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Where

Istanbul

Group Size

8-12 Travelers

Duration

8 Days, 7 Nights

When

May 2 - May 9, 2025 Join Waitlist

Price

From 5,250 USD per person

Bridging Europe and Asia and connecting the Black Sea to the Mediterranean, the city of Istanbul has always been a place of intersecting cultures. Over 8 days and 7 nights, you’ll get a local’s access to the blend of history and modernity that defines this metropolis. Your guide is local expert Gonca Karakoç; no one knows Istanbul’s ustas (masters of traditional crafts) like her and you’ll be welcomed into places no other tourist can go. Your resident chef is author and teacher Özlem Warren, a regular guest at the Milk Street Cooking School and on Milk Street radio. 

Over the course of this week, you’ll be exposed to many of the regional foods of Turkey, with a special focus on Özlem’s home region of Hatay in Southern Turkey. You’ll learn to navigate the bustling Grand Bazaar like a local, picking out everything from the best coffee pots to the freshest saffron. And as we walk through the city’s quieter neighborhoods, you’ll sample everything from tahini and pistachios to candied quince and Maraş chiles at exclusive tastings. You’ll see how farmers continue to thrive by farming in the city’s ancient moats and will meet members of Istanbul’s Sephardic Jewish community who are maintaining culinary traditions and roots that extend back to the time of the Spanish Inquisition. We conclude our week with a boat tour of the Bosporus, which divides Europe and Asia as well as Istanbul, and a dinner at Çiya, the headquarters of chef Musa Deviren’s quest to preserve nearly lost regional and rural recipes.

Cook

Cook

Bake flatbreads, shape kofte, spice soups and craft meze
See

See

Explore historic bazaars, immigrant neighborhoods and trendy art-filled streets as we seek out the foods that represent the diversity of Istanbul
Taste

Taste

Sample cheeses, pickles, breads, olives, vinegars and baklavas on tours of three very different neighborhood markets
Eat

Eat

Enjoy formal and casual meals at the best restaurants and cafes, on an urban farm and in a historic train station
Cruise

Cruise

Take a private boat tour down the Bosphorus and see Istanbul from the water
Cook

Cook

Bake flatbreads, shape kofte, spice soups and craft meze
See

See

Explore historic bazaars, immigrant neighborhoods and trendy art-filled streets as we seek out the foods that represent the diversity of Istanbul
Taste

Taste

Sample cheeses, pickles, breads, olives, vinegars and baklavas on tours of three very different neighborhood markets
Eat

Eat

Enjoy formal and casual meals at the best restaurants and cafes, on an urban farm and in a historic train station
Cruise

Cruise

Take a private boat tour down the Bosphorus and see Istanbul from the water

Your itinerary

Day 1

Arrival and Welcome Dinner

Arrival and Welcome Dinner

After settling into your new home in Istanbul for the week, we’ll meet up for a welcome drink on our rooftop bar and then walk to the contemporary Turkish restaurant, Hodan. Along the way we’ll pop into some of Gonca’s favorite shops and get her recommendations for what to do and where to shop during our free time this week. Located inside a historic building with a beautiful garden-like dining area, Hodan is run by acclaimed chef Çiğdem Seferoğlu. Expect her elegant menu to include seasonal vegetables, grilled fish, clever nods to Turkish street food like pide and simit, and what the New York Times called a “voluptuous tiramisu,” embellished with the undeniable Turkish touches of rose petals and pistachios.

Arrival and Welcome Dinner

Day 2

Culinary Walking tour of the Bazaar Quarter

Culinary Walking tour of the Bazaar Quarter

We’ll begin our full-day crash course into the diversity of the Turkish kitchen with a private, pop-up breakfast inside a historic landmark. The table will be set with carefully selected ingredients from the whole of Turkey and plenty of çay, Turkish tea. From there we set off on a walking tour of hans – building-sized markets, each dedicated to a single trade, old and new – visiting ones that house everything from metalsmiths to textile merchants. After weaving our way through the backstreets of the Bazaar quarter, we’ll take a break to explore the Grand Bazaar on our own before regrouping for a hands-on workshop at a pide bakery with two masters. You’ll learn to shape, top and bake the breads before tasting them all. Tonight is yours for an evening walk, rooftop drink, or a backstreet snack.

Culinary Walking tour of the Bazaar Quarter

Day 3

Shop, Cook, Feast with Özlem Warren

Shop, Cook, Feast with Özlem Warren

Enjoy a lazy morning around the hotel or take a morning walk on your own. In the late morning our resident chef, Özlem Warren, will pick us up for a day of shopping, cooking and feasting together. We’ll head to the Beşiktas market where fishmongers, greengrocers and specialty food shops fill narrow pedestrian streets. We’ll have a quick bite of one of the city’s favorite doner kebab spots as we shop for the ingredients of our afternoon of cooking. In the late afternoon, we’ll head to a private home for a hands-on cooking session led by Özlem, with a strong focus on the recipes of her home region, Antakya. After a shared meal of our creations, we’ll return to the hotel for rest. 

