Greece today offers the traveller the comforts of modern Europe in close proximity to the stark beauty of the ancient world. There is no denying that the historical and cultural heritage of Greece continues to resonate throughout the modern Western world - in its literature, art, philosophy and politics. Reminders of the country’s glory are all over Greece - from Athens’ Parthenon and Delphi’s Temple of Apollo, to the ruins on Crete of the Minóan city of Knossós, a civilisation reaching even further back into history.
Scattered throughout the calm blue waters of the Aegean are Greece’s 1,400 islands, the largest of which is Crete, each with its own special story. The serenity of islands like Skópelos contrasts with the hedonistic party islands such as Mykonos and Páros where the worship of Dionysus, the god of revelry, continues to the beat of garage and house music. Athens’s previous glory in sports was restored when the Olympic Games returned home in 2004.
Since Greece won her independence in 1830 from the Turkish Ottoman Empire, there have been problems in the relationship between the two neighbours. Achieving a political settlement in Cyprus remains a key concern of Greece’s foreign policy. The situation seems to have improved following the accession of Greek-controlled Cyprus to the EU in 2004. Greece has now explicitly backed Turkey’s own EU application.
Day 1
ARRIVAL:Meet at Athens airport and transfer to hotel. Remainder of day at leisure. Athens is an amazing city to discover on your own with its numerous museums, parks, and the shopping areas of Kolonaki, Hermou, Voukourestiou street, Monastiraki and Plaka. Overnight in Athens Hotel.
Day 2
ATHENS SIGHTSEEING: (Breakfast) After breakfast, pickup from the hotel for your Half Day morning tour. See Syntagma Square, the House of Parliament, the Memorial to the Unknown Soldier, the National Library, see the Hadrian’s Arch, visit the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Panathenaic Stadium where the first Olympic Games of the modern era were held in 1896. On the Acropolis visit the architectural masterpieces of the Golden Age of Athens: the Propylaea, the Temple of Athena Nike, the Erectheion and finally “the harmony between material and spirit”, the Parthenon. Continue and visit the place where at last the statues found their home and admire the wonders of the classical era, the new museum of Acropolis (Mondays closed). Remainder of the day at leisure. Overnight in Athens Hotel.
Day 3
ONE DAY CRUISE (AEGINA-POROS-HYDRA): (Breakfast, Lunch) After breakfast, pickup from the hotel and transfer to the port for the full day cruise to the 3 Saronic islands of Aegina, Poros, Hydra. Lunch served on board. See and visit all 3 islands, each different in character. Arrive back at the port in the evening and transfer to the hotel. Overnight in Athens hotel.
Day 4
After breakfast, pickup from the hotel. Depart Athens and stop to see the Corinth Canal. Drive onto and visit the ancient theatre of Epidaurus famous for its acoustics. See the town of Nafplion before arriving in Mycenae. Visit the archaeological site and the Royal Tomb of Agammemnon (leader of the Troy War). Continue across the central Peloponnese to Olympia, the cradle of the Olympic Games. From here, the original Olympic Flame begins its journey for the Olympic Games. Dinner in the hotel. Overnight in Olympia hotel.
Day 5
After breakfast, visit the original Olympic Stadium and the Archaeological museum. Then drive north to Patras and cross the new bridge over the Corinthian Bay from Rion to Antirion. Continue via the towns of Nafpaktos and Itea to Delphi. Dinner in the hotel. Overnight in Delphi hotel.
Day 6
After breakfast, visit the archaeological site of Delphi on the slopes of Mt. Parnassus. See the Sanctuary of Apollo Pythios, Castalia Spring and the museum. In the afternoon leave Delphi for an interesting trip through Central Greece to Kalambaka (Meteora). Dinner in the hotel. Overnight in Kalambaka (Meteora) hotel.
Day 7
After breakfast, visit Meteora with its impressive scenery, ageless monasteries, suspended between earth and sky. Inside, see priceless historical and religious treasures. Return to Athens via Trikala, Lamia and Thermopylae.
Overnight in Athens hotel.
Day 8 DEPARTURE: (Breakfast) Transfer to the airport included or, extend your stay in Greece.
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