A Culinary Exploration Tour of Greece and Turkey

Day 1 – March 20 – Arrival in Athens

• Arrival in Athens and group transfer.
• Enjoy a panoramic drive past the east scenic suburbs of Athens, and enjoy lunch at a restaurant by lake Vouliagmeni. (If your flight arrives later in the day we will skip this and transfer you straight to your hotel).
• Return to hotel and time to rest.
• In the evening, take a leisurely stroll in the Monastiraki and Thiseio districts and dine at Kouzina restaurant with signature dishes from renowned chef Aris Chanaklis.

Day 2 – March 21 – Athens

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• This morning, visit the Acropolis and the Acropolis museum. Stop for a coffee (paid locally), then explore the shops in Ermou.
• Enjoy a light lunch in Monastiraki.
• Next, walk to the Athens Central Market Tour for a guided visit.
• Return to hotel for time to rest.
• You saw Acropolis during the day, tonight dine with a view of the Acropolis at Grand Bretagne restaurant bar.

Day 3 – March 22 – Athens & Saronic Islands

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Depart for Floisvos Marina or Kallithea Port for today’s full-day cruise to the Saronic islands: Hydra, Poros, and Aegina. (8 am to 7:30 pm). Lunch buffet included.
• Transfer to the Moschato area for dinner.
• Return to hotel and overnight.

Day 4 – March 23 – Zakynthos

• Breakfast and check out. Leave your luggage with the concierge and enjoy some free time for shopping and lunch on your own.
• Transfer to Athens airport for your afternoon flight to Zakynthos.
• Welcome dinner in Zakynthos with local music.

Day 5 – March 24 – Zakynthos

• Breakfast.
• This morning, tour the north with a private cruise to the Shipwreck beach and the Blue caves.
• Lunch at a local favorite, the Kabi mountain taverna, which offers amazing views.
• Relax and free time in Zakynthos town.
• This evening you are invited to dine with Greek families in their homes (within an easy walk of your hotel). Get to know Greek people and find out more about Greece while enjoying a 4-course dinner in the comfort of private homes. (Your group will be split into smaller groups for this dinner.)

Day 6 – March 25 – Zakynthos

• Breakfast.
• Excursion to Mahairado village: visit the monastery, Agia Maura church and a winery for a wine tasting.
• Experience a farm to fork experience during a cooking class in Orthonies village, lunch to follow.
• Relax and enjoy free time in Zakynthos.
• Dinner tonight is on your own (if you are still hungry after your lunch).

Day 7 – March 26 – Zakynthos

• Breakfast, then a hands-on Baklava class at your hotel with a 4th-generation confectioner
• Guided walk around the town, and a stop to visit the confectioner at his shop!
• Lunch at a traditional Mageirio in Zante.
• Relax and free time in Zakynthos town .
• Farewell dinner at a seafront restaurant.

Day 8 – March 27 – Return to Athens

• Breakfast.
• Depart the airport for your fight back to Athens. (You can grab a quick lunch during your travels.)
• Transfer to your hotel and check in, then enjoy time to explore with dinner on your own.

Day 9 – March 28– Arrival in Istanbul

• This morning, breakfast and check out. Leave your bags at the front desk and enjoy one last stroll through Athens.
• Afternoon flight to Istanbul, where you will be greeted and transferred to your hotel. (Lunch on your own today during your travels.)
• Enjoy your Welcome Dinner at Matbah Restaurant, featuring the phenomenal flavors of royal Ottoman cuisine.

Day 10 – March 29 – Istanbul

• After breakfast explore Istanbul’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites; Yerebatan Underground Cistern, built by Byzantine Emperor Justinian I (527-565); the Basilica of St. Sophia (Closed on Mondays), which has inspired religious leaders for over fifteen hundred years; and the Hippodrome, a circus that was the sporting and social center of Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire.
• Lunch will be in one of the best fish restaurants of Istanbul. After lunch, explore the Spice Bazaar where the scent of hundreds of spices permeates the air.
• This evening, a cooking class followed by dinner based on what you have prepared.

Day 11 – March 30 – Istanbul, Gaziantep

• Today visit the Topkapi Palace with The Imperial Kitchens, serving the Ottoman royal family and the Blue Mosque (partly undergoing renovation), built in 1609 by Sultan Ahmet.
• Lunch will be in a historical restaurant founded in 1920 and specializing in meatballs.
• Then transfer to the airport to have a flight to Gaziantep, a hub that draws foodies, history lovers and those looking for a rich melting pot of diverse cultures. Declared a “Creative City of Gastronomy” by UNESCO in December 2015, Gaziantep’s cuisine holds a special place in the Turkish cookbook with its traditional abundance of flavor, especially spices.
• Dinner will be in your hotel due to the late arrival. (Although alcohol is not prevalent in Gaziantep it is available at the hotel and wine will be served with dinner.)

