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Private tour
Southern Food Trail 5 Days
Price on request based on your dates and group size
About this tour
Five days eating your way through Türkiye from the south to the centre: Antakya — a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy — a home-cooked dinner with a family in Arsuz, Adana kebab in its birthplace, tantuni and the fish market in Mersin, and Konya's etli ekmek in front of Rumi's mausoleum. Domestic flights, an English-speaking food guide and a private vehicle; and between one dish and the next, the visits that explain each table.
Trip details
Duration
5 days / 4 nights
Destination
Hatay
Category
Exclusive
Type
Private tour
Accommodation
4 hotels
Meals
12 included
Flights
2 domestic
Route
Hatay
Arsuz
Adana
Mersin
Konya
Day-by-day itinerary
1
Arrival in Antakya — the Bazaar, Laurel Soap and the First Table
Arrival
Istanbul Hatay
We fly from Istanbul to Hatay (2 h) and in twenty-five minutes we are in Antakya, ancient Antioch. The afternoon is for working up an appetite: the old town with its courtyard houses and the Uzun Çarşı Bazaar, where laurel soap is cut by hand and spices are sold by the shout. Welcome dinner at the hotel: hummus with meat, oruk and hot künefe, which was born here. Accommodation at a hotel of the planned category.
Flight:
Istanbul (IST) → Hatay (HTY) (Turkish Airlines)
Visits:
Antakya Old Town, Uzun Çarşı Bazaar and laurel soap workshops
Hotel:
Standard hotel Hatay · Half board
Meals: Dinner
2
Antakya and Arsuz — Roman Mosaics and Dinner with a Family
Hatay Arsuz
Breakfast in Hatay is an event: more than twenty little dishes on the table. Fortified by it, we visit the Hatay Archaeology Museum — one of the largest collections of Roman mosaics in the world — and the Cave Church of St Peter, carved into Mount Staurin. A meze lunch and then the road to the sea: Arsuz, ancient Rhosus, a fishing village among citrus groves. The evening is the jewel of the trip: dinner in the home of a local family, with Hatay cuisine cooked just as they make it at home, and a long, relaxed chat at the table. Accommodation at a hotel of the planned category.
Visits:
Hatay Archaeology Museum (Mosaic Museum), Cave Church of St Peter (Sen Piyer), Dinner in the home of a family in Arsuz
Hotel:
Standard hotel Arsuz · Bed & breakfast
Meals: Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner
3
From Arsuz to Adana — the Fishing Harbour and a Kebab with a Pedigree
Arsuz İskenderun Adana
We start the day with the fishing boats: a stroll around Arsuz harbour and a last coffee by the sea. We follow the coast via İskenderun and head up to Adana, the capital of the charcoal grill. The obligatory lunch: Adana kebab with its protected designation of origin, hand-minced with a knife and grilled over oak, with sumac onions and a glass of şalgam. In the afternoon we stroll across the Taşköprü, the Roman bridge over the Seyhan, and visit the Sabancı Central Mosque. Dinner at the hotel. Accommodation at a hotel of the planned category.
Visits:
Arsuz fishing harbour and old town, Adana — Taşköprü and Sabancı Central Mosque
Hotel:
Standard hotel Adana · Half board
Meals: Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner
4
Tarsus and Mersin — St Paul, the Fish Market and Tantuni
Adana Tarsus Mersin
Half an hour from Adana, Tarsus awaits, the birthplace of St Paul: his well, Cleopatra's Gate and a stretch of Roman road below street level. In Mersin we eat as the city dictates: tantuni in flatbread, and fish chosen at the market and fried on the spot. In the afternoon we walk the colonnade of Soli Pompeiopolis by the sea and the seafront promenade, with a carrot cezerye to say goodbye. Dinner at the hotel. Accommodation at a hotel of the planned category.
Visits:
Tarsus — St Paul's Well and Cleopatra's Gate, Soli Pompeiopolis, Mersin fish market and seafront
Hotel:
Standard hotel Mersin · Half board
Meals: Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner
5
Konya — Etli Ekmek in Front of Rumi and the Flight Home
Departure
Mersin Konya
We cross the Taurus Mountains to the plateau: three and a half hours of scenery to Konya, the city of the dervishes. In front of Rumi's turquoise-domed mausoleum we visit the Mevlana Museum and the Karatay Madrasa, and say goodbye with the local lunch par excellence: etli ekmek, the metre-long meat flatbread, with ayran from a copper jug. In the afternoon, transfer to Konya airport and direct flight to Istanbul. End of our services, and of five days of good eating.
