Costa Serena and Grand Asia Tour - 17 Nights - QR - Turkish Guided

After the breakfast we will have on board, we begin our Kanazawa City Tour. First, we visit Kenrokuen Garden. Here, we will discover Japanese garden aesthetics, its ponds, traditional stone lanterns, and peaceful walking paths. We will then head to the Higashi Chaya Geisha District, Kanazawa’s largest and best-preserved geisha-teahouse neighborhood. With its wooden “chaya” houses dating back to the Edo period, narrow streets, and traditional atmosphere, this place truly offers a “sense of traveling through time.” After enjoying some free time in the city, we return to our ship.

After our plane lands in Doha at 04:05, we begin waiting for our Doha–Istanbul flight. Our Doha–Istanbul flight, departing at 07:35, will be operated by Qatar Airways as flight QR239. We land at Istanbul New Airport at 11:55.

Following breakfast at our hotel, we will be transferred to the airport. Guests who wish may join the Tokyo Shopping Tour, which our guide will organize as an optional extra. We will explore Tokyo’s largest shopping streets. On this tour, where you can purchase a wide range of electronic goods at very reasonable prices, you can also buy products from clothing brands such as Uniqlo that are not available in Turkey. We will meet at the meeting time given by our guide and be transferred to the airport. We will depart for Doha on Qatar Airways flight QR807, scheduled to take off at 22:25.

After having breakfast at our hotel, guests who wish may join the Lake Ashi & Fuji View Towns Tour, which our guide will organize as an optional excursion. We will travel to the enchanting Lake Ashi, located approximately two hours from Tokyo. After a boat ride lasting about half an hour, we will visit the towns around Mount Fuji where we can best experience traditional Japanese culture. After a tour during which we will listen to the legendary stories of these towns, famous among the Japanese for their views of Mount Fuji, and gain a deeper understanding of life outside the big cities, we will set off back toward our hotel.

After breakfast at our hotel, the entire day is free. Guests who wish may join the Tokyo City Tour, which our guide will organize as an optional extra. Our tour will include the Ginza district, one of the city's most popular shopping areas, filled with luxury boutiques as well as first-class cocktail and sushi bars. Ginza is one of the world's most luxurious shopping districts and welcomes countless tourists from all over the world. Afterwards, we will visit Asakusa Temple, also known as Sensoji Temple, a Buddhist temple considered one of Tokyo's oldest and most colorful temples. Also called Santa-jama (Temple of the Three Gods), Asakusa attracts great interest from both tourists and locals. It is one of the few temples in Tokyo to have survived the bombing raids in the final year of World War II; therefore, the original structure of the building remains intact. The temple also hosts the Santa Festival, held every May. According to legend, after the construction of Asakusa Temple by two fisherman brothers to pay their respects to Kannon, the goddess of mercy, we will see the shopping street called Nakamise. We then continue our tour with a visit to Akihabara, one of Tokyo's most famous neighborhoods worldwide. At the end of the tour, we will be transferred to our hotel. Overnight at our hotel.

Following the breakfast we will have on the ship, we will be transferred to our hotel. Hotel check-in is at 15:00. Guests who wish may join the Kamakura Tour, which our Guide will organize as an optional extra. In this city, the former administrative center of Japan, you will step into a completely different world with its temples and statues. One of the renowned places at the heart of the tour is Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine — Kamakura’s most important Shinto shrine and one of the symbols of samurai culture. When visiting, you will experience the tranquility of both history and nature together. At the end of our tour, we will be transferred to our hotel.

We will spend the entire day sailing at sea. This is the perfect opportunity to enjoy this magnificent ship. You can have your breakfast, lunch and dinner at the buffet restaurant, which offers a variety of freshly prepared foods to suit every taste by expert chefs, or at your specially reserved table in the à la carte restaurant. During the day, in addition to yoga and fitness classes, you can make use of the outdoor tennis, volleyball and basketball facilities, or the state-of-the-art gym equipped with Technogym bodybuilding equipment. After dinner, if you wish, you can spend time in the ship's colorful and entertaining bars and cafés and listen to live music; alternatively, you can attend theatrical performances featuring Broadway-style musicals or try your luck at the casino. Dinner and overnight stay on board.

