Turkey & a Culinary Road less Traveled
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Highlights:
- If you like this suggested program you will get to explore places rarely visited by US travelers and taste dishes not part of the usual Turkish repertoire.
- You will enjoy breakfasts created from scratch including the jam and see and taste the best olive oil of the region. You will visit the Gallipoli Peninsula, stay in the town that was the birthplace of Zeus and tour ancient Troy.
- Visits to Mt. Ida and Cunda Island will be enhanced by a stay at a hotel in Alacati that the London Sunday Times called “One of the 20 best hotels in Continental Europe.”
SKU:
Explore: Turkey and its culinary delights
Customizable Itinerary - 10 Days (from $4,428 / person)
Day 1: Depart USA
Tonight you board your aircraft for the flight to Istanbul and the start of your food and wine exploration of Turkey’s Aegean Coast.
Day 2: Welcome to Istanbul
Upon arrival in Istanbul, you will be met by an Ultitude driver who will take you to your hotel where you have a chance to relax. In the evening you will be taken to Mavi Seafood Restaurant offering some of the best seafood on the Bosphorus
Dinner
Day 3: Exploring Beyoglu and the Meyhane Experience
Today your guide will take you on a culinary tour of the Beyoglu district; one of Istanbul’s most colorful. You will start by visiting a lokanta where you will have a full breakfast. You then visit a pickle-maker and other artisans as you wind your way through atmospheric side streets. You will visit an Armenian church inside a fish market and sample foods from a variety of vendors followed by lunch and the best Turkish coffee in the city. You than visit the Grand Bazaar a unique covered market with over 4,000 shops selling carpets, leather goods, jewelry and many other items. After a chance to rest you will be taken to a Meyhane which is a Turkish combination of pub and tapas bar. Here you will drink copious amounts of raki and endless streams of mezze offerings while no doubt making new friends. You will then be returned to the hotel.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 4: Food, Wine and History in Gallipoli and the Dardanelles
After breakfast you are picked up at the hotel and head to Gallipoli. Your first stop will be in Malaka to taste a variety of feta chesses. You then proceed to the Dardanelles where you have lunch and wine tasting at the Suvla winery located on the Cannakale Strait. In the afternoon you tour the beautiful and atmospheric Gallipoli Peninsula which was the scene of the disastrous British and Commonwealth invasion during the First World War. Spend the night in the Porta Caeli terroir whose microclimate is compared to that of Bordeaux.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 5: Ancient Troy, Assos and Mount Ida
After a typical Turkish breakfast you travel across the Dardanelles to visit the site of Ancient Troy which was destroyed during the Trojan Wars. You will also visit Assos which was founded 3,000 years ago by colonists from Lesbos. It was, at one time ruled by Hermias of Atarneus, a student of Plato. Alexander the Great conquered the city and his rule was followed by the Kings of Pergamon until Rome took control. Today it is a small village but does retain the ruins of a Temple to Athena. Stop for lunch at a seafood restaurant before driving to the foothills of Mount Ida which was a temporary home for Paris, son of King Priam of Troy.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 6: In the Foothills of Mt. Ida
Today you will tour the area around Mt. Ida starting with the village of Adatepe which is flanked by evergreen cypresses leading you to a hill where the Altar of Zeus is located. Here the view is breathtaking and you will be taken by the aroma of thousands of herbs and wild flowers mixed with the soft wind coming from the Aegean Sea. Many say that the most aromatic olive oil in the Aegean is produced here. You next visit the Olive Oil Museum. Olive oil is deeply rooted in the culture but was being forgotten in modern times. The goal of the museum is to preserve the literary and visual history of olive oil production in Turkey or, as it was previously called, Anatolia. After your visit you drive to the village of Yesilyurt one of the most popular, beautiful and historical boutique villages. Zeus is believed to have been born here and it is further believed that it was from these peaks that the Gods witnessed the Trojan War unfold. Have lunch at a local restaurant and then spend some time exploring the village and the local shops before returning to your hotel.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 7: Exploring Cunda Island
