Turkish Food & Culture Tour: İstanbul & Cappadocia - 9 Days

Highlights

• Dine at world-renowned restaurants in Istanbul, like Tugra and Mikla
• Eat your way around Eminonu and Kadikoy on a street food tour
• Fly over Cappadocia's valleys and rock formations in a hot-air balloon
• Watch a whirling dervish dance and pottery demonstration
• Descend 65 feet (20 m) to explore the Kaymaklı Underground City

Brief Itinerary

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive in İstanbul, Dinner at Tuğra Restaurant

Welcome to Turkey and the vibrant city of İstanbul! Meet your driver outside İstanbul International Airport and head to your centrally-located hotel. Steeped in history and culture, İstanbul is known as "the bridge between Europe and Asia" and is the only city in the world that straddles two continents. Once you settle in and relax a little, get ready for dinner at Çırağan Palace Kempinski. This historic Ottoman palace houses one of İstanbul's most famous restaurants, Tuğra Restaurant and Lounge (Tuğra meaning "Signature of the Sultan").

Enjoy incredible views over the Bosphorus Strait from the opulent dining room adorned with intricate Ottoman-era decor. Choose from an array of dishes crafted from centuries-old recipes with a modern twist, from delectable appetizers or mezes to succulent kebabs. No meal is complete without dessert; try a homemade baklava or a warm halva paired with Turkish coffee. Continue the night with drinks along the glittering strait, or head back to the hotel to rest for tomorrow's tour of the city. 

Day 2: Guided Tour of Sultanahmet, Dinner at the Michelin-Starred Mikla

Start your action-packed day exploring the streets of İstanbul's historic district, Sultanahmet, home to many important buildings and sites from the Byzantine era. Follow your guide to one of the city's most famous sites, the Blue Mosque. Enter this historic landmark from the 17th century to see the interior lined with intricate blue tiles that lent the mosque its name. Head outside to the Hippodrome of Constantinople, now known as Sultanahmet Square. Admire the square's fountain with the mosque as a backdrop, and check out the towering Egyptian Obelisk of Theodosius.

Sit down for a quick lunch at an esnaf lokantası, a type of local restaurant with a variety of premade meals to choose from. Explore other UNESCO World Heritage sites in the area, such as Hagia Sophia or Topkapı Palace, before heading to the Grand Bazaar in the afternoon. Stay close to your guide as you walk down the winding streets and alleys covered by over 4,000 stalls. After strolling around the largest covered market in the world, enjoy dinner at Mikla, a Michelin-starred restaurant that innovatively combines dishes and ingredients from the chef's Turkish-Scandinavian background. 

Day 3: Bosphorus Boat Tour, Relax at a Hammam, Feast on Kebabs

Hop on a boat cruise across the Bosphorus Strait today, admiring both the European and Asian shores of the city. Sit back, relax, and admire popular landmarks like the Golden Horn and Ortaköy Mosque from the water. Disembark at Beyoğlu to explore the area by foot, stopping at notable sites like St. Antoine's Catholic Church, Galata Mevlevi House Museum, the Tünel District, and Neve Shalom Synagogue. Don't miss the Galata Tower, built by the Genovese as an observation tower; it's now a museum that makes up the iconic silhouette of the city.

Take a break for lunch at Suleymaniye Kurufasulyecisi to try fasulye, a classic Turkish dish of white beans cooked in tomato sauce with rice. Rest after your meal at Hurrem Sultan Bath, a Turkish spa called a hammam. Start with a steam bath to open your pores and cleanse your skin in preparation for a body scrub to exfoliate your skin and remove dead skin cells and impurities. After rinsing off, lay down for a full-body massage with essential oils to ease any tension you may be feeling. End the night with kebabs at Samatya Develi, which has been serving this beloved local dish since 1966.

Day 4: Street Food Tour of Eminönü & Kadıköy

Today, you're going to eat your way through the city, so have a light breakfast. Start with the European side at the commercial waterfront area of Eminönü. As you weave through the colorful backstreets, learn about and try different traditional dishes and ingredients, like local cheeses, pickles, puddings, and Turkish delight. Surround yourself with mouthwatering aromas at the Spice Bazaar, with over 85 shops selling local snacks, spices, and sweets for you to sample. Grab a dürüm, a delectable wrap filled with tender meat, to keep you going.

