Food Tour-Culinary-Gourmet Tour of Turkey

Food Tour and Cultural Tour of Turkey with Serif Yenen

Istanbul, Cappadocia, Konya, Pamukkale & Ephesus (10 Days) Fully Booked!

Tour Date: May 1 – 11, 2023

Gourmet Tour of Turkey: How familiar are you with the Turkish Cuisine? Would you believe if we told you it is one of the best cuisines in the world? You have to visit Turkey and decide about it by yourself. A delicious food and culinary experience in Turkey awaits you.

Anatolia, today’s Turkey, has always been a cradle of civilizations, going as early as Göbekli Tepe in 10.000 B.C. More than 30 advanced cultures of ancient history have chosen Anatolia as their home land, each leaving a very rich culture behind. There is so much history and food culture in these lands.

Culinary Tour Turkey

Furthermore, the lands of Anatolia were the earliest to cultivate vineyards and produce wines, dating back to the Neolithic Age (Çayönü-Nevali Çori, 7000 B.C.).

The Bronze Age people, the Hittites were the first to make laws and regulations about viticulture and wine making.

Serif Yenen is a travel specialist, tour guide and guidebook author. As a member of the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Turkey and food lover himself, he has been leading very special cultural, historical and Byzantine tours, and traveling through the lands of Anatolia for more than 30 years. With his special interest in food, over the years, he has found so many hidden places for food experiences. You can discover all this with Gourmet Tour of Turkey.

Now Serif is ready to share these experiences with you. You will just love them.

Explore the tastes of 12-year-old lands!

Come join us to discover the delicious tastes of Anatolia along with the rich cultural heritage.

Highlights

• The best restaurants in each town (not necessarily fancy ones)
• Wonderful balance between culture/history, food and people
• Hands-on Cooking Classes – Culinary workshops
• Meals in private homes
• Market visits and tastings
• Local interactions
• Wine Tastings (Taste some of the oldest wines in the worrld)
• Almost all meals and wines are included in the tour price

May 1, Monday (Arrivals)

• Arrive in Istanbul
• Private transfer to the hotel
• Welcome cocktail and presentation by Serif Yenen
• Welcome dinner
• Overnight at the Recital Hotel

May 2, Tuesday (Walking Tour)

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Hagia Sophia
• Blue Mosque
• Hippodrome
• Basilica Cisten
• Lunch at a local restaurant
• Grand Bazaar with visits to backstreets and Hans around
• Back to the hotel
• Dinner at a local restaurant

May 3, Wednesday (Walking & Street Food Tour )

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Topkapı Palace with Harem
• Street food tastings
• Egyptian – Spice Market and around
• Take the ferry to go to the Asian side of Istanbul
• Asian neighborhoods to visit the food markets
• Food tastings
• Late lunch at a gourmet restaurant in Kadiköy (Gourmet Tour of Turkey)
• Baklava experience in Karaköy (Back in the European side)
• Wine tasting with an expert giving a presentation on historical background of wine in Anatolia
• Turkish coffee experience followed by a coffee-cup reading/fortune telling experience
• No dinner tonight
• Back to the hotel

May 4, Thursday (Tour with Transportation)

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Ancient Walls of Constantinople
• Chora Church – Kariye Museum
• Greek Orthodox Patriarchate
• Boza tasting (Gourmet Tour of Turkey)
• Süleymaniye Mosque
• Lunch at a local restaurant
• Bosphorus Cruise in a Private Boat
• Cooking Class
• Eat what you cook
• Back to the hotel

May 5, Friday (Off to Cappadocia)

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Transfer to the Istanbul Airport in Istanbul
• Flight to Kayseri (Cappadocia) with Turkish Airlines
• Sightseeing in Cappadocia with valleys and rock-cut churches
• Lunch at a local restaurant
• Göreme open air Museum
• Local craft demonstrations
• Whirling Dervishes ritual (included)
• Dinner at a local restaurant
• Overnight at Millstone Cave Suites or Yunak Evleri (Cappadocia)