After breakfast your guide will be waiting to take you to Cunda, the largest of the Ayvalik Islands located between Greece and Turkey. The island is reachable by both ferry and a bridge. Once on the island you will visit Taksiyarhis Church with frescoes depicting the life of Jesus Christ. You have lunch at Ayna a family owned restaurant offering treats like Sea Bass marinated with lemon juice, Cretan style baby zucchini and sardines wrapped in vine leaves.. After lunch you board a private boat to explore the nearby islands where you have the chance to swim and sunbathe. Return to Cunda in the evening and check into your hotel. Dinner will be at Bay Nihat.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 8: Cunda Island, Izmir and Alacati
Return to the mainland and drive to Izmir known as ‘The Pearl of the Aegean”. Stop at a workshop where lokma, a donut-like sweet traditional served to lighten the mood at funerals, is made. A special treat for lunch as you enjoy Cop Sis and a restaurant called Topcu, made from small cuts of lamb skewered on reeds. The skewer is held by fat on either end. It is grilled and served with onion tomato and green pepper. There are about 25 sticks in each portion and they are delicious, Drive to Alacati a top gourmet destination with a selection of local restaurants for al fresco dinning. Check into your charming boutique hotel which is a renovated 130 year old Greek mansion. Enjoy afternoon tea. There are a great variety of restaurants in proximity to your hotel.
Breakfast and Lunch
Day 9: Exploring Urla
Start your day with one of the breakfasts that your hotel is known for. It includes at least five different homemade jams, fresh orange juice, Turkish tea, filtered coffee, an assortment of breads, “simit” the Turkish bagel, eggs, green and black olives, feta cheese, cheese paste with walnuts and spices, tomatoes, pine and oregano honey and fresh fruit . The rest of the morning is to relax. At noon you will be picked up and driven to Urla which dates back to 3,000 BC. You will have lunch at Yengec, one of the town’s best restaurants and located on a pier surrounded by fishing boats. After a gourmet feast you can walk it off in visit the art shops in the town. You finish up the day at a local winery tasting their various products before return in to the hotel. This will be your last evening so we will recommend an extra special pace to dine.
Breakfast and Lunch
Day 10: Return to USA
In the morning you will be driven to Izmir airport for a flight connecting to your US bound flight. You arrive back home the same afternoon.
Tonight you board your aircraft for the flight to Istanbul and the start of your food and wine exploration of Turkey’s Aegean Coast.
Day 2: Welcome to Istanbul
Upon arrival in Istanbul, you will be met by an Ultitude driver who will take you to your hotel where you have a chance to relax. In the evening you will be taken to Mavi Seafood Restaurant offering some of the best seafood on the Bosphorus
Dinner
Day 3: Exploring Beyoglu and the Meyhane Experience
Today your guide will take you on a culinary tour of the Beyoglu district; one of Istanbul’s most colorful. You will start by visiting a lokanta where you will have a full breakfast. You then visit a pickle-maker and other artisans as you wind your way through atmospheric side streets. You will visit an Armenian church inside a fish market and sample foods from a variety of vendors followed by lunch and the best Turkish coffee in the city. You than visit the Grand Bazaar a unique covered market with over 4,000 shops selling carpets, leather goods, jewelry and many other items. After a chance to rest you will be taken to a Meyhane which is a Turkish combination of pub and tapas bar. Here you will drink copious amounts of raki and endless streams of mezze offerings while no doubt making new friends. You will then be returned to the hotel.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 4: Food, Wine and History in Gallipoli and the Dardanelles
After breakfast you are picked up at the hotel and head to Gallipoli. Your first stop will be in Malaka to taste a variety of feta chesses. You then proceed to the Dardanelles where you have lunch and wine tasting at the Suvla winery located on the Cannakale Strait. In the afternoon you tour the beautiful and atmospheric Gallipoli Peninsula which was the scene of the disastrous British and Commonwealth invasion during the First World War. Spend the night in the Porta Caeli terroir whose microclimate is compared to that of Bordeaux.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 5: Ancient Troy, Assos and Mount Ida
