DESTINATION

7 days - 5 nights starting at:
$2,595pp*
in DBL occupancy
from EWR

Long ago, Greek ports were the landing places for an endless tide of invaders from far off lands. Today Greece is an inviting playground for pleasure seekers. White-washed structures dot the horizon, set against skies of brilliant blue, while sun worshippers basking the beaches under Helios' golden gaze. Twisting cobblestone alleyways lead to tavernas where octopus salad and ouzo are in order. Ancient Minoan palaces and medieval fortresses whisper tales of pagan rites and knightly rituals. Join us on this Odyssey adventure!

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Included Features:

·       Round-trip air transportation from Newark (EWR). Fuel surcharges and air taxes are included (valid at time of printing).

·       First class 4* hotel accommodations staying in centrally located hotels as follows:  5 nights in Athens at the Parthenon or Titania hotel (or similar).

·       Daily Breakfast, 2 lunch, 2 dinners.

·       Deluxe air-conditioned motor coach transportation for all transfers, tours and guided excursions.

·       Airport transfers with English speaking assistants

·       Porterage at the hotels (based on one bag per person).

·       Services of a professional tour director throughout the program and English-speaking local guides

·       Tour of Athens, as per itinerary, by private motor coach and English

·       speaking guide. Entrance fees to the Acropolis and Acropolis Museum

·       One day cruise to the islands of Aegina, Hydra and Poros including lunch on board. An office representative will be with the group

·       Afternoon excursion to Cape Sounion, by private motor coach and English-speaking guide, followed by dinner at Kalyvia

·       Dinner at Kalyvia, including half bottle of local wine per person, or beer, or soft drinks

·       Entrance fees to Acropolis, Acropolis Museum and Temple of Poseidon in Sounio

·       VAT tax.

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Itinerary

Day 1 – Sept 14, 2023:  Overnight Flight - Arrive Athens, Greece.  Board your overnight flight to Europe.

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Day 2 - Sept 15, 2023:  Arrive Athens, Greece.  Arrive at the Athens airport and be met by our representative who will transfer you to the hotel. Enjoy an orientation tour of the city. Athens, the capital and largest city in Greece, dominates the Attica periphery. One of the world’s oldest cities, Athens is full of myths, mysteries, and legends. Steeped with a rich history that spans around 3,400 years, the city is home to many sacred ancient sites, monuments, and landmarks. A fusion of old and new, Athens is also a cosmopolitan metropolis buzzing with lively activity and vibrancy.  In the evening we will gather as a group in the Plaka district at the venerable Old Taverna, a local rooftop restaurant with a splendid view of the Acropolis. We will dine on delicious traditional Greek cuisine while admiring the beautiful views of ancient Athens. Overnight in Athens. (D)

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Day 3 - Sept 16, 2023:  Tour of Athens:  After breakfast at the hotel, depart on a city sightseeing tour. From the Acropolis to Omonia Square, you'll see all the famous sites of ancient and modern Athens. Offering a perfect overview of the modern city, this guided tour will help you get your bearings if this is your first visit to Athens.  The Athens tour departs for a photo stop at Panathinaiko Stadium where the first Olympic Games took place in 1896. Proceed, passing by Zappeion and Temple of Olympian Zeus.  You will then drive past the Athens Trilogy which includes the University of Athens, the Academy of Athens, and the National Library. Continue passing by National Garden, Hadrian's Arc, St. Paul's Church, Parliament, Tomb of the Unknown soldier, Schliemann's House (Numismatic Museum), Catholic Cathedral, Old Parliament, Constitution.  Square, Russian Orthodox Church, and finally ACROPOLIS. Continue the expert guided Athens sightseeing and Acropolis museum tour with a pleasant short walk passing by Herodion and Dionysos Theater, in order to visit the ACROPOLIS museum. Main attractions such as votives, statues from archaic period, Caryatids, and of course the Parthenon hall with the metopes, the pediments and the frieze will impress you.  Included lunch in Plaka the old quarters of the city followed by a walking tour of this quaint part of the city. (B, L)

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Day 4 - Sept 17, 2023:  Optional full day tour to Delphi. After breakfast at the hotel, depart from our hotel for one day trip from Athens to Delphi to explore.  One of the most famous archaeological sites of Greece. Along the way, you will.  see the plain of Beotia, an agricultural center and you will also pass by the city of Theva, the birthplace of King Oedipus.  You will continue your Delphi day tour towards Mt. Parnassos, making a short rest stop outside the town of Levadia. You will drive then to DELPHI, known in ancient times as the navel of the world. Pass by Castalia Spring, visit at the archaeological site and view the monument of the Argive Kings, the treasury of the Athenians, the Athenian Stoa, the Polygonal Wall, the monument of Platea and  the Temple of Apollo famous for its oracle and Delphi museum, with its spectacular exhibits include the frieze of the Treasury of the Sifnians, the Naxian Sphinx, the Statue of Antinoos the metopes of the Athenian treasury, the famous bronze Charioteer, originally created to commemorate a victory during the 476 B.C. Pythian Games, and many other artifacts. After lunch on your own, return to Athens via the picturesque mountain village of Arachova, built on the south slopes of Parnassus, well known for its attractive hand-woven carpets, rugs and quilts, as well as for its Wine and cheese (short stop).(B)

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Day 5 - Sept 18, 2023:  One day cruise to the Saronic islands of Aegina, Hydra and Poros.  At 8h15 the ship sails for the three beautiful islands of the Saronic Gulf. Within 2 hours, we will arrive to the island of Poros, the smallest of the three islands, separated from the Peloponnese by a narrow strait and offering a most enchanting view of Poros Town. Your time at leisure in Poros will be about 50 minutes. Immediately upon the ship’s departure from Poros, lunch will be served for passengers who have the first sitting. An hour and 15 minutes later, we enter the port of Hydra, whose amphitheater shape once served as a safe shelter for Saronic Pirates. You will have about 1 hour and 30 minutes at leisure to enjoy the unique charms of Hydra and while returning back on board you will receive a homecoming welcome.  Arrive to our last port of call, the island of Aegina. AEGINA is the largest of the three islands. Apart from its harbor there are numerous interesting sites to discover on the island. A "Traditional Greek Folk Show" with singers and dancers in original costumes will entertain you up to the final moment as the ship docks in Piraeus. Transfer to hotel. (B, L)

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Day 6 - Sept 19, 2023:  Afternoon excursion to Cape Sounio, followed by dinner Kalyvia.  Cape Sounion is only 45 miles (70 kilometers) from Athens, making it the perfect lazy afternoon tour destination. The Cape's Temple of Poseidon is perched on a rocky hilltop overlooking the sea. The view across the Aegean is magnificent with one of the most breathtaking panoramic views in the world, extending all the way to Kea and the Peloponnese on a clear day. The Temple of Poseidon was built in 44 B.C., and many of its original Doric columns are still standing. One of the columns has a graffiti left by none other than Lord Byron in the early 1800s. The precipice is a sheer 197-foot drop to the sea. On the way back to Athens, enjoy dinner at one of the famous tavernas at the village of Kalyvia. (B, D)

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Day 7 - Sept 20, 2023  Departure.  After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight home full of wonderful memories of your Greece Tour

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Call us for air pricing (all U.S. gateways available, optional Business - First class upgrades - adding extra nights to the above program).