Shop, Cook, Feast with Özlem Warren

Day 4

Farms and Grills

Farms and Grills

Istanbul sprawls in every direction. Yet somehow, in this megalopolis of 18-million people, a slice of rural life has managed to remarkably survive in the most unique historical setting. Between the Byzantine-era walls of the old city, literally in the old moats, small farms have existed since Ottoman times, growing produce that includes a beloved heirloom lettuce. We’ll spend the morning with a family who tends their garden and join them for a large family-style breakfast with produce fresh from the earth. From there, we’ll have an optional tour of a lesser-visited Byzantine church transformed into a mosque, followed by free time to explore the major monuments of the old city. See the Cisterns, Aya Sofia Topkapi Palace or find a cozy spot at a tea garden to watch the city whiz past. In the evening, we’ll be visiting a monument of another kind, the ultimate Istanbul kebab house, Zübeyir Ocakbaşı. Here we will be welcomed by the large extended family from southeast Turkey who run the place. We’ll be seated around the large copper-hooded grill facing the skewer-master, who will serve us omakase-style, with meze of char-grilled vegetables and tangy yogurt, herb-laced salads dressed with pomegranate molasses, delicate lamb chops and ribs and spicy Adana kebab served over heaps of fresh lavash. 

Farms and Grills

Day 5

Shop, Cook, Feast (Again) with Özlem Warren

Shop, Cook, Feast (Again) with Özlem Warren

Today we’ll be gathering the ingredients for our feast with Özlem at yet another Beyoğlu district market, where generations-old specialty shops abound. Between visits to a spice shop and a tahini-producer, we’ll stop by a second-generation street food vendor making içli kofte (kibbeh) in the style of his hometown in southeast Turkey, Maraş, which was devastated by an earthquake in early 2023. We’ll head to the kitchen to see how these specialties are made and sample a fresh one, hearing the story of Mustafa bey, the içli kofte master, and how his cuisine and community persevere. We will return to our cooking headquarters for a session with Özlem, who will lead us in hands-on cooking from her cookbook. Following the cooking session, we’ll sit down and enjoy a celebratory dinner together. 

Shop, Cook, Feast (Again) with Özlem Warren

Day 6

A day in Kurtuluş, the other Istanbul

A day in Kurtuluş, the other Istanbul

On this day we’ll be focusing on the culinary contributions of Istanbul’s small but significant religious minority communities – local Greek Orthodox populations who have called Istanbul home since Byzantine times, Armenians with historic roots throughout Turkey and Sephardic Jews who arrived in Istanbul during the Spanish Inquisition. On a neighborhood tour featuring a number of tastings, we’ll stop into several heritage shops and restaurants that represent these communities. We’ll sample freshly baked Easter bread in a Greek neighborhood club and taste stuffed mussels and topik, an unusual meze with Armenian roots, at a small charcuterie shop that serves the local community. We’ll then visit a private home for a hands-on cooking activity of Sephardic specialties with a cookbook author and her aunt, who carry on culinary traditions that reach back 500 years in this city and still retain their medieval Spanish names. We’ll get to know our hosts and their traditions as we dine together on what we’ve cooked. 

A day in Kurtuluş, the other Istanbul

Day 7

Bosphorus Cruise & Farewell Dinner

Bosphorus Cruise & Farewell Dinner

By day, treat yourself to a Turkish hamam experience, shop for a Turkish coffee pot, or join a tour of our favorite Mosques and monuments. In the early evening, we will gather for a private Bosphorus cruise during aperitif hour. With a glass of wine in hand, we’ll sail past the waterfront summer palaces and small historic neighborhoods of the Asian and European sides of the city, getting a better sense of how the Bosphorus does not divide the city and the two continents it straddles but rather unites them. On the city’s Asian side, we’ll make our way through the Kadiköy food market, stopping in for a pickle tasting at a 3rd-generation shop and then for one starring pistachios in a store dedicated to nuts. Working up an appetite, we’ll finally settle in for our farewell dinner at Çiya, one of the most significant dining experiences in the city. Çiya is not only a restaurant but the headquarters of chef Musa Deviren’s lifelong quest to document and preserve Turkish culinary traditions nearly lost to rural migration. Having spent the week tasting our way through the many regions of Turkey present in the city’s kitchen, we’ll be prepared for the subtleties of Musa’s menu, composed of dishes that all but disappeared from their home regions and which Musa is nurturing back to life. 

Bosphorus Cruise & Farewell Dinner

Day 8

Farewell

Farewell

Today it’s time to say goodbye. Until our next adventure together.