After a typical Turkish breakfast you travel across the Dardanelles to visit the site of Ancient Troy which was destroyed during the Trojan Wars. You will also visit Assos which was founded 3,000 years ago by colonists from Lesbos. It was, at one time ruled by Hermias of Atarneus, a student of Plato. Alexander the Great conquered the city and his rule was followed by the Kings of Pergamon until Rome took control. Today it is a small village but does retain the ruins of a Temple to Athena. Stop for lunch at a seafood restaurant before driving to the foothills of Mount Ida which was a temporary home for Paris, son of King Priam of Troy.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 6: In the Foothills of Mt. Ida
Today you will tour the area around Mt. Ida starting with the village of Adatepe which is flanked by evergreen cypresses leading you to a hill where the Altar of Zeus is located. Here the view is breathtaking and you will be taken by the aroma of thousands of herbs and wild flowers mixed with the soft wind coming from the Aegean Sea. Many say that the most aromatic olive oil in the Aegean is produced here. You next visit the Olive Oil Museum. Olive oil is deeply rooted in the culture but was being forgotten in modern times. The goal of the museum is to preserve the literary and visual history of olive oil production in Turkey or, as it was previously called, Anatolia. After your visit you drive to the village of Yesilyurt one of the most popular, beautiful and historical boutique villages. Zeus is believed to have been born here and it is further believed that it was from these peaks that the Gods witnessed the Trojan War unfold. Have lunch at a local restaurant and then spend some time exploring the village and the local shops before returning to your hotel.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 7: Exploring Cunda Island
After breakfast your guide will be waiting to take you to Cunda, the largest of the Ayvalik Islands located between Greece and Turkey. The island is reachable by both ferry and a bridge. Once on the island you will visit Taksiyarhis Church with frescoes depicting the life of Jesus Christ. You have lunch at Ayna a family owned restaurant offering treats like Sea Bass marinated with lemon juice, Cretan style baby zucchini and sardines wrapped in vine leaves.. After lunch you board a private boat to explore the nearby islands where you have the chance to swim and sunbathe. Return to Cunda in the evening and check into your hotel. Dinner will be at Bay Nihat.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 8: Cunda Island, Izmir and Alacati
Return to the mainland and drive to Izmir known as ‘The Pearl of the Aegean”. Stop at a workshop where lokma, a donut-like sweet traditional served to lighten the mood at funerals, is made. A special treat for lunch as you enjoy Cop Sis and a restaurant called Topcu, made from small cuts of lamb skewered on reeds. The skewer is held by fat on either end. It is grilled and served with onion tomato and green pepper. There are about 25 sticks in each portion and they are delicious, Drive to Alacati a top gourmet destination with a selection of local restaurants for al fresco dinning. Check into your charming boutique hotel which is a renovated 130 year old Greek mansion. Enjoy afternoon tea. There are a great variety of restaurants in proximity to your hotel.
Breakfast and Lunch
Day 9: Exploring Urla
Start your day with one of the breakfasts that your hotel is known for. It includes at least five different homemade jams, fresh orange juice, Turkish tea, filtered coffee, an assortment of breads, “simit” the Turkish bagel, eggs, green and black olives, feta cheese, cheese paste with walnuts and spices, tomatoes, pine and oregano honey and fresh fruit . The rest of the morning is to relax. At noon you will be picked up and driven to Urla which dates back to 3,000 BC. You will have lunch at Yengec, one of the town’s best restaurants and located on a pier surrounded by fishing boats. After a gourmet feast you can walk it off in visit the art shops in the town. You finish up the day at a local winery tasting their various products before return in to the hotel. This will be your last evening so we will recommend an extra special pace to dine.
Breakfast and Lunch
Day 10: Return to USA
In the morning you will be driven to Izmir airport for a flight connecting to your US bound flight. You arrive back home the same afternoon.
