When you arrive in Istanbul we will pick you up from your hotel by private transfer and take you to your hotel. Welcome to Istanbul

After breakfast, we will see the 8th biggest city in the world the enchanting ancient city of Istanbul. A true mix of Asia and Europe, old and new, a most fascinating city to explore. Some of the wonderful sites that you will see across the city are Topkapi Palace, Grand Bazaar, Blue Mosque, Hippodrome and Obelisks and the Hagia Sophia and Museum. These places will touch your soul and fill your senses, the palaces of the Ottoman king's, places of ancient history as relevant today as then, shopping like you have never seen before a labyrinth to fill your senses, Architecture on a grand scale that has kept its sheer beauty for us to see, arenas of the gladiators where life and death were fought on an almighty scale and places of worship that brings reverence, beauty and wonder. The city of Istanbul is truly like no other.

Our recommendation:
After the day's tour ends and you have your own free time, we recommend also visiting the Spice Bazaar to enjoy the sights and smells of Turkish tea, spices, and candies. You will be on your own here as its not part of your tour package, but you will have plenty of time and can make your own way back to your hotel.

We will take you back to your hotel in the late afternoon at the end of your tour.

Important Notes:
Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays
Blue Mosque due to prayers on Fridays we are unable to enter
Hagia Sophia is closed on Mondays
Topkapi Palace is closed on Tuesdays

We provide pickups from hotels in central areas in the following vicinities:
Sultanahmet, Sirkeci, Laleli, Aksaray, Taksim area. Pickup from anywhere outside these areas may incur an extra charge. Speak to our crew if you have any questions.

Again after breakfast, your day tour will begin. Today will see you sailing down the Bosphorus Straights and along to the Golden Horn then heading to one of the best viewpoints over the whole city
Before your cruise, you will tour inside the Dolmabahce Palace, built between 1842 and 1853. The last 6 Sultans of the Ottoman Empire lived here. In 1923 Mustafa Kemal Ataturk resided here in the summers until his death in 1938. This palace is built the Neoclassical and Baroque Rococo styles. After leaving we will embark on our cruise that leads from the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara one of the first famous sites you will see from the boat is the Maidens Tower. This tower has served as a lighthouse, a radio tower, a hospital, and now it serves as a restaurant and museum.  Sailing up the Bosphorus, You will also enjoy a panoramic view of the Old Constantinople Walls, which were built to protect Topkapi Palace from invaders. In its 1600 year history, these walls were only breached twice, saving the city from invasion on many other occasions.  

At the Kucuksu Palace, built by Sultan Abdülmecid, we will stop for one hour, Kucuksu translates to “small water”, although small it is grand in design. You will return to the boat and pass by the Ciragan Palace, the magnificent Sultans palace turned hotel. The main building burnt down in 1910, however, the exterior structure stayed intact and was rebuilt in the early 1990s. You will sail past the Ortakoy Mosque, with its distinctive pink mosaics, on your way to cruising under the mighty Bosphorus Bridge where you will get the best views of the Beylerbeyi Palace, the summer home of the Sultans. Then it's on to the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, where, from the boat, you will see the mighty Rumeli Castle, built by Mehmed in 1452.

At the end of the cruise, we will change transport for a bus tour as we head back to the old city, the bus tour begins in the Sultanahmet district with our trusted guide it's then on over to the famous Pierre Loti Hill named after a French novelist, who had a great passion for Istanbul, this is one of the most romantic spots in the city. Here you will take a cable car to the top of this viewpoint overlooking Istanbul and the Golden Horn. Try Turkish coffee at one of the cafes, the ride back down has even more spectacular views of the city. The bus will take you around the Old City Walls before returning to your hotel around 17:00-18:00.

Important Note:
Dolmabahce Palace is closed on Mondays, therefore on this day, only the tour will begin 2 hours later (11:30 am departure) on Mondays.

Princes Islands are a group of 9 islands located in the Sea of Marmara and today we will visit 2 of them Heybeli Island and Buyuk Island. These islands are mainly car-free with the main transport being horse-drawn carriages, you will have a tour guide and for lunch, we will eat at one of the local fish restaurants, after lunch, there will be plenty of free time to discover the beauty of the islands for yourselves and at the end of the tour, we will sail back to the city where a car will be waiting for you to take you back to your hotel.

Once the capital of the Ottoman Empire, Bursa is where we are visiting today, this takes us approximately 2 hours away from the city of Istanbul. Because the city has an abundance of parks it is known as Green Bursa.  You will visit the Green Mosque and mausoleum before heading to the covered silk Bazaar, perfectly positioned on the old silk road it was one of the worlds busiest trading posts for silk and other goods, with traders travelling to Bursa from every part of the world, however, the Italian merchants from Florence were the key traders. Later you will take a cable car ride up to mount Uludag locally known as Teleferik. The views from the top are not to be magnificent.

