Day-by-day itinerary
IMPORTANT — confirmation required: Different amounts are stated for a second piece of luggage. The office confirms the applicable supplement.
Day 1
Departure at 07:00 from Sofia’s Serdika Bus Station; 07:10 OMV on Tsarigradsko Shose Boulevard, Mladost 1; 07:30 Ihtiman (Motel Ihtiman complex); 07:50 Pazardzhik (Shell); 08:45 Plovdiv (OMV in front of Sankt Peterburg hotel, minimum five bookings; otherwise boarding at Shell Radinovo); 09:45 Haskovo.
Optional return transfer to Sofia at extra charge from Sandanski, Blagoevgrad, Kyustendil, Dupnitsa and Pernik. Evening arrival in Istanbul. Check-in.
Night Bosphorus cruise with dinner and entertainment, including hotel–port–hotel transfers. Dinner: traditional Turkish meze platter, seasonal salad, grilled fish or chicken, fruit or sweet dessert, unlimited local soft and alcoholic drinks. EUR 60 per adult; EUR 30 per child up to 12. Overnight stay.
Day 2
Breakfast. At 08:30 depart from the hotel for the included walking tour of the historic centre: Hippodrome, Egyptian Obelisk, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and Topkapı Palace (outside). Optional visit to Topkapı with a local guide: EUR 70 including admission. The palace was the centre of Ottoman power from the 15th to the 19th century. Free time at the covered Grand Bazaar or Egyptian Bazaar.
Optional trip by Marmaray metro beneath the Bosphorus to the Asian side: EUR 40. Visit Mimar Sinan’s MİHRİBAN SULTAN Mosque at Üsküdar Square, photograph the Maiden’s Tower and enjoy time at spice shops and local markets in historic Üsküdar. Return to Europe by metro and take a short tram ride to the hotel for accommodation.
Dinner with entertainment at Gar Gazino: salad hors d’oeuvres, warm starter, choice of chicken, fish or beef main course, fruit and unlimited drinks. Free for children up to 6. EUR 43 per adult; EUR 21 per child up to 12.
Overnight stay.
Day 3
Breakfast. At 08:30 depart for a Bosphorus boat trip and visit to the Iron Church, with a Bulgarian-speaking guide (supplement: EUR 25). Departure from Eminönü or Kabataş port. Sail along the European shore to the second Bosphorus bridge and return along the Asian shore. See locations from Turkish television series including 1001 Nights, Pearl and Falling Leaves.
Optional visit to Dolmabahçe Palace: EUR 65 including admission. The palace is renowned for its opulence, gold decoration and paintings by celebrated 19th-century artists.
Continue to the SAPPHIRE skyscraper: EUR 45 including admission to the 4D simulator. Described as Europe’s tallest residential building and Turkey’s first ecological building, it stands in Istanbul’s Levent 4 district. Completed at the end of 2009, it has 64 floors and 174 apartments of 22 types, ranging from 120 to 1100 sq m. The complex also includes a 34 thousand sq m shopping centre, golf course, fitness centre, spa with pool and public areas. The top floor has a viewing platform, restaurant and 4D cinema. Enjoy 360-degree views of Istanbul and the Bosphorus and the optional SkyRIDE 4D simulated helicopter flight over the city. The sky bar offers Turkish coffee and views among the clouds.
At 17:30 depart for Ataşehir on Istanbul’s Asian side to visit WATERGARDEN İSTANBUL: EUR 25. Watch the singing fountains’ light show, with water choreography, lights, laser effects and music. Its pool covers 5 thousand sq m in the centre of Watergarden Istanbul and is described as Europe’s “largest” pool.
On the way back, photo stop on Çamlıca Hill for night-time Istanbul.
Return to the hotel. Overnight stay.
Day 4
Breakfast. Check out. Depart for Edirne for a sightseeing walk and visit to Selimiye Mosque, an outstanding work of the Turkish architect Mimar Sinan. Depart for Bulgaria. Arrival in Sofia late in the evening.