Sweet Istanbul – a private sweets tour through 300 years of confectionery

In Istanbul, sweets are never just dessert. Topkapı Palace had its own confectionery kitchen, the Helvahane, where hundreds of cooks made nothing but helva, lokum and sorbets. For festivals the Sultans had sugar figures paraded through the city, and once a year baklava was ceremonially handed out to the Janissaries.

Highlights

• Lokum (Turkish delight) from the Sultans' purveyor, run by the same family since 1777
• Baklava fresh from the oven at the famous dynasty from Gaziantep
• Pişmaniye, Cezerye and Pestil in the Egyptian Bazaar
• Option B: Boza and the glass Atatürk once drank from
• Option B: By ferry to Asia to the city's oldest confectioner (since 1807)
• Stories of the palace kitchen: the Helvahane, sorbets and the Sultans' sugar festivals

Full description

On this private tour we follow that tradition into the present. You taste in shops run by the same families for generations: lokum where it was created in its modern form, baklava at the pastry shop that brought the Gaziantep recipe to Istanbul, and coffee from the roastery whose aroma the whole Old City knows.

Option A (4 hours) stays on the European side. Option B (7 hours) extends the programme: boza in historic Vefa, puddings from the palace tradition and a ferry ride across the Bosphorus to Kadıköy, where the city's oldest confectioner has been boiling Akide candies for over 200 years.

We deliberately do not take you to carpet, jewellery or leather shops. Many cheap tours are financed by sales commissions – ours are not. You only pay for the guiding and your tastings directly at the counters.

What we see and taste

Option A – 4 hours · 240 €

European side: Old City and Karaköy

• Ali Muhiddin Hacı Bekir (since 1777)
  Lokum – Purveyor to the Sultans and inventor of lokum in its modern form.
• Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi (since 1871)
  Aroma of freshly roasted coffee – The roastery that made Turkish coffee available to everyone.
• Egyptian Bazaar (Spice Bazaar) (17th c.)
  Pişmaniye, Cezerye, Pestil – The city's spice and sugar bazaar, built by the Sultan's mother.
• Hafız Mustafa (since 1864)
  Kaymaklı Baklava, Lokum – Ottoman confectionery tradition with recipes from its founding days.
• Karaköy Güllüoğlu (since 1949)
  Fıstıklı Baklava – The baklava dynasty from Gaziantep, pistachios from Southeastern Anatolia.
• Finale
  Künefe or Dondurma – Warm cheese dessert from Hatay or stretchy ice cream from Maraş – your choice.

Included

• Private licensed guide in your language
• Programme according to the chosen option (4 or 7 hours)
• Personal selection of the best tastings at each stop
• Headsets for groups of 16 or more

Not included

• Tastings and drinks (paid directly at the counters)
• Ferry tickets for Option B
• Vehicle with driver (can be added)
• Tips and personal expenses

Meeting point

Your hotel in the Old City, your cruise ship at Galataport or a meeting point of your choice in the centre. We will agree on the exact meeting point with you after booking. If you book a vehicle, we pick you up within the central area.

Important information

• Please come a little hungry. The tastings replace lunch.
• Please let us know about allergies (e.g. nuts, gluten, dairy) when booking and we will adapt the selection.
• Comfortable shoes – the tour is mostly on foot.
• Some shops may be closed on public holidays; we then choose equivalent traditional shops.
• We do not offer a joint private tour for groups made up of different cruise passengers.

Frequently asked questions