Updated Itinerary

5:35 p.m.
Turkish Airlines 80 arrives in Istanbul. After completing immigration and customs formalities, we will meet our guide and transfer to our hotel located near Taksim Park. 

8:00 p.m.
Meet in The Ballroom on the 2nd floor for our first group dinner a brief trip orientation.

Breakfast is available in the hotel restaurant starting at 7:00 a.m.

8:30 a.m.

Depart from the hotel lobby to begin our exploration of Istanbul with a visit to the Hippodrome, Blue Mosque, named for its glorious 17th-century painted tiles, and an underground cistern. 

~12:00 p.m.
Lunch at Panoramic Restaurant in Sultanahmet.

Afternoon:
Meet with the Migrant Solidarity Association, a non-profit organization that works to end the inequality and discrimination faced by immigrants and refugees in their daily lives and struggles to ensure that these groups have access to basic, human and social rights including education and healthcare.  

Return to the hotel after the meeting for some free time.

6:45 p.m.
Depart from the hotel for dinner at Hamdi Pera. We will be joined by Professor Ali Çarkoğlu, a political science professor at Koc University.

Breakfast is available in the hotel restaurant starting at 7:00 a.m.

8:30 a.m.:
Continue our exploration of Istanbul with a visit to the Hagia Sophia, with its impressive domed basilica and Byzantine mosaics. Take a walking tour through the neighborhood of Balat, one of Istanbul's oldest, which is a melting pot of Jewish Christian and Turkish cultures. 

~12:15 p.m.
Lunch at Sur Balik Halic

Afternoon:
Travel to the neighborhood of Sariyer in northern Istanbul and visit the studios of Medyascope. We will enjoy a tour of the studio and hear from journalists and staff members about their work and media freedom in Turkey. 

Return to the hotel after the meeting for some free time.

6:40 p.m.
Walk to Sevİç Restaurant for dinner.

Breakfast is available in the hotel restaurant starting at 7:00 a.m.

8:30 a.m.
Depart the hotel bound for Topkapi Palace, former fortress and pleasure dome of the Ottoman sultans. Highlights include the palace’s treasury, wardrobe, kitchens and decorated apartments. Continue to the Archaeological Museum, built on the site of Topkapi Palace’s outer gardens and showcasing a large collection of Turkish, Hellenistic, and Roman artifacts, many gathered from the vast former territories of the Ottoman Empire. 

~1:00 p.m.
Lunch at Glaeyan restaurant.

Afternoon:
Visit the offices of Mekanda Adalet Dernegi (MAD): Center for Spatial Justice, an organization that promotes urban and environmental justice through interdisciplinary studies and public knowledge programs. Meet some of the staff and hear a presentation on their work. Then join them on a walking tour of the Galata neighborhood to view some of their urban renewal and environmental projects. 

Return to the hotel after this visit.

6:30 p.m.
Depart from the hotel by bus for dinner at Fish Port restaurant under Galeta Bridge.

Breakfast is available in the hotel restaurant starting at 7:00 a.m.

8:30 a.m.
Depart from the hotel to visit Galata Tower, built in 1348 to protect the Genoese colony that was established in the 13th century. At the time, it was the tallest building in the city. Stroll along Istiklal Street, a two-mile-long pedestrian avenue in the heart of modern Istanbul, and one of the city's most famous. Explore Dolmabahçe Palace, the 19th-century European style palace that eventually became the presidential summer residence inhabited by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Then drive across the first suspension bridge over the Bosphorus to the Asian side of the city.

~1:30 p.m.
Lunch at Yanyalı restaurant.

Afternoon:
Visit with a to be confirmed organization. Following the visit, explore Kadıköy, Üsküdar, and Kuzguncuk, three of the most significant neighborhoods on Istanbul's Anatolian side. 

Return to the hotel.

7:30 p.m.
Walk to Ficcin restaurant for dinner.

Breakfast is available in the hotel restaurant starting at 7:00 a.m.

8:00 a.m.
Check out of our hotel and depart by coach for the Dardanelles Strait. 

~12:00 p.m.
Lunch at a local restaurant

Afternoon
Tour the historic site of Gallipoli, where some of the bloodiest battles of World War I were fought in 1915. Today, the Gallipoli Peninsula battlefields are protected landscapes covered in pine forests and fringed by idyllic beaches and coves. We'll also see the beach cemetery for fallen ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) soldiers. Transfer by local ferry across the Dardanelles to the coastal city of Çanakkale, our home for the next two nights. 

6:45 p.m.
Walk to Balikci 286 for dinner.

8:30 a.m.
Drive from the hotel to the archaeological site of Troy, the ancient city made famous during the Trojan War. The origins of the site date back to the 4th century BCE and was excavated in the late 19th century. We'll tour the site and learn about the many layers of civilizations that occupied Troy over four centuries before visiting the Museum of Troy, which houses many of the artifacts excavated from the archaeological site. Then drive to the ancient Greek city of Assos on the Aegean coast.

~1:00 p.m.
Lunch at Assos Koervansaray Hotel

Afternoon:
Tour Assos, then spend the afternoon at the beach, enjoying the clear, cool waters of the Aegean Sea. 

Return to the hotel later in the early evening for a buffet dinner.

Morning:
Check out of our hotel and begin our journey back to Istanbul by coach, crossing over the new 1915 Çanakkale Bridge. Completed in March 2022 and spanning 2,023 meters (6,637 feet), it is the longest suspension bridge in the world. 

Stop at a winery (Manastır Bağ Evi) to learn about the importance of wine to Turkey's history and culture and eat lunch there.

Afternoon & Evening:
Check back in to our hotel. The rest of the afternoon and evening are yours to enjoy Istanbul. Everyone will receive a stipend for dinner at a restaurant of their choice.

Breakfast is available in the hotel restaurant starting at 7:00 a.m.

9:30 a.m.
Depart the hotel on foot to visit with the staff of Hafiza Merkezi, an organization that aims to uncover the truth concerning past violations of human rights, strengthen the collective memory about those violations, and support survivors in their pursuit of justice. 

~12:30 p.m.
Lunch at a Pandeli restaurant

Afternoon:
Visit the iconic Suleymaniye Mosque and spend some time exploring the Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar and enjoy some free time to wander this labyrinth of shops and cafes. 

Return to the hotel.

7:00 p.m.
Depart the hotel for dinner onboard a two-hour cruise on the Bosphorus with scenic views of the city.