After the breakfast we will have on board, guests who wish may join the Hakodate City tour. We will leave the port by private bus and head toward the cable car station to ascend Mount Hakodate. Enjoy the magnificent view! After the photo stop arranged by your guide, our tour will continue to the morning market. Local vendors display many local products, such as salmon roe, scallops, crab, and sea urchin. Guests who wish may taste them. We will continue to Goryokaku Tower to see the historic Fort Goryokaku, completed in the final years of the Edo period. Today, Japan's first Western-style fortress is home to a public park and city museum. The park also attracts attention with its beautiful cherry trees. Another beautiful spot we will visit is the Trappistine Monastery. We will then visit the restored Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse District. At the end of our tour, we will return to our ship. Note: Depending on weather conditions and the cable car crowd, it may also be possible to ascend Mount Hakodate by bus.

We will spend the entire day sailing at sea. This is the perfect opportunity to enjoy this magnificent ship. You can have your breakfast, lunch and dinner at the buffet restaurant, which offers a variety of freshly prepared foods to suit every taste by expert chefs, or at your specially reserved table in the à la carte restaurant. During the day, in addition to yoga and fitness classes, you can make use of the outdoor tennis, volleyball and basketball facilities, or the state-of-the-art gym equipped with Technogym bodybuilding equipment. After dinner, if you wish, you can spend time in the ship's colorful and entertaining bars and cafés and listen to live music; alternatively, you can attend theatrical performances featuring Broadway-style musicals or try your luck at the casino. Dinner and overnight stay on board.

We meet our guide at Istanbul New Airport 4 hours before the flight, and after completing our check-in procedures, we fly to Doha for our connecting flight.

After the breakfast we will have on board, we begin our city tour of Busan. Busan is South Korea's second-largest city and an important port city. In the 1st century AD, it became a port city ruled by four small states. In this city, which has witnessed its temples, royal tombs, the Japanese occupation, and the Korean War, we will first visit Haedong Yonggungsa Temple, one of the few coastal Buddhist temples in South Korea. We will then see Haeundae Dalmaji-gil Road, famous for its views of the blue ocean, white sandy beach, camellia forest, and pine forest; Haeundae Beach; Dongbaekseom Island; and the Mermaid statue, which represents the legendary heartbreaking love story of the princess of the land of Naranda. Afterwards, we will visit the UN Memorial Cemetery, where UN soldiers from 16 countries who lost their lives in the Korean War between 1950 and 1953 are buried, along with the two Turkish cemeteries and monument within it. Busan Gamcheon Culture Village is also known as the "Machu Picchu of Busan." Busan Tower is located in Nampodong, Busan's old central district, where you can find all kinds of brands as well as reasonably priced local shops. Among the streets lies a paradise of street food. Afterwards, we will visit Gukje Market, which has become Busan's largest market. We will return to our ship after the free time we will have at the market.

After the breakfast we will have on board, guests who wish may join the Nagasaki City tour, which our guide will organize as an extra. We will begin our tour by going to Peace Memorial Park. Here, we will witness the views of the city and the Mitsubishi shipyard from the unique Megami Ohashi Bridge. Peace Memorial Park is located near the Ground Zero of the explosion on August 9, 1945. The Atomic Bomb Museum documents the events that led to the bombing and the bombing itself. Walk to the Atomic Bomb Hypocenter, a black monolith marking Ground Zero. We will visit the reconstructed Urakami Cathedral and the one-legged Torii gate. From here, we will continue to Dejima Island and visit the Dejima Museum, which explains how the unique Japanese-Dutch trading system operated for two centuries. We will walk toward Glover Garden in the Foreign Settlement District, where seven historic buildings are located, including the first wooden Western-style house in Japan. Special Notes: This tour includes sensitive material, such as graphic images and depictions of the atrocities of war. It is necessary to climb approximately 50 steps from the museum to the center. Glover Garden is located at the top of a hill; passengers must walk uphill, climb steep steps, and travel over uneven surfaces. Glover Garden may be partially under construction and covered. We recommend wearing comfortable, low-heeled walking shoes.

Following the breakfast we will have on board, guests who wish may join the “Kamikaze Museum & Sanganen Japanese Garden Tour,” which will be organized by their guides at an additional cost. On this impressive tour, our first stop will be the Chiran Peace Museum, which tells the story of the Kamikaze pilots and their aircraft. During World War II, the Americans could not make this information public until the end of the war, and these pilots went fearlessly to their deaths for their country, even though they knew they were embarking on their final missions. Afterwards, we will take a pleasant walk through Senganen, considered one of the country’s finest traditional Japanese gardens, gaining a better understanding of this beautiful art. We will visit the home within the garden that was cherished by generations of the Shimadzu family. We will enjoy the Japanese gardens and the unique view of Kagoshima Bay and the Sakurajima volcano. We will learn about the lifestyle of Prince Shimadzu Tadayoshi. We will see how distinguished guests arriving from both Japan and overseas at that time were welcomed by the Shimadzu family at Sengan-en. Sengan-en and the Shoko Shuseikan Museum were inscribed as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site in 2015. Our tour will end at the port after free time on Kagoshima’s main street.

