Itinerary

1. 1

   Day 1 — Arrival in Istanbul and transfer to the hotel

   After you land at Istanbul Airport, a Solandra representative meets you at the first exit door and takes you to your hotel. The night is in Istanbul.

2. 2

   Day 2 — Old City tour on foot (breakfast and lunch included)

   Visited sights: Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, the Hippodrome, the Obelisk of Theodosius, and the Grand Bazaar. After breakfast the guide picks you up from the hotel for a full day in the Old City on foot. You see the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, once home to the Ottoman sultans, the Hippodrome, and the Obelisk of Theodosius. The Hippodrome is where the crowds of old Constantinople gathered; the obelisks are still standing. The last stop is the Grand Bazaar, the large covered market at the heart of the old city. There is time to walk it. At the end of the tour you are taken back to your hotel. The night is in Istanbul.

3. 3

   Day 3 — The cistern, Galata, the Bosphorus, and the flight to Trabzon (breakfast and lunch included)

   Visited sights: the Basilica Cistern, the Galata Tower, the Spice Bazaar, the Bosphorus bridge, and Rumeli Fortress. After breakfast the guide picks you up. The Basilica Cistern is the largest of the hundreds of ancient cisterns under Istanbul. The Galata Tower is one of the towers on the skyline. There is time in the Spice Bazaar, which dates from the 17th century. You then go to the Bosphorus bridge, which links Europe and Asia, and to Rumeli Fortress. At the end of the day you fly from Istanbul Airport to Trabzon. You are met at the first exit door and taken to your hotel. The night is in Trabzon.

4. 4

   Day 4 — Uzungol (breakfast and lunch included)

   Visited sights: a tea factory, the Sürmene knife outlet, the Uzungol viewing terrace, the artificial dam lake, and the artificial waterfalls. After breakfast the guide drives you to Uzungol in a private vehicle. At a tea factory on the way you hear how the tea is made. Then you stop at the Sürmene knife outlet. Anything you buy is a personal expense. The road follows the Solakli Valley, through villages on the slopes, into Uzungol. The first stop is the viewing terrace above the lake. The drive continues along the Haldizen Valley to the artificial dam lake and the artificial waterfalls. At the end of the tour you return to your hotel in Trabzon. The night is in Trabzon.

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  Package departing from Istanbul.

Important notes

• Departure is guaranteed every day. The tour starts and ends in Istanbul.
• On arrival in Istanbul you are met at the first exit door and taken to your hotel. The same welcome applies in Trabzon and on the return to Istanbul.
• Lunch is on days 2, 3, 4 and 5. On day 6 the package covers breakfast.
• The drive to Uzungol is in a private vehicle. At the tea factory you hear how the tea is made. Buying a knife at the Sürmene outlet is a personal expense.
• The drive to Sumela takes about an hour. Inside Altindere National Park you continue by shuttle. The last 300 metres to the monastery are on a path through the forest.
• Hagia Sophia in Trabzon is a different building from Hagia Sophia in Istanbul.
• On the last day you are taken to Istanbul airport four hours before your international flight. Check-in is self-service.
• Ask for a vegetarian or vegan lunch when you book.