After breakfast, we will travel to the natural lake area of Sapanca south of the city, surrounded by greenery and the sound of birdsong. Here you can try pedal boating on this freshwater lake which is approximately 42 kilometres square after we will drive to the south of the lake to Masukiye Village where we will see the waterfalls and have lunch. Depending on the time of year this tour takes 2 separate routes  
Through November – March
The tour continues to Kartepe, high above Sapanca lake, reachable by cable car in winter this is an amazing ski resort and the views are just breathtaking.
Through April – October
we will visit the Zoo a fun time for children and the whole family to learn about and see many different species of animal.

We then return to the Hotel in the evening.

Today's tour starts with a domestic flight to the Trabzon region of Turkey, on arrival in Trabzon you will be taken to your new accommodation.
Trabzon City Tour
 The ancient city of Trabzon has so much mixed history from different cultures dating back to the Ancient Greeks and the Byzantines. A place that holds great significance is Ataturk’s Pavilion, this was the holiday destination for Turkeys first president. The pavilion is well preserved with original furniture and the gardens are maintained to offer a spectacular view. We will then go on to visit some of the most beautiful mosques including; Yavuz Sultan Mosque, Iskender Pasa Mosque, and Fatih Mosque. While here we will visit another place of worship, Kaymakli Monastery, an original Armenian church.

We will also visit Trabzon’s Hagia Sofia, the sister museum to the one in Istanbul, once a Greek church that was converted to a mosque, today the building is now home to artefacts and items that show the history of the region.   We will also take the time to visit the beautiful Zagnos Bridge it is a historical monument, origins of the bridge are Roman, however, the bridge we see today was added to and renovated by the son-in-law of Sultan Mehmet it has been maintained to keep the original structure.

Overnight Stay in Trabzon.

Today you will take the Uzungol Lake Tour a protected area and a fantastic Lakeside Town, here modern life blends beautifully with its surroundings. The mountains in the distance and gently sloping hills close by this town makes for an idyllic place for hikes and walks and fabulous photographs, with many walking trails available this town is one of the most beautiful in this region of Turkey.

Overnight in Trabzon

Today you will see the breathtaking Ayder Plateau and the wonders of this part of the Black Sea region. This northern area of Turkey is famed for its tea plantations. In Ayder there is a fantastic old ottoman Stonebridge in the Storm Valley. The whole area of Ayder is filled with stunning natural landscapes, small traditional villages where the local craftsmen and women weave cotton fabrics and wondrous views.

Flight to Istanbul and drop off to Hotel
After visiting this amazing region you will head back to Trabzon Airport for a domestic flight back to Istanbul and then a transfer to your accommodation

Accommodation in Istanbul

Today part of the Family Fun tour is to Vialand Theme Park and Shopping Mall in Istanbul.  The huge theme park can admit over 13 thousand people with rides for all ages it is the perfect place for the whole family to have relax and have some fun you will also find a great shopping mall at the park so there is something for everyone. Today's tour does not include lunch but as there are so many different types of restaurants in the park, everyone is catered for. 

We will be outside the park waiting at 18:00 which is when the park closes, to transfer you back for a restful night in your hotel.

Today’s tour is another experience that the whole family will love, today is an adventure full of fantastic marine life of every kind, after breakfast, we will take you to the Istanbul Aquarium opened in 2011 the Aquarium is one of the largest in the world and has so much to see from the diverse sea life to a 5D cinema. You will also be able to spend some free time at the Aqua Florya shopping mall with themes and leisure activities the mall feels like another theme park itself.

After a relaxed morning and breakfast, we will pick you up at your hotel at 10:00 am and take you to Madame Tussauds, Istanbul. The world-famous waxwork figure chain started in London in 1770 and has branches worldwide a great day out for the whole family (lunch is not included in this tour) our Private transfer service will be outside and ready to take you back to your accommodation at 17:00 pm.

Today will be a free day which means that there are no organised tours today, the day is yours to do as you wish as a family. we have left today free for you to do whatever you want, there may be places that you want to visit or revisit and spend a little more time, or you may want to simply relax at your hotel, we are especially aware that you need time to prepare for travelling home the next day. Today is yours, Enjoy!

This morning we will be ready at your hotel to take you to the airport at a pre-arranged time, we hope that you have enjoyed your family experience in the incredible city of Istanbul with us and look forward to seeing you all again. We wish you a safe journey home.

This Tour is 14 days packed with family fun-filled adventure, history, cruises, shopping, theme parks and so much more this tour comes with private transfers to every destination making sure your family holiday runs as smooth as possible. This 14-day Istanbul tour has something for every member of your family to enjoy.