DAY 01 MEXICO – ISTANBUL
Arrive at Mexico City Airport 3 hours before the departure of the transatlantic flight to Istanbul. Overnight on board.
DAY 02 ISTANBUL
Arrival at Istanbul Airport, reception and transfer to the hotel. Rest of the day free. Accommodation.
DAY 03 ISTANBUL – MOSCOW
Breakfast. At the indicated time, take the flight to Moscow. Transfer to begin our brief "Panoramic Tour of Moscow". During this tour, we will visit Red Square, the historic center that has been the scene of political and social upheavals; St. Basil's Cathedral, with its vibrant onion-shaped domes; the Kremlin, Bolshoi Theatre, Tverskaya Street, Gorky Park, Novodevichy Monastery, Swan Lake, Luzhniki Stadium, Lenin Hill, and Moscow State University. At the end of the tour, transfer to the hotel and free time for personal activities or an optional activity. Accommodation.
DAY 09 SAINT PETERSBURG – ISTANBUL
Board your flight to Istanbul. Arrival in Istanbul. Transfer to the hotel, rest of the day free for personal activities or an optional excursion. Accommodation.
DAY 10 ISTANBUL
Breakfast. Free day for personal activities or an optional activity. Accommodation. Optional Excursion: Pearls of the Golden Horn and Bosphorus Departure approx. 08:00 (time to be confirmed by the guide) (includes lunch at a traditional restaurant): Visit the old Jewish quarter in Balat, the Greek quarter in Fener, and enjoy magnificent views of the "Golden Horn"; then visit St. George's Cathedral, the main patriarchate of the Greek Orthodox Church; continue to the Süleymaniye Mosque, designed by the Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan and featuring the largest dome among all mosques in Istanbul. We proceed to the Spice Bazaar, a place with special charm due to its colors and aromas, the ideal spot to buy teas, herbs, nuts, typical sweets, and of course spices; conclude with a boat ride through the Bosphorus, the strait that divides the city between Europe and Asia, where we will admire the wonderful views of Ottoman fortresses, palaces, villas, and the bridges connecting both sides of this metropolis.
DAY 11 ISTANBUL
Breakfast. Free day for personal activities or an optional activity. Accommodation. Optional Excursion: Treasures of Constantinople Departure approx. 08:00 (time to be confirmed by the guide) for a tour of the city's historic district, where you can observe the remains of the various empires that shaped modern Istanbul: the Roman Hippodrome, the social center of Constantinople for thousands of years, where you can also see the Obelisk of Theodosius, the Obelisk of Constantine, and the German Fountain; the Blue Mosque, with over 20,000 hand-made ceramic tiles brought from Iznik; enjoy a panoramic view of Hagia Sophia, built in 537 as an architectural marvel that has served as a church, mosque, and museum. From the outside, the structure impresses with its enormous dome, a remarkable technical achievement of its time and still one of the largest domes in the world. Continue to the majestic Topkapi Palace, home of the Ottoman sultans for over 400 years; we will visit the beautiful royal gardens, kitchens, and halls of the royal treasures. Discover the mysterious Harem, where the sultan's wives and children lived, famous for its luxurious decoration. We continue with the Aya Irini Church, a Byzantine church that was never converted into a mosque, and finish our tour at the Grand Bazaar, one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, where bargaining is a tradition.
DAY 12 ISTANBUL
Breakfast. Morning and afternoon free for personal activities. Check-out (12:00 pm) and luggage stored at the hotel; at the indicated time, transfer to the airport to take the flight to Mexico City.
DAY 13 ISTANBUL – MEXICO
At the indicated time, transfer to Istanbul Airport to board the flight to Mexico City.