Thrace & Istanbul Signature — Six Nights

Day 1

Istanbul to Şarköy

Private car, three-cellar tasting day, farmhouse dinner.

Your driver collects you from your Istanbul hotel mid-morning and takes you west through Silivri and Tekirdağ, skirting the northern shore of the Sea of Marmara. The city thins, the landscape opens, and by early afternoon, you're among the vineyards of Thrace. Your first stop is a three-cellar tasting day arranged by your guide — Chamlija, Barbare, and Melen, each with its own character and story. You'll taste Papazkarası, Kalecik Karası, and natural whites, and learn why Thrace — with its maritime climate and ancient winemaking traditions — is quietly becoming one of Türkiye's most exciting wine regions. By evening, you're at a farmhouse for dinner — slow-cooked lamb, fresh bread, and wine from the vineyard next door.

Day 2

Trakya Bağ Rotası

Deeper wine day, olive-mill tasting, sea afternoon.

Your guide collects you after breakfast for a deeper wine day — visiting smaller, family-run producers who rarely see tourists. You'll walk through the vineyards with the winemakers, taste from the barrel, and hear stories about the harvest, the terroir, and the challenges of making wine in a country better known for rakı. By mid-morning, you stop at an olive oil mill for a tasting — the producer walks you through the pressing, the grading, and the difference between early and late harvest. Lunch is at a village lokanta, and by afternoon, you're at your hotel in Şarköy — a small, sea-view property with a terrace for evening drinks. The rest of the day is yours — swim, read, or simply sit and watch the fishing boats return.

Day 3

Return to Istanbul

Boutique hotel in Karaköy, welcome dinner.

After a slow breakfast facing the Sea of Marmara, your driver takes you back to Istanbul. The landscape shifts from vineyards to city, and by early afternoon, you're at your boutique hotel in Karaköy — beautifully restored, with high ceilings, Turkish rugs, and a rooftop terrace overlooking the Bosphorus. After settling in, your guide meets you for a welcome dinner at a quiet meyhane in Beyoğlu. The table fills with meze — grilled octopus, arugula salad with aged cheese, ezme, dolma — and the rakı is poured into glasses of ice. By the time you leave, you've been toasted a dozen times and already feel part of the city's rhythm.

Day 4

Old city

Hagia Sophia + Topkapı with a resident historian.

Your resident historian meets you after breakfast and takes you into the heart of the old city. Hagia Sophia first — built in 537 AD as the greatest church in Christendom, then transformed into a mosque in 1453. The dome seems to float, the light pours through high windows, and your guide brings the layers of history to life. Then Topkapı Palace — the sprawling residence of Ottoman sultans for 400 years. You'll walk through the harem, admire the treasury's emeralds and daggers, and stand in courtyards overlooking the Bosphorus. The pace is unhurried, the stories are rich, and you're never rushed. By late afternoon, you're back at the hotel, feet up, terrace facing the strait.

Day 5

Bosphorus + hammam

Private boat, hammam, chef's table dinner.

Morning begins on the water. You board a private wooden boat for a cruise along the Bosphorus — past palaces, fortresses, and fishing villages, watching the city slide past on both shores. By late morning, you dock and walk to a private hammam for a traditional scrub, steam, and massage. The marble is heated, the eucalyptus steam is thick, and the kese scrub is thorough and slightly brutal. You emerge boneless, pink, and utterly restored. Dinner is at a chef's table — a young Turkish chef reinterpreting regional dishes with seasonal ingredients. The tasting menu is inventive, the wine pairings are local, and the conversation lasts long into the night.

Day 6

Farewell

Free morning, private transfer home.

Your final morning is yours — sleep in, revisit a favourite café, or wander Karaköy's vintage shops one last time. When it's time, your driver collects you from the hotel and takes you to the airport in comfort. You leave Türkiye with two entirely different landscapes in your memory — the vineyards of Thrace and the domes of Istanbul — and both feel essential. The wineries, the markets, the chef's tables — they've become the kind of memories that redefine a country.