Bazaars of Istanbul and Anatolia
Shopping Tour - Turkey & Istanbul

Turkey, land of bazaars! This unique itinerary takes you to bazaars big and small, ancient and modern, indoor and outdoor, from the ancient agoras of the Romans through the sumptuous Grand Bazaar of the Ottomans to the vibrant street markets of today. And don't worry, you'll see all the top sights such as Topkapi Palace, the Blue Mosque and the ruins of Ephesus as well.
Small Size groups, not to exceed 10 guests (Guaranteed)

A grand 12 -day tour , weekly departures - Saturdays
March- Nov

DAY 1- Saturday JFK - USA- Departure
We board our intercontinental jet at NYC - JFK , for the comfortable flight to Istanbul, the metropolis of the eastern Mediterranean.

DAY 2 - ISTANBUL , Sunday
Our staff meets your plane and escorts you to your hotel. Remainder of the day at leisure. Turkey, land of bazaars! This unique itinerary takes you to bazaars big and small, ancient and modern, indoor and outdoor, from the ancient agoras of the Romans through the sumptuous Grand Bazaar of the Ottomans to the vibrant street markets of today. And don't worry, you'll see all the top sights such as Topkapi Palace, the Blue Mosque and the ruins of Ephesus as well. For those interested in fine art glasswork, we'll include a visit to one of the shops of the famous Pasabache Glassware ( Read more on this "Fragile Beauty" - Ottoman Glasswork) .
If you are interested in artifacts & embroideries from Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, please ask your guide to point them out to you during your tour of the Grand Bazaar.

DAY 3 - "Imperial Constantinople in the Belle Epoque" (late 19th century), the exotic romance of the "Paris of the East:" Monday (BLD)

Morning walking tour : We start with our guide in Karaköy where the foreign bankers and shipping companies had their headquarters, then take the Tünel up to istiklal Caddesi; stop in the whirling dervish tekke, and walk past the various old embassy buildings (now consulates), and point out the architecture. Stop for tea (included) at the famous Pera Palace Hotel.
Walk at least as far as Galatasaray Square, and have lunch in the Çicek Pasaji (Flower Passage); then walk up to Taksim Square and be picked up for the afternoon tour.
In the afternoon the tour visit Yildiz Palace Park and the Ihlamur Kasri, a mini-palace south of Yildiz, and finish up with a visit to the Military History Museum in Harbiye in time to hear the "Mehter," or Ottoman military band (mid-afternoon).

This evening we'll venture where few ordinary visitors ever tread . . .Cooking Alaturka: Half-day Turkish Cooking Classes and Restaurant Learn How to Cook Authentic Turkish Foods in Between Visiting Istanbul’s Many Sights . classes are generally held from 10:30 to 14:30 on any given day that we have enough participants. We prepare 5 typical Turkish dishes in a group of 6-10 persons and then have them for lunch in our restaurant. We have aprons at your disposal and you will get the recipes to take with you. Private classes are held as well
. ( supplement applies ). For private groups, evening classes can be considered as well, starting at 16:30, with dinner served from 19:00 to 21:00: Cooking with Chef : Eveline Zoutendijk

Day 4 -ISTANBUL , Tuesday (BL)
Istanbul, the City of the Sultans,today we dive right into this fascinating city with visits to several of its top sights, including the Blue Mosque, with its exquisite blue tiles, and the Byzantine Hippodrome, scene of chariot races and gladiatorial combat. Then we explore the first of many bazaars, the Egyptian (or Spice) Market on the shore of the Golden Horn, where shops selling traditional remedies such as herbs, spices and bee pollen spill out of the medieval market building into neighboring streets. This is the best possible introduction to the vibrant street life of the real Istanbul!

As we try to cover a lot of interested in this program please do let us know early on if you have particular interest in fashion, textiles or antique furniture :

Turkish Fashion :
Then we may add : Turkish Fashion house at Zeytinbumu, Tesvikiye , Tesvikiye & Nisantasi

Textiles : We'll tour & visit some of the magnificence shops that offer textiles and material that reminds you of the luxurious material offered once to the Sultanas & Sultans: Shops in Nisantasi and Tesvikiye as well as modern display at Vakko ,and Akmerkez

Art Galleries: We'll tour the galleire sin Tesvikiye, Nisantasi & Beyoglu

Cooking Classes in Istanbul

Day 5 - ISTANBUL ,Wednesday (BL)
We visit two bazaars today, but first we see the Palace of Ibrahim Pasha, Grand Vezir to Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent. The palace now serves as Turkey's renowned Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art, holding priceless Turkish carpets, miniatures, gold and silver jewelry, brilliant colored tiles, illuminated Korans, and other medieval masterworks. Then we walk across the Hippodrome and descend into an eery Byzantine cistern known as the Sunken Palace because of the 336 ancient columns which hold up the ceiling. The cistern, which still holds water (and now full of fish!) is one of the most atmospheric spots in old Istanbul. Next we visit Hagia Sophia, built in the 6th century as the greatest church in Christendom by Emperor Justinian. It's now a museum, and one of the ten most famous buildings in the world. Finally we tour the antique and carpet shops of the Arasta Bazaar behind the Blue Mosque. (Rent from the shops helps to maintain the mosque.) Our second market is the Horhor Bazaar, specializing in antique furniture and fixtures, painting and porcelain, and careful repairs by master artisans.

