Discover the cultured way to explore your holiday destination
It takes a special type of storyteller to help you truly connect with some of the world's most unique destinations. And that's what Cox & Kings' specialist tours are all about. Designed for culture lovers, these escorted tours invite you to explore humanity's greatest achievements, escorted by a guest lecturer who can truly immerse you in the places you visit.
From marvelling at masterful mosaics in Ravenna and the Arab-Norman splendour of Sicily to witnessing the legacy of Silk Road merchants and the Ottoman and Byzantine culture in Istanbul, you'll discover storied lands and mesmerising cultures.
Often curated with a focus on a specific historical or cultural theme, Cox & Kings' specialist-led tours go beyond the guidebook, enriching your travels with insights from both specialists and local guides. The doors open to incredible sites for private visits and you can enjoy encounters with artisans and cultural custodians.
Depending on where you travel, you'll hear from archaeologists or art historians, chefs, writers and even a curator at the Victoria & Albert Museum, who will regale you with stories during informal talks and at key sites. You'll be travelling in small groups, with an average of 14 like-minded travellers.
You can travel your way, with time to fully explore each unique destination and the freedom to explore independently. You can even add pre- or post-tour extensions to delve further into different destinations. Inspired? Try one of these specialist tours...
Piedmont with Valentina Harris
Snuffle out the sensory treats of the Piedmont region with passionate Italian chef and author Valentina Harris as your expert lecturer on this tasty five-day tour with the city of Turin as your base.
Along with unearthing and tasting prized truffles on truffle hunt demonstrations and a truffle-laced lunch at Alba, you'll visit food markets and delicatessens to taste an array of regional produce from cold cuts and cheeses to chocolate. During one (of many) memorable meals you'll be presented with dishes based on historical recipes from Piedmont's monasteries.
This bountiful part of northern Italy is also known for its wines and you'll taste some exceptional barolo at a winery and visit Casa Martini for a tour and vermouth tasting. It's not all about the food and drink, however. A private guided walking tour will take you around the historic centre of Turin, including its palaces, galleries, churches and magnificent duomo, home to the famous shroud.
The historic city of Turin will be your base for the five-day culinary tour of the Piedmont region with chef and author Valentina Harris
Credit : Getty
Uzbekistan: Golden Road to Samarkand
Take a trip along the ancient Silk Road, guided by researcher and Islamic expert Diana Driscoll or Dr Taylor, who also specialises in the Islamic world and Orthodox churches.
On this 12-day tour, you'll explore the medieval city of Bukhara, which offers an array of wonders, including the one-thousand-year-old tomb of Ismail Samani and the stunning Kalon Tower, both masterpieces of Muslim architecture. Spend some time in one the Silk Road's hidden gems, the city of Khiva, akin to a living museum with its well-preserved ancient streets, mosques and regal palaces, then visit one of Central Asia's oldest cities, Samarkand, founded by the infamous 14th-century Turco-Mongol conqueror Timur.
Explore the ancient and storied city of Samarkand in Uzbekistan on the 12-day Silk Road tour
Credit : Getty
Sicily: Normans in the South
The largest island in the Mediterranean has long been at the crossroads of civilisations, and on this six-day tour you'll explore its Norman and Islamic heritage. Guided by former Victoria & Albert Museum curator Andrew Spira and art historian and lecturer Dr Sally Dormer, you'll begin in the capital, Palermo, to explore the Norman Palace and cathedral, and see the Arabic architecture of the Zisa and Cuba Palaces.
Take in the imposing cathedral of Monreale and visit Cefalà Diana, a rare example of an intact Arabic hammam, still fed by hot springs. Back in Palermo, admire the Byzantine mosaics at the wonderful 12th-century Church of the Martarano, then visit Cefalu's impressive cathedral.
The six-day tour of Sicily, led by experts Andrew Spira and Dr Sally Dormer, begins in the fascinating city of Palermo
Credit : Getty
Istanbul: Byzantines and Ottomans
Uniquely placed at the gateway between Europe and Asia, Istanbul is a tapestry of epic stories and ancient empires. With Dr Taylor or Rowena Loverance as your guides, you'll discover everything from magnificent mosques and opulent palaces to buzzing streets and ancient relics during this sensational seven-day tour. Peel back the layers of this city with visits to the former Constantinople circus site the Hippodrome, the bewitching Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, once the centre of Orthodox Christianity.
You'll visit the oldest church in Istanbul and the former Greek district, visit the only Byzantine church that still belongs to the Greek Orthodox patriarchate and sail to the nine-island archipelago of Princes' Islands, dotted with a church, Greek Orthodox seminary and a monastery.
