10 Days Turkish Culinary & Wine Tour
About this tour
On this 10 Days Turkish Culinary & Wine Tour, we will discover Turkish cuisine deeply. Explore the local cuisine of Turkey which goes to 4000 years back which is known. We will discover Istanbul's famous foods, baklava, lahmacun, street foods and try raki. After this capital of empires, we will drive to the Thrace region which was the wine route of ancient times. The territory of the area is very good for vineyards and wine-producing. We will have wine tastings at the boutique wine producers and stay in Canakkale. We will follow the Aegean coast and drive to Kusadasi via visiting Olive Oil gardens. The Aegean coastal is the best region for olive oil production in the world. While in Kusadasi, we will visit a local village and explore the cooking in Turkey with villagers. We will explore Cappadocia region and back to Istanbul
Day-by-day itinerary
Day 1: Istanbul Airport, Turkey to İstanbul, Turkey
Upon your arrival in Istanbul, you will be welcomed and transferred to your hotel in the old city. A welcome package with tour vouchers, an Istanbul map, and any other touristic information will be waiting for you upon arrival at your hotel. You will be having a welcome meeting at the hotel with your guide and fellow guests at 7 pm. And taste Istanbul’s popular street foods. We will visit traditional artistan restaurant and see the home made style meals and taste them. Than we visit Turkish delight shop and taste them with Turkish coffee. We will taste lahmacun (a very uncomplicated meal of thin dough topped with a minced meat-onion-red pepper mixture, slid in the oven for a few minutes and served piping hot) Later, we walk to taste kokoreç ( actually spiced and skewered sheep’s intestines, served in either half or quarter of a bread loaf with plenty of grease and salt to go with). And Midye Dolma ( mussels on the half shell, mixed with spicy rice and served with a squeeze of lemon juice) ** Optionally, we can taste local drinks, Raki, Beer and wines with supplement costs. Overnight in Istanbul Meals: Dinner
Day 2: İstanbul, Turkey
Today you will have a full-day guided tour of the main highlights of Istanbul…We visit Topkapi Palace, built as an official residence and the seat of government during the Ottoman Empire. Lunch at a local restaurant then continue city tour bring you to Blue Mosque, one of the most prominent landmark of Istanbul. Continues to Hippodrome Square, former centre of sportive and political activities of Constantinople. Next to The Hagia Sophia Mosque, is a former Eastern Orthodox Church converted to a mosque. Final visit to Grand Bazaar – one of the largest covered bazaar in the world. Overnight in Istanbul Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
Day 3: İstanbul, Turkey to Çanakkale, Turkey
After breakfast, we drive to the Thrace region. Thrace, a geographical area that is split between modern-day Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey, possesses a centuries-old tradition of winemaking. With the population exchange in 1923 between Greece and Turkey, wine production in Thrace’s Turkish regions saw a major decline but is now being revived by a number of excellent modern vineyards, that await their wine enthusiast visitors. We will visit, Barel, Umurbey, and Suvla Wineries and make our tasting and have our lunch. Pass across the Dardanelles and overnight in Canakkale. Meals: Breakfast & Lunch & Dinner
Day 4: Çanakkale, Turkey to Kuşadası, Turkey
After breakfast, we depart to Troy. We will visit the model of the Trojan Horse, Sacrificial Altars, the 3700-year-old city walls, Houses of Troy I from 3000 – 2500 B.C. After Troy visit, we depart for Bergama. We will have lunch in Bergama and then depart for a fully guided Pergamon Acropolis tour. At Pergamon, the ancient world’s major power, you will visit the Acropolis, the ruins of Zeus Altar “Throne of Satan”, the Hellenistic Theatre which had a seating capacity of 10,000 people, the Great Library which held 200,000 books and Trojan, the Gymnasium situated on terraces, the lower Agora, Temple of Dionysus, Temple of Athena and Temple of Trojan. Later, we will visit the Olive Oil museum and see how olive oil is produced and make olive oil tasting and getting informed about the olives and their history in this land. Transfer to Kusadasi. Overnight in Kusadasi Meals: Breakfast & Lunch & Dinner
Day 5: Kuşadası, Turkey to Ephesus Ancient Theatre, Acarlar, Turkey
After breakfast, you will be picked up from your hotel and see the Ancient Roman City of Ephesus, to explore the Arcadian Way, Roman Baths, Temple of Hadrian, the Celsius Library, and the Antique Theatre. In the afternoon visit the famous Sirince village with the cute village houses. We will make a wine tasting in this small village and have lunch in an authentic restaurant. At the end of the tour transfer back to your hotel. Dinner & overnight in Kusadasi Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 6: Kuşadası, Turkey to Priene Ruins, Turkey
Today, we will visit a local village and explore the local life in an Aegean village. Our village is located where the Priene Ancient city and we also visit this amazing ancient Ionian city. At the village house, you will be taking a cooking course and exploring how to cook Turkish food. End of the course you will have lunch what you have cooked. End of the day, we will see the cotton gardens and olive gardens in the village and back to Kusadasi overnight. Overnight in Kusadasi Meals: Breakfast & Lunch & Dinner
Day 7: Kuşadası, Turkey to Cappadocia, Turkey
Day 7: Kusadasi to Cappadocia After breakfast, transferred to Izmir airport and we take a flight to Cappadocia. Upon arrival, welcome and transfer to your hotel in Cappadocia and overnight. Overnight in Cappadocia Meals: Breakfast
Day 8: Cappadocia, Turkey
You can book an early morning optional hot air balloon flight tour to enjoy the magnificent view of the valleys and the region by your guide. After breakfast, we will visit Devrent and Pasabagi valleys, to see the amazing fairy chimneys of Cappadocia. Then head to the pottery town of Avanos. Watch the potters at work using kick wheels, a technique that has remained unchanged for generations. After lunch, visit Goreme Open Air Museum for the world’s most important Byzantine cave churches and the best-preserved cave wall paintings and frescos. We will visit the Underground city and discover how people live there Finally, you will be driven to Uchisar Castle, the highest point of the region, where we will have a fabulous panoramic view over Cappadocia. We will visit the famous winery in the region and make wine tasting. Overnight in Cappadocia Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
Day 9: Cappadocia, Turkey to İstanbul, Turkey
After breakfast, you will be transferred to the Cappadocia airport for your flight to Istanbul and upon arrival in Istanbul, you will be welcomed and transferred to your hotel. This afternoon is free to explore the city with own pace. Overnight Istanbul Meals: Breakfast
Day 10: İstanbul, Turkey to Istanbul Airport, Turkey
Our tour will conclude with an outbound airport transfer according to your flight time. Meals: Breakfast
What's included
9 Nights Accommodation in 4 stars and Cave Hotels Airport Transfers on a private basis English Speaking Guided Tours as per itinerary on Small Group Basis Entrance Fees of the sites as per itinerary Meals as per itinerary Domestic Flight Tickets Wine Tasting at Vineyards & Wineries HOTELS Erboy Hotel or similar in Istanbul Grand Anzac Hotel or similar in Canakkale Ilayda Avantgarde Hotel or similar in Kusadasi MDC Cave Hotel or similar in Cappadocia
Personal Expenses Beverages on meals Meals which are not mentioned on program Optional Hot Air Balloon Flight, ATV Safari, Horse Safari in Cappadocia
What to know
This tour can be customized. Please get in touch with me.
Route & locations
Istanbul Airport, Turkey to İstanbul, Turkey