7-Day Aegean Culinary Tour: Izmir, Urla, Alaçatı & Ayvalık
-high.jpg&w=828&q=100)
-high.jpg&w=828&q=100)
-high.jpg&w=828&q=100)
Duration
7 days
Max Group Size
40
Departure Type
Scheduled
Guiding Method
Fully guided
Physical level
relax
Operated In
Age Requirement
11 - 99 Ages
About this tour
Route
- 1IzmirEuropeTurkeyStart
- 2UrlaEuropeTurkeyIzmir
- 3AlaçatıEuropeTurkeyIzmirCesme
- 4AyvalıkEuropeTurkeyBalikesirEnd
What makes this tour special
Itinerary
Arrive at Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport and meet your transfer representative for the journey to your hotel.
After check-in, take time to rest. Depending on your arrival schedule, enjoy an introductory walk along the waterfront, where the city’s cafés and seaside promenade offer a relaxed start to your holiday.
In the evening, sit down to a welcome dinner featuring Aegean vegetable dishes, meze and a seasonal main course. Your guide will introduce the ingredients and food traditions you will encounter throughout the journey.
Meals: Dinner
Overnight: Izmir
After breakfast, explore Kemeraltı Bazaar with your guide. Walk through its lively lanes, passing bakeries, spice stalls, produce sellers and traditional food shops.
Enjoy small tastings of Izmir favourites, such as boyoz, a flaky pastry, and gevrek, the city’s sesame-covered bread ring. Pause for Turkish coffee in the historic market district.
Continue with a regional lunch before travelling to Urla. On arrival, explore the town centre and browse small shops selling local produce and artisan goods.
Check into your hotel and enjoy a free evening. Your guide can suggest places for dinner.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and scheduled tastings
Overnight: Urla
After breakfast, visit an olive oil producer or specialist tasting venue near Urla. Learn about olive varieties, harvesting and the influence of production methods on flavour.
During a guided tasting, discover how to recognise fruitiness, bitterness and peppery notes, then compare the oils with simple accompaniments.
Later, join a hands-on cooking session with a local host or chef. Prepare a selection of Aegean dishes using seasonal vegetables, herbs and olive oil. Depending on availability, the menu may include stuffed vegetables, greens with olive oil, a savoury pastry or a regional salad.
Share the lunch you have prepared and hear the stories behind the recipes.
Spend the afternoon at leisure in Urla, with time for a coastal stroll or independent shopping.
Meals: Breakfast and cooking-session lunch
Overnight: Urla
After breakfast, visit a vineyard in the Urla countryside. Learn about the estate’s growing practices and the relationship between its landscape and wine production.
Wine tasting is optional and charged separately. Guests who prefer not to participate can enjoy the setting and free time at the estate; alternative refreshments depend on the venue.
Continue to Alaçatı and enjoy lunch featuring regional vegetables, olive oil dishes and a seasonal main course.
In the afternoon, explore Alaçatı’s stone lanes, small squares and food shops. Browse local products and visit the surrounding coast before checking into your hotel.
In the evening, enjoy a seafood dinner with a selection of Aegean meze. A suitable alternative main course can be arranged with advance notice.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Overnight: Alaçatı
After breakfast, depart for Ayvalık. This is the tour’s main road-transfer day, with comfort stops along the way.
Lunch is at your own expense en route.
Arrive in Ayvalık and check into your hotel. Later, join your guide for an introductory walk through the historic centre, where narrow streets, stone houses and small shops reflect the town’s character.
Enjoy a regional dinner featuring olive oil dishes, meze and a seasonal main course.
Meals: Breakfast and dinner
Overnight: Ayvalık
After breakfast, visit an olive oil producer or tasting venue in the Ayvalık area. Discover the region’s olive-growing traditions and taste a selection of locally produced oils.
Continue to Cunda for a guided walk through its historic streets and waterfront. Explore small shops and enjoy a relaxed seafood lunch with regional accompaniments.
In the afternoon, browse local stalls or shops for olives, olive oil and other regional products. Enjoy a sweet tasting, such as lor tatlısı, a dessert made with fresh curd cheese, subject to availability.
Return to your hotel with the evening free for a final independent dinner.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dessert tasting
Overnight: Ayvalık
Enjoy breakfast at your hotel and check out.
Transfer to Balıkesir Koca Seyit Airport for your onward flight. A transfer to Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport can be arranged instead at an additional cost.
