Departure from the USA with an overnight flight to Bodrum, Turkey. Airfare is not included in the price. Celestial Voyagers is here to help you choose the best routing and schedule. You may want to leave earlier; let us know if you need additional nights at the hotel upon arrival. Please provide a copy of your airline ticket.
Arrival in Bodrum.
Transfer on your own or it can be arranged.
Check-in at the 4-star El Vino Hotel for a 3-night stay. Bodrum is a vibrant coastal town along the Aegean Sea, featuring charming neighborhoods, ancient sites, and exquisite bays. It offers a delightful Mediterranean dining experience. The welcome dinner will feature traditional Bodrum village wedding specialties, either in Sazköy Carpet Weaving Village or at one of Bodrum’s popular restaurants.
Kick off with a vibrant visit to Bodrum’s local farmers market. Together, we’ll select the freshest ingredients for your class, turning this into a truly authentic experience.
Next, proceed to your cooking workshop focusing on Aegean cuisine, led by a local chef, with lunch at a country house.
The chef will welcome you into her home and share her extensive knowledge of Aegean cuisine. You will learn tips and techniques for preparing delicious, traditional Aegean dishes. After the workshop, you will sit down to enjoy the meal you’ve created, complemented by a glass or two of Turkish wine. This experience promises to be both enjoyable and memorable, providing you with wonderful recipes to recreate at home.
After lunch: We will take you to a ceramic atelier where each piece is meticulously handcrafted, showcasing the personal touch of the artisan.
Selin will then host you at her typical stone house, where you can enjoy a special Bodrum mandarin ice cream. Dinner will be at your own expense.
After breakfast, you will visit the famous Crusaders Castle and the Underwater museum. Following your visit, enjoy a Gulet cruise around the picturesque bays of Bodrum, complete with lunch served on board. Drinks will be at your expense.
After spending some leisure time, we will be heading to Karnas vineyards, producing wine, olives, jams and bread using traditional methods. Enjoy a unique chef’s table culinary experience and wine tasting among ancient olive trees and Aegean hilltops, overlooking golden sunsets and the picturesque vineyard pond. Offering delicacies inspired by the flavors of the region, committing itself to serving organic & locally sourced produce.
After breakfast, drive to visit Stratonikea Ancient City. ‘
This ancient city boasts remarkable architectural structures that date back to the Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic Roman Imperial, and Ottoman periods. Lunch will be at a local restaurant en route.
After lunch, leave for Kuşadası. Check in at the 5 star Doubletree by Hilton Kuşadası for 1 night.
Visit Ephesus; Ephesus is one of the largest and most impressive ancient cities in the world and is one of Türkiye’s most significant ancient cities.
After lunch you will attend a Leather Garments show, where you will be treated to a catwalk review of the latest jackets, where some of your travel companions will have the opportunity to be models.
Then transfer to İzmir Adnan Menderes Airport for your flight to Istanbul. Check in at the 5 star Hagia Sofia Mansions Istanbul, Curio Collection by Hilton for 5 nights in the old city.
Visit Hagia Sophia, the church of the Divine Wisdom, opened December 537 as a church, now a mosque.
Then visit Rustem Pasha Mosque built in 1561 on the orders of Rustem Pasha, Grand Vizier and son-in-law of Suleyman the Magnificent. Exquisite Iznik tiles panel the small and superbly proportioned interior Walk through Spice Bazaar; Spice tasting session at a traditional shop family owned for 5 generations. Lunch on your own.
You will then embark on your private Bosphorus cruise; Upon disembarkation you will proceed to Selin’s home in Istanbul to enjoy a hands- on cooking class learning to cook Turkish home-style, family recipes. The menu will include Sephardic recipes from Selin’s grandmother.
Enjoy what you have prepared for dinner.A truly unique opportunity to experience Turkish hospitality and Istanbul home life.
Today you will visit the Topkapı Palace, the residence of the sultans for almost three centuries. It is located on the promontory jutting out between the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn. Being the imperial residence of the sultan, his court and harem, the palace was also the seat of government for the Ottoman Empire. In the Treasury section, you will see the 7th biggest diamond in the world, the “Spoonmaker’s Diamond” and the Harem is a vast labyrinth of rooms and corridors once occupied by the black eunuchs, concubines, the Sultan’s mother and the Sultan himself.
You will visit The Palace Kitchens, Helvahane and Quarters and learn about our culinary culture of 400 years,
Enjoy Ottoman Palace cuisine lunch at Matbah Restaurant and experience a selection of exclusive dishes once served at the court of the Ottoman Sultans. Then explore the incomparable Grand Bazaar over 4000 shops spread out in a giant labyrinth of small streets and passages and its Hans.
Dinner at one of our favorite seafood restaurants.
Taste Cheese pastry and baklava at a famous Baklava shop. Take a ferry to the Asian Side of Istanbul.
Explore the famous open-air street market of Kadıkoy. Notice the big difference in atmosphere between the Spice Market and the Kadıkoy market which is more in tune with the way most people in Istanbul cook and eat. Stop for street food tastings. Feel the real bazaar shopping experience with the fishmongers, bakers, butchers and grocers singing out to attract you to their stall. Take your time and explore the many pastry shops, Turkish delight and deli stores and the aromatic spice stands.
Lunch will be served at one of Turkey’s foremost cook’s Çiya restaurants. The chef is devoted to making the glorious food of his homeland known all around the world. The ingredients used in the dishes specially brought from South Eastern Anatolia to arrive at your plate in Istanbul:
Dinner at your own expense.
