Trip to Istanbul and relaxation on the beach

Day 1. Arrival in Istanbul by direct flight from Warsaw

Greeting at the airport by the local partner CARTER®, who will assist during expedited passport control. After collecting your luggage, you will be transferred privately to a selected hotel from the portfolio CARTER®.

Day 2. Your guide will be waiting at the hotel at 10:00

On this day, you will travel back to the times when Istanbul was ruled by sultans who built the most beautiful palaces here. There will be an opportunity to visit Topkapi Palace, which was the seat of the Ottoman sultans since the conquest of Constantinople, which is located in the historical part of the city and overlooks both the Sea of ​​Marmara and the Bosphorus Strait. It is currently included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The place where it once was arouses great emotions Harem of Topkapi Palace with 400 rooms. They were inhabited by slave women who were bought at the fair or given as a gift by the nobility to the Sultan. The harem was ruled by the Sultan's mother, who not only took care of the place and its inhabitants, but also had great decision-making power over state affairs.

Then you will be transported to Grand Bazaar, where the slave trade once took place. It is one of the largest and oldest bazaars in the world. Currently, more people visit it than the Eiffel Tower. Among the dozens of winding streets there are as many as 4000 shops selling jewelry, handicrafts, antiques and serving local delicacies.

You will end this extraordinary day with a visit to... Suleymaniye Mosque, which is a gem of Ottoman architecture of the 5th century. The tour takes place between prayers, which are called XNUMX times a day by the muezzin from the minaret tower. It is worth mentioning Suleiman himself, during whose reign the Empire reached its peak of power. The Sultan had a passion for art and introduced numerous reforms in education, the army and finances. He was also known for his weakness for women. It was based on the love story with Roksolana that the TV series Magnificent Century was filmed, which made his character famous all over the world.

Return to the hotel later.

Day 3. Hippodrome, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Basilica Cistern and Egyptian Bazaar

Today will be an opportunity to visit one of the most characteristic places in Istanbul, such as the Hippodrome, the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, the Basilica Cistern and the Egyptian Bazaar. Hippodromein Istanbul was once the heart of Constantinople's political and sporting life. Due to the numerous blue decorations, the name of this mosque, which is designed on the plan of an almost perfect square 51 m x 53 m, comes from. One legend says that Blue Mosqueit was built in 7 years on the orders of Sultan Ahmed I as compensation for his youthful misdeeds.

The next point on the map will be visiting a wonderful architectural monument - Hagia Sophia. The Temple of Divine Wisdom, as Hagia Sophia is called, was built during the reign of Emperor Justinian I the Great in 537 AD. Over the next almost a millennium, it was repeatedly destroyed and looted, only to be converted into a mosque after the conquest of Constantinople.

Finally, a private guide will take you to one of the oldest bazaars where spices, mainly from Egypt, were once traded.

To end this day, it is worth seeing the city from a completely different perspective - from the Bosphorus Strait during a 2-hour cruise on a luxury yacht.

Day 4. Istiklal Cadessi, Taksim Square

You will start today's trip with a visit to Aleja Niepodległości - better known as Istiklal Cadessi. It connects the famous Taksim Square. During the Ottoman period, it attracted many intellectuals who met in numerous cafes, cinemas and art galleries. It is worth going here just to get to know the 19th-century neoclassical and Art Nouveau architecture. The next item on the agenda is Galata Bridge, which connects the modern Beyoglu district with the extraordinary history of the Sultanahmet district. The stunning view of the Golden Horn, the Sea of ​​Marmara and the Princess Island can be admired from Galata Tower, built in the 14th century, which served many functions. There was a prison here, a janissary garrison was stationed here for several centuries, and various dangers were also watched from there, including: fires.

In the afternoon, time to relax in a luxurious Turkish bath, where you will have the opportunity to soothe your senses and completely relax during a private SPA treatment.

Day 5. After breakfast, flight to Bodrum to relax in one of the hotels from the portfolio CARTER®

Day 6-9. Free time for sunbathing in a luxury hotel on the Turkish Riviera or in Bodrum

Day 10. You will take a private transfer to the international airport for your return flight to Poland