Day 12 – March 31 – Gaziantep

• After breakfast visit Gaziantep Citadel, dating back 9,000 years. The citadel, as it is known today, was originally built during Roman rule as an observation tower, but was restored and enhanced to give it its present structure by Byzantine Emperor Justinian I in the sixth century. Then stop at the historical (1665) Tahmis Coffee shop to taste Menengic coffee, made from the roasted Pistachio tree seeds (commonly known as terebinth and turpentine tree).
• After spending some time at the Coppersmiths’ Bazaar where the traditional culture of Gaziantep is still preserved and protected, enjoy lunch at Metanet Restaurant, serving up a myriad of different beyran soups. Next taste and learn about Gaziantep baklava, which is made with locally grown pistachio nuts and was awarded “protected status” by the European Union.
• The tour continues with a visit of the Zeugma Mosaic Museum, the biggest mosaic museum in the world, containing 1700m2 of mosaics. Founded by Alexander the Great’s generals in 300 B.C., the Ancient City of Zeugma is considered one of the four biggest cities of the Commagene Kingdom. Gaining huge wealth and glory under the rule the Romans, the city became one of the region’s attractions due to its commercial potential originating from its strategic location along the Silk Road connecting Antioch to China. In A.D. 256, the city was invaded and completely destroyed by the Sassanids. Later, a huge earthquake destroyed it once again and buried the city.
• Dinner will be in Imam Cagdas where you can try lahmacun, a common dish which is a flatbread topped with minced meat and vegetables. (Please note alcohol is not served at this restaurant.)

Day 13 – April 1 – Gaziantep to Cappadocia

• Breakfast will be in a Katmerci Zekeriya Usta (pastry shop) where you will taste and observe a production of “katmer”, a local desert with clotted cream and pistachio.
  Next visit The Emine Gogus Culinary Museum, which illustrates how to cook and prepare “Yuvalama” – a traditional bayram food, mıra – a traditional coffee – and bastık and sucuk (traditional sweets eaten around a traditional stove called “Tandır” on cold winter nights), and similar local specialities.
• Today’s drive to Cappadocia will take around 6 hours. Lunch will be in Kebabci Halil Usta, famous for its succulent herbed lamb called küsleme.
• Arrival in Cappadocia, known for its distinctive “fairy chimneys,” tall, cone-shaped rock formations.
• Dinner is at hotel.

Day 14 – April 2 – Cappadocia

• In the very early morning you may have an optional Hot Air Balloon ride (inquire for pricing), it is a dream to gently float over the countryside in complete harmony with the deep canyons and lush fertile valleys of Cappadocia. Gentle winds carry you over places that could never be reached except by balloon.
• Next visit local municipality carpet cooperation, sort of a carpet farm where you will have the chance to explore the district from a cultural perspective. After lunch in Ziggy Café Restaurant, explore the fascinating UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Goreme Open Air Museum. The lunar like landscape of this region is eerie, yet beautiful. For over thousands of years, the rain has eroded this landscape to give rise to strange rock formations known as “Fairy Chimneys”. Many of these have homes and churches carved into them. Some of the grottos are magnificently decorated with colorful frescoes depicting biblical scenes.
• On the way to the hotel, visit one of the famous local wine producers to taste local wines such as Okuzgozu, Kalecikkarasi, Narince and Emir, of Turkey where wine making heritage dates back over 6000 years.
• Dinner will be at Dimitri Restaurant with a fantastic view of the town and the valley.

Day 15 – April 3 – Cappadocia

• After breakfast discover a typical Turkish village, Avanos to see the techniques of ceramic art dating from 12th B.C. to 3rd B.C. periods.
• Then enjoy a Cooking Class, including local tastes and following with lunch.
• In the afternoon visit the Underground City of Kaymakli. Around the sixth century the Christian inhabitants of this region began to tunnel into the soft volcanic rock. They went as deep as two hundred and seventy five feet with eight different levels, and several thousand people lived in this subterranean city.
• Dinner will be in Muti Restaurant, formerly in a historic caravansarai.

Day 16 – April 4 – Departure

• After a farewell breakfast transfer to Airport for your departing flight from Cappadocia.