Cooking Clases İstanbul-Ephesus-Cappadocai
Day 1: Arrive Istanbul
We will be ready to meet you at Istanbul Airport upon your arrival. After meeting you at the airport, you will be transfered to your hotel.
İn the afternoon meeting over drink for We will give brief information about all the tour and program. İn the evening enjoy a welcome dinner. At the welcome dinner you will receive an overview of the sites we will visit during this holiday as well as a brief introduction traditional Turkish cuisine across this large, beautiful country. We will highlight the food typical in the western region of Turkey that we will study, sample and learn how to make.
Over-night in Istanbul in the Old City.
Day 2: Travel from Istanbul to Izmir (Ephesus)
After breakfast we will transfer you to the Istanbul airport for your flight to İzmir. Upon arrival in Izmir, you will be met by an English-speaking guide for a full day tour of Ephesus and the surrounding areas including the Virgin Mary’s House. On the way to Ephesus we will stop att the ruins of the Temple of Artemis, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Then we proceed to the Ancient City of Ephesus where you will explore some of the best preserved theatres, fountains and residences of the Roman era. From Ephesus we will proceed to the House of the Virgin Mary nestled in a beautiful and picturesque setting. This shrine is a pilgrimage site for many people of all denominations. Lunch is included in the tour. After our full tour day ends, we will drive to our hotel at Kusadasi, a rustic town located in the pesticide-free region of Kirazlı .Enjoy a relaxed dinner at the Ephesus Boutique Hotel. Before dinner enjoy a cocktail and be introduced to our host Mustafa and learn about the hotel, surrounding areas and the concepts behind Turkish family cooking.
Over-night at Ephesus Boutique Hotel.
Day 3: Priene, Miletos & Didyma
Breakfast is served at the hotel. After breakfast, depart for the first ancient city; Priene which in its time was one of the most spectacular of all the ancient Ionians cities. Then travel on to Miletus with its magnificent theatre and the Byzantine fortress on the acropolis towering above. Last, but not least, visit Didyma. Here we will find the largest Ionic Temple in the world, that of Apollo. Also in Didyma lies the huge, cracked head of Medusa. Lunch is included in our tour. Upon returning to the hotel get a tour of the garden where much of the vegetables we enjoy are grown. Dinner will be at the hotel. After dinner we will discuss the history of the region and how the events of the time influenced the food we now call Turkish Cuisine.
Over-night at Ephesus Boutique Hotel.
Day 4: Day of Food
After breakfast we will have an introduction to the day which includes an overview of the market we will visit to shop (fish and meat) for the afternoon’s cooking classs. We will return to the hotel around noon for a light lunch ( Gözleme, Omlet, local salad)
Than we will visit our vegetable garden and pick up our fresh vagetables for cooking class
then we will start cooking. The food we prepare will be served in the evening.
Over-night at Ephesus Boutique Hotel
Day 5: Food, wine and the great outdoors
İn the morning we have a small cooking class about Turkish breakfast.
After breakfast we will visit local winery, olive oil press and şirince village and have lunch at şirince. Depending on the weather (and time of year) after lunch we will visit the national park – hike or enjoy free time for swimming. We return tired and hungry in time for our final dinner (a barbeque) at the hotel.
Over-night at Ephesus Boutique Hotel.
Day 6: Cappadocai
After Breakfast, transfer to Izmir Airport for flights to Cappadoca (or Istanbul). Our tour guide will meet you at the airport and you start full day tour of Cappadocia. We begin with the natural citadel of Uchisar which provides with a panaromic view of the region and we then continue with the Goreme valley which is the highlight of the day. This valley houses the Goreme open air museum with its churches hewn out of rock and the colorful frescoes dating backto the (need to add century) which decorate them. The next stop is Zelve and the caves of this ancient village. Afterwards we will stop at Avanos and Cavusin villages. Lunch will be served enroute at a typical regional restaurant. Dinner will be on your own – choose from a variety of restaurants we recommend. Consider enjoying a Turkish bath or shopping in town.
Overnight in Cappadocia at the Cappadocia Cave Hotel.
Day 7: Cappadocia
Wake before daybreak for a balloon ride (weather permitting) for those who reserve this experience ahead of time. See the breathtaking Fairy Caves and topography of the region from the air as the sun rises over the breath-taking landscape. Return for Breakfast at the hotel (and join up with those who chose to sleep in). Our second full day tour of Cappadocia begins with the Soganli Village which is the most interesting part of the region. At this site you will be able to see the everday life of a small Cappadocian village with its churches and its authenticity. Our next visit will be to Ortahisar which is one of the highest points of the area and you will get a full view of this spectacular volcanic region.overnight will be at the hotel in Cappadocia. Return to the hotel for dinner on your own.
Day 8: Istanbul
After breakfast transfer Kayseri airport for your flight to Istanbul. Our car will meet you at Istanbul airport and will take you to your hotel in Istanbul. After a brief visit to the 17th century Spice Bazaar, the second largest covered bazaar in Istanbul, we leave the old city and cross the Golden Horn to the New City for a tour of the Dolmabahci palace. We then ride the Funicular to the top of the hill and spend some free time enjoying shopping and site-seeing along Istical Street. Visit the oldest candy (Turkish Delight) store in Istanbul and wander side streets to find hidden wonders (not to worry, we will give you a map). We then transfer back to the hotel for freshening up before dinner on your own at a local restaurant. Before dinner we will discuss the food in Istanbul and how it has evolved over the centuries.
Over-night at the Hotel Uyan in Istanbul’s old city
Day 9: Full Day Byzantine & Ottoman Empires
After breakfast at the hotel, depart for a full day tour of Istanbul tour visiting the magesty of the underground cystern, Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome and Obelisks and the magnificence of the Haghia Sophia. Also a visit to the maze that is the Grand Bazaar before a break for lunch. After lunch continue on our journey to the Topkapi Palace and Suleymaniye Mosque. After the tour, transfer back to your hotel. Dinner is on your own.
Over-night at the Hotel Uyan in Istanbul.
Day 10: Full Day Bosphorus Cruise
Cruise up the Bosphorus, the legendary strait separating Europe and Asia. We cruise past the Dolmabahce and Beylerbeyi Palaces, wooden 19th century seafront mansions, picturesque villages and modern pleasure palaces. We disembark and visit Çamlica Hill the highest point in Istanbul, commanding a panoramic view of the city. We take a short drive to the 19th century summer palace of the Sultans in the Bosphorus village of Beylerbeyi. Completed in 1865, the palace has 24 rooms and six large halls. After the tour, transfer back to your hotel for a final dinner on your own.
Day 11
Early transfer to Airport and fly Home
The cost of this wonderful holiday includes:
All airport transfers
-3 Full day private tours of Istanbul (cruise is a public ship)
-4 Nights at Boutique Hotel Istanbul
-2 Full day private tours of Cappadocai
-2 Nights Cave Hotel Cappadocai)
-4 Nights Ephesus Boutique Hotel.
-All intra-country flights – Istanbul- Izmir, Izmir -Cappadocai, Cappadocai -Istanbul
-2 Full day private tours of Ephesus and surroundings
-10 Breakfasts
– 9 Lunches, drink extra
-5 Dinners included wine and soft drink
– Cooking classes and lectures
-All local Taxes,
-All transfers and transportation in Turkey by private deluxe air- conditioned non-smoking tour car
-All entrance fees to the sites and to the museums mentioned in the above program
-Fluent English speaking tour guides
Please contact for prcie