Bosphorus
& Asia (includes lunch)
Depart in the morning and visit the Spice Bazaar (closed Sunday).
Established in 1663, it transports you to fantasies from the mystical
East. The enticing aromas of herbs for cooking, dyes, preservatives,
cosmetics, fill the air. Later board a cruise ship (ferry with less
than 10 passengers) from the Golden Horn through the waterway separating
the two continents—Asia and Europe—with the opportunity
to view marble palaces, ancient wooden villas of Ottoman architecture,
Ciragan Palace Hotel, Dolmabahce Palace, Beylerbeyi Palace, Bosphorus
and Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridges. Depart the cruise ship in Tarabya
or Sariyer. After lunch, visit the Rumelian Fortress (closed Wednesday),
built by the Conqueror in 1452 to protect Bosphorus, visit Camlica
Hill to observe the best panoramic view of Istanbul, and tour Beylerbeyi
Palace (Closed Monday & Thursday), the summer residence of the
Ottoman Sultans, with its original furniture and magnificent gardens.
Daily: 9am to 5pm
$115 per person
Dolmabahce
& Golden Horn (includes lunch)
A morning visit to the Dolmabahce Palace, the last residence of
Ottoman Sultans (closed Mon/Thurs; replaced with visit to the
Yildiz Park and Yildiz Porcelain Factory). With its 365 rooms
and 22 salons, the palace is famed for its collection of antiques,
furniture and interior decoration including 4.5 tons of gold leaf.
After lunch, drive along the Golden Horn, tour the Chora Museum
(closed Wednesday; replaced with Eyup Mosque), see the impressive
city walls, and enjoy tea at the Pierre Loti Café.
Daily: 10am to 5pm
$115 per person
Turkish
Night in Istanbul (includes dinner)
A Turkish nightclub experience will be fun and unique. Enjoy
dinner at a restaurant, sampling various kinds of excellent Turkish
cuisine and local drinks while watching the spectacular Oriental
show performed by famous belly dancers, Turkish singers, and folk
groups from different regions of Anatolia. Late night return to
the hotel (price includes one local drink).
Daily: 8pm to 11:30pm
$115 per person
Half
Day Jewish Heritage Tour
Drive through the old Jewish neighbourhood Galata.
Visit the most prestigious synagogues of the city-Neve Shalom
and Ashkenazi. Then drive along the Golden Horn and through Balat,
Istanbul's first Jewish settlement. Visit the Ahrida Synagogue,
built in the 15th century, the Or-Ahayim Jewish Hospital in Balat,
then the Jewish Cemetery at Ulus district, and the Ortakoy Etz-Ahayim
Synagogue, before returning to the hotel. (All synagogue visits
require advance permission from officials, therefore guests are
required to advise their full names and passport numbers at the
time of booking and to carry their passports during visits.)
Daily: 9am to 1pm
$100 per person
Traditional Taste of Turkey (includes
lunch)
Discover
Byzantine and Ottoman treasures of Istanbul. Visit the Imperial
Suleymaniye Mosque, which dominates the skyline of Istanbul, built
between 1550 and 1557 by the famous architect Sinan, the Underground
Cistern Basilica from the Byzantine period and then visit the
Islamic Art Museum, housed in the Ibrahim Pasha Palace to view
its opulent Ottoman Treasures, including exquisitely intricate
carpets. Lunch at a local restaurant and enjoy Turkish food, prepared
with organic vegetables and meat. Then drive along the Bosphorus
and visit a private museum, Atli Kosk, owned by Sakip Sabanci,
once one of the richest businessmen in Turkey. Enjoy the rest
of the afternoon relaxing at a café on the shores of Bosphorus.
Daily: 9am to 5pm
$120 per person
Full
Day Gallipoli & Troy (includes lunch and dinner)
Depart
early from the hotel, drive along the northern shores of the Sea
of Marmara to Troy to see its legendary walls, and a wooden replica
of the Trojan horse. After lunch in Canakkale, cross the Dardanelles
Strait by ferry boat, and visit Gallipoli-a First World War site.
Visit Anzac Cove where the Allied Forces landed on April 25, 1915,
along with other sites including War Cemeteries (Beach Cemetery,
Quinn's Post) and Anzac Memorials (Lone Pine-Australian Memorial,
Chunuk Bair-New Zealand Memorial, Hellespont-English Memorial).
Drive back to Istanbul late evening with dinner en route.
Daily: 7am to 9pm
$230 per person
|
