Day-by-day itinerary
IMPORTANT — confirmation required: Different amounts are stated for the Sapphire visit and a second piece of luggage. The office confirms the applicable supplements.
Day 1
Departure from Sofia at 20:00 from Serdika Bus Station.
20:10 — departure from OMV on Tsarigradsko Shose Boulevard, Mladost 1.
20:30 — departure from Ihtiman, Motel Ihtiman complex.
20:50 — departure from Pazardzhik, Shell petrol station.
21:45 — departure from Plovdiv, OMV in front of the Sankt Peterburg Hotel, with at least five registered passengers; if that number is not reached, boarding is at Shell Radinovo.
22:45 — departure from Haskovo.
Overnight journey.
Return transfers to Sofia from Sandanski, Blagoevgrad, Kyustendil, Dupnitsa and Pernik are available for an additional charge.
Day 2
Arrival in Istanbul in the morning, followed by a walking tour of the historic centre, included in the price: the Hippodrome, Egyptian Obelisk, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and Topkapı Palace (exterior). Hotel check-in; public transport may be used, depending on the hotel's location. An optional visit with a local guide to Topkapı Palace is available for €70, including admission. The palace was the centre of power in the Ottoman Empire from the XV to the XIX century. Free time to visit the covered Grand Bazaar (Kapalı Çarşı) or Egyptian Bazaar.
You may also add an excursion to the Asian side on the Marmaray metro under the Bosphorus for an additional €40. Visit Mimar Sinan's MİHRİBAN SULTAN Mosque on Üsküdar Square, where you can take photographs with the Maiden's Tower in the background. Afterwards, free time for shopping in spice shops and local markets in old Üsküdar. Return by metro to the European side and a short tram ride to the hotel for check-in.
For the evening we suggest:
Bosphorus by Night with dinner and entertainment. Includes a Bosphorus boat cruise, dinner, programme and return transfers between the hotel and harbour. Dinner includes typical Turkish meze (a hors d'oeuvres platter), seasonal salad, grilled fish or chicken as the main course, dessert (fruit or a sweet dessert), and unlimited local soft and alcoholic drinks.
Price: €60 for adults; €30 for children up to 12.
Or dinner with an entertainment programme at Gar Gazino restaurant: salad hors d'oeuvres, a hot starter, a main course with a choice of chicken, fish or beef, fruit and unlimited drinks. Children up to 6 years attend free.
Price: €43 per adult; €21 for children up to 12.
Return to the hotel. Overnight stay.
Day 3
Breakfast. At 08:30, departure from the hotel for a Bosphorus boat trip with a visit to the Iron Church, for an additional €25, with a Bulgarian-speaking guide. The excursion starts from Eminönü or Kabataş harbour. The boat follows the European shore as far as the second Bosphorus bridge, returning along the Asian shore. During the cruise you will see some filming locations from popular Turkish television series such as “1001 Nights”, “Pearl” and “Falling Leaves”.
Optional excursion to Dolmabahçe Palace for €65, including admission. Unrivalled in its splendour and luxury, it is decorated with gold ornaments and paintings by some of the most celebrated artists of the 19th century.
We then continue to the Sapphire skyscraper for an additional €45, including the 4D simulator admission. Described as Europe's tallest residential building and Turkey's first ecological building, Sapphire is located in Istanbul's Levent 4 district. Completed at the end of 2009, it rises 64 floors and has 174 apartments of 22 different types, ranging from 120 to 1100 sq. m. In addition to residences, the complex contains a 34-thousand-sq.-m shopping centre, a golf course, fitness centre, spa with swimming pool and public areas. On the top floor are a panoramic observation deck, restaurant and 4D cinema. You can ascend to the deck for an incredible 360-degree view of the city and Bosphorus. The experience includes the opportunity to try SkyRIDE, an amazing 4D simulation of a helicopter flight over Istanbul. The sky bar offers outstanding views over a cup of aromatic Turkish coffee among the clouds.
At 17:30, departure for Ataşehir on Istanbul's Asian side, home to WATERGARDEN İSTANBUL, for an additional €25. At Watergarden İstanbul Mall we will watch the illuminated dancing fountain show: exceptional choreography of water, light, laser effects and music. The pool covers 5 thousand square metres in the heart of Watergarden Istanbul and is considered the “largest” pool in Europe. On the way back, stop on Çamlıca Hill for photographs of Istanbul by night.
Return to the hotel. Overnight stay.
Day 4
Breakfast. Hotel check-out.
Departure for Edirne and a city sightseeing tour. Walk around the city and visit Selimiye Mosque, the most impressive creation of the unmatched Turkish architect Mimar Sinan. Departure for Bulgaria. Arrival in Sofia late in the evening.