6 days, 5 nights in Istanbul

Trip Description

Accomodation

Stay program

• day 1

  Day 1: Arrival

  Arrival in Istanbul. Transfer and check-in at the hotel. Possibility to organize an optional dinner cruise at night.

• day 2

  Day 2

  Departure from the hotel. Start of our visit in the Sultanahmet area. Visit of the Hagia Sophia Museum, the largest center of worship in the world between the 6th and 13th centuries. Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet, unique with 6 minarets). Visit of the Hippodrome (at the center of 3 main empires). Visit of the Grand Bazaar, built in 1455, with its 3000 shops. Lunch. Visit of the Topkapi Palace, the largest palace of the Ottoman Empire. Visit of the Sultan's tombs at Hagia Sophia. Transfer to the hotel, overnight stay.

• day 3

  Day 3

  Departure from the hotel to visit the Golden Horn, tracing the footsteps of history in Balat, admiring the metallic church of St. Stephen the Bulgarian, the Jewish hospital (Or Ahayim), and the Orthodox Patriarchate of Fener. Spice bazaar visit (famous for its variety of spices). Bosphorus head tour. The Bosphorus strait connects Asia and Europe. You will have the opportunity to see the mansions and fortresses during the tour. Lunch. Visit to the Dolmabahçe Palace, the recent residence of the Ottoman Sultans, built by two Ottoman architects, Karabet and Nikogos Balyan, on an area of 110,000 m². This palace served as the main administrative center of the Ottoman Empire. Famous for its large collection of European antiques, its furniture, and its 4.5-ton chandelier, the palace has 285 rooms and 46 halls. Crossing to the Asian coast via Çamlıca hill, with a breathtaking panoramic view of Istanbul from the Asian side. Return to the hotel and overnight stay.

• day 4

  Day 4

  Trip to the Princess Islands Departure from the hotel for a full day visit to the Princes' Islands. Travel to the islands by ferry. Arrival at Büyükada and carriage tour around the island. Lunch at Büyükada. Return to Istanbul by ferry. Transfer to the hotel, overnight stay.

• day 5

  Day 5: Bursa

  Departure from the hotel at 8:15 am. Board the ferry to cross from the Sea of Marmara to Bursa by coach. Arrival in Bursa. Possibility to buy products in Bursa: towels, silk, chestnuts. Let's begin our ascent to Mount Uludağ. Visit a 600-year-old oak tree. Barbecue in the fresh air of the national park. Free time in the national park, ski resort (in winter). On the way to the city by cable car. Visit the Green Complex of the 5th Ottoman sultan, Mehmet I. Return to Istanbul by the same route.

• day 6

  Day 6: Departure

  Departure from the hotel. Transfer to the airport. Check in for an international flight.