Two continents. Three empires. One city that refuses to stand still.
Three thousand years of history and it still feels like it’s happening right now. Whirling dervishes in Fatih. The Grand Bazaar. An underground cistern that has no business being as beautiful as it is. A ferry across to Asia for lunch. Most guests come on their own. Small group, interesting people, good hotel. Istanbul gets under your skin in a way most cities don’t bother trying.
WEATHER
21 – 27°C
DURATION
5 DAYS
DEPOSIT
FROM £339
GROUP
CURIOUS ADULTS
GROUP SIZE
MAX 10
DOWNTIME
LESS
HOTEL
BOUTIQUE
PHYSICALITY
ACTIVE
Just back from my first trip with Creative Escapes and confident it won’t be my last … enjoyed It all immensely. The agenda was fluid and I felt we could influence greatly. If you are thinking about doing it my advice would be to book and get ready for a great trip . Jo, Oxford
Highlights.
Behind the Scenes.
Itinerary.
On arrival, straight to the hotel. Then out into the city while the light is still good. You’ll meet your photographer guide and the group, and before anything else they’ll spend time with you one to one. Phone or camera, it doesn’t matter.
The goal is simple: by the time you walk into your first experience, using it feels like second nature. Not a crash course. More like someone showing you the shortcuts the pros use, quietly, so it sticks. Your guide is with you as you go from here. A quiet tip, try it, see what happens. That’s how the whole week works.
That evening, cocktails and dinner with the Bosphorus spread out below you, warm air, the city lit up and humming. Day one and it already feels like the right decision.
Two of Istanbul’s greatest monuments – the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia – back to back. Most people have seen the pictures. Standing inside them is something else entirely. The work here isn’t about capturing the building. It’s about finding what’s happening inside it. The woman sitting alone in the courtyard. The light doing something unexpected to the stone. The bits everyone else walks straight past.
That’s what great photographers see that most people don’t. By the end of the morning, you’ll be seeing it too. It changes the way you experience a place. Not just Istanbul. Everywhere, from here on.
That evening, dinner in a garden deep in Sultanahmet – orange trees, the best meze in town, hummus that will ruin all other hummus.
The Grand Bazaar has been the beating heart of Istanbul since 1461. Featured in Skyfall, From Russia With Love, Taken – not because it’s cinematic, but because nowhere else looks quite like it.
A labyrinth of vaulted corridors, warm light, and traders who’ve been selling the same things from the same spots for generations. This is where Istanbul stops feeling like Europe.
Yesterday was about learning to see. Today is about finding your own story inside a place that has ten thousand of them running simultaneously. Your guide is moving through it all with you. Watching what you’re drawn to. A word here and there. Nothing formal. Just better pictures happening in real time.
Then the Sema. Not a tourist version — a real ceremony in a historic courtyard in Fatih. Whirling dervishes in candlelight. One of those evenings that stays with you long after you’ve forgotten the jet lag.
The Spice Bazaar first. Smaller and older than the Grand Bazaar, and more intoxicating. Sacks of spices, dried fruits, lokum in every colour, the smell hitting you before you’re even through the door. Then down to Eminonu on the waterfront, where the mackerel boats bob at the quayside and men grill fresh fish to order, stuffed into bread and handed over the side. One of the best things you will eat all week, for about a pound.
Then onto the ferry with the commuters, across the Bosphorus into Asia. Kadikoy is residential, local, almost entirely untouched by tourism. Real Istanbul. Friendly in a way that catches you off guard. Back across the water, up through the Tunel on the world’s second oldest underground railway, two stops, one steep hill, still running since 1875. Then the tram, the original red rattler threading through Istiklal at walking pace, the whole city streaming past the windows.
That evening, 360. The highest restaurant in Istanbul, open air, panoramic views across both continents, good music and the kind of dinner where nobody wants to leave.
The Basilica Cistern in the morning, before the crowds arrive. Three hundred columns rising out of shallow water, lit from below. One of those places that stops you mid-sentence. Then time to wander. Back to wherever caught your eye during the week. Istanbul rewards the second visit to a place.
Lunch at an open air restaurant on the water, no rush. Afterwards, your photographer guide sits with you and goes through your pictures. Not a critique. More like a conversation about what you saw. Most people are quietly amazed by what they captured.
Late afternoon, the airport. Back at your desk tomorrow. But not quite the same person who left.
Dates & Prices.
9 – 13 September, 2026
5 days. 4 nights. Starts and ends in Istanbul.
£1695 / £195 single supplement
Price includes
4 nights accommodation at listed hotels (or similar)
5 full days with our UK-based pro photographer/guide
1-to-1 photography guidance throughout, at your pace
All airport transfers from suggested flights, plus all transportation around the area
Entrance to sufi dancing, all entrances to monuments, boat/tram rides
Price excludes flights & meals.
Flights are not included, which means you choose your own and keep the flexibility. Wizzair, Turkish Airlines, Pegasus and British Airways all fly direct from London, with prices from around £81 each way. We aim to arrive into Istanbul around midday on day one, and there are several late departures on the final day that get you home the same evening.
One important thing to know before you book flights: we confirm the trip once minimum numbers are reached. We will contact you as soon as that happens and suggest the best flight options at that point. Please do not book flights before we confirm. We know that feels like an extra step. It protects everyone.
Nena
The Nena sits in the heart of Sultanahmet, the oldest part of the city. The Blue Mosque is a five minute walk. So is Hagia Sofia. The rooms are calm, the design is considered, and some have views that will make you want to get up early. A good base for a trip like this.
Second trip with CE and my admiration has only increased. Our well-being was scrupulously attended to … this is so much more than a guided tour for snapping landmarks. Richard, Bristol
Description
Package includes
4 nights accommodation at listed hotels (or similar)
5 days tuition from our UK-based professional photographer
All airport transfers, plus all transportation around the area
Entrance to sufi dancing & all entrances to monuments.
Multiple 1-on-1 tuition sessions
Price excludes flights, meals.
Additional information
| Single Supplement - £195 | Yes, No |
|---|---|
| Date | 10 – 14 September 2025, 9 – 13 September 2026 |
Related products
Cuba
Price range: £2,995.00 through £3,390.00
Holi Festival, India
Price range: £2,995.00 through £3,390.00
Japan
Price range: £3,500.00 through £3,895.00
Sri Lanka
Price range: £2,880.00 through £3,275.00Japan
Price range: £3,500.00 through £3,895.00
Nepal
Price range: £2,880.00 through £3,275.00
Bhutan
Price range: £3,495.00 through £3,875.00
Diwali Festival, India
Price range: £2,995.00 through £3,500.00
Sicily
Price range: £1,575.00 through £1,770.00