Contemporary Art Tour

Contemporary Art Tour welcomes you to the home to an acclaimed Biennial and several world class galleries, Turkey has long nurtured a strong contemporary art scene, influenced as much by modern Turkish politics and Society as by the country’s Ottoman past. Its diverse range of artists reflects the sometimes contradictory positions of Turkey itself, cast as the gateway to both Europe and Asia.

Day 1 – Istanbul – Arrival Day
Individual arrivals in Istanbul. Free time to unpack and freshen up, followed by welcome orientation at the hotel – meeting your fellow travelers, local guide and tour director. We will start our Istanbul adventure with a visit to the design studio/workshop/showroom of jewelry designers Paula Domzalski & Sarkis Gazaryan. We will walk together through the fashionable district of Nisantasi to the location of our first dinner in the city , Kosebasi where we will experience true traditional recipes of South Anatolia.

Day 2
After breakfast we will depart the hotel for the exciting full day tour. We will be visiting:
Topkapi Palace. This former residence of the Ottoman Sultans houses a fine exhibition of porcelain, jewelry, silverware, glassware, clocks and Ottoman weaponry, royal treasures and was once the home to the world’s largest harem.
Hippodrome center of Byzantium’s life for over 1000 years
The Blue Mosque The last of Istanbul’s magnificent imperial mosques
The Yerebatan Cisterns. Emperor Justinian’s cathedral-sized feat of underground engineering rediscovered in 1545
Hagia Sophia The world’s oldest Byzantine basilica, dedicated by Emperor Justinian in 537 A.D.
Bosphorus cruise In the evening ur boat will pick us up from dock 10 mins drive away. We will enjoy a private Bosphorus cruise, sipping a cocktail while the sun goes down. We will disembark at the small island of SuAda.
Suada set in the middle of the Bosphorus with a 360 degree panoramic view of Istanbul. Perfect setting for our welcome dinner

Day 3
Gallery Nev one of the oldest and most reputable galleries.
Galerist, one floor below, the gallery with the strongest international reputation, with a roster of illustrious local artists.
Piartworks Private Art Gallery to be visited
SALT A new contemporary art space
Leb-i Derya is a fascinating restaurant where we’ll have lunch.
Istanbul biennial
X-Restaurant We will be enjoying our lunch at X-Restaurant, one of Istanbul’s most refined restaurants, with a bird’s eye view of the Old City mosques and minarets.

Day 4
The Istanbul Modern We will tour the renovated 86,000 square foot former government customs warehouse with an impressive collection of abstract paintings, portraits, sculptures and photographs from private and state collections as well as the feature show “Women Artists Exhibition”
Muzedechanga Enjoy lunch at this glorious restaurant situated within the lush gardens of the Sakip Sabanci museum.
Borusan collection
Tike Restaurant Delicious dinner at Tikke restaurant

Day 5
Çukurcuma usually referred to as the SoHo of Istanbul, with its mixture of antique and retro-chic stores.
Grand Bazaar a maze of interconnecting vaulted passages , with nearly 4.000 shops and stalls, selling jewelry, artifacts, carpets and leather goods and everything most people imagine the ‘Exotic Orient’ to be.
Eminönu the commercial hub of the old city since Roman times. Here we will visit a mosque by star architect Mimar Sinan, who, in the 16th century, set the pattern for mosque-building for 300 years
Rüstem Pasa Mosque, one of Istanbul’s best-kept secrets, dazzling with colorful tiles.
Hasircilar Caddesi A stroll along Hasircilar Caddesi, one of the city’s most vibrant and aromatic streets, takes us into the Eqqyptian Bazar.
Pandelli Luch at this gorgeous restaurant with its intricate Ottoman stones and turquoise tiles, overlooking the Spice Market.
Egyptian Bazaar, delicatessen heaven from honey-covered mulberries to mature Turkish cheese. This genuine spice market, built in 1660 with the taxes collected from Cario for the trade of Egyptian commodities, especially herbs and spices. The L-shaped bazaar has 88 vaulted rooms where you can buy anything from saffron and spice mixtures sold as aphrodisiacs, to towels and linen.
Artist studio Melike Battal We will be visiting the Melike Battal artisit’s studio
Meze by Lemon Tree. We will be enjoying our farewell dinner at this Restaurant

Day 6 – Departure
Individual departure from the hotel

All transfers upon arrival and at departure.

5 nights HB accommodation in hotels mentioned in itinerary. Welcome and Farewell dinners organized as venues outside hotels, other meals open buffet in hotels.

3 organized group lunches

All entrance fees to the museums and sites named in itinerary.

Appointments and arrangements to all gallery and workshops mentioned in itinerary.

English speaking professional guidance throughout the tour.

Travel & Health Insurance.

Local (VAT) and other taxes.