Turkey escorted holidays, Middle East » Istanbul City Break

About Travelsphere | Contact Us | Customer Support

Destination
Holiday type
Month

Destination

America & Canada UK & Europe Far Away Places

Holiday Type

Resort Stay Holidays Touring Holidays Short Breaks Cruising River Cruises Festive Selection Walking Holidays Events Rail Holidays Holidays for Groups

Partners

Single Travellers Airport hotels & parking UK Holiday Cottages

Home Your Community Free E-newsletter Late Availability Special Offers Request A Brochure

Home > Middle East > Turkey > Istanbul City Break

Istanbul City Break - 5 days from £452

Enjoy lunch in a typical Turkish restaurant

Join us on an exciting city break in fascinating Istanbul, where Europe and Asia meet in a vibrant and colourful melee of minarets, marble palaces and teeming souks.

Straddling the strait of the Bosphorus, Istanbul is the only city in the world that spans two continents – the main part of the city standing on the south-eastern tip of Europe and its suburbs in Asia and is the Capital of Culture in 2010. Today this former capital of the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman empires, is a thriving city where modern life makes a fascinating contrast to traditional values, creating a heady mix of cultures.

At a Glance Itinerary & Accommodation Dates, Prices &
Departures Essential Information Travel Extras

View similar holidays

You may be interested in the following similar holiday(s):

All-inclusive Turkey
8 days from £452

Walking the Ancient Wonders of Lycia
11 days from £1172

Northern Cyprus
8 days from £782

Highlights Include

Sultanahmet Square
Theodosius Obelisk
Blue Mosque
Hagia Sophia
Grand Bazaar
Traditional Turkish Lunch

What's Included

Services of a professional guide
Return scheduled flights to Istanbul
Transfers between airport and hotel
Four nights’ accommodation including breakfast
Turkish coffee making demonstration
City tour
Lunch on day 2
All entrance fees
All hotel baggage handling for one piece of luggage per person
All State and local taxes
All UK and overseas airport taxes and security charges

Optional excursions

Ottoman dinner - dinner in a 6th century cistern close to Santa Safia, which is now used as a restaurant
Topkapi Palace and Bosphorus Cruise including lunch
Golden Horn
Istanbul by Night including dinner and a traditional Turkish show

Accommodation

You will stay at the four star Sapphire Hotel or similar in Istanbul. Amenities include a bar/lounge and restaurant. All rooms feature private facilities, TV, telephone, minibar and hairdryer.

Itinerary

DAY 1 - UK/Istanbul
Depart on your scheduled flight to Istanbul. On arrival transfer to your hotel for a four night stay.

DAY 2 - Istanbul
Today our full day included excursion begins with a drive to Sultanahmet Square, in the heart of the Old City. We will also visit the Theodosius Obelisk in the Hippodrome and the civic centre where emperors once celebrated their victories and the Romans raced chariots in the arena.

We continue to the Blue Mosque, famous for its 21,000 blue ceramic tiles, and Hagia Sophia, built as a Christian church in the 6th century, which became a mosque, and is now a museum. After an included lunch at a typical Turkish restaurant, it’s on to the Roman Underground Cistern, before reaching the covered Grand Bazaar to bargain for gold, gem stones and carpets.

DAY 3 - Istanbul
The day is free or join our optional excursion, which starts with a morning trip to explore the hidden gardens and courtyards in the Topkapi Palace, where the Ottoman Sultans kept their overflowing treasure chests and overcrowded harems. This is followed by a visit to Rumeli Fortress, a museum displaying canons used during the conquest of Istanbul. In the afternoon we take a boat trip along the Bosphorus to Beylerbeyi, then disembark and drive on to Çamlica, the highest point of Istanbul. We admire the wonderful views of the city whilst enjoying a Turkish tea or coffee, before crossing the Bosphorus Bridge back into Europe.

DAY 4 - Istanbul
Our optional morning excursion begins with a visit to the Egyptian spice bazaar, before driving along the Golden Horn and city walls to the Monastery of Chora to admire the beautiful Byzantine mosaics and frescoes in the Kariye Camii church. Next stop is the Eyüp Sultan Mosque, before driving on to the Pierre Loti Café with a fascinating view of the Golden Horn and returning to the hotel around midday.

This evening you can enjoy an optional tour of Istanbul by Night. A drive through the illuminated streets followed by dinner and a Turkish Floor Show featuring folk dancers, belly dancers and singers.

DAY 5 - Istanbul/UK
Transfer to the airport for your return flight to the UK.

Dates, Prices & Departure

holiday ref: FETKIS

Please select a departure point

Departure Date	Price	Book Holiday
20/09/2010	£502
23/09/2010	£502
18/10/2010	£472
24/10/2010	£472
04/11/2010	£452
02/12/2010	£452

Deposit £150 per person
All prices are per person based on two people sharing a twin or double-bedded room with private facilities.

Supplements

Single room supplement £90
Turkey visa £10 (payable on arrival)
Holiday insurance

Travel Information

Flights are scheduled services of Turkish Airlines
Depart London Heathrow 1125 hrs
Return arr. 1515 hrs
All timings are approximate and may be subject to variation

Fly from your local airport

You can fly to your destination from the following airports at the supplement shown below (per person).

Birmingham £NIL
Manchester £NIL

Connect to London

If you can’t fly direct to your destination from your local airport, usually you’ll have the choice of taking a regional connecting flight to Heathrow or Gatwick from as little as £35 per person return. On most flights your luggage will automatically be checked through to your final destination, so there’s no need to collect or check your luggage in twice. Flights are usually available from: Aberdeen, Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Jersey, Leeds/Bradford, Manchester and Newcastle.

Transfers

Transfer time from the airport to your hotel is approx. 45 mins.

