Day 1: Arrival
Welcome to the transcontinental city of Turkey! Upon arrival in Istanbul, you will be transferred to your hotel by a private minivan. You will have the rest of the day at your leisure, and you will spend the night at your hotel in Istanbul.
Day 2: Istanbul (B, L)
You will have breakfast at your hotel’s buffet, after which you will meet your guide and driver in the lobby for Istanbul’s full-day classical city tour. By the end of this tour, you will have gained a complete vision of Istanbul while having visited Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome, the Obelisk from Egypt, the Serpentine Column, and the Grand Bazaar, where Turkish handicrafts and local products are demonstrated. After the tour ends, you will be transferred back to your hotel, where you will spend your night.
Day 3: Bolu – Karabuk – Safranbolu (B, L)
Early in the morning, you will meet your guide and driver in the hotel’s lobby to set off for the journey to the less-known parts of Turkey. You will have breakfast at Abant Lake, one of the most romantic and scenic places in Bolu province. The journey will cover neighboring Karabuk province’s wonders: old Ottoman houses in Safranbolu, breathtaking Crystal Terrace (Kristal Teras) in Tokatli Canyon, and quiet mill villages. You will have dinner in Safranbolu, which will be the perfect ending to the day. You will spend your night at your hotel in Safranbolu.
Day 4: Safranbolu – Kastamonu – Sinop (B, L)
You will have breakfast at your hotel’s buffet, after which you will meet your guide and driver in the lobby for a full-day Kastamonu tour. Kastamonu has rich and interesting history due to having been one of the Isfendiyarids (Jandar) Sultanate’s capitals during the pre-Ottoman period. Today, it’s famous for its garlic and wood, in addition to sceneries worth seeing: Kastamonu Fortress (Kastamonu Kalesi), Mahmut bey Mosque (Mahmut Bey Camii; civisiz camii), old houses of Kastamonu, Valla and Catak Canyon, and Pompeipolis Ancient City (Taskopru). After the sightseeing journey, the day will end in Sinop, home of Diogenes, where you will spend your night.
Day 5: Sinop – Bolaman – Yason Burnu – Ordu (B, L)
You will have breakfast at your hotel’s buffet, after which you will meet your guide and driver in the lobby for further exploration of the Black Sea mysteries around Unye. You will have lunch in the charming Bolaman, and later witness the sunset at the seashore of the legendary Jason Cape (Yason Burnu), which is connected with the ancient Iason himself. You will spend the rest of the day in the city of Ordu and will have dinner at the wonderful Boztepe. At the end of the tour, you will be transferred to your hotel in Ordu, where you will spend your night.
Day 6: Ordu – Giresun – Trabzon (B, L)
You will have breakfast at your hotel’s buffet, with the view from the top of the Boztepe hill, after which you will meet your guide and driver in the lobby for a full day Ordu – Giresun tour. On the way to Trabzon, lies the small, yet lovely town of Giresun. The history of this place goes back to ancient times BC, as it was founded by Greek colonists. In Giresun, you will have the chance to enjoy views of natural beauty: the Island of Giresun (Giresun Adası) and historical places inside the city. After lunch, the journey will continue to reach the heart of the eastern Black Sea coast, to the district of Macka in Trabzon, where you will spend your night.
Day 7: Trabzon – Macka (B, L)
You will have breakfast at your hotel’s buffet, after which you will meet your guide and driver in the lobby for your full-day Trabzon tour. Trabzon, the birth town of legendary Suleyman the Magnificent, used to be known as the capital of the Trebizond Empire, one of the last successors of the Byzantine Empire. At the time of the Ottoman Empire, this city was one of the centers, where shekhzadehs were preparing for a ruling. Today it is famous for small fish anchovies (hamsi in Turkish), genuine Trabzon bread, pide, and milk products. Although the planned journey in Trabzon is not long enough to capture its beauty, it will be covering the main attractions that provide a real taste of the city: Altindere Valley, Sumela, Peristera, Vazelon Monastery, and the charming highland plateaus surrounding Macka. After the tour ends, you will be transferred to your hotel in Trabzon, where you will spend your night.
Day 8: Trabzon – Istanbul (B, L)
You will have breakfast at your hotel’s buffet, after which you will meet your driver in the lobby for a walk around the city center of Trabzon. The final journey will cover the most important old monuments situated at the seashore: former Chalcedonian Church, Hagia Sophia Museum, and Ataturk’s House (Trabzon was part of Ataturk’s Autumn Tour, after his declaration of independence). At the end of the tour, you will be transferred to Trabzon Airport to fly back to Istanbul. Upon arrival, you will be transferred to your hotel in Istanbul, where you will spend your night.
Day 9: Istanbul Full Day Bosphorus Tour (B, L)
You will have breakfast at your hotel’s buffet, after which you will meet your guide and driver in the lobby for a full-day Bosphorus tour. The tour will start with a panoramic Halic ride that will eventually take you to the Spice Bazar, where your guide will assist you in getting the most out of your shopping experience. After that, you will catch a ferry along the Bosphorus, which separates the Asian and European continents, for a 90-minute journey with Private Yacht, experiencing the best sceneries the city has to offer. The tour will end with a visit to Dolmabahce Palace, after which you will be transferred to your hotel, where you will spend your night.
Day 10: Departure (B)
You will have breakfast at your hotel’s buffet, after which you will meet your driver in the lobby for your transfer to the airport, where you will catch your flight back home. We hope your tour will meet your satisfaction, and we would like to see you again in the future. Wish you have a safe flight.