Today is a leisure day for activities you may want to do on your own.
*Visit the Blue Mosque
*Visit the Basilica Cistern
*Experience a Turkish Hammam
*Take a walk in one of Istanbul’s classiest neighborhoods, Nişantaşı.
*Visit the Istanbul Modern Museum or the Pera Museum.
*Visit the Dolmabahçe Palace
*Take a walk by the Bosphorus Today lunch will be at your own expense
Dinner at our favorite kebab restaurant.
Breakfast at the Hagia Sophia Mansion
End of services.
Transfer to the airport is not included and can be arranged to take your flight back to the USA. We can arrange a car service for your transfer.
All passports must expire at least six months after the trip’s end-date. so November 11, 2026.
El Vino Hotel for a 3-night stay – 4 star (May 2 – 5)
El Vino Hotel
Address: Umurca, Pamili Sk., 48000 Bodrum/Muğla, Türkiye
Phone: +90 252 313 87 70
El Vino offers you one of the most charming holidays in an unusual atmosphere with excellent furnished rooms and a spectacular panoramic view over Bodrum and its countless historical monuments. Each of the hotel’s spacious, comfortable guest rooms is tastefully decorated with pretty, modern furniture, and all rooms are fully equipped to meet the needs of today’s traveler.
Doubletree by Hilton Kuşadası for 1 night – 5 star (May 5 – 6)
Doubletree by Hilton Kuşadas
Address: Atatürk Blv, Yat Limanı Karşısı, 09400 Kuşadası/Aydın, Türkiye
Phone: +90 256 633 60 60
Enjoy a warm welcome at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Kusadasi. Ideally situated in the city center of Kusadasi, directly across from the marina, our Kusadasi hotel is just 50 minutes from Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport and close to many historic sites and shops.
Hagia Sofia Mansions Istanbul, Curio Collection by Hilton for 5 nights – (May 6 – 11)
Hagia Sofia Mansions Istanbul, Curio Collection by Hilton
Address: Sultan Ahmet, Kabasakal Cd. No:5, 34122 Fatih/İstanbul, Türkiye
Phone: +90 212 912 42 12
Located between Hagia Sofia and Topkapı Palace, this narrow tree-lined street is known for its historical houses furnished with the breathtaking beauty of flowers and their refreshing smell. Our collection consists 17 individual mansions. Including one of the iconic building, ‘Green House’.
Aliza Green is a pioneering Philadelphia-based chef, experienced culinary tour leader, and James Beard Award-winning author. Her fifteen books include “Starting with Ingredients,” “Top 100 Cookbook of the Last 25 Years,” and “Field Guide to Herbs & Spices.” Celestial Voyagers has partnered with Chef Green to create unique cultural tours with a culinary focus for 2025 and 2026. You can find this program on Chef Aliza’s website and learn more details about her work.
$9,975 per person sharing in a twin room
Single supplement $2,125
$750 deposit at the time of reservation
Balance due: Friday, February 13, 2026
| This trip is a land only program. Your airline ticket is to be issued to travel from the USA to Bodrum, Turkey, returning from Istanbul. Celestial Voyagers is an IATA licensed tour operator. We will be able to advise the best schedule, the most convenient routing and best value for your ticket to Turkey. Please contact us before booking your flights. Should you choose to purchase your airline ticket on your own, provide us with a copy of your schedule in order to provide assistance at the airport. Celestial Voyagers can also assist you with providing a private car or taxi on arrival and departure. |
Celestial Voyager’s Terms and Conditions relate to specific contracts with various suppliers. The policies and regulations below must be strictly enforced.
We may adjust the program, but we will commit to creating the best possible program for guests with safety, comfort, and ease our top priorities.
A deposit of $750 is paid online at time of registration and will guarantee your space and the type of room you wish to reserve. We do recommend registering as soon as possible.
Final payment is due by Friday, February 13, 2026
Should you register after Friday, February 13, 2026, full payment is due; deposit can be paid on line and the balance due should follow as soon as you receive your invoice.
All changes and cancellations must be provided in writing via email or postal service.
Your deposit is refundable up to Friday, January 30, 2026 minus $350 processing fee.
For cancellation received in writing between Saturday, January 31, 2026 and Sunday, February 15, 2026 the deposit is non refundable.
For cancellation received in writing between Monday, February 16, 2026 and Sunday, March 1, 2026 the penalty is 50 % of the trip value.
For cancellation received in writing after Sunday, March 1, 2026 and in case of no show the penalty is 100% of the trip value.
Should you be able to provide a new participant to take your place the name change fee will be waived and no penalty will apply.
We highly recommend taking travel insurance to protect yourself from these penalties.
We advise all travelers to purchase travel insurance in case of any unforeseen circumstances and if you are no longer able to travel. We offer the following insurance policies through Allianz Travel Insurance: Basic, Classic, and Classic with cancel anytime. Prices vary with age and amount insured. Click on the link below for more details:
https://celestialvoyagers.com/leisure/leisure-insurance-passports-visas/
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Passport
Most countries require that a passport be valid for six months beyond the completion of a trip. If your passport expires before November 11, 2026, you must apply to renew your passport.
Visa
If you are not a US citizen please check with the Consulate of Turkey or a visa agency for the latest requirements. You will also need a re-entry permit to return to the USA
Aliza Green is a renowned chef, an award-winning author of 15 cookbooks, and a certified tour director who is experienced in planning and leading international culinary tours. She loves to share her deep culinary knowledge, her fascinating stories, and kitchen tips and tricks gained from her extensive experience in the kitchen.