Istanbul Fully Escorted Extension Tour
27 – 29 April 2023

A visit to Istanbul is a must for anyone visiting Turkey, where an extraordinary cultural experience lies around every corner. On this extension tour you will be treated to all the “must-see” sights of Istanbul, including the Blue Mosque, Hippodrome Square, Topkapi Palace, Haghia Sophia Museum, Grand Bazaar and a cruise along the beautiful Bosphorus. You’ll also fall in love with the locals, who have an infectious love of life and generosity of spirit.

In conjunction with the Istanbul Extension Tour, we will also be operating the In Depth Anzac Day Battlefield Tour, where you will take a rare journey through time and retrace the footsteps of Australian soldiers and Turks who fought and died on the Gallipoli battlefields.

Explore Turkey in Style

Turkey is a vast nation, straddling Europe and Asia, full of beauty and rich in heritage. The country also has welcoming people, fabulous cuisine, great beaches – and low prices. The team at Boronia Travel have been travelling to Turkey for over 20 years and love exploring treasures such as the ruins of Ephesus and Cappadocia.

Ephesus is the grandest and best preserved. Indeed, it’s the best place on the Mediterranean to get a feel for what life was like in ancient times. While a visit Cappadocia is like landing on another planet, with its honeycombed hills and towering boulders of otherworldly beauty. The fantasy landscape is matched by the human history here. People have long utilised the region’s soft stone, seeking shelter underground and leaving the countryside scattered with fascinating cave-style architecture.

If you would like to explore some of the very special sites outside of Istanbul, then please get in touch with the team at Boronia travel and we are only too happy to can create a package to suit your specific needs.

• The Grand Bazaar with over 5,000 shops
• The Basilica Cistern – the largest of Istanbul’s ancient water storages
• The famous Spice Markets
• Cruise tour along the beautiful Bosphorus
• Take in the famous sights of the old city
• Topkapi Palace – the main residence of the Ottoman Sultans for over 400 years
• Hagia Sophia – one of the great marvels of architecture
• The Hippodrome and the beautiful Blue Mosque
• Farewell dinner with unforgettable views of Istanbul at the Arcadia Blue Restaurant.

Your Istanbul Tour Includes:

• All meals as listed on the itinerary.
• All excursions, scenic drives and sightseeing as described in the itinerary.
• Services of a local english speaking guide throughout your tour.
• Ground transport in deluxe air-conditioned coaches.
• All entrance fees as per the itinerary.
• Boronia Travel Centre cap, ticket wallet and luggage tags.

Extras:

• Single Supplements are available
• Boronia Travel Centre uses Singapore Airlines for all their Gallipoli & Istanbul Tours, and has access to the most competitive discounted airfares available from Australia.
• Special group airfares are available with Singapore Airlines.
• Upgrade airfares to Premium Economy, Business and First Class available upon request (where applicable).
• In conjunction with the Istanbul Extension Tour, we will also be operating the In Depth Anzac Day Battlefield Tour, where you will take a rare journey through time and retrace the footsteps of Australian soldiers and Turks who fought and died on the Gallipoli battlefields.

Meals Included: B = Breakfast, L = Lunch (No boxed lunches), D = Dinner

Day 1, 27 April – After breakfast, meet your Tour Director in the hotel reception area. Your exploration of this amazing city begins with a guided tour of the famous sights in old Istanbul. Visit Hagia Sophia, one of the great marvels of architecture and the most important Byzantine monument in Istanbul. Next, stroll through the Hippodrome, originally the centre of the city’s social life, and learn the history of the various monuments there. Your walk takes you to the beautiful Blue Mosque, with its immense interior lined with 20,000 handmade ceramic tiles. Following lunch in a local restaurant, you have a guided introduction to the hustle and bustle of the fascinating Grand Bazaar. Once you have your bearings, there is free time to browse some of the 4,000 shops selling gold, silver, leather, carpets, ceramics, Turkish delight and all kinds of souvenirs, at leisure.

Dinner tonight will be at own arrangements. Perhaps enjoy one of the many restaurants or cafes located around Sultanahmet Square. B L
Overnight: Kent Hotel, Istanbul

Day 2, 28 April – This morning you begin at Topkapi Palace, the main residence of the Ottoman Sultans and administrative centre of the empire for over 400 years. It is now a museum occupying extensive grounds and rooms and is recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage site. After the introductory tour, you have free time to explore the collection which includes Ottoman clocks, clothing, weapons, armor and religious relics. Lunch will be at own arrangements, with many choices on offer in the Sultanahmet area. After lunch you will tour the sixth century Basilica Cistern, the largest of Istanbul’s ancient water storages and which has featured in many movies and novels. At just under 10,000 square meters in size with 336 marble columns supporting the ceiling, two depicting the Medusa head, it is an impressive site to explore. The remainder of the day is free for shopping or to relax, enjoying the captivating atmosphere of this magical city. Later return to the hotel to freshen up before attending the farewell mezze dinner at a lovely local restaurant. B D
Overnight: Kent Hotel, Istanbul

