Themed tour
Anatolia culinary route in 6 days
Gaziantep, Hatay and Adana: three cuisines of southeastern Turkey explored through their markets, workshops and tables, with domestic flights from Istanbul.
Key facts
- Duration 6 days / 5 nights
- Route Istanbul → Adana 5 destinations
- Quotation Quotation within 24 business hours
- Recommended months March–May, October, November
- Type Private
A Turkish coffee served among the spices of the Spice Bazaar in Istanbul, the first stop on the route.
Overview
A private 6-day, 5-night programme for travellers and groups who want to get to know Turkey through its food, in the region where that food is densest: Gaziantep and Hatay are two of the cities in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the gastronomy category (admitted to the network in 2015 and 2017) and Adana gives its name to the country’s best-known kebab. Each stage is explored from the inside: the morning market, the coppersmiths’ bazaar, the baklava workshop, the charcoal kebab house and the long breakfast table of Antakya.
The route enters through Istanbul, flies to Gaziantep and returns by air from Adana. The cultural visits along the way — the Zeugma mosaic museum, the Roman bridge of Adana, the remains of ancient Antioch — accompany the food, not the other way round. A licensed Spanish- or English-speaking guide throughout; departures on the date the group chooses and a tailor-made quote.
The route enters through Istanbul, flies to Gaziantep and returns by air from Adana. The cultural visits along the way — the Zeugma mosaic museum, the Roman bridge of Adana, the remains of ancient Antioch — accompany the food, not the other way round. A licensed Spanish- or English-speaking guide throughout; departures on the date the group chooses and a tailor-made quote.
Route: IstanbulGaziantepHatayAntakyaAdana
- Physical level: Easy
- Languages of the guided visits: Spanish, English
Highlights
- Gaziantep and Hatay, two cities of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network for gastronomy, and Adana, the kebab city, in a single six-day route.
- Breakfast the way the region does it: beyran in Gaziantep, the long table of Hatay and the ciğer kebab of Adana, at places in the centre rather than at the hotel.
- The coppersmiths’ bazaar, the caravanserais and a baklava workshop in Gaziantep, with the region’s green pistachio as the common thread.
- The Zeugma Mosaic Museum and ancient Antioch, so that history keeps the table company.
- Harbiye, ancient Daphne, and the laurel soap of Hatay; the Roman bridge and the Kazancılar market in Adana.
- A licensed English-speaking guide throughout, with the Istanbul–Gaziantep and Adana–Istanbul domestic flights included.
What is included and what is not
Included
- 5 nights’ accommodation in total: 1 night in Istanbul, 2 nights in Gaziantep, 1 night in Antakya (Hatay) and 1 night in Adana (or similar distribution, subject to availability).
- Daily breakfast, at the hotel or, where the itinerary says so, at a local place in the city centre.
- Airport–hotel–airport transfers in Istanbul.
- The necessary hotel–airport–hotel/next city transfers in Gaziantep and Adana.
- Domestic flights according to the itinerary, economy class (for example Istanbul–Gaziantep and Adana–Istanbul; the exact combination is stated in the offer).
- Transportation by air-conditioned tourist vehicle for all the visits and journeys listed in the programme.
- Services of a licensed English-speaking guide throughout the circuit (other languages on request, subject to availability).
- Guided walks through the markets, bazaars and workshops listed in the itinerary.
- Entrance fees to the museums and monuments listed in the itinerary.
Not included
- International flights (home country – Istanbul – home country).
- Lunches, dinners and tastings (unless stated as included in a specific offer).
- Optional activities: cooking workshop in Gaziantep, tasting dinner with pairing.
- Personal expenses (shopping, minibar, drinks not mentioned, laundry, room service, etc.).
- Tips for the guide, the driver, porters and restaurant and hotel staff.
- Visa fees and visa handling services, if required.
- Travel insurance (recommended).
- Any service not explicitly mentioned as included.
Day by day itinerary
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Day 1
Arrival in Istanbul and a first look at the Spice Bazaar
Arrival at Istanbul Airport (IST or SAW), meeting with our representative and transfer to the hotel. If arrival time allows, in the afternoon the guide takes the group to Eminönü, on the Golden Horn: the Spice Bazaar, with its stalls of spices, dried fruit, cheese and pastırma, and the food streets around it. It is the introduction to the vocabulary of Turkish cooking that will be used for the rest of the week: what pul biber is, how a Gaziantep pistachio differs from any other, why the coffee is ground so fine. Overnight in Istanbul.Notes for the day: The Spice Bazaar closes on Sundays and religious holidays; with a late arrival the visit moves to the morning of the last day if the return flight allows.
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Day 2
Flight to Gaziantep: the coppersmiths’ bazaar and the Zeugma mosaics
Transfer to the airport and domestic flight to Gaziantep, in the southeast, some 100 kilometres from the Syrian border. Arrival and a first walk through the old town: the Bakırcılar Çarşısı, the coppersmiths’ bazaar, where the copper of pans and baklava trays is still hammered by hand; the bedesten and the caravanserais of the centre, now occupied by shops selling pistachios, pepper flakes and spices; and a first stop at a baklava workshop to see the dough stretched by hand and the green pistachio of the region.
