Istanbul: Gateway to the East in Europe

Brochure

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Dates

25th April - 1st May 2010

Tour Leader

Nicola Howard lived in Paris, Barcelona and Rome before joining Specialtours in 1996.  She has a degree in History of Art and has worked with fine art dealers and photographers.  Nicola speaks fluent French, Italian and Spanish and has specialised in these countries, as well as in Turkey, North Africa and the Middle East.  Georgian Ireland is another area of expertise and enthusiasm.  Nicola has arranged and accompanied tours for the Art Fund and many other art and garden groups, mostly from the United States.

Guest Lecturer

Peter Lauritzen, an American historian, author and lecturer, has lived in Italy since leaving Princeton University with a Fulbright Grant for study in Florence in 1962.  A resident of Venice for 35 years, he has written 'Venice: A Thousand Years of Culture & Civilization', 'Palaces of Venice', 'Villas of the Veneto' and 'Venice Preserved' as well as the official UNESCO report.  He has lectured and led tours specialising in Byzantium, Flemish and Dutch art, Imperial Russia, the Iberian peninsula and the Holy Roman Empire as well as classical antiquity.  He has accompanied royalty and VIPs on visits to Venice.

Costs

Per person: £2,995

Single supplement: £220

Airport taxes per person: Currently £154.20
(Please note that airport taxes include fuel surcharges and security fees and are liable to change without notice)

Visa fees: £10 / $20 / €20 payable on arrival

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Bridging Europe and Asia, the legendary city of Istanbul stands in an incomparable and strategically important position where the Bosphorus meets the Golden Horn. As a result of this the city came under foreign domination for centuries, and this fascinating tour focuses on the rich architectural and cultural legacy of the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman Empires.

In the course of our stay we explore the city in depth, with several visits by special arrangement, including an exclusive tour of Haghia Sophia when it is closed to the public.  We will see not only the well-known sights, such the Blue Mosque, the celebrated Topkapi Palace and the vast Grand Bazaar, but also a myriad other remarkable treasures.  These include splendid Roman remains, exquisite small Byzantine churches, lavishly decorated mosques, a traditional waterfront yali (wooden house) and the bustling streets of Sultanahmet and the 19th century quarter.  We also visit some of the city's most important museums, such as the Mosaic Museum and the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art, delve into vibrant smaller bazaars, drive along the Sea of Marmara and enjoy a private cruise on the Bosphorus.  With accommodation in several attractively restored Ottoman houses in a wonderful location behind Haghia Sophia, the tour promises to probe the very heart of this wonderful city.

Day 1: Sunday, 25th April

London / Istanbul
Depart London Heathrow on a British Airways morning flight to Istanbul.  Transfer to the Haghia Sofya Pansion, in several restored Ottoman houses, where six nights are spent.

Welcome drinks and introductory talk, followed by dinner at the hotel.

Day 2: Monday, 26th April

Istanbul
Morning exclusive visit to Haghia Sophia - an opportunity to admire the awesome interior of the great Byzantine church without the crowds.  Continue to the impressive Basilica Cistern and the Mosaic Museum.  Visit the beautifully-restored church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus and the monuments of the Hippodrome. Private visit to Haghia Irene.

Lunch at restaurant Asitane.  Study the exceptionally fine early 14th-century mosaics and wall-paintings of the Kariye Museum (St. Saviour in Chora) and compare the mosaics of the Fethiye Camii, also originally a Byzantine church.  Dinner at restaurant Sarnic.

Day 3: Tuesday, 27th April

Istanbul
Morning walk to the Mosque of Sokullu Mehmet Pasha, buit by the great architect Sinan and the spectacular Blue Mosque.  Visit the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art, housed in the palace of Ibrahim Pasha, which contains beautiful early kilims, carpets and ceramics.

Lunch at Yesil Ev Hotel.  See the Sehzade Mosque, built by Suleyman the Magnificent.  Dinner at restaurant Zehrekhane.

Day 4: Wednesday, 28th April

Istanbul
Leave on foot for the Topkapi Palace, which, with its dazzling treasury, airy pavillions and harem, offers an intriguing insight into the lives of the sultans. 

Lunch on the terrace of a hotel overlooking the Sea of Marmara.  After visiting the Beyazit Mosque, the earliest surviving example of its kind, savour the exotic allure of the Bazaars.  Dinner under own arrangements.

Day 5: Thursday, 29th April

Istanbul
Drive along the Sea of Marmara, passing the great Theodosian Land Walls.  Enjoy the view of the Golden Horn from the Pierre Loti Teahouse and walk down to the revered Shrine of Eyup.  Visit the restored Mosque of Rustem Pasha and the Egyptian Spice Bazaar.

Lunch at Pandeli's in the Bazaar.  Visit the Yeni Camii.  Remainder of the afternoon at leisure.  Dinner under own arrangements.

Day 6: Friday, 30th April

Istanbul
After touring the 19th-century Dolmabahçe Palace, cross the Bosphorus to the Asian shore for a visit (subject to permission) to a gracious private residence, a typical wooden yali.  Visit the Sadberk Hanim Museum, which contains a noteworthy collection costumes and ceramics housed in a 19th-century yali.

Lunch at a fish restaurant.  A private cruise on the Bosphorus is an opportunity to admire the Ottoman yalis along the waterfront.  Farewell dinner at the restaurant of the splendid Ciragan Palace Hotel.

Day 7: Saturday, 1st May

Istanbul / London
Morning walk to the National Archaeological Museum.  Continue to the Pera District, the 19th-century quarter of Istanbul.  Visit the Museum and the 18th-century tekke of the Whirling Dervishes.

After a light lunch, transfer to the airport for a British Airways flight to London, arriving Heathrow Airport in the evening.