| There are approximately 2000 traditional Turkish houses at the center of the town which were built during l8th, l9th and at the begining of 20th centuries. 800 of those houses are under legal protection. The tourism activities which started as daily visits turned to weekend trips and later on they became several days stays including downtown tours, trips of city surroundings and nature activities. Recently congresses and meetings of big companies and establishments are held in Safranbolu combining business and recreation. Tourism in Safranbolu has a cultural basis. Many people from all around the world are visiting the area every year. Safranbolu has a beautiful nature along with its history and houses. However the perfection of the traditional Turkish houses of Safranbolu which turns the city in a open museum makes the natural beauty less important. Natural beauties of Safranbolu consist of forests, pasturages, canyons and cavers. The area has two famous products. One of them is the safran plant which gave its name to the town. Safran can dye a fluid 100.000 times of its own weight and it is used as a spice and in chemical industry. The usable part of safran is the seeds of its flowers and it has a considerable financial value. Safranbolu is one of the rare place where safran plant is grown. After a long day tour, we will have our dinner and take a rest in our rooms in one of these traditional houses. |
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| Day 03 Devrek - Akçakoca (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) |
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| After the breakfast service, we will drive to Devrek town which is very famous with its traditional walking stick manufacturers. Devrek is an attractive district which is 51 kilometres away from Zonguldak, on the Black Sea coast. The people in and around Devrek, who make walking sticks, are often described as " walking stick craftsmen". Yet, this craft is not an easy one. In order to gain the best results, quality materials must be used. Making walking sticks is a major source of livelihood for the people of Devrek. Over the past few years, the walking sticks they carve have become very popular all around the world. As they are light in weight, they can be carried easily. These craftsmen find pleasure in inventing new motifs and designs. The motifs they use especially are snake, eagle and horses heads and shepherd`s crooks. Devrek walking sticks are usually made from cherry wood. This wood is dried for one year, then it is turned on a lathe and prepared for carving. An association has been established and a bazaar built in order to promote Devrek walking sticks. Today, in 40 different workshops 100 craftsmen are engaged in making these walking sticks which are so fascinating. A yearly "Traditional Walking Sticks and Culture Festival" is held for the sake of promotion. Despite the growth in the popularity of these internationally sought after Devrek walking sticks, the craftsmen who make them never forget that to succeed and to maintain traditional standards, they have to be patient, meticulous and hard-working. |
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| The lunch will be served in an area then we proceed Zonguldak to visit a very interesting cave, called Gökgöl. The total length of the cave is 3350 meters but only first 875 meters can be visited. There are 3 main galleries in the cave, and is believed that the astmatic people feel comfortable inside the cave. We finish our cave visit in 50 minutes and then keep driving along Black Sea Coast to Akçakoca Diapolis Hotel where we will have our dinner stay for 3 nights. |
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| Day 04 Akçakoca - Resort Holiday (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) |
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| Your day starts with a very rich open buffet beakfast at Diapolis Hotel. You may enjoy all hotel facilities like indoor and outdoor swimming pool, gym-hall, TV room or take a walk in Akçakoca town to see the local life. |
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| Lunch will be served at the hotel. In the afternoon, you will watch the sunset while spilling your wine served with cheese and some seasonal fruits, by the pool side. Also very rich open buffet will be served as a delicious dinner at the hotel. |
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| Day 05 Akçakoca - Resort Holiday (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) |
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| A leisure day in the hotel ! For lunch, a barbeque party will be arranged in a picnic area, located in a distance only 15 minutes far from the hotel. All the hotel facilities will be at your service to enjoy the rest of the day. Or you may join the afternoon village tour to meet the local people and their traditional life. Dinner will be at the hotel as an open buffet. |
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| Day 06 Akçakoca - İstanbul (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) |
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| After the breakfast in the hotel, we leave Akçakoca Diapolis Hotel around 09:00 and drive to Istanbul. The journey takes about 3 hrs and there will be a break on the way. Upon arrival in Istanbul, first we check in our rooms then have our lunch in the hotel, then we will proceed to the pier to take the boat to sail into the Bosphorus channel. The cruise will take you along the coast through the mansions and the kiosks with big gardens. During the cruise you will feel nice northern summer breeze, see the palaces, mosques as well as the luxury houses located on both sides of the channel dividing İstanbul city into 2 parts called Europe(Thrace) and Asia(Anatolia). During the tour you feel the pleasure of being on the unique city in the world, located on two continents. The boat will stop in a small fishing town called Sariyer to meet our bus to drive back to your hotel at around evening time. The dinner will be served in the hotel. |
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| Day – 07 İstanbul (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) |
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| The tour will start from your hotel at around 09:00 o’clock after your breakfast. The first place to visit is the ancient Hippodrome, the scene of chariot races and the center of Byzantine civic life, stood in the open space in front of Blue Mosque, an area now called Sultanahmet. Of the monuments, which once decorated it only three remain; The Obelisk of Theodosius, the bronze Serpentine Column and the column of Constantine. Remains from the curved-end section of Hippodrome’s wall can be seen on the southwest side of these three monuments. Facing St. Sophia stands the supremely elegant, six minarets, imperial Sultanahmet Mosque. Built between 1609 and 1616 by the architect Mehmet, the building is more familiarly known as Blue Mosque because its interior gleams with a magnificent paneling of blue and white Iznik tiles. The basilica of St. Sophia, now called Ayasofya Museum, is unquestionably one of the finest
buildings of all time. Built by Constantine The Great and reconstructed by Justinian in the 6th century, its immense dome rises 55 meters above the ground and its diameter spans 31 meters. You should linger here to absorb the building’s majestic serenity and to admire the fine Byzantine mosaics. Then you will proceed to Topkapi Palace, in short walking distance, the maze of buildings at the center of the Ottoman Empire between the 15th and the 19th centuries. |
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| In these oopulent surroundings the sultans and their court lived and governed. A magnificent wooded garden fills the first court. On the right of the second court, shaded by cypress and plane trees, stand the palace kitchens, now galleries exhibiting the imperial collections of crystal, silver and Chinese porcelain. The third court holds the Hall of Audience, the library of Ahmet III, an exhibition of imperial costumes worn by sultans and their families, the famous jewels of the treasury and a priceless collection of miniatures from medieval manuscripts. In the center of this innermost sanctuary, the Pavilion of Holy Mantle enshrines the relics of The Prophet Mohamed brought to Istanbul when the Ottomans assumed the caliphate of Islam. The lunch will be served in a restaurant, located in the palace, with a panoromic view of Bosphorus strait and The Sea of Marmara. In the afternoon, you will drive to Kapali Çarsi or Grand Bazaar, labyrinth of streets and passages, houses more than 4,000 shops. The names recall the days when each trade had its own quarter; the goldsmith’s street, the carpet sellers’ street, the street of of the skullcap makers. Still, the commercial center of the old city, the bazaar is the original shopping mall with something to suit every taste and pocket. Turkish crafts, the world renowned carpets, brilliant handpainted ceramics, copperware, brass ware and meerschaum pipes make charming souvenirs and gifts. The gold jewelry in brilliantly lit cases dazzles passersby. Leather and suede goods of excellent quality make a relatively inexpensive purchase. The Old Bedesten, in the heart of bazaar, offers a curious assortment of antiques. It is worth poking through the clutter of decades in the hope of finding a treasure. The tour will end at late afternoon. Your dinner will be served at your hotel. |
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| Day –
08 İstanbul - Departure (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) |
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| After breakfast, departure to Istanbul International Airport for the flight
home. End of the program…. |
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