CUSTOM TRAVEL PROGRAMS Five to Fifteen Day Itineraries

Istanbul & Turquoise Coast Cruise ( 7 nights / 8 days )

Day 1: Arrival in Istanbul
We meet at Ataturk International Airport in Istanbul and transfer to our hotel located in the modern city center, just a few steps away from Taksim Square.

After check-in we meet for a welcome briefing and orientation tour of the area. We proceed to Taksim Square for a walking tour of Istiklal Street which lasts for about an hour. If you would like to have dinner in this lively area before going back to the hotel, our guide can suggest good restaurants among the many, dotting the sides of this high street.

 

Day 2: Istanbul
We have two days to explore Istanbul, capital of three legendary empires. We include, in our program, the most important historical highlights of the city. While we go from one site to the other, we stroll in the streets of this old town enjoying its different moods and sentiments. If you feel energetic and enthusiastic enough, we are happy to expand the tour to include other interesting sights hidden in the less touristy areas of the district.

We meet this morning in the hotel lobby and transfer to Sultanahmet region of the old city for a full-day tour. Our day begins with a visit to the ancient Hippodrome, an area that was once the center of Byzantine civic life. We continue to Sultan Ahmet Mosque, more familiarly known as the Blue Mosque because its interior gleams with a magnificent paneling of blue and white 17th century Iznik tiles. Next we visit Hagia Sophia, often described as the greatest work of Byzantine architecture. After these visits, we break for lunch on our own before proceeding with the rest of our tour.

Our next stop is the Basilica Cistern, the largest and most ornate of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city of Istanbul. In its construction, columns and capitals of earlier edifices were used, providing a very decorative appearance. We finish the day at the famous Grand Bazaar. This bazaar will tempt even non-shoppers with nearly 4,000 shops exhibiting a rich collection of precious handmade carpets, jewelry, leather, antiques, and souvenirs.

Included meals: Breakfast

Day 3: Istanbul
This morning we meet again for another full day of sightseeing. Our first visit is to Topkapi Palace, a pleasant and cozy oriental style palace once home of the Ottoman Sultans who ruled their vast empire spread across three continents from this very place. This complex is a museum today, housing the spectacular artifacts found in the palace, such as the famous treasury of the sultans, their exquisite robes (kaftans), beautifully ornamented weapons and a huge collection of Chinese and Japanese porcelain. Here you have an option to see the Harem section as well, which is a separate visit within the main palace complex.

After our break for lunch on our own, we visit the Spice Market, which was built as part of the Yeni Cami (New Mosque) complex and has since been an exciting covered market filled with the fragrant scent of spices from the Orient. The market and its environs give a glimpse of the old life style which is disappearing very quickly in the most parts of the city.

Our tour continues as we embark on a public boat and start our cruise on the Bosporus Strait. The Bosphorus is a narrow, navigable strait between Europe and Asia connecting the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara. This boat ride takes us past late Ottoman palaces as well as beautiful wooden mansions and modern villas of the 19th and 20th centuries which form this elegant section of the city. In a very relaxing and enjoyable way we have an insight to the past, present and the future of Istanbul. The silhouette of the old city at distance summarizes what we have already seen in this tour. The solemn and subtle beauty of the old mansions which once belonged to the Ottoman pashas can be seen side by side with the loudly decorated ones owned by rich industrialists of today. We observe the details of a 15th C fortress from the shadow of a very modern suspension bridge connecting two continents. Once in a while, behind all of these, we can have a glimpse of new corporate neighborhoods with their high-rises.

After the cruise we transfer to the hotel for an evening at leisure.

Included meals: Breakfast

Day 4: Istanbul / Göcek / Yassica Isles
We transfer to Ataturk airport and fly to Dalaman airport which takes about an hour where we transfer to the harbor of Göcek. The Club Marina at Göcek is set in a beautiful pine forest, and it is one of the Mediterranean’s best sailing spots. Dotted with islands and indented with many coves, its land and seascapes are irresistible. Here we embark on a privately chartered traditional Turkish Gulet, which will be our home for the next four nights. We sail to the Yassica Isles, a group of strangely shaped isles which offer beautiful coves for anchoring. We stay here tonight.

Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 5: Sunken Bath Cove / Agalimani Cove
In the morning we cruise to the beautiful Sunken Bath Cove, named after the ruins of a Roman bath which is partly under water today. Famous Cleopatra is said to have come here twice, once with Julius Caesar and once with Marc Anthony. After lunch we sail to Agalimani Cove. From here, a 45-minutes hike takes us to ancient Lydea. Off the beaten path and rarely visited, Lydea features unexcavated ruins of a small ancient settlement which reminds us of the drawings of 19th C. travelers. Ağalimanı Cove is our overnight anchorage.

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 6: Tersane Island / Gemiler Island
Today we cruise to Tersane Island, the largest island in the Gulf of Fethiye. According to the historical sources, the island was used to dry dock the small vessels of the region over winter, hence the name: Tersane (shipyard in Turkish). Some ruins remaining from this period have blended into the rocky background and give shelter to the goats of the only family living on the island today. We can have a short hike on this island to stretch our legs.

Our next destination is Gemiler Island, once an important pilgrimage center associated with St. Nicholas on the sea route to the holy lands. This explains why on a very small island without any natural water source there was such an extensive settlement. We hike on this island for about one hour exploring the ruins and enjoying a spectacular view at the background. The channel between the island and the shore is a wonderful place to swim and snorkel. This is too where we spend the night.

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 7: Kayakoy / Turunc Cove
After the breakfast on board, we take a van waiting for us on the shore and drive to the ghost town of Kayakoy, a scenic village on a hill slope, which was inhabited by Anatolian Greeks until the population exchange with Greece in 1920’s. Today, side by side with the modern village and its fertile gardens, this deserted town has turned into a pleasant location for short hikes.

After this visit we return back to our bout and depart for Turunc Cove, famous for the beautiful scenery formed by pine and olive trees behind the dark blue and turquoise colors of the Mediterranean. It is in this exquisite spot we stay for our last night on board.

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 8: Fethiye / Istanbul / Homebound Departure
After breakfast on board it is time to say goodbye to the captain and crew as we disembark at the port town of Fethiye. We transfer to Dalaman airport for the return flight to Istanbul.

Included meals: Breakfast

Prices (per person in shared room/cabin and in USD, and based on private yacht charter rates ):

Istanbul & Turquoise Coast Cruise ( 7 nights / 8 days )

2 participants	4 participants	6 participants	10 participants
$ 4,995.00	$ 2,995.00	$ 2,395.00	$ 1,795.00

Price of the package includes:

1. Accommodation in hotels:
   3 nights Istanbul: Central Palace (near Taksim Square) or Ottoman Imperial (old town)
   4 nights on board of a traditional Gulet yacht

2. Domestic flights within our program itinerary (Istanbul-Dalaman, Dalaman-Istanbul)

3. 14 Meals: 7 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 4 dinners

4. Services of a licensed professional tour guide

5. Bottled water, tea and coffee during the boat tour

6. Transportation with comfortable, modern, air conditioned, chauffeur driven cars, vans or minibuses appropriate to the size of your group (private)

7. Admission fees to sites and museums

8. Parking, ferry, and toll road fees

9. Gratuity at restaurants where meal is included in the program

Price of the package excludes:

1. Airfare of international flights and related taxes

2. Soft and alcoholic beverages

3. Optional gratuities to the tour guide, driver and the Gulet crew

4. Travel insurance

5. Visas, laundry, and personal items

Please note:

1. • The itinerary may be adjusted according to your wishes (you might want to spend more time in a particular cove or pass one if you find it busy with other yachts) and the weather conditions.

2. • A Gulet is a wooden yacht traditionally built on the SW shores of Turkey. A typical Gulet cabin is much bigger than a regular sailing boat with facilities such as showers and comfortable toilets. However you must keep in mind that a Gulet is not a cruise ship and its cabin accommodation (unless it is an extra-ordinary one with fewer cabins and more space in each one) is not at this level. At any rate, most of the time in a Gulet is spent on its spacious upper deck. A Gulet’s traditional rigging is not very practical for sailing (again, there are special ones with extra-ordinary sailing systems). Today we mostly cruise with their modern engines and occasionally, just for fun of it, we sail slowly when we meet a suitable wind.

3. • This program is available between May and October