time with fellow Road Scholars, and be sure to check the briefing memo/daily bulletin placed in our cabins with highlights for tomorrow. The ship is scheduled to remain in port overnight.

In the Terrace Café or on the Lido Deck in nice weather.

Your choice of the Terrace Café or Marco Polo Restaurant, or you may choose to stay on shore and dine on your own.

Your choice of the Terrace Café or Marco Polo Restaurant, or you may choose to stay on shore and dine on your own.

Day 8 Free Time, Nerubaiskoe, Odessa Catacombs, Shustov Museum At Sea

Getting on/off a motorcoach with 4-5 steps up/down. Driving from the port through the city and environs to the first stop could take an hour or so depending on traffic. Walking about 4 miles; mostly flat terrain; at catacombs, 90 steps with handrails; standing up to 2 hours; at Factory Museum, 68 steps with handrails up/down. NOTE: For some groups the activities on this day may run in reverse, and times will be staggered so some may take place in the afternoon.

Our motorcoach will leave the city center and take us through the countryside. We will pass small villages, farms, and gardens in the environs of Odessa on our way to the village of Nerubaiskoe that was first settled by Ukrainian Cossacks as a fortress. With a local expert, we will enter the labyrinthine underground interior of the famed catacombs, stretching more than 1,600 feet (500 meters). The catacombs were first made to provide the city with limestone. During World War II, they were an underground fort of the Soviet army. We will visit the command post and learn about the defense of the catacombs at the local museum. On our way back to Odessa, we will stop to visit the Shustov Cognac Winery Museum. The factory was founded in 2002. Nowadays it is modern enterprise producing one of the best cognacs in Ukraine. We will learn about the production process, the history of cognac making, and have a tasting. We will return to port after the field trip where you are welcome to enjoy free time aboard ship or stay ashore and explore independently.

Free time. Enjoy the activities of your choice aboard ship or take advantage of the shuttle bus available for independent exploration. We will gather aboard ship for a port talk at the end of the afternoon.

At leisure. Enjoy activities aboard ship, spend time with fellow Road Scholars, and be sure to check the briefing memo/daily bulletin placed in our cabins with highlights for tomorrow. The ship is scheduled to leave Odessa on our journey to Constanta.

In the Terrace Café or on the Lido Deck in nice weather.

Your choice of the Terrace Café or Marco Polo Restaurant, or you may choose to stay on shore and dine on your own.

Your choice of the Terrace Café or Marco Polo Restaurant.

Day 9 Constanta, National Archaeology Museum, Winery, Free Time At Sea

Getting on/off a motorcoach with 4-5 steps up/down; driving from the port through the city to the first stop could take 1/2 hour or so depending on traffic. Walking about 2 miles; mostly flat terrain, steps with handrails; standing up to 2 hours. Extent and duration of free time activities according to personal preference.

After stepping off the ship, we will board a motorcoach and ride to the National Museum of History and Archaeology in Constanta. The museum boasts a marvelous collection of prehistoric, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, and Medieval artifacts, including the famous statue of Fortuna Goddess and Pontos God. We will then travel through the vineyards of the Romanian countryside to a local winery. We’ll sample some of the region’s popular wines and enjoy a performance of traditional Romanian folk music before returning to the ship.

Free time. Enjoy the activities of your choice aboard ship or take advantage of the shuttle bus available for independent exploration. We will gather aboard ship for a port talk at the end of the afternoon.

At leisure. Enjoy activities aboard ship, spend time with fellow Road Scholars, and be sure to check the briefing memo/daily bulletin placed in our cabins with highlights for tomorrow. The ship is scheduled to leave Constanta on our journey to Varna.

In the Terrace Café or on the Lido Deck in nice weather.

Your choice of the Terrace Café or Marco Polo Restaurant, or you may choose to stay on shore and dine on your own.

Your choice of the Terrace Café or Marco Polo Restaurant.

Day 10 Varna, Museum of Archaeology, Rock Monastery, Free Time At Sea

Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving from the port through the city to the first stop could take 1/2 hour or so depending on traffic. Walking about 2 miles, mostly flat terrain, steps with handrails, standing up to 2 hours. At Monastery, walking about 2 miles roundtrip, 150 steps with handrails up/down. Free time activities according to personal preference. NOTE: The “On Your Feet” activity level group will not visit the Rock Monastery, and instead will visit the Roman Baths.

We will leave the ship by motorcoach and ride to the Varna Museum of Archaeology to explore with either our Group Leader or a local expert. Human habitation in the region dates back to the Early Paleolithic age — about 100,000 BCE! The most treasured elements of its collection were excavated from a nearby necropolis that is considered one of the foremost sites in pre-history studies. The so-called Varna Gold, the oldest such discovery in the world, has been estimated to be more than 6,000 years old. Next, we will ride to the Aladzha Monastery, carved out of the rock, where a local expert will lead our exploration. Hermit monks lived here during the 13th and 14th centuries, and it is today a place of mystery and legends. The Roman baths of ancient Odessos are the largest on the Balkan Peninsula, and the fourth largest in Europe. Explore the ruins of the function halls and discover the heating system used to warm the water. We will return to port after the field trip where you are welcome to enjoy free time aboard ship or stay ashore and explore independently.

Free time. Enjoy the activities of your choice aboard ship or take advantage of the shuttle bus available for independent exploration. We will gather aboard ship for a port talk at the end of the afternoon.

At leisure. Enjoy activities aboard ship, spend time with fellow Road Scholars, and be sure to check the briefing memo/daily bulletin placed in our cabins with highlights for tomorrow. The ship is scheduled to leave Varna on our journey to Istanbul.

In the Terrace Café or on the Lido Deck in nice weather.

Your choice of the Terrace Café or Marco Polo Restaurant, or you may choose to stay on shore and dine on your own.

Your choice of the Terrace Café or Marco Polo Restaurant.

Day 11 Istanbul, Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Bosphorus Cruise Istanbul

Getting on/off a motorcoach with 4-5 steps up/down. Walking about 1 mile including ship and port corridors and gangways; further walking of about 2 miles; steps at church and mosque; standing up to 2 hours.

We will set out by motorcoach for field trips beginning with Hagia Sophia — Holy Wisdom — one of the world’s great historical and architectural wonders. Moving on, we will visit the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, known as the Blue Mosque for what were originally richly hued blue tiles decorating its interior. It was constructed from 1609-1616 facing Hagia Sophia. Still an active mosque, it is the only one in Istanbul with six minarets where a Muezzin calls the faithful to prayer five times each day. Beneath its multiple domes, there are more than 20,000 handmade ceramic tiles, some 260 stained glass windows, and verses from the Qu’ran displayed in calligraphic art.

Next, we will ride to a chartered boat for a cruise on the Bosphorus. A local expert will provide commentary as we view palaces, yalis (waterfront mansions), and fortresses along its shores before returning to the ship.

At leisure. Prepare for disembarkation and departure in the morning. The ship is scheduled to remain in port overnight.

In the Terrace Café or on the Lido Deck in nice weather.

At a local restaurant.

Your choice of the Terrace Café or Marco Polo Restaurant. Share favorite experiences with new Road Scholar friends during your final dinner on board.

Day 12 Disembarkation, Transfer to Airport, Program Concludes In Flight

Disembarkation begins as early as 2:00 a.m. or earlier depending on local schedules. See your program’s travel details regarding transfers.

We will complete disembarkation procedures. This concludes our program. If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!

In the Terrace Café or on the Lido Deck in nice weather.