May 6, Saturday (Hot-air Balloon Ride & Cappadocia Tour)

• Hot-Air Balloon Ride (Optional)
• Breakfast at the hotel
• Full day sightseeing in Cappadocia
• Lunch at a local restaurant
• Avanos Pottery Village
• Local craft demonstration (pottery)
• A visit to an underground city
• Wine tasting at a local winery
• Dinner
• Overnight at Millstone Cave Suites or Yunak Evleri (Cappadocia)

March 7, Sunday (Cappadocia & Konya)

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Hiking in Cappadocia
• Departure for Konya around 10.00 AM
• Sultanhan Caravansary
• Lunch at a local restaurant
• Rumi (Mevlana) Museum of Whirling Dervishes in Konya (Iconium)
• Dinner
• Overnight at the Garden Inn Hilton Hotel in Konya

March 8, Monday (Drive to Pamukkale)

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Depart for Pamukkale
• Scenic Drive along beautiful lakes
• Lunch on the way
• Hierapolis in Pamukkale
• Dinner and overnight at Doga Thermal Hotel (Pamukkale) or Similar

March 9, Tuesday (Tour with transportation)

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Depart for Selçuk (Ephesus area)
• Aphrodisias on the way
• Lunch at a local restaurant near Aphrodisias
• Şirince Village in Ephesus area
• Dinner in the Şirince village
• Overnight at Cella Boutique Hotel

May 10, Wednesday Ephesus)

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Ephesus with Terrace Houses
• The House of the Virgin Mary
• Lunch at a local restaurant
• The Basilica of St. John
• Included wine tasting at a local winery and farewell dinner ↗
• Overnight at Cella Boutique Hotel

May 11, Thursday (Departures)

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Drive to the Izmir Airport
• Flight to Istanbul to catch your international flights from Istanbul

Prices Gourmet Tour of Turkey

• The price will be $3750.00 USD per person (accommodation in double room)
• The price will be $4350.00 USD per person (accommodation in single room)

.

What is included in this price:

• Private airport transfers from and to the airports in Istanbul, Cappadocia and Izmir,
• Professional tour guide services in English by Şerif Yenen,
• Welcome cocktail and presentation by Şerif Yenen,
• Accommodation for 10 nights in the above mentioned hotels or similar hotels,
• All breakfasts at the hotels
• All lunches at local casual restaurants with good traditional food
• Dinners
• Drinks with meals (Two glasses of wine),
• Air conditioned deluxe vehicle with a driver all along the tour (except for walking days),
• Vehicle expenses (i.e. parking, tolls, highways),
• Domestic flight tickets from Istanbul to Kayseri (Cappadocia) and from Izmir to Istanbul,
• Wine tastings,
• Food tastings,
• A cooking class,
• All museum entrance fees and costs as mentioned in the itinerary
• Bosphorus Cruise in a private boat,
• Tips to the hotels with porter services,
• Tips to the restaurants for included meals,
• Complimentary copies of Serif Yenen’s maps and books
• Headsets (Whispers) will be provided to hear your guide better
• Whirling Dervish Ritual,

What is NOT included in this price:

• International Flights to/from Turkey
• Meals not stated,
• Hot-air balloon ride in Cappadocia (optional),
• Personal expenses
• Gratuities for the guide and driver,
• Travel Insurance,
• Passport and visa services and fees.

Capacity

• Minimum 7, maximum 12 guests.

Physical requirements

• Not appropriate for travelers using wheelchairs, walkers, or other mobility aids.
• This tour involves a lot of walking! Obviously the landscape of Cappadocia demand long walks. But even in Istanbul we will often be without transport (into cisterns and other substructures). Please bring sensible footwear that are supportive and comfortable.

Terms & Conditions and Cancellation Policy

This tour is operated by A-group Travel Agency “Serif Yenen Travel” licensed by the Turkish Ministry of Tourism (Licence number: 8860)