Soak up the stunning scenery of the Princes' Islands on a Byzantines and Ottomans tour
Credit : Shutterstock
Find out more and book your specialist tour at coxandkings.co.uk or call 0333 060 3239
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Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Dozens of migrants land on Algarve beach loved by Brits... and are immediately taken before judge and ordered to leave the country, in stark contrast to soft-touch UK
This is the moment a group of migrants land on an Algarve beach where thousands of wealthy Brits holiday every year. The 38 asylum seekers arrived in Portugal after a perilous voyage of up to 250 miles in a tiny 15ft boat - and face being deported from Portugal within weeks. They were rounded up by Portuguese police on Friday near Burgau on part of the Algarve coast which is a popular retreat for tourists, and only four miles from Praia da Luz where Madeleine McCann disappeared. One of the Moroccan nationals claimed that four people on the flimsy wooden boat had died during their five days at sea in the Atlantic Ocean. But in an example of Portugal's no-nonsense policy on illegal immigration, the 25 men, six women and seven children face being quickly returned to Morocco. Tourists and locals alike watched in amazement as the dehydrated and hungry migrants stumbled ashore on idyllic Boca do Rio beach. Three of the children, aged 12 months, eight and ten, were taken to a paediatric emergency clinic in Faro, and a man was taken to a hospital in Portimão, but all were soon discharged. The group whose arrival was the largest on the Algarve coast in recent years were temporarily given makeshift camp beds at a sports hall in Vila do Bispo near Sagres and kept under guard. They were given food kits containing biscuits, juice, milk, bread, pâté, fruit and water, along with toothpaste, toothbrushes, sanitary pads and bath products. But 31 of them were taken to a court in Silves on Saturday afternoon where a duty judge gave them 20 days to voluntarily return to their country of origin. The judge ordered that if they failed to board flights back to Morocco, they faced being forcefully returned within 60 days. A separate court hearing in Lagos is due to decide the fate of the remaining seven migrants – a mother and father, along with their three children, a 14-year-old boy and a man with kidney problems. All the migrants have since been moved to secure detention centres in Lisbon, Faro and Porto. The speed with which they have been dealt with contrasts starkly with the treatment of migrants arriving in small boats in the UK who are often housed for months in four star hotels at the expense of British taxpayers and left free to come and go. None of the group in the Algarve have tried to claim asylum and any application on the grounds of race, religion, nationality or political opinions is unlikely to succeed due to Portugal regarding Morocco as a safe country. António Leitão Amaro, the Minister of the Presidency in Portugal's centre-right minority Government, said: 'At the moment there is no request for asylum and it is not worth speculating on the subject.' He praised Portuguese officials for the speedy way they had dealt with the migrants, while treating them with 'dignity' and providing 'medical assistance', and taking them to court which had 'decided quickly and concluded the order of their removal from the national territory'. Officials suggested that the group had headed for Portugal for 'economic' reasons as they were unhappy with work opportunities in Morocco. Rute Silva, the mayor of Vila do Bispo, told the Observador newspaper: 'We have a law, and it has to be complied with, because they entered our country illegally. But these people want a better life, they will not risk their own lives and those of their families for anything.' The Daily Mail revealed last weekend how another group of nine Moroccan men who jumped off a speedboat which landed them on a beach at Castell de Ferro near Malaga, Spain, were being treated in a similar way. The arrival of the group in Spain made headlines after a video clip showed several of the men being rugby-tackled and detained by tourists on the beach, including off duty police officers. They are all now being held in a secure purpose-built unit behind ten foot fences in the harbour of the nearby town of Motril before being deported, according to local officials. While a huge number of migrants try and get into Spain by setting off from west Africa to the Canary Islands, a far smaller number head north towards Portugal. Around 140 migrants in seven boats are reported to have landed on the Algarve coast in southern Portugal over the last six years with the majority setting off around 250 miles away from the city of El Jadida, south of Casablanca. Police have not yet been able to establish where the latest boat originated from and the report of four people dying during the voyage remains unconfirmed. 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Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
Shirtless David Beckham and wife Victoria continue soaking up the sun on their £16m superyacht amid lavish Italian getaway - after he was caught cheekily pinching her bottom
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Scotsman
a day ago
- Scotsman
The cosy Scottish cafe that serves 'rarest coffee in the world' at £300 a cup
A charming Scottish cafe is home to an extremely rare, very expensive cup of coffee. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... A Scottish coffee house, known for its cosy atmosphere and brilliant brews, is also home to a £300 cup of the rarest coffee in the world. The Ottoman Coffee House on Berkeley Street in Glasgow's city centre and is owned by brothers Imran and Irfan Akhtar. The large, high ceiling room has comfy furnishings bought from the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, and it's an ideal spot to relax over Yemeni coffee, Ottoman teas, expresso, chai and Turkish coffee. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad One item on the menu is a £300 cup of Black Ivory coffee from Thailand. It's made from Arabica coffee beans consumed by elephants and collected from their poo. The flavour of the coffee is influenced by the way the elephant's stomach enzymes break down the coffee cherries. In the coffee house, Mr Akhtar said they've tried serving it as an 'expensive espresso', a syphon but the 'best way to extract flavour profiles is a v60.' He explained why it is so rare saying: 'in the forests of Thailand they have about 20 elephants who eat feed which has the coffee cherries in it. These will go through their digestive system and the enzymes will break down the cherries which then have a sort of tamarind and chocolate flavour.' One of the most stunning coffee houses Glasgow has to offer, the interior matched by an exemplary standard of food and drinks. The menu offers shawarma, salads, hummus. Alongside coffee, tea and matcha. A nice place to hang out for a while with friends, even play a game of chess. | Instagram The Ottoman Coffee House had sold just two cups of this expensive and rare blend when TikToker Kalani Ghost Hunter visited. The American TikTok star has been travelling the UK and stopped into the coffee house to try the coffee. After donating the cost, plus £200, to local homeless charities, Kalani watched the coffee being made (including calcium and magnesium being added to harden the soft Scottish water) before trying it in two different glasses - one designed to showcase taste and one for smell. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He described the coffee as "incredibly smooth' but 'not the greatest tasting coffee I've ever had but I will say it's like butter.' In the nosing glass, he said the coffee profile is a lot stronger and there were notes of chocolate. He concluded by saying 'it's good coffee but I don't think I'd ever pay £300 for it.' If you fancy visiting for this, or a regular priced cup of coffee the Ottoman Coffee House also has a menu of dishes including kebabs, tandoor grilled meat, vegetarian salads, pakora and baklava. They also help those in need, regularly providing food packages to the homeless. The Ottoman Coffeehouse's mission statement says: 'Our ambition is to establish the bridges between the nostalgic coffeehouse of the Ottoman past and the present, operating as both a café and a meditation space in the heart of the West End of Glasgow, the perfect location for morning coffee, afternoon tea, reading the papers and catching your breath'.
