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Overview

The Cuisine of Sultans

Enjoying the view on your cooking vacation in TurkeyYour cooking vacation begins in Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city and the economic and cultural mecca of Turkey. Immediately delight your senses with a trip to the famous Spice Bazaar, one of the oldest bazaars in the city. Next, fly to Cappadocia, a city filled with natural wonders, in particular the fairy chimneys in the Goreme Valley.

During your stay in Turkey you will experience some of the world’s most delicious cuisine. Turkish gastronomy has been called a fusion of Central Asian, Eastern European, and Middle Eastern cuisines, and you can find influences from the Balkans as well as Western Europe. The food varies from region to region, but you will find delicious spices, stews, fish, kebabs, and grains such as bulgur and rice. Olive oil is a staple, as are fresh vegetables.

This tour includes a lot of walking and climbing, and we recommend that you be in reasonably good physical condition.





Latest Review

I gave this trip 5 stars
Lara
MD
Trip taken September 2013
Our guide was terrific! What a great trip. Everything went so smoothly. The balloon ride was so nice. All of the visits were nice. Great food & classes.

Trip Details

Your culinary tour of Turkey will include 2 hands-on Turkish cooking lessons featuring local Turkish cuisine made with incredible fresh ingredients that are indigenous to each region.

Itinerary

The stunning Blue Mosque seen in your cooking vacation in TurkeyDay One

  • Arrival in Istanbul.
  • Meet and greet at Ataturk airport and transfer to your hotel.
  • Enjoy a welcome dinner in a local restaurant.
  • Overnight.

Family traditions seen on your cooking vacation in TurkeyDay Two

  • After breakfast, spend the morning visiting the old part of Istanbul, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Visit the Topkapi Palace, once home to the great Sultans, and the famous Blue Mosque, built by Sultan Ahmet in 1609, where the interior walls are covered with 20,000 blue Iznik tiles.
  • Stop for lunch on your own during your tour, then head to the Basilica of St. Sophia, which has inspired visitors and religious leaders for over fifteen hundred years.
  • Dinner at a local restaurant is included.
  • Overnight in Istanbul.

Spice market in Istanbul visited on your culinary tour of TurkeyDay Three

  • After breakfast, spend the morning touring the spice bazaar, where the scents permeate the air, then proceed to a cooking class, lunch to follow based on your efforts.
  • This afternoon enjoy a cruise on the Bosphorus, with views of the Dolmabahce Palace and the Beylerbeyi Palace, a 19th-century jewel on the Asian side of Istanbul.
  • Dinner is included tonight. Overnight.

Cappadocia caves as seen on your culinary tour of TurkeyDay Four

  • After breakfast, transfer to the Istanbul Airport for your flight to Cappadocia (flight included).
  • Lunch on your own.
  • In Cappadocia explore Zelve, one of the most important settlements and religious centers of Christianity between the Ninth and Thirteenth Centuries.
  • On the way to your hotel, stop for a visit at a local wine producer to taste wines such as Okuzgozu, Kalecikkarasi, Narince, and Emir and explore a wine making heritage that goes back over 6000 years!
  • Dinner tonight is included.
  • Overnight.

Enjoying the view on your cooking vacation in TurkeyDay Five

  • Following breakfast, today’s sightseeing tour will begin in the hidden monastic valley of Pasabagi, where there are varieties of carved rock houses and churches.
  • Next, visit a local municipality carpet cooperation — like a carpet farm — where you will get the chance to explore the district from a cultural perspective.
  • Lunch on your own.
  • In the afternoon, discover the fascinating Goreme Valley, where for over thousands of years the rain has eroded the landscape to give rise to strange lunar-like formations known as “Fairy Chimneys.”
  • Dinner and overnight in Cappadocia.

Day Six

  • In the early morning, you can enjoy an optional hot air balloon ride (for additional cost). It is a dream to float gently over the Cappadocia countryside in complete harmony with the fertile valleys and deep canyons.
  • After breakfast, discover a typical Turkish village, Avanos, where you will see the techniques of ceramic art that date back to between the 12th century B.C. and the 3rd century B.C.
  • Next, an interactive cooking workshop to learn about the Anatolian and Cappadocian flavors of this area’s food. Lunch to follow.
  • In the afternoon, visit the underground city of Kaymakli. Around the 6th century, the Christian inhabitants of the region began to tunnel into the soft volcanic rock, eventually creating a subterranean city two hundred seventy-five feet deep with eight different levels, large enough to house several thousand people.
  • Dinner tonight is included.
  • Overnight.

Turkish coffee enjoyed on your cooking vacation in TurkeyDay Seven

  • Following breakfast, transfer to the airport. (Flight back to Istanbul not included but can be arranged on request, or you can connect through to another gateway city.)

Trip Details

Included in the 6-Night Trip

Accommodations

6 nights accommodation in 4* hotels (such as the Hotel Yasmak Sultan in Istanbul and the Yunak Evleri Cave Hotel in Cappadocia)

Food & Beverages

  • Daily breakfast
  • 2 lunches
  • 6 dinners

Classes & Instructors

Your culinary tour of Turkey will include 2 hands-on Turkish cooking lessons featuring local Turkish cuisine made with incredible fresh ingredients that are indigenous to each region.

Excursions

  • Guided tours of Istanbul, including the Hagia Sofia and the Spice Bazaar
  • Bosphorus cruise
  • Visit of Zelve and Cappadocia winery
  • Guided tour of Cappadocia, including the Goreme Valley
  • Visit of Kaymakli underground city in Cappadocia

Transfer Details

  • Arrival transfer from Istanbul airport and to Cappadocia airport on departure.

Miscellaneous

  • Domestic flight from Istanbul to Cappadocia (return flight can be arranged on request if required)
  • Food tastings as per itinerary
  • English-speaking professional guide
  • Entrance fees
  • Baggage handling and tips at the hotels

Not Included

  • Beverages
  • Customary tips for the tour guide, the driver and the chefs of cooking classes. (Suggested amounts: $10 per day for tour guide, $7 per day for driver, $15 per person per class for cooking lessons).

Accommodation Information

In Istanbul: The Yasmak Sultan is a 4* hotel in the center of Istanbul. Recently renovated rooms feature a spacious layout, modern decor, en suite bath, room safe, air conditioning, minibar, coffee/tea maker, and hair dryers. The hotel also boasts a spa, indoor swimming pool, fitness center, Turkish bath, sauna, and rooftop restaurant.

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In Cappadocia, the Yunak Evleri offers a historical atmosphere of a cave hotel but the comfort and warmth of a 4* hotel. The hotel has 46 rooms with elegant decor, marble floors, handcrafted lace curtains, traditional bedsteads, and more. The rooms are large and feature en suite bath, safe, minibar, heating system, TV, kettle, hairdryer, and more.

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Pricing & Tour Dates



Sample* Pricing:

6-night Program

US$3690 per person based on double occupancy

    *Pricing can vary by week and number of participants in your party. Please contact us for a detailed quote.

    30% deposit due to confirm booking.

    Balance payment due 60 days prior to tour start date. Questions? Please contact us!

    Note that prices include the domestic flight from Istanbul to Cappadocia. (Return flight to Istanbul can be arranged upon request.)

    Please also note: additional pricing may apply during holidays and congresses.


    Tour Dates

    Available any dates you choose for a minimum of 2 people.  Please also note: additional pricing may apply during holidays and congresses.

     

    Reviews

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