Farewell

Meet the Crew

We are firm believers in the power of local knowledge. Our guides and the culinary masters and other artisans who are part of our trips all deeply reflect that. Meet some of our local heroes:

  • Özlem Warren

    Özlem Warren

    Cookbook author, teacher and friend of Milk Street
  • Gonca Karakoç

    Gonca Karakoç

    Culinary Backstreets guide and gardener
  • Uğur Yıldız

    Uğur Yıldız

    Culinary Backstreets Guide
  • Ayşın Ekinci

    Ayşın Ekinci

    Cooking teacher and school host
  • Lian Penso

    Lian Penso

    Sephardic Jewish culinary teacher
  • Mustafa Sabırtaşı

    Mustafa Sabırtaşı

    İçli köfte master

Where you’ll stay

DaCamondo

This week’s focus on deeply local experiences and places is also well reflected in our choice of accommodation. We always select boutique and independent places, ones inspired by international standards while staying loyal to the area’s local heritage – that’s the balance we seek for more than a good night’s rest.

The historic DeCamondo Galata hotel is named for the family of prominent Sephardic Jews lived and worked locally from the early 19th century. The stylish and updated hotel, built within the former palatial home of the DeCamondo family, is within easy reach of restaurants, bars and many of the city’s main attractions, and offers cityscape views from guest rooms and its two rooftop terraces.

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Bank Hotels

For all of our six nights in Istanbul, we’ll be staying on Bankalar Caddesi (formerly Voyvoda Street) in Karaköy. From as early as the 17th century, Bankalar Caddesi was a hub for financial activity, mercantile trade, and commerce within the Ottoman Empire. We will be staying at The Bank Hotel, designed by Antoine Tedeschi in the Neo-Renaissance style and constructed in 1867. The hotel is perfectly located to explore bohemian Beyoglu and historical Sultanahmet, and has a rooftop bar with stunning views of the peninsula. The hotel will be expecting you, so you can check in at your leisure.

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Hear what travelers are saying

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The best ever trip if you are a foodie who enjoys creating the dishes yourself while also getting exceptional tastes of so much great food.

Ruth B.

Ruth B.
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Better than my already high expectations!

Elizabeth O.

Elizabeth O.
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If I see Özlem is teaching a class, I just sign up. Her way of teaching is so easy to follow and the joy she gets from both cooking and teaching shines through every moment.

Pam A.

Pam A.

Know before you go

PRICING AND ACCOMMODATION

The total cost of this trip is $5,500 for 2025 departure. For travelers wishing to have single accommodations during the trip, an additional $1,250 supplement will be due at the time of the final payment. A $500 non-refundable deposit per traveler is required to secure space on the trip. The balance is due 90 days prior to the start of the trip.

ACTIVITY LEVEL

Travelers should feel comfortable walking two to four miles each day and remaining on their feet for periods of time. There are a couple of hikes on uneven ground. Be prepared to roll up your sleeves and get hands-on during a couple cooking workshops.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE

For flights in and out of Istanbul International Airport (IST or SAW), we suggest you arrive anytime arrive by 1 p.m. on Day 1 and depart anytime on Day 8. We’ll provide the option of booking additional nights at our Istanbul hotel before and/or after the tour, and are more than happy to provide suggestions for things to do and see in the city on your own.

INCLUSIONS

• All accommodation throughout the trip in stylish, boutique hotels.
• Professional guides throughout the entire experience.
• All meals and drinks included in the above activities.
• Admission to all proposed activities, locations, and events.
• Private coach for visits inside and outside the center city
• A hungry group of Culinary Backstreets and Milk Street travelers, excited to explore all that Istanbul has to offer!

EXCLUSIONS

• Private individual arrival & departure airport transfers
• Airfare and transportation to/from the start and end destination
• Meals beyond those specified in the itinerary above
• Alcoholic beverages other than those served at the table
• Accommodations outside those noted, including pre- or post-trip hotel nights
• Activities, tours & entry fees not included above
• Personal purchases and incidentals at hotels

DIETARY RESTRICTIONS

We encourage an adventurous palate! We try our best to accommodate dietary restrictions, though ingredients cannot always be substituted or omitted from particular dishes. This trip can easily feature plentiful vegetarian options and can accommodate others. If you have other food allergies or intolerances, please contact us to find out if this is the right trip for you.

NOTES ON ITINERARY

Itineraries and daily schedules are subject to change. We expect to do everything listed in the itinerary, though the order may be rearranged based on weather or other local conditions.

SAFETY AND SUSTAINABILITY

We have reinforced our commitment to sustainability and safety with new guidelines to assure maximum safety of our guests on our trips while maintaining the quality of the experience. All of our experiences are designed to have minimal impact on the community and environment. For more details on our precautions, read here.

CANCELLATION POLICY

You may cancel 90 days before the start of the trip and receive a full refund minus a $500 per-person service fee. If you cancel on or after 60 days before the start of the trip there is a 50% cancellation fee. On or after 30 days there is a 100% cancellation fee. We highly recommend purchasing travel insurance as we are not able to make exceptions to this policy in cases of family/medical emergency or cases of the trip being canceled (see our Terms and Conditions for full details).

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