Why every one of our tours starts or ends in Istanbul
Seven of our eight routes begin in Istanbul and the other one ends there. It is not just because of the airport. Here is the thinking, and how to make the most of your time in the city.
It is where the country starts
Istanbul is the only city on two continents, the old capital of two empires and home to about 16 million people. Everything you will see later on the tour - Roman theatres, Byzantine churches, Ottoman mosques - has a bigger or older sibling here. Seeing it first gives the rest of the trip its context; seeing it last gives you somewhere to spend the money you did not spend on the gulet.
The two nights
Day 1 is arrival: we collect you from the airport or your hotel, and in the evening the group meets in the hotel lobby for a walk along Istiklal Street and an optional Turkish tavern night in the Cicek Pasaji. Day 2 is the full old-city day described in our Highlights of Istanbul post, finishing with a Bosphorus cruise. Two nights is enough to see the essentials with a guide and to recover from a long flight before the bus heads south.
Arrive a day early
If you can, fly in a day before the tour starts. Istanbul's new airport is on the European side about 50 km from the old city; the metro and the airport buses run around the clock. An extra day lets you see the Basilica Cistern, the Chora mosaics or the Asian side at your own pace, and it means a delayed flight does not cost you day 1 of the tour.
Where you stay
Our Istanbul hotels are boutique or 4-star and central, within walking distance of Sultanahmet or a short tram ride away. Breakfast and dinner are included on land days.
Beyond the old city
Istanbul rewards wandering. The Kadikoy market and the ferry across the Bosphorus; the Pera museums and the Museum of Innocence; the fish restaurants of Kumkapi in the evening; the International Istanbul Music Festival in June, held partly in Hagia Irene; a hamam in a 16th-century bathhouse (see our hamam guide). Your guide will tell you what is on that week.
Routes that start here
Istanbul to Fethiye (6 days), All Around Turkey (10 days), Istanbul to Antalya with 3-Night Gulet Cruise (9 days), Istanbul to Fethiye with Gulet Cruise (12 days) and All Around Turkey with Gulet Cruise (17 days). Coming from the south, Fethiye to Istanbul, Antalya to Istanbul and Gulet Cruise & Cappadocia to Istanbul all finish here.
