Explore Istanbul - named the #1 city in all of Europe by Travel and Leisure in 2023 and #8 top ranked city in all of the world. Everywhere you turn, you will find UNESCO world heritage sites! This is the only city that spans two continents. You will not want to miss this one!
Breakfast is included daily in the hotel.
Welcome and farewell dinners (a set menu as well as red and white wine are included at these meals)
Nightly rooftop desserts and refreshments
7 nights in the Magnura Palace hotel, located in the best (we may be a bit biased) location in all of Istanbul.
Lectures will be conducted daily by in house scholar and author of Istanbul: City of Majesty at the Crossroads of the World, Thomas Madden, PhD.
Local celebrity bilingual tour guide, Serif Yenen as applicable.
As specified in the itinerary
Full-day private yacht charter tour
Transfers to and from the Istanbul airport and the Magnaura Palace Hotel
Istanbul tram card pre-loaded with funds to get your adventure started with ease
Audio sets while on daily guided tours for optimal auditory experience
A Cultured Travel tour director will be with you and available for the duration of the tour
Snacks, lunch, and most dinners; all food and drink which are not part of the hotel breakfast, provided dinners, or lecture/yacht refreshments
Airfare to Istanbul and the return trip are not included. Any transportation or lodging costs associated with air transfer to Istanbul or any associated parking fees are not included.
Such as the Ottoman Cooking Class, Culinary Walking Tour, Turkish Wine Pairing, Ebru Marbling Art, Turkish Bath (Hamam)
Suggested amount of approximately $100 - $200 per person)
No visa is currently required. Should this change, any visa fees are not included.
Arrive at your hotel right in Sultanahmet Square with vistas of the Bosphorus, the Blue Mosque, and the Hagia Sophia. Settle in and then join us for our first lecture at 7:30 p.m.
Start your day with a walking tour of the Via Egnatia and traversing through the Byzantine Underground exploring Ottoman architecture. Enjoy the fine art of Turkish carpets. Follow this with our daily lecture and our welcome dinner at the Deraliye Ottoman Cuisine Restaurant.
Enjoy a tour of the Hagia Sophia, a building so large and so impressive that Justinian the I drained most of the treasury of Roman Empire to build it in the 6th century AD. (Optional) Spend your afternoon exploring more off the beaten path sites and join us for an Ottoman Cooking Class at Deraliye. We will conclude the evening with our daily lecture.
Explore the Hippodrome and join us on an optional Culinary tour. We'll head back to the hotel for the daily lecture. Conclude your evening with an optional Ebru marbling art event and take your own masterpiece home with you!
Tour the Topkapi Palace where you will see what wealth beyond your wildest dreams looked like throughout the centuries. In the afternoon, enjoy an optional Turkish Bath and then head back to the hotel for our daily lecture.
On your last full day exploring this amazing city, you will see the Suleymaniye Mosque, have the option of exploring and learning about Medieval Christianity, and wrap up the day with our evening lecture.
This will be an experience like no other. Enjoy your day with friends while cruising on a private yacht through the Bosphorus. Our evening will conclude with a farewell dinner at the Seven Hills Restaurant.
Now that you have experience this city once, we know you will be craving to come back. You won't be able to wait to tell all of your friends back home what an amazing place it is and how they must visit.