Turkish Delight!
What to Expect
Welcome to Istanbul, a place where the yin and yang of old and new complement each other. This cosmopolitan city is bursting with modern charm, where stylish cafes sit next to traditional bazaars, archaeological sites filled with ancient splendour merge with magical landscapes straight out of a storybook.
Your weekend adventure awaits where we’ll be meeting Istanbul’s finest entrepreneurial women, from the apartment we stay in, the food we eat, the workshops we attend to our amazing guide… A Turkish weekend at its finest!
At A Glance
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Stay in hip & vibrant Galata
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Meet Istanbul’s women artists & designers
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Turkish cookery class with Aylin
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Visit the Hagia Sophia & Grand Bazaar
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Discover Harems, mosques & palaces
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Private Yatch along the Bosphorus
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Dine in the finest women-owned restaurants
Istanbul Tour Itinerary*:
Day 1 - Istanbul
Hotel: Baylo Suites
After arriving in the hip and vibrant neighborhood of Galata with its many café’s, boutiques, restaurants and one of the most popular jazz clubs in the city, we’ll check into our check suites, owned by a mother and daughter team, and head out to discover the local area.
As we walk over Galata Bridge, it’s such a great place to take pictures of the old city and the people who fish and socialize on the bridge. Exploring further, it’s easy to get lost amongst the narrow and interesting side streets of Karakoy and Tophane with its many bohemian coffee shops.
Tonight we eat at 9 Ece Aksoy, a traditional restaurant run by Sophia, a very well known Turkish woman in the food industry. She opened her restaurant over 15 years ago and still prepares the food herself. This evening she’ll join us for a glass of ‘raki’ or two!
Let the weekend begin!
Meals; Dinner
Day 2 - Istanbul
Hotel: Baylo Suites
Today we have the pleasure of meeting the women artists and designers in 2 areas of Istanbul, Fener, and Galata.
Our daily breakfast is at Biberon Café, a laid back cafe run by two wonderful women,
After breakfast, we can get creative in a jewelry workshop with one of the owners,
Lunch is in the popular neighborhood of Fener & Balat, former Greek & Jewish neighborhoods during the Ottoman era and now are home to artist’s workshops and galleries, vintage stores, hip coffee shops
The evening is at leisure to discover some hidden streets and with more than enough choices for food and drinks.
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
Day 3 - Istanbul
Hotel: Baylo Suites
After breakfast at the Biberon Cafe, we have a day of sightseeing. The first stop is the famous Hagia Sophia. Once the highest dome on earth and the main cathedral of the Roman Empire, this 6th century UNESCO world heritage building is one of the most important monuments in Istanbul.
Our next stop, Serefiye Cistern. A newly renovated Byzantine cistern is a beautiful example of many cisterns built during the Byzantine era and if we’re lucky, we may get to see one of the very interesting art exhibitions hosted there.
Sightseeing is hungry work, so we’ll stop for lunch at 1741 Lokanta, a new restaurant in the courtyard of the historic hammam. The food is amazing!
And now for my favorite part of the day, shopping in the Grand Bazaar! Did you know, it was the world’s first shopping mall! Built-in the 15th century, this is today the biggest covered bazaar in the world. This is definitely a place we’ll need a local to come shopping with us to show us where the locals shop and buy high-quality handmade ceramics, carpets and kilims, jewelry, scarves, purses
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
Day 4 - Istanbul
Hotel: Baylo Suites
After breakfast, we are meeting Aylin, our cooking expert for the day, who is taking us to
Late afternoon we board a private yacht where we can sit back and enjoy the views of the city from the water as we cruise down the Bosphorus River with a glass of wine or cocktail in hand!
Our last dinner is at Jash Istanbul, an Armenian restaurant known for its authentic atmosphere and excellent food. Owned and run by Mari a serial Turkish entrepreneur who originally had no experience in the food industry but as soon as she went inside and found it was for sale, she decided she was going to turn it into the best restaurant in the area, and from the reviews, I think she did just that!
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 5 - Departure Day
Today is our last day…but there is still some more things in store before we board our flight this afternoon.
After breakfast we’ll visit the Suleymaniye Mosque. This 16th century mosque is the biggest mosque complex in the city.
Topkapı Palace & Harem is next. This 15th century palace is the place where one of the biggest empires on earth was ruled from for four centuries. It has the most amazing views of the city.
Of course we’ll fit in a spot of lunch which is at The Konyali Restaurant at the palace. This famous restaurant dates back to 1890, has been serving in the courtyard of the palace for a few decades now.
Then it’s onto the airport for our flight back home…what a great way to spend a long weekend away!
Elle Voyage
“AS CREATIVE WOMEN WE ARE FULL OF PASSION, FOREVER EVOLVING AND REINVENTING OURSELVES”
We take you on a journey to meet the local women in our destinations so you can feel and grasp their effervescent & vibrant souls!
Details:
Dates:
30th April – 4th May
Where: Florence – 5 Days/4 Nights
What’s Included: Airport Transfer included on a group basis 4 Breakfasts, 4 Lunches, 2 Dinners
Tour Cost: £2199 (sharing Twin room)
All tours are quoted in British Pounds.
Space is limited. Reservations are on a first come first serve basis.
To register for this tour, a deposit of £300 is required to secure your reservation.
Balance is due 90 days prior to travel.