Meals: Breakfast
Trip includes
Included
6 nights’ accommodation in selected hotels:
1 night in Izmir - 4 Star Hotel
2 nights in Urla - 4 Star Hotel
1 night in Alaçatı - 4 Star Hotel
2 nights in Ayvalık - 4 Star Hotel
English-speaking professional guide during scheduled visits and activities.
Guiding Method
Fully guided
6 breakfasts.
4 lunches, including the cooking-session lunch.
3 dinners: Izmir welcome dinner, Alaçatı seafood dinner and Ayvalık regional dinner.
Arrival transfer from Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport.
Departure transfer to Balıkesir Koca Seyit Airport.
Air-conditioned transport for scheduled sightseeing and intercity journeys.
Scheduled Izmir food tastings and Turkish coffee.
Guided olive oil tastings in Urla and the Ayvalık area.
Hands-on Aegean cooking experience.
Urla vineyard visit, excluding optional wine tasting.
Scheduled dessert tasting in Ayvalık or Cunda.
Guided walks in Kemeraltı, Urla, Alaçatı, Ayvalık and Cunda.
Admission or host fees for the culinary experiences listed as included.
Arrival and departure: Arrive at Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport. The included departure transfer is to Balıkesir Koca Seyit Airport. Coordinate flight arrangements with the operator before purchasing tickets.
Accommodation: Final hotel names and categories will be confirmed in your quotation. Boutique hotels vary in room size and facilities; lifts and step-free access are not available at every property.
Seasonal cooking: Aegean herbs and wild greens vary by season. Cooking menus will use suitable available ingredients while retaining the regional theme.
Local markets: Weekly markets operate on specific days. A weekly market visit can be incorporated when your dates align; otherwise, the itinerary uses established bazaars, food shops and produce stalls.
Olive oil experiences: Tastings are available through selected hosts. Harvesting, pressing and production demonstrations depend on the season and the producer’s operating schedule.
Vineyard visit: The estate will be selected according to availability. Wine tasting is optional, costs extra and is subject to the venue’s age requirements.
Seafood meals: Fish and seafood choices depend on availability. Inform us before booking if you need vegetarian or other alternative meals.
Allergies and dietary needs: Advise us of allergies and dietary restrictions in advance. Regional kitchens may handle seafood, nuts, dairy and gluten in shared preparation areas.
Walking: Expect walking on cobbled streets and uneven surfaces. Comfortable shoes are recommended.
Road travel: Day 5 involves a substantial journey from Alaçatı to Ayvalık. Timing depends on traffic, stops and hotel locations.
Free time: Beach visits, swimming and boat trips are not included as organised activities. Any independent plans should fit around the confirmed tour schedule.
Food purchases: Check airline baggage allowances and your destination’s customs rules before buying olive oil or other food products.
Itinerary flexibility: Visits may be reordered around venue availability, market days and local conditions. Hotels, hosts and final arrangements will be confirmed before travel.
Excluded
International and domestic flights.
Travel insurance and visa fees, where applicable.
Optional wine tasting and alcoholic beverages.
Drinks with meals, except those specifically listed.
Meals and extra tastings not listed as included.
Departure transfer to Izmir Airport.
Optional boat trips, museum visits and other additional activities.
Travel insurance and visa fees, where applicable.
Tips for guides, drivers and restaurant staff.
Personal purchases, minibar and laundry.
Early check-in, late check-out and additional hotel nights.
Transfers outside the scheduled arrangements.
Availability
Loading. Please wait.
Make this journey exclusively yours
By design, this is a group tour. You can however request a private, customized version of this tour for yourself or your private group of people. Private departures are usually more expensive, but come with these benefits:
Personal
Itinerary can be tweaked and customized.
Protected
Travel withing your own bubble.
Professional
Access our Travel Specialists insider knowledge.
Privacy
Enjoy a tour focused solely on you or your travel group.
Why book with TravelShop Booking
Cancellation Policy
On our global marketplace TravelShop Booking Supplier is recognized globally as an online tourism marketplace connecting travelers, suppliers, and tour operators worldwide. All users acknowledge that TravelShop Booking is a platform not liable for canceled tours, poor services, or unforeseen circumstances occurring before, during, or after the tour.
Need help or have a question about this tour?
if you have any question about this tour or need help with planning a trip, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us. We're ready to help.
You might also like these tours
Handpicked trips with a similar vibe — perfect if this one caught your eye.