Day 6 - ISTANBUL , Thursday (BL)
Today is full of grand sights, starting with Istanbul's grandest mosque, the Süleymaniye, built in the 16th century for its grandest sultan, Süleyman the Magnificent. The mosque is surrounded by charitable institutions. In beautiful tombs in the mosque cemetery lie the sultan himself and his beloved wife Roxelana. Next we visit their home: Topkapi Palace, with its fabulous Treasury, with thousands of diamonds and a seven-pound emerald. We'll peek into the luxurious kiosks (pavilions) where the sultan relaxed while his wives and concubines danced and played music, and also the vast kitchens which fed the palace's 5000 inhabitants. Our bazaar today is also the grandest: the Grand Bazaar itself, with more than 3000 shops selling apparel of wool, cotton and leather; leather accessories; table settings and objects of alabaster and faience; meerschaum pipes and jewelry; carpets; old icons, watches and coins. (Jewelry in the latest designs in gold, silver and platinum, with precious and semiprecious stones, is a good buy because it's sold by weight with minimal markup.) From the glittering Grand Bazaar we walk through the more mundane Mahmut Pasha Bazaar where the shops sell more common items‹a real slice of Turkish daily life.

Please do let us know early on if you have particular interest in antique furniture : As we may add a tour of these famous area of Istanbul: Horthor , Cukurcuma, Uskudar & Kadikoy ( Keep in mind shipping cost, when & if you decide on a purchase )

Day 7 - ISTANBUL , Friday (B)
A break from bazaars this morning while we drive from Europe across the soaring Bosphorus Bridge to Asia. The 19-mile-long Bosphorus strait is the traditional division between the two continents. On the Asian side we'll take in the view of the city and the strait from Çamlica Hill, topped by a shady park and 18th-century café. We descend from the hill to the shore and Beylerbeyi Palace, a graceful 19th-century Ottoman extravaganza in white marble. After touring the palace we drive south to the bustling suburb of Üsküdar (Scutari) for a stroll through its shopping district. Then it's off again to neighboring Kadiköy (Chalcedon), famous for its Antiques Street. Our tote bags full, we make the short intercontinental drive back to Europe and our hotel.

Day 8 - BURSA, Saturday (BL)
We steam across the Sea of Marmara by fast ferry, bound for ancient Bursa, set amidst fertile farming country famous for its fruits (especially peaches). Bursa was the first capital of the Ottoman sultans. We visit its early Ottoman architectural masterpieces, including the Green Mosque and Green Tomb, the Grand Mosque and‹naturally!‹its Grand Bazaar. Soft, cushy Turkish towels were invented in Bursa and are bargain here still, but the city is equally famous for its fine silk. The cocoons are brought in from the surrounding mountains, and the beautiful blouses, scarves and dresses made from them are featured in the bazaar. Arrayed in silk, we make our way to the neighboring spa of Çekirge for a hot mineral bath to try out our new towels!

DAY 9 - BURSA & BERGAMA, Sunday (BL)
We head out early to Bursa's Silk Market to see how the fine fabric is made, from cocoon market to weaving and finishing. Then we drive west through the fertile Marmara countryside via Balikesir to ancient Pergamum (Bergama), famous for its invention of parchment. We tour its lofty Acropolis, with its famous library (that's why they needed the parchment), Altar of Zeus, Temple of Trajan, remains of palaces, and the steepest, most dramatic theater in the classical world. Next we visit the Asclepion, the ancient world's most renowned medical center, established by Galen almost 2000 years ago. We won't miss the local bazaar and, if it's market day, the lively market, before settling in for the night.

DAY 10 - IZMIR, TIRE & KUSADASI, Monday (BL)
We drive along the Aegean coast through groves of olive trees to Izmir (Smyrna), Turkey's third-largest city. We visit its Roman Agora, once the city's central market, then we take a walking tour of the Basmane Bazaar to see today's marketplace. (Keep your eye out for dried figs, a delicious local specialty.) After lunch we go off the beaten track to the small town of Tire to have a look at traditional country life, where there might just be a weekly bazaar in progress. Finally we make our way to the Aegean seaside resort of Kusadasi for a good night's rest.

DAY 11 - EPHESUS, SIRINCE, SELÇUK & ISTANBUL, Tuesday (BL)
A short drive brings us to Ephesus, the best-preserved classical city on the Mediterranean. This was the capital of Roman Asia, the largest, richest and most populous city in the region. St. Paul visited and preached here, and wrote his Letter to the Ephesians toits Christian congregation. Entering through the Magnesia Gate, we visit the Upper Agora, the Odeon, the City Hall, the Temple of Domitian, the much-photographed Temple of Hadrian, the unique Library of Celsus with its insulated walls, the Roman baths, and its 25,000-seat Great Theater, which is still in use! From this center of civilization we head up into the cool, verdant pine-forested hills inland to Sirince (shee-REEN-jeh), a well-preserved mountain village of nice old houses where local handicrafts are made and sold. Then it's back down to Selçuk, the town next to Ephesus, to see Turkish carpets, kilims, silk, leather and suede garments being made, and also beautiful colored Turkish tiles. After a full day, we drive to Izmir Airport for the short flight to Istanbul, and a well-deserved rest.

DAY 12 - DEPARTURE Wednesday (B)
Suitcases stuffed with treasures that will bring back many memories, we drive to the airport for our homeward flight. Bon Voyage

RATES per person in USD $

Rates include :

• All transfers while in Turkey.
• Air fare from JFK, round-trip, including tax, West-Coast add-on: $450. Air fare summer high-season supplement: May - Sep $300.
• Preset menu meals as per itinerary: B/L/D: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner as listed for each day.
• Guided sightseeing as per itinerary including all entrance fees and the service of an English speaking guide.
• 4 stars first class hotel accommodation with tax.
• Lonely Planet Travel Guidebook.
• Domestic air fare in Turkey in economy class , tax included

• Rate doesn't include :
• Visa Fee : : $20 in cash upon arrival, for US citizens, or $45 for Canadians, or from any of the Turkish Consulates.
• Any trip/travel insurance.

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