Istanbul City Break

Welcome to Istanbul — a city so layered with history that every cobblestone could tell a story. Your hotel is in the heart of the old city, steps from the world's most extraordinary skyline. An evening stroll around Sultanahmet Square, where the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia face each other across the hippodrome, is an introduction you'll never forget.

• ✓Private transfer from IST Airport
• ✓Check-in: boutique hotel steps from Hagia Sophia
• ✓Evening: Sultanahmet Square at dusk
• ✓Blue Mosque exterior & courtyard visit
• ✓Turkish tea at a traditional tea house
• ✓Dinner: Ottoman cuisine in Sultanahmet

An extraordinary day of history and sensory overload. Begin at Hagia Sophia — built in 537 AD, it was the world's largest building for nearly a thousand years. Then navigate the 86 rooms of Topkapi Palace's Imperial Harem. The afternoon plunges you into the 4,000-shop maze of the Grand Bazaar and the aromatic Spice Bazaar.

• ✓Hagia Sophia interior guided tour (9am — early entry)
• ✓Blue Mosque prayer hall (between prayers)
• ✓Topkapi Palace & Imperial Harem guided tour
• ✓Lunch: traditional Turkish pide in the old city
• ✓Grand Bazaar 2-hr guided exploration
• ✓Spice Bazaar & Egyptian Bazaar walk
• ✓Turkish baklava & lokum (Turkish delight) tasting

Cross from Europe to Asia aboard a Bosphorus ferry — a short voyage that traverses one of the world's most storied waterways. The Asian district of Kadıköy is less touristy and more authentically Istanbul. Return to the European shore for an evening Bosphorus Dinner Cruise, gliding between illuminated Ottoman palaces and minarets.

• ✓Morning: Turkish breakfast feast (traditional spread)
• ✓Bosphorus boat ride — European to Asian shore
• ✓Kadıköy district (Asian side) exploration
• ✓Moda promenade & local café culture
• ✓Return by ferry — Bosphorus views
• ✓Evening: Bosphorus Dinner Cruise (2-course)

Visit the Spice Bazaar with a local chef to select ingredients, then cook four traditional dishes — stuffed peppers, lentil soup, chicken güveç, and baklava. After lunch, treat yourself to a traditional Turkish Hammam — an exfoliating scrub and foam massage that has been a cornerstone of Istanbul life for centuries.

• ✓Morning: Spice Bazaar shopping with chef
• ✓Turkish cooking class: 4 dishes incl. baklava
• ✓Lunch: eat your creations
• ✓Afternoon: Traditional Turkish Hammam ritual (optional — highly recommended)
• ✓Beyoglu district & Istiklal Avenue
• ✓Galata Tower panoramic view (sunset)

Visit Dolmabahçe Palace — a lavish 19th-century Ottoman palace on the Bosphorus shore with rooms that make Versailles look restrained. Then cross the Galata Bridge to the modern Beyoglu and Karaköy districts, Istanbul's creative hub. A farewell dinner at a rooftop restaurant with Bosphorus views is the perfect send-off.

• ✓Dolmabahçe Palace on the Bosphorus shore
• ✓Imperial throne room & crystal staircase
• ✓Taksim Square & Istiklal Avenue
• ✓Karaköy's boutique cafe & arts scene
• ✓Galata Bridge: watch fishermen at sunset
• ✓Farewell dinner: rooftop Bosphorus view

A final glass of strong Turkish çay (tea) and a simit sesame ring from a street vendor before your driver collects you for the airport. Istanbul is a city that demands a return visit — and we'll be delighted to help you plan it.

• ✓Final Turkish breakfast — çay, simit & fresh cheese
• ✓Hotel check-out
• ✓Private transfer to IST Airport
• ✓Return flight to Abu Dhabi