JE 1
Jewish Istanbul
The Tour
When Sultan Bayezid II invited the Jews expelled from Spain into the Ottoman Empire in 1492, Istanbul became one of the great Sephardic cities of the world. Five hundred years later, the synagogues from Galata to Kuzguncuk are still standing — some in use since the Middle Ages. This tour walks through the quarters where this history is at home, and opens doors that usually remain closed to the individual visitor.
The Program Day by Day
Day 1 – Arrival and First Approach
Arrival in Istanbul, transfer to the hotel in Galata/Pera or Sultanahmet, according to the group's preference. In the late afternoon, a first walk through the Galata quarter, which for centuries was the center of Jewish life on the Golden Horn.
In the evening, dinner together and an introduction to the tour: 1492, the invitation of Bayezid II, Sephardic immigration — and why Ladino, Judeo-Spanish, is still spoken in Istanbul today.
Day 2 – Galata and Karaköy
The morning is devoted to the Jewish Museum of Turkey (Museum of the Quincentennial Foundation), with its collection on five centuries of Jewish life in the country, and to the Neve Shalom Synagogue, the largest synagogue in Istanbul and the center of today's community.
Afterwards, the Ashkenazi Synagogue on Yüksekkaldırım Street, still in use today, and the Schneidertempel of the tailors' guild, today an arts and cultural center.
In the afternoon, the Camondo Stairs and the story of the Camondo family — the bankers who helped shape Ottoman finance and whose trail leads from Galata to Paris. Also the banking quarter on Voyvoda Street, which would be unthinkable without this family.
Day 3 – Balat, Fener and Hasköy
The day on the Golden Horn. In Balat, the Ahrida Synagogue, founded before the conquest of Constantinople by Jews from Ohrid, with its famous bimah in the shape of a ship's bow — one of the oldest continuously used synagogues in the city. Nearby, the Yanbol Synagogue and the lanes of the old quarter with the buildings of the former Jewish schools.
Opposite, on the slope, Fener with the Ecumenical Patriarchate — the neighborliness of the communities on this shore is part of the history of both.
In the afternoon, Hasköy on the other side of the Golden Horn: the quarter of the Karaites with their synagogue built down into the ground, and the large old Jewish cemetery with its Ottoman gravestones — inscriptions in Hebrew, Ladino and Ottoman Turkish side by side.
Day 4 – Ortaköy and Kuzguncuk
In the morning, Ortaköy on the Bosphorus: the Etz Ahayim Synagogue right next to the Mecidiye Mosque on the waterfront — hardly any place shows the coexistence of religions in this city so directly.
Then the crossing to the Asian side to Kuzguncuk: the Bet Yaakov and Bet Nissim synagogues, and the famous street where synagogue, church and mosque stand just a few steps apart. Kuzguncuk was regarded by the Jews of Istanbul as holy ground — those who could afford it had themselves buried here.
In the evening, a closing dinner with a view of the Bosphorus.
Day 5 – Conclusion and Departure
Depending on your departure time, one last outing: the Grand Bazaar with the traces of the Jewish merchants and money changers who helped shape it over centuries, or free time in Galata. Transfer to the airport.
Services
✓ Included
- 4 nights at the chosen hotel with breakfast
- All transfers and excursions in an air-conditioned vehicle with driver
- Accompanied throughout by the licensed tour guide
- Registration of all synagogue visits with the community
- All admission fees mentioned
- Welcome dinner on the day of arrival
Not included
- Flights and travel to and from Turkey
- Lunches and dinners, unless mentioned
- Personal expenses, tips
- Trip cancellation and international health insurance
- Visa, if required
Important Information
Suitable for: Congregational trips, family journeys tracing their own history, groups and individual travelers interested in cultural history.
Fitness level: A lot of walking on cobblestones, with some steep lanes in Balat and Kuzguncuk. No special requirements beyond that.
Dates: Freely selectable in 2027 and 2028, no fixed departure dates. If your preferred dates are not possible, we will offer you an alternative. On request, we plan around Shabbat and Jewish holidays.
Principles of All Tours in This Series
- Shopping stops are, without exception, not part of the program. No carpet, jewelry or leather businesses. They can be arranged separately at the express request of individual participants, with shuttle at the shops' expense.
- The service provider is our partner company in Turkey; all services are rendered in the destination country.
- Flights and travel to and from Turkey are booked by the customer. All prices exclude flights.
- Guided by state-licensed tour guides, in 25 languages on request — including Hebrew.
- All routes can be adapted to the respective group in length, pace and focus. We take Shabbat planning and wishes for kosher or kosher-style meals into account when drawing up the program.
- Encounters with the local Jewish communities and attendance at a service can be scheduled, insofar as the communities make this possible in the individual case. A commitment to this is not part of the travel services.