Day 01 (08 May 2008)
Arrive in Istanbul:
Arrive at Ataturk International airport in Istanbul . Meet your guide and transfer to the hotel, located in the modern city center. Check-in, welcome briefing and walking orientation tour of the hotel area.
The rest of the day is at leisure.
Day 02 (09 May 2008) Istanbul:
Breakfast at the hotel. OPTIONAL morning or afternoon transfers to the circuit for watching morning and/or afternoon practice race. Lunch and dinner on own.
*** OR ***
OPTIONAL HALF-DAY CITY TOUR:
The tour is available either between 9:00 – 13:00 or 13:30 – 16:30. The visits included in the tour are:
Hippodrome: The ancient Hippodrome, an enormous public entertainment arena that once seated as many as 100.000 zealous fans witnessing chariot races, executions, and mock battles. Once the centre of Byzantine civic life, it is still decorated by the Egyptian Obelisk, the Bronze Serpentine Column, and the Column of Constantine.
 Hagia Sophia: This famous basilica was constructed in 6C A.D. It is often described as the greatest work of Byzantine architecture. Once the Church of Holy Wisdom , Christendom's crowning glory, and now a museum, the church once glittered with mosaics, with art treasures filling every corner. Today, Haiga Sophia is the forth largest building made as a church in the world. It was dedicated to Hagia Sophia which means Divine Wisdom, an attribute of Christ.
Blue Mosque: famous Sultan Ahmet Mosque. Built between 1609 and 1616 by the architect Sedefkar Mehmet Ağa, the building is more familiarly known as the Blue Mosque because its interior gleams with a magnificent panelling of blue and white 17 th century Iznik tiles. As it is close to Topkapi Palace , the Sultan Ahmet Mosque was regarded as the Supreme Imperial Mosque in Ottoman Istanbul.
Day 03 (10 May 2008)
Istanbul:
Breakfast at the hotel. OPTIONAL morning or afternoon transfers to the circuit forwatching morning practice and/or afternoon qualifying races. Lunch and dinner on own.
*** OR ***
OPTIONAL HALF-DAY CITY TOUR:
The tour is available either between 9:00 – 13:00 or 13:30 – 16:30. The visits included in the tour are:
Topkapi Palace Complex: Topkapi was the second palace in Istanbul built after the conquest and was the residence for the Ottoman Sultans. It includes a maze of opulent buildings at the centre of the Ottoman Empire between the 15 th and 19 th centuries. This palace where the sultans and their courts and harem lived and governed is now one of the world's richest museums.
 Grand Bazaar: The area of Grand Bazaar was a trade centre during the Byzantine period. Two bedestens (domed masonry structures) were built by Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror to enrich the economic life in the city. Later on as people needed more space for their trade, they also added parts outside these bedestens. Throughout the Ottoman period, the bazaar underwent earthquakes and fires and was restored several times. Today, the atmosphere of the Grand Bazaar is very interesting and has consequently become a very popular place for tourists to explore a labyrinth of streets and passages housing eighteen entrances and more than 4.000 shops.
Day 04 (11 May 2008)
Istanbul:
Breakfast at the hotel. Morning is at leisure. In the afternoon, transfer to the circuit for F1 Grand Prix Race . Return transfer to the hotel.
Day 05 (12 May 2008)
Return home:
After breakfast at the hotel, transfer to Ataturk International Airport for your return flight. |