In the afternoon, the Zeugma Mosaic Museum, one of the largest of its kind in the world, with the Roman mosaics rescued from the city of Zeugma before it was flooded by the Euphrates reservoir, among them the portrait known as “the Gypsy Girl”. Dinner free: the guide recommends where to try the local kebab.Notes for the day: Domestic flight Istanbul–Gaziantep of just under two hours. The workshops work in the morning; the order of the visits follows the confirmed flight time.
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Day 3
Gaziantep in the morning: beyran, market and the city’s kitchen
The day starts early and outside the hotel, the way the city starts it: with a bowl of beyran, the lamb-and-rice soup that in Gaziantep is eaten for breakfast in places that open before dawn. Then a walk through the morning market, where the ingredients that define this cuisine are explained: the pistachio, the dried pepper, the aubergine in all its forms, sumac and bulgur wheat.
Mid-morning, a panoramic view of the castle and a visit to the traditional courtyard houses of the historic quarter and to the museum devoted to the city’s cuisine, with its rooms of laid tables. Free afternoon for the pastry shops — katmer, künefe, baklava in its varieties — or for the optional cooking workshop. Dinner free, with recommendations from the guide.Optional activities
- Half-day Gaziantep cooking workshop, with the dishes prepared served as lunch
Notes for the day: Beyran is served very hot and heavily spiced; anyone preferring a conventional hotel breakfast should say so in advance. The castle is seen from outside while the restoration work following the 2023 earthquake continues.
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Day 4
Road to Hatay: Antakya, the most mixed table in Turkey
Departure for Antakya, some 200 kilometres to the southwest, through the Belen Pass towards the Orontes plain. Hatay is the country’s southernmost province and its cuisine blends Turkish, Arab and Levantine traditions: warm hummus, tepsi kebabı baked in a tray, zahter salad and künefe with fresh cheese. Arrival and lunch at leisure in the centre.
In the afternoon, what remains visible of ancient Antioch: the rock church of St Peter, cut into the slope of Mount Starius and one of the oldest in Christendom, and the Hatay Archaeology Museum, with one of the great collections of Roman mosaics in the Mediterranean. The city is being rebuilt after the earthquake of February 2023 and the visits are confirmed in the offer according to the opening status of each place. Overnight in Antakya or its surroundings.Optional activities
- Tasting dinner of Hatay cuisine, paired with local drinks
Notes for the day: Around 200 kilometres of driving, about three hours. Antakya’s hotel supply is recovering; the accommodation is confirmed in the quote and may be located in the city’s surroundings.
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Day 5
The Antakya breakfast, Harbiye and the road to Adana
The morning is reserved for the Hatay breakfast, a long table of small dishes — cheeses, olives, zahter, hummus, jams, freshly baked bread — which in the region is a meal in itself and replaces the hotel breakfast. Then up to Harbiye, ancient Daphne, with its waterfalls and plane trees, and a stop at a laurel-soap workshop, the area’s craft product.
At midday, departure for Adana, some 190 kilometres to the northwest across the Çukurova plain, the great cotton and citrus orchard of southern Turkey. Arrival in the afternoon and a walk through the old quarter of Tepebağ, the clock tower and the Kazancılar market. Dinner free: it is the night of the Adana kebab, hand-minced meat grilled over charcoal; the guide explains how to order it and what to drink with it — şalgam, the fermented turnip juice — before leaving the group at the table.Notes for the day: Around 190 kilometres of driving, about two and a half hours. The Hatay breakfast is served from mid-morning and takes time; nothing should be scheduled before it.
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Day 6
Adana: the Roman bridge and the morning kebab; flight to Istanbul
Last morning in Adana. A walk across the Taşköprü, the Roman-period stone bridge over the Seyhan river, and along the bank to the great central mosque (exterior). The route ends the way the city starts every day: with a breakfast of liver kebab, ciğer, served in Adana from first thing in the morning in the places of the centre, with sumac onions and şalgam. A visit to the city’s archaeology museum, housed in a former textile factory, depending on the flight time.
Transfer to the airport and domestic flight to Istanbul, scheduled to connect with the international flight home. End of the programme.Notes for the day: If the international flight leaves the following day, a night in Istanbul is added on request. Anyone preferring a conventional breakfast takes it at the hotel.
How the rate is calculated
Rate tailored to the season, the hotel category and the number of travellers. Request a quotation.
Private programme: quoted according to passenger numbers, dates, hotel category and the meals and tastings added to the offer.
Departures
Tailor-made departures: any date
The programme is operated privately for your group: you choose the starting day and the itinerary is built around that date. There is no fixed departure calendar and no outside group to join.
Route map
Istanbul → Gaziantep → Antakya (Hatay) → Harbiye → Adana
Operational notes
- The order of the visits may change according to opening hours, traffic and the day’s operation. The content of the programme stays the same.