After the breakfast we will have on board, guests who wish may join the Kochi Castle & Kochi City Tour, which our guide will organize as an optional excursion. As you visit the city’s two most revered symbols, learn how Kochi became the center of the pro-imperial ideology at the end of the feudal period. We will travel from the pier to Kochi Castle. Built more than 400 years ago by the feudal lord Yamanouchi Kazutoyo, the “donjon,” or main tower, is worth climbing to the top, offering famous panoramic views of the entire city. Your tour will take you through the beautifully restored Tsumemon Gate, which connects the castle’s second bailey to its inner shrine, and no visit is complete without seeing the living quarters, or “honmaru,” home to local and historical treasures. After a walk around the castle grounds, you will board your bus and travel to the beautiful Katsurahama Beach. Here stands a statue of Sakamoto Ryoma, one of Japan’s most beloved historical figures, known for transforming feudal Japan into a modernized, unified nation. At the end of our tour, we return to our ship.

Following the breakfast we will have on board, guests who wish may join the Nijo Castle & Heian Shrine tour, which our guide will organize additionally. We begin with Nijo Castle and the Kyoto City Tour. Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Nijo Castle is the finest surviving example of castle architecture from Japan's feudal period in the 17th century. The lavish interiors, built almost entirely of cypress, are decorated with gold leaf and meticulously crafted wood carvings. To protect the Shogun, the builders of Nijo Castle constructed floors known as "nightingale floors"; if an intruder entered the corridors, the floors creaked like birds. Some of the rooms in the castle also have special doors and hidden rooms where guards could hide. We then depart for Heian, also known as the Shrine of Peace, which is regarded as one of the most important and visually impressive Shinto shrines in Kyoto. Dedicated to the spirits of the first and last emperors who ruled from the city, the 82-foot-high torii gate was built in 1895 to commemorate Kyoto's founding in 795. Although photography and video are not permitted inside Nijo Castle (Ninomaru Palace) and Heian Shrine (Shinto Altar) during our tour, your exterior visit to the Golden Pavilion offers many views worth photographing. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a National Special Historic Site, the Pavilion is one of the most popular attractions in Japan. At the end of our tour, we return to our ship.

After the breakfast we will have on board, guests who wish may join the Osaka City Tour, which will be organized additionally by our guide. When we arrive in Osaka, the city’s magnificent lights will take your breath away. Our first stop will be the garden area of Osaka Castle. As the last admission to the castle is at 17:00, we will not be able to enter. After a photo break in the area surrounding the castle, the garden section and the outer courtyard, we will begin our city tour. Our second stop will be the Dotonbori area. In this area, famous for its brightly lit streets, you will be able to feel all of Osaka’s energy thanks to its neon signs, enjoyable walks along the canal and restaurants filled with delicious street food. At the end of our tour, we will return to our ship. We will then return to Kobe. Our first stop in Kobe will be Mt. Maya Kikuseidai. This place offers one of Japan’s three great night views. You can admire the magnificent lights of both Kobe and Osaka. Afterwards, following some free time in Kobe city center, we will set off towards our ship.

After breakfast at our hotel, we transfer to the cruise port. Guests who wish may join the Tokyo City Tour, which our guide will organize as an optional extra. Our first stop will be Meiji Shrine, one of Japan's most visited temples. Dedicated to Emperor Meiji, who is highly respected as the founder of modern Japan, and his wife Shōken, we reach this shrine by walking along the sacred path through the vast Yoyogi Park. During this visit, you may also make wishes, just like the Japanese. Our next stop will be Takeshita Street, one of Tokyo's most striking avenues. Especially brought to life by Japanese young people's unique styles and outfits, this street is also closely watched by the fashion world. Don't forget to take photos of yourselves on the lively screens at the entrance to the street. Walking along this bustling street, we continue to the famous Omotesando shopping street and board our bus. Next, we visit the world-famous Shibuya scramble crossing and the statue of the loyal dog Hachiko. We record videos while crossing the pedestrian crossing and take a souvenir photo with Hachiko. After traveling by bus for a while, we head to another popular corner of Tokyo, Asakusa. The Asakusa area is one of Tokyo's oldest settlements. At the end of our tour, we head to the cruise port to complete the boarding procedures for our ship.

Our flight will depart at 02:50. We will land at Tokyo’s Narita Airport at 19:10 on the same day, and our transfer to the hotel will take place.