In the afternoon, take a short ferry ride across the strait to the Asian side of the city, Kadıköy. Walk along the narrow, pedestrian-only streets, entering local shops and restaurants. Explore one of the many markets in the area; from fresh fruit to seafood to spices, they sell it all. This is the best area to try the favorite local dish of midye dolma, stuffed mussels with rice, and kokoreç, lamb intestines seasoned with traditional spices wrapped in bread. End the street food tour with a restorative glass of Turkish tea called çay in one of the traditional tea gardens overlooking the Sea of Marmara.

Day 5: Fly to Cappadocia, Lunch & Cooking Class, Whirling Dervish Show

Say goodbye to İstanbul for now as you catch an hour's flight into the otherworldly landscapes of Cappadocia in central Turkey. Meet your driver outside Kayseri Erkilet Airport and transfer to your hotel. After you've settled in, head to a village house to learn about the secrets of baking bread and cooking local dishes in a stone oven from the owner of the house. You can then enjoy the food you made in the garden. In the evening, head to the nearby town of Avanos to watch a whirling dervish ritual dance, called a sema, in the historic Sarihan Caravansarai from the 13th century. 

Day 6: Hot-Air Balloon Ride, Tour the Region, Dinner at Seki Restaurant

Head out before dawn for a memorable experience—a sunrise hot-air balloon ride over Cappadocia. Watch as the crew inflates the massive balloons, then hop into the basket. Hold on tight as you ascend into the air. Look out over the valleys as the sun paints the sky with hues of pink and orange. When you land, continue to explore the area by visiting the Göreme Open-Air Museum, with its dozens of painted cave churches. After admiring these rock-cut structures, head to the Devrent and Paşabağı valleys to see the famous "fairy chimneys," towering erosion-shaped structures only found in this region.

The adventure continues after an authentic Cappadocian lunch as you visit Uçhisar Castle, built in the fourth century. Climb to the top for a panoramic view of the entire valley. Head back to Avanos to watch a pottery demonstration, as the nearby Kızılırmak River gives residents plenty of red clay to work with. End this action-packed day with dinner at Seki, a restaurant that uses fresh, local ingredients paired with contemporary cooking techniques to produce unique flavors. Try dishes like firik, a rich pilaf dish with fresh garden herbs, and a traditional candied quince for dessert, all paired with delicious Turkish wines.

Day 7: Kaymaklı Underground City, Ihlara Valley, Dinner at Lil’a Restaurant

Today you explore the underground world of Cappadocia as you visit the Kaymaklı Underground City, one of 36 in the region. This one, in particular, used to house over 3,500 people fleeing religious persecution in the seventh and eighth centuries. Although the ancient city descends eight floors, you can only visit the first four, stopping at old living quarters along the way so you can imagine how residents used to live. Once you're back above ground, visit the Ihlara Valley, one of the largest valleys in the world, for a picnic lunch with regional delicacies and local wine.

After refueling, trek through the valley, surrounded by sheer canyon walls that create a shaded oasis. Admire the rock-cut churches and dwellings from the Byzantine era dotting the landscape. End the day in the Museum Hotel at Lil'a Restaurant, which pairs traditional recipes with the almost-forgotten tastes of Anatolia and Cappadocia. Chef Saygın Sesli's philosophy is "from farm to table," so you can enjoy the freshest ingredients in dishes like tandoor ribs or partridge manti, large ravioli-like dumplings filled with slow-cooked partridge meat.

Day 8: Fly to İstanbul, Free Time to Explore, Dinner at Sofyalı 9

Say goodbye to Cappadocia's lunar landscapes as you fly back to İstanbul today. Transfer to your hotel and settle in before heading out to explore the city on your own. Visit some of the landmarks you didn't get to see, such as the Chora Church, a Greek-Orthodox church built in the fourth century, famous for its mosaics and frescoes. Enjoy your last dinner in Turkey at Sofyalı 9, a traditional restaurant that whips up Anatolian classics, such as lamb stew with tomato sauce and fried liver, paired with Turkey's most famous alcoholic drink, rakı.

Day 9: Depart İstanbul

If you have some time before your flight, you can continue to explore İstanbul on your own. You may want to revisit some of your favorite landmarks, like the Grand Bazaar, to pick up some last-minute souvenirs or some sweet treats. Keep an eye on the clock, though, as a driver will be picking you up at your hotel to transfer you to the airport. Have a safe flight home! 

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