Duration: 2 1/2 days

Group Size: 8 people max

Since the 4th century when the Roman emperor Constantine designated this city as his new capital, the strategic importance of Istanbul has never been in doubt. Perched at the intersection of two continents and along one of the most trafficked marine thoroughfares in the world, Istanbul is a melting pot of culture, history, and people.

Highlights

• Ancient Rome and Byzantine seminar, including Hagia Sophia
• meals at such classic Istanbuli eateries as The Pudding Shop on Divan Yolu and such upscale restaurants as Asitane
• tour of Topkapi Palace with one of its historians
• History and Continuity seminar, including the city's oldest Jewish synagogue and the mosaic-clad Chora Church
• traditional Ottoman dinner in a restored hunting lodge
• Crossroads of Commerce walk, including the Grand and Spice bazaars

two-day immersion in Istanbul

Accompanied by scholars from the Context network, we'll spend 2½-days picking through some of the city's most important archaeological sites, mosques, palaces, and museums to unfold Istanbul's 2000-year history into digestible bits.

After a basic orientation to the city, we'll get started with an in-depth tracing of Istanbul's history from the archaeological remnants of Rome's Eastern Empire to the rise of Byzantium in the Middle Ages, including a visit to its greatest monument, the Hagia Sophia. With the great Topkapi palace as a backdrop and an author of one of its histories as our companion, we'll look at the rise of the Ottoman civilization through the art and architecture it produced. We'll discuss the role of the sultan, the vizier, and the extremely complex and efficient Ottoman court that would rule from Arabia to Croatia.

Istanbul is an incredibly diverse city, and our adventure will also take us off the beaten path for a walk of the Balat neighborhood and visits to a Jewish synagogue and the central church of Eastern Orthodox Christianity. We'll look at the role of commerce in the city's past and present with walking seminars through the great bazaars and markets. Several notable culinary experiences punctuate the trip, including an evening in the home of a decorative arts dealer who will treat us to a traditional Ottoman dinner in his restored 18th-century hunting lodge.

* This trip can also be booked privately upon request for parties of people traveling together. The cost of this is 7250 Turkish Lira for the group plus 1350 Turkish Lira per person. Simply contact us by email if you would like to place a request.

Download a PDF of the entire itinerary.

Cancellation Policies

Included: Tours, tickets, and most meals. Not included: Airfare, airport transfers, breakfast, dinner on last night, and lodging.