10 Days Turkish Cuisine: Istanbul, Ephesus, Pamukkale, Antalya & Cappadocia Private Tour

Your Turkish adventure starts in Istanbul, where a driver meets you at the airport and takes you to your hotel. After check-in you are welcomed with a drink and have a first conversation with specialists in Turkish cuisine, who explain what the coming days will bring. In the evening you sit down to a welcome dinner built around traditional Turkish dishes, a relaxed way to meet your guide and settle into the rhythm of the trip. If you still have energy afterwards, the atmosphere of Istanbul at night is well worth a short stroll. Overnight in Istanbul.

After a short morning orientation, you explore the historic heart of Istanbul and then take part in your first Turkish cooking lesson. You taste flavours from several regions of the country, prepare a meal yourself and enjoy it together as lunch. In the afternoon you visit Topkapi Palace, the residence of the Ottoman sultans from the fifteenth to the nineteenth century, where the collections include crystal, silver, Chinese porcelain, sultans' robes, miniatures, the Imperial Treasury jewels and sacred relics. Next comes the Sultanahmet Mosque, known as the Blue Mosque for the Iznik tiles that cover its interior, followed by the old Hippodrome, where three ancient monuments still stand: the Egyptian Obelisk of Theodosius, the Walled Obelisk known as the Column of Constantine and the bronze Serpentine Column. Overnight in Istanbul.

After breakfast the day begins with a morning Bosphorus cruise, starting at 08:30, combined with a visit to the Spice Bazaar, also called the Egyptian Bazaar. From the boat you watch the waterway that separates Europe from Asia and enjoy the skyline of the city from the water. Lunch is taken at a local Turkish restaurant. In the afternoon you head to the airport for the domestic flight to Izmir, then drive to Kusadasi on the Aegean coast and check in to your hotel. Dinner and overnight in Kusadasi.

Leaving the hotel at 08:30, you spend the morning in Ephesus, one of the best preserved ancient cities in the world. Your guide leads you past the Temple of Artemis, along Curetes Street, through the Roman baths and to the Celsus Library and the Grand Theatre. Lunch follows at a small Turkish restaurant. In the afternoon you travel to Sirince Village, known for its wines, especially fruit wines. You tour the vineyards and learn the winemaking process from local producers, with a playful quiz in the evening to test what you absorbed. On the way back to the hotel you stop at a carpet weaving centre where one of the oldest crafts of Turkey is still practised. Dinner and overnight in Kusadasi.

An early departure at 08:00 takes you from Kusadasi to Pamukkale. You reach your hotel around midday and have a lunch break before heading out in the afternoon. The visit combines the dazzling white calcium terraces, known as the Cotton Castle, with the ruins of Hierapolis. You can walk across this natural wonder and, if you wish, relax in the waters of the natural springs. In the evening comes another cooking lesson, this time dedicated to Aegean cuisine: you prepare the dishes yourselves and then sit down to enjoy them as dinner. Overnight in Pamukkale.

Today is a travel day as you leave Pamukkale and drive to the Mediterranean city of Antalya. The journey takes about five hours in total, with a comfortable break roughly two and a half hours into the ride, so you can stretch your legs and enjoy a coffee. The scenery changes steadily as the Aegean interior gives way to the Mediterranean coast, which makes the drive a gentle way to move between two very different regions of Turkey. You arrive in time to settle into your hotel and unwind after the long drive. Dinner and overnight in Antalya.

After breakfast you visit the Duden Waterfalls, a pleasant excursion from Antalya. The Duden River runs from the Taurus Mountains to the Mediterranean and forms the Upper and Lower Duden Waterfalls, while the gardens around them are a favourite picnic spot for local families. The day also brings a cooking lesson focused on Mediterranean flavours, a cuisine famous for its fresh salads and mezes, so you learn to prepare them yourself and taste the results. Dinner and overnight in Antalya.

After breakfast you check out at 12:00, with free time in Antalya until it is time to leave for the airport. A domestic flight brings you to the central Anatolian region of Cappadocia, and a transfer from Kayseri airport takes you to your hotel. You then have free time to settle in, walk around the area at your own pace and begin to take in the unusual rock landscape. Dinner and overnight in Cappadocia.

Following breakfast you join another cooking lesson, this one devoted to the food of Central Turkey, where you taste pancakes and kebab. The afternoon belongs to the Goreme Open Air Museum, a UNESCO-listed monastic complex at the centre of the region and famous for tenth-century frescoes showing the life of Jesus Christ and of monks. Your next stop is Cavusin, an abandoned village of old cave houses, where you also visit a pottery workshop to see how ceramics are made. The day ends at Pasabagi Valley, where three-headed fairy chimneys rise from the landscape. Dinner and overnight in Cappadocia.

After a final breakfast in Cappadocia you have free time for shopping in Cappadocia, perhaps for a last souvenir or some local pottery, before leaving for Kayseri airport. From there you take the domestic flight to Istanbul, where you connect to your onward journey home. We hope you leave with full hearts, new recipes and memories of Turkey's landscapes, history and tables, and that you will return to explore more of the country soon. Have a safe journey home and thank you for travelling with us.