Day 3, 29 April – After breakfast, check out and transfer to the airport for return flight to Australia or onward flight to other destinations. B

Kent Hotel, Istanbul

Set in the historic centre of the city, this sleek hotel is 2 km from both the Hagia Sophia and the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, and 6 km from Topkapı Palace. The contemporary rooms and suites feature minibars, flat-screen TVs and free Wi-Fi. Suites add separate living areas, pull-out sofas and Jacuzzis. Room service is available. Amenities include free breakfast in an upscale restaurant, in addition to a trendy bar. Laundry service is available on request.

Gallipoli – Anzac Day Tour 2019
“We have had one of the most incredible experiences, both individually and collectively over the past 5 days and I want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all your hard work, efforts and support in making it happen. It has been a huge exercise from conception last year to completion yesterday and none of the enormous value that has been gained would have been possible without you.

Rod was magnificent, and the boys appreciated his wealth of knowledge and perspective. Sinan was a true gent, every bit the embodiment of the wonderful Turkish people and country that the boys got a great appreciation for. Peter was a terrific source of support and from a totally different perspective it was lovely for us to be able to spend some time with the lifeblood of our game, those that love, play and coach in the community. Ramazan and Kemal were terrific, it was like greeting and spending time with old friends.

Please thank everyone one of them for us and all who played a role behind the scenes. We have given our young players and (old) staff a once in a lifetime opportunity that is going to leave an indelible mark on them personally and hopefully contribute to a united, proud, courageous, competitive and fighting Australian Team as we seek to claim the World Cup.” 
Gavin Dovey 
Australian Team Manager, Cricket Australia

Gallipoli – Anzac Day Tour 2018
Dear Peter, may we say a huge thank you to your good self for the most wonderful time we have had in Turkey (tour group picture above). You certainly nailed it when you put our trip together and we were very impressed with all aspects of our journey, from the wonderful group with Rod on the Peninsula and the most gracious hospitality of John and Sue Waller in relation to aspects of our visit to Anzac Cove Ceremonies. Please pass on our remarks as it sure was a “class act”. Our extension to several parts of Turkey was most interesting, and exceeded our expectations, and the information we received about the historical sites was very impressive.”
Margaret and Gerard Smith

Gallipoli – Anzac Day Tour 2018
“G’day Peter, Firstly Wendy and I want to thank you for the well organised Gallipoli trip it was first class. The activity went off with out fault. Our guides Rod and Sinan were excellent and with some much knowledge and information to share. We had the pleasure of catching up with John and Susan (From Boronia) they are nice people. Can you please forward this email to them so I can say thank you to them and they can see the group photo.”
David Smith

Gallipoli – Anzac Day Tour 2018
“Peter, I wanted to add my thanks to those of the others in our Gallipoli 2018 tour group for a truly wonderful and memorable week. Everything went totally to plan, from the airport reception through to the various hotel arrangements, and of course the 5 days on the Peninsular (except perhaps for the intervention of DVA) with Rob’s thoroughly professional guiding and instruction throughout. I actually thought I knew a bit about our military history, but Rob and Cinan actually showed me that I still have much to learn. We often grow up just accepting many of the myths and stories surrounding our history – even those of us in the military – but this visit was a real eye-opener in terms of putting it all into perspective, with a hefty dose of reality.

A special thanks to John Waller who really made a great last minute effort to make s comfortable prior to the Dawn Service in response to DVA’s penny-pinching decision to scrap the seating arrangements. I had a letter published in the Canberra Times about that but would be surprised if it has any impact on future arrangements.

And finally, thanks again to Rod – great so see you again mate! Your local knowledge, and appreciation of the details of the campaign, delivered with just a touch of your acerbic wit, really made for a fun trip. Thanks to the whole team.”
Kym MacMillan

Gallipoli – Anzac Day Tour 2018
“Hi Peter, Just a short note to tell you how much I enjoyed my Gallipoli trip. Rod’s boundless knowledge was fantastic, didn’t need to ask many questions as he had already answered most of them with his commentary, Sinan as well was fantastic, not once did either of them have to refer to notes or look up info.

John and Sue also went out of their way to make sure we were comfortable to the point of getting yoga mats and blankets for us for the dawn service when they found there was no seating. Accommodation was adequate, meals were good and beer cheap.

Flights were good with Qatar however my case was damaged on the return flight somewhere between Istanbul and Melbourne. All up an excellent trip, a great group, everyone was at meeting points on time and eager to go, great leaders and a well planned itinerary that allowed some flexibility, all up a great trip, Looking forward to doing a Western Front tour with you in the future.”
Geoff McLeod