Arrival in Bodrum: Transfer to the hotel is not included; it can be arranged.

Check-in at the 4 star Hotel El Vino for a 3 night stay.

Bodrum is a vibrant coastal town along the Aegean Sea, featuring charming neighborhoods, ancient sites, and exquisite bays. It offers a delightful Mediterranean dining experience.

The welcome dinner will feature traditional Bodrum village wedding specialties, either in Sazköy Carpet Weaving Village or at one of Bodrum’s popular restaurants.

Enjoy a stroll through an olive grove where local villagers pick olives, and join them for breakfast.

Next, proceed to your cooking workshop focusing on Aegean cuisine, led by a local chef, with lunch at a country house.

The chef will welcome you into her home and share her extensive knowledge of Aegean cuisine. You will learn tips and techniques for preparing delicious, traditional Aegean dishes. After the workshop, you will sit down to enjoy the meal you’ve created, complemented by a glass or two of Turkish wine. This experience promises to be both enjoyable and memorable, providing you with wonderful recipes to recreate at home.

After lunch: We will take you to a ceramic atelier where each piece is meticulously handcrafted, showcasing the personal touch of the artisan.

Selin will then host you at her typical stone house, where you can enjoy a special Bodrum mandarin ice cream.

Dinner will be at your own expense.

After breakfast, you will visit the famous Crusaders Castle and the Underwater museum.

Following your visit, enjoy a Gulet cruise around the picturesque bays of Bodrum, complete with lunch served on board.

After spending some leisure time, we will be heading to Karnas vineyards, producing wine, olives, jams and bread using traditional methods.

Enjoy a unique chef’s table culinary experience and wine tasting among ancient olive trees and Aegean hilltops, overlooking golden sunsets and the picturesque vineyard pond. Offering delicacies inspired by the flavors of the region, committing itself to serving organic & locally sourced produce.

After breakfast explore a farmers market then continue to drive to visit Stratonikeia Ancient City. This ancient city boasts remarkable architectural structures that date back to the Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic Roman Imperial, and Ottoman periods. Lunch will be en route at a local restaurant. After lunch, leave for Kuşadası. Check in at the 5 star Doubletree by Hilton for 2 nights.

Visit Ephesus; Ephesus is one of the largest and most impressive ancient cities in the world and is one of Turkey’s most significant landmarks. After lunch you will attend a Leather Garments show, where you will be treated to a catwalk review of the latest jackets, that include some of your travel companions the opportunity to be models. Then transfer to İzmir Adnan Menderes Airport for your flight to Istanbul. Check in at the 5 star Hagia Sophia Mansions Istanbul, Curio Collection by Hilton for 5 nights in the old city.

Visit the Jewish Museum and Neve Shalom Synagogue or Galata Tower. Walk through Spice Bazaar; Spice tasting session at a traditional shop for 5 generations. Lunch on own followed by visit to Rustem Pasha Mosque built in 1561 on the orders of Rustem Pasha, Grand Vizier and son-in-law of Suleyman the Magnificent. Exquisite Iznik tiles panel the small and superbly proportioned interior. You will then embark your private Bosphorus cruise; Upon disembarkation you will proceed to Selin’s home in Istanbul to enjoy a hands- on cooking class learning to cook Turkish home-style, family recipes. Menu will include Sephardic recipes from Selin’s grandmother. Enjoy what you have prepared for dinner. A truly unique opportunity to experience Turkish hospitality and Istanbul home life.

Today you will visit the Topkapı Palace, the residence of the sultans for almost three centuries. It is located on the promontory jutting out between the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn. Being the imperial residence of the sultan, his court and harem, the palace was also the seat of government for the Ottoman Empire. In the Treasury section, you will see the 7th biggest diamond in the world, the “Spoonmaker’s Diamond” and the Harem is a vast labyrinth of rooms and corridors once occupied by the black eunuchs, concubines, the Sultan’s mother and the Sultan himself. You will visit The Palace Kitchens, Helvahane and Quarters and learn about our culinary culture of 400 years, Hagia Sophia, the church of the Divine Wisdom, which was a church (circa 548 AD), then now a mosque and the Basilica Cistern. Enjoy Ottoman Palace cuisine lunch at Matbah Restaurant and experience a selection of exclusive dishes once served at the court of the Ottoman Sultans. Dinner at one of our favorite seafood restaurants.

Taste Cheese pastry and baklava at a famous Baklava shop. Take a ferry to the Asian Side of Istanbul. Explore the famous open-air street market of Kadıkoy. Notice the big difference in atmosphere between the Spice Market and the Kadıkoy which is more in tune with the way most people in Istanbul cook and eat. Stop for street food tastings. Feel the real bazaar shopping experience with the fishmongers, bakers, butchers and grocers singing out to attract you to their stall. Take your time and explore the many pastry shops, Turkish delight and deli stores and the aromatic spice stands. Lunch will be served at one of Turkey’s foremost cook’s Çiya restaurant. The chef is devoted to letting the world know about the glorious food of his homeland. The ingredients used in the dishes travel from South Eastern Anatolia to arrive at your plate in Istanbul: Dinner on your own.

Today is a leisure day for activities you may want to do on your own. There is plenty more to see in Istanbul: Visit the Blue Mosque Stroll in the Grand Bazaar Experience a Turkish Hammam Take a walk in one of Istanbul’s classiest neighborhoods, Nişantaşı. Visit the Istanbul Modern Museum or the Pera Museum. Visit the Dolmabahçe Palace Take a walk by the Bosphorus Today lunch will be on your own expense Farewell dinner at our favorite kebab restaurant.