- Domestic flights are issued in economy class and the checked and cabin baggage allowance depends on the airline and the fare issued; the exact allowance is shown on the ticket. Schedules may be rearranged and the day’s programme follows the confirmed flight.
- The breakfast places, workshops and markets of the programme are selected for each departure according to the day of the week, the season and the size of the group, and are detailed in the offer. Tastings, cooking workshops and themed meals are quoted with the programme; the base programme includes daily breakfast and the walks listed.
- Dietary restrictions (vegetarian, allergies, intolerances, religious diets) are stated when requesting the quote so that the places and dishes of each stop can be adjusted. Pistachio and nut allergies need particular care in Gaziantep, where pistachio is present in most sweets and in many savoury dishes.
- Markets and bazaars work in the morning and many workshops close in the afternoon; the covered bazaars close on Sundays and during the religious holidays (Ramazan Bayramı and Kurban Bayramı, whose dates move). During the month of Ramadan some of the places in the city centres do not serve food during the day and dinner times are later.
- Gaziantep, Hatay and Adana lie in the area affected by the earthquakes of February 2023. Gaziantep and Adana operate normally; in Antakya the old city is being rebuilt, some monuments remain closed and the hotel supply is recovering. The places visited and the accommodation for that stage are confirmed in the offer according to the opening status on the travel dates.
- To enter mosques, shoes must be removed and shoulders and knees covered; women must cover their hair. The same discretion in dress is requested at the rock church of St Peter.
- Museums may have a weekly closing day and different summer and winter hours. The final itinerary follows the opening calendar in force on the departure dates.
- A valid passport, the visa or electronic authorisation and compliance with entry requirements are the traveller’s responsibility. They should be checked in advance, as they depend on nationality.
Best time to travel
Recommended months: March, April, May, October, November
The route is best done in spring and autumn. In July and August the southeast frequently exceeds 40 °C and the markets empty at midday; the early breakfasts still work, but the afternoons lose their programme. From late August to September the Gaziantep pistachio is harvested, and from October onwards pomegranates, quinces and winter preserves reach the markets. From December to February the weather is mild in Adana and Antakya and cold in Gaziantep, with the bazaar and the workshops in full activity.
Gallery
Frequently asked questions
Which meals are included?
Breakfast every day, which on three days is taken at a place in the city centre instead of the hotel (beyran in Gaziantep, the Hatay breakfast table and the ciğer kebab of Adana). Lunches, dinners and tastings are added to the offer according to what the group wants covered; the guide recommends where to eat at the free meals.
Are specific restaurants visited, or can we choose?
The breakfast places, workshops and markets of the programme are selected for each departure according to the day of the week, the season and the size of the group, and are detailed in the offer. No names are published on this page because they change from one departure to the next.
Is this trip suitable for vegetarians or for food allergies?
The region’s cooking has a very wide vegetable side — pulses, aubergine, bulgur, cheeses, baked vegetables — but the kebab and the beyran are lamb. With the restrictions stated when requesting the quote, the places and dishes of each stop are adjusted. Pistachio and nut allergies need particular care in Gaziantep.
When is the best time for this route?
March to May and October to November. July and August frequently exceed 40 °C in Adana and Antakya. The Gaziantep pistachio harvest, between late August and September, is the reason to travel in those weeks if heat is not a problem.
What is Antakya like after the 2023 earthquake?
The old city was badly damaged and is being rebuilt. The places visited and the accommodation for that stage are confirmed in the offer according to the opening status on the travel dates; the cooking of Hatay lives on in its homes, markets and eateries, which is what the visit is about.
Can it be combined with Istanbul or with another tour?
Yes. The usual options are extra nights in Istanbul at the start or the end, or a link with a Cappadocia tour. Any combination is quoted together with the programme.
How is it requested?
With approximate dates, the number of passengers, the hotel category required and the group’s dietary restrictions, through the quote form. Agencies receive net rates.
Booking conditions
- Deposit
- 30% of the total when the booking is confirmed. For bookings made 30 days or less before departure, the full amount at confirmation.
- Balance
- The remaining 70%, no later than 31 days before departure.
- Payment methods
- Bank transfer or credit card. Card payments carry a 3% surcharge; charges applied by the issuing bank are borne by the client.
- Cancellations
- More than 90 days before departure: handling fee only, plus penalties on services already issued · 89–61 days: 25% · 60–31 days: 50% · 30 days or less and no-show: 100%. Reductions in places follow the same scale. Refunds within 10–14 business days of written cancellation.
Credentials
- Legal name
- Colorido Tours Turkey Turizm Ticaret Ltd. Şti.
- TÜRSAB licence
- A-12116
- Office
- Istanbul
- Operating scope
- Turkey only. Egypt, Jordan and the Greek islands only as extensions of a Turkey itinerary.
- Guides
- Licensed guides in Spanish and English
- 24/7 emergency line during the trip
- +90 544 533 53 55
- Who handles your request
- Your request is handled by our reservations team, and the same person follows the file from quotation through to operation on the ground.