Essential Information - General

Booking Conditions | Insurance

We know that your holiday is very important to you. It is also extremely important to us since we want you to enjoy it and continue to entrust your holiday arrangements to us in years to come. We also care about our reputation and want to be sure that you understand both your and our obligations when you book a holiday with us. Please therefore spend a few minutes reading the following Booking Conditions together with the General Information, as they form the basis of your contract with us. Your contract is with Travelsphere a division of Travelsphere Ltd.

Select a heading from the dropdown: show all

Essential Information - Booking Conditions

General Information | Insurance

Select a heading from the dropdown: show all

Essential Information - Insurance

Booking Conditions | General Information

Select a heading from the dropdown: show all

Travel Extras

We know that picking your dream destination is the biggest part of making your perfect holiday come true. But there are a number of other decisions that have to be made such as where to park at the airport and who to change your money with, to name but a few. So to really get every aspect of your holiday sorted we have set up a one stop travel shop and useful links section for you to organise all your travel needs, leaving you to concentrate on having a memorable and relaxing holiday with Travelsphere.

	Airport hotels, parking and more from www.holidayextras.co.uk/Travelsphere We have teamed up with Holiday Extras to help get your holiday off to a great start. Airport and Port Parking Airport and Port Hotels VIP Airport Lounges Airport Chauffeur Drive London Theatre Breaks UK Theme Park Breaks Airport Car Hire

	Airport Lounges from Lounge Pass Start your holiday off refreshed and relaxed by taking advantage of our VIP airport lounge offer, available at a number of airports, both here and abroad. From as little as £15 each, you’ll enjoy a peaceful and tranquil environment, where you can enjoy complimentary drinks and snacks, read the papers, check your email or simply relax and watch TV until your flight is called. For details, please visit www.travelsphere.co.uk/loungepass

	Casual Clothing from Lands’ End Lands' End offer an extensive range of high quality casual and tailored clothes for men and women. Choose from their selection of jackets, knitted tops, trousers, dresses, skirts and more. To view their full range and buy online visit www.landsend.co.uk


	Door to Door Service with Voyager Travel If you would like the security of having a professional private hire service to pick you up from your home and drive you to and from the airport at a competitive rate simply call Voyager Travel free on 0800 037 1533 for a special Just You price by quoting reference JYI. Your smartly dressed, experienced driver will assist you with your luggage. Then you can enjoy a relaxing start to your holiday as you sit back in comfort and are driven along in a stylish, non-smoking, air-conditioned car. If you wish you can also book an in-car portable DVD player for longer journeys. Your contract will be with Voyager Travel. We do not accept any responsibility for delays or missed departures etc, caused by Voyager Travel’s services. Your contract will be with Voyager Travel.

	Hotel Hoppa Linking London Heathrow & Hotels. Hoppa tickets are available. Ask our Holiday Advisors for details on 0870 240 2426.

	Coach offer We have teamed up with National Express to offer you a great way to join your holiday. For just £27 each, you can travel from any of National Express's 1200 pick-up points around the country. If you’d like to take advantage of this offer, please call our holiday advisors on 0870 240 2426 and we will add the cost to your booking. We recommend that you contact National Express directly, to find out if suitable services exist. You can do this by calling them on 08705 80 80 80, or by visiting their website www.nationalexpress.com We are unable to accept any liability if things go wrong, and you miss your flight or ferry, or if National Express don’t offer a service that’s convenient for you.

	Overnight hotels for holidays by coach at Dover & Folkestone We can also offer you overnight hotels in Dover & Folkestone. Typical of the hotels we use are the Ramada Dover Hotel in Dover and the Grand Burstin Hotel in Folkestone. Prices start from £50 per room including a transfer to the terminal. To book or for further information please call on of our Holiday Advisors on 0870 240 2426.

	Photography from Jessops Jessops is the UK's leading specialist photographic retailer. With great on-line savings on hundreds of products, including digital cameras, camcorders, lenses, batteries and much more, plus free delivery on mainland UK orders over £75, Jessops has all your photographic needs covered. Visit www.jessops.com see their full range of photographic equipment.

	Port Parking for holidays by coach at Dover & Folkestone If you want to park your car at Dover, when crossing the Channel by ferry, please call the Dover Harbour Board on 01304 241 427 to pre-book your space. If you want to park your car at Folkestone, when crossing the Channel by Eurotunnel, please call Relyon Car parks on 01304 201 227 to pre-book your space.

	Regional Connecting Flights You can fly from many regional airports to connect with your international flight on a selection of our Worldwide holidays. Look out for information on tour pages for holidays offering regional connecting flights, which operate with airlines such as British Airways and bmi. Click here for further information.

	Travel Accessories from Travel with Care Travel With Care offers a comprehensive range of travel accessories, with everything you need for your holiday. From First Aid, DVT Prevention and Healthcare to money belts, wallets, waterproofs, toiletries, alarm clocks, and much, much more, www.travelwithcare.com is the place for all those holiday essentials.

	Travel Insurance from Travelsphere To view our excellent value for money holiday insurance please click here.

Print this page | Booking Conditions | Insurance | General Information

Map

Close map window

Travelsphere offer quality escorted touring holidays, ocean cruises, short breaks, river cruise holidays, flight holidays and coaching holidays to Europe, USA, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Central and South America, Africa, China and Asia, and the Middle East. Many of our accompanied holidays include guided local excursions and the chance to extend your stay with a range of add-ons. Enjoy a city break to some of Europe’s top destinations, a tour of China including walking on the Great Wall, or an African Safari with Travelsphere - escorted holiday specialists.

Travelsphere Ltd, Compass House, Rockingham Road,Market Harborough, Leics LE16 7QD Registered in England, company number 1329030