The interior of a mosque, looking up into the dome

Cultural & Archaeological

Treasures of Turkey

From Istanbul to the Turquoise Coast, by land and by sea.

Duration: 15 days
Group size: Up to 14 guests
Season: May to October

The journey

Domes, marble streets, and a coast entered from the water

Fifteen days that begin under the domes of Istanbul and end in a valley of stone chimneys. In between: a Roman cistern where the columns stand in still black water, the courtyards of Topkapi where the empire kept its secrets and its silverware, a marble street in Ephesus that once ran down to a harbour long since silted to fields. Then the coast, five nights aboard a wooden gulet with her own captain and cook, waking each morning in a bay the road never found. Cappadocia comes last, and it is best that way: after the sea, the quiet of the rock churches lands properly.

You travel with an English-speaking licensed guide throughout, in private air-conditioned transport, staying in boutique and cave hotels ashore and five nights aboard a crewed gulet. Runs privately on your dates, May to October.

Highlights

Istanbul, both halves of it

The Hippodrome, Hagia Sophia, the Grand Bazaar and a private evening on the Bosphorus, in a city that has been the capital of three empires.

Five nights under sail

Unpack once. A teakwood gulet with her own captain and cook, and coves along the Turquoise Coast that can be reached no other way.

Ephesus, read properly

The Terrace Houses and what is left of the Temple of Artemis, with a licensed guide who can tell you which stone belongs to which century.

The Mediterranean table

Meze, bread out of the oven, and fish you pick yourself at the Fethiye market, cooked around whatever you do and do not eat.

Cappadocia, and the balloons if you want them

The underground city of Derinkuyu, a valley of fairy chimneys on foot, and the frescoed rock churches at Goreme.

Ordinary Turkish life

Herb tea with yoruk herders on the hill above Lydae, lunch in a village house, a rug coming off the loom in front of you.

Day by day

The 15-day itinerary

A starting point, written to be argued with — every departure runs privately on your dates.

Day 1 Arrive in Istanbul Istanbul

Arrive at your leisure, or arrange a private airport transfer. Settle into your hotel and join the group in the afternoon for a welcome briefing, then dinner at a nearby restaurant.

Overnight Istanbul · Meals Dinner

Day 2 Hippodrome and Blue Mosque Istanbul

The Byzantine Hippodrome, the six-minaret Blue Mosque, and the Grand Bazaar, with fish sandwiches by the water and the Spice Market in the afternoon. Close the day with a private Bosphorus cruise.

Overnight Istanbul · Meals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3 Topkapi Palace and Hagia Sophia Istanbul

Ottoman grandeur at Topkapi Palace, the Byzantine marvel of Hagia Sophia, and the underground Basilica Cistern. In the evening, seafood and meze at a lively meyhane.

Overnight Istanbul · Meals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4 Fly to Izmir, on to Kusadasi Kusadasi

A short morning flight to Izmir, then the hillside village of Sirince for lunch and fruit-wine tastings. Reach Kusadasi for sunset over the Aegean.

Overnight Kusadasi · Meals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 5 Kusadasi and Ephesus Kusadasi

The Greco-Roman city of Ephesus, including the Terrace Houses and the Temple of Artemis, with insight into its religious history and early Christian communities.

Overnight Kusadasi · Meals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 6 To Marmaris and board the gulet Gulet

Scenic coastal roads to Marmaris, pausing at ancient Didyma and the Temple of Apollo. Meet your captain and crew, settle aboard, and set sail for Ekincik Cove.