Flight:
Konya (KYA) → Istanbul (IST) (Turkish Airlines)
Visits:
Mevlana Museum, Karatay Madrasa
Meals: Breakfast · Lunch
Planned accommodation
We work with several hotels in each category in every city; the exact hotel is confirmed when you book.
The hotels shown are the planned ones. If one isn't available, we'll offer another of a similar or higher category.
What's included
Included
- 4 hotel nights: Antakya, Adana and Mersin on half board; Arsuz with breakfast (that evening's dinner is at the family's home)
- Home-cooked dinner in the home of a family in Arsuz, with time to chat and the recipes explained
- 4 gastronomic lunches: Antakya mezes, Adana kebab, tantuni and the Mersin fish market, and Konya's etli ekmek
- Licensed English-speaking guide specialising in gastronomy throughout the tour
- Private air-conditioned vehicle with driver for all 5 days
- Arrival (HTY) and departure (KYA) transfers
- Entrance tickets and visits: Antakya old town and Uzun Çarşı Bazaar, Hatay Archaeology Museum, the Cave Church of St Peter, Arsuz harbour, the Taşköprü and Adana Central Mosque, Tarsus, Soli Pompeiopolis, the Mersin fish market and seafront, the Mevlana Museum and the Karatay Madrasa
- Domestic flights Istanbul–Hatay and Konya–Istanbul with Turkish Airlines, taxes included
Not included
- Return international flights
- Drinks with meals
- Tips: the usual amount is €3 per person per day for the guide and €2 for the driver
- Travel and cancellation insurance
- Personal expenses and anything not listed under included services
Frequently asked questions
What's included in Southern Food Trail 5 Days?
Southern Food Trail 5 Days includes: 4 hotel nights: Antakya, Adana and Mersin on half board; Arsuz with breakfast (that evening's dinner is at the family's home); Home-cooked dinner in the home of a family in Arsuz, with time to chat and the recipes explained; 4 gastronomic lunches: Antakya mezes, Adana kebab, tantuni and the Mersin fish market, and Konya's etli ekmek; Licensed English-speaking guide specialising in gastronomy throughout the tour; Private air-conditioned vehicle with driver for all 5 days; Arrival (HTY) and departure (KYA) transfers; Entrance tickets and visits: Antakya old town and Uzun Çarşı Bazaar, Hatay Archaeology Museum, the Cave Church of St Peter, Arsuz harbour, the Taşköprü and Adana Central Mosque, Tarsus, Soli Pompeiopolis, the Mersin fish market and seafront, the Mevlana Museum and the Karatay Madrasa; Domestic flights Istanbul–Hatay and Konya–Istanbul with Turkish Airlines, taxes included. Anything not included is listed just as clearly in the "What's included" section of this page.
Do I need to speak Turkish for this trip?
No. Your guide, Sinan, speaks fluent English and is with you throughout the trip. He takes care of all the arrangements, translations, bookings and negotiations for you.
Can I customise Southern Food Trail 5 Days?
Yes. Southern Food Trail 5 Days is a private tour, so this 5-day itinerary is flexible: you can change stops, add extra days, swap hotels or adjust the pace of the trip. Message me with your preferences and we'll design your tailor-made trip, with no extra charge for the planning.
When is the best time to visit Hatay?
Türkiye can be visited all year round. Spring (April–June) and autumn (September–November) bring pleasant temperatures and fewer crowds. Summer is ideal for the coast, and winter has its own charm in Cappadocia, with snow-covered landscapes.
Why can't I see a price on this page?
Because this is a private tour and its price depends on your dates, how many of you are travelling, the hotel category and the visits you want to include. I'd rather work it out by hand and send you a real quote, with everything itemised, than show you a "from" price that ends up looking nothing like what you pay. Request it with the quote form on this page and you'll have it within 24 hours.
How do booking and payment work?
Once you request a quote, you receive a private link with the final price and the full itinerary, with no obligation. To confirm, you pay a 30% deposit. The balance is paid 31 days before departure, by bank transfer or card (+3% surcharge). If you cancel more than 90 days before departure, only the handling fee and any penalties charged for flights and services already issued are retained; closer to departure, the cancellation policy scale applies, the same one you'll see in your quote.
Read more
Related articles
Guides and tips for the destinations on this tour.
places
Antioch (Antakya): Hatay Mosaic Museum and St Peter's Cave Church
The city where the disciples were first called Christians is home to a cave church on the mountainside and a museum with
destinations
Hatay (Antioch): Mosaics, St Peter's Church and Türkiye's Best Food
Antioch was the third city of the Roman Empire and the place where the followers of Jesus were first called Christians.
destinations
Arsuz: The Fishing Village Where Hatay Goes Out to Eat
A little over an hour from Antakya, Arsuz is a quiet fishing bay with restaurants right on the water, and on the mountai
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