• Eminonu Square - Gather with the group here. The guide will provide details about the tour, and then the group will proceed to the dairy store to purchase breakfast items.

• Misir Carsisi (Spice Market) - Begin the day with a delightful local breakfast near the Spice Market. Enjoy shopping for breakfast with a gourmet guide at the local dairy store. Sample delectable pastrami, Kaymak (buffalo cream) with organic honey, various cheeses, sesame bread (simit), and Menemen, a dish made with tomatoes, onion, green peppers, and eggs. Savor the delicious pistachio and hazelnut pastes, a variety of cheeses, and Acuka paste, all accompanied by Turkish çay (tea) served in a tulip-shaped glass.

• Bosphorus Strait - Relish a ferry ride offering stunning views of Istanbul. This incredible journey takes you from Europe to Asia in just twenty minutes! Learn about the landmarks from your historian guide. Prepare to visit a unique local food market to taste some exquisite local foods away from tourist areas.

• Kadikoy Carsisi - Explore the Kadikoy food market and feel like the only tourist around. Enjoy the stories behind the food from your gourmet guide. Start with a slice of sun-dried beef pastrami and grape leaves stuffed with rice and spices. Taste a mouthwatering Lahmacun (local pizza with minced lamb & beef, onions, tomatoes, and paprika) cooked in a stone oven with wood fire. Sample the unique mussels stuffed with rice and spices, unlike any other mussels you’ve tried before. Delight in tasting İskender kebap, made from finely sliced kebap on top of pitta bread with tomatoes, butter, and yogurt sauce, at the place where Doner kebap was invented.

• Kadikoy Carsisi - After enjoying the delicious local food, take a coffee break at a cafe run by a Kurdish family. The best coffee is known to be made on charcoal and in a copper jar. After drinking your coffee, ask your guide to read your coffee fortune. If coffee isn’t your preference, try Menengic kahvesi (coffee made from the seeds of wild pistachio trees). This unique flavor from Southeast Turkey is a must-try.

• Bosphorus Strait - Enjoy the Bosphorus breeze once more as you arrive in Karakoy, the modern part of Istanbul.

• Mumhane Caddesi - Stroll through the back streets of the Karakoy neighborhood and sit at a small family-run business to sample a fish wrap filled with salad, spices, and pomegranate seeds and molasses.

• Mumhane Caddesi - Conclude the tour with the most delicious yet lesser-known dessert called Kunefe, made from angel hair noodles, cheese, pistachio, and honey syrup. It will be accompanied by the unique Maraş dondurma (Turkish ice cream made from goat’s milk).

• Menemen: Made from tomatoes, green peppers, eggs, and spices.
• Künefe: A dessert made of angel hair noodles, cheese, honey, and pistachio.
• Maraş Dondurma: Famous Turkish ice cream made from goat’s milk and roots of mountain orchids.
• Iskender: Lamb cooked on charcoal on top of pita bread cubes with tomatoes, butter, and yogurt sauce.
• Turk kahvesi & Çay: Turkish coffee or tea options.
• Börek: Filo pastry wrapped with minced meat, cheese, potatoes, spices, and butter.
• Turkish coffee: Coffee brewed on sand or charcoal.
• Midye: Mussels stuffed with rice and spices cooked in the shell, served with lemon.
• Ferry tickets: Ferry tickets to and from Uskudar neighborhood on the Asian side.
• Balık dürüm: Grilled mackerel fish wrapped in lavash bread with salad, pomegranate sauce, and spices.
• Çay: Turkish black brewed tea served in tulip-shaped glasses.
• Breakfast

• Gratuities
• No vegetarian food options at 2 of the food stops.
• No vegan food options at 4 food stops

Explore the finest local food markets on both the Asian and European sides of Istanbul. Savor dishes from various regions of Turkey, handpicked by your local food expert. Immerse yourself in the local culture at markets and cafes. Begin with a delightful breakfast featuring Kaymak (buffalo cream) with honey and sesame bread, an assortment of cheeses, pistachio and hazelnut pastes with honey, Menemen (a Turkish dish made with tomatoes, green peppers, eggs, and spices), and olives.

Indulge in the popular fish wrap seasoned with spices and pomegranate sauce. Relish the delicious mussels stuffed with rice and spices. Delight in the mouthwatering Kunefe dessert, made from angel hair noodles, pistachio, cheese, and honey, accompanied by Maraş dondurma (Turkish ice cream made from goat’s milk). Enjoy sipping çay (tea) from a tulip-shaped glass while taking in the stunning views of Istanbul on the ferry ride back to the European side.

• Not recommended for people who have serious allergies

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.