Best of Greece - Escorted Tour

Day 1   Athens

Your springboard to your spellbinding holiday is the vibrant capital of Athens, an effortless mix of ancient treasures and modern verve, which you will have an opportunity to explore after arriving at your hotel.  This evening you’ll join your Travel Director and travel companions for a light meal.

Hotel:  Radisson Blu Park Hotel Athens/Crowne Plaza Athens City Centre/Divani Caravel or smiliar
Dinner included.
 

Day 2   Athens

Today you will join your Local Specialist for a guided morning sightseeing tour to the ancient complex that was once the 'Cradle of Western Civilisation'. Along our journey into antiquity, you'll have an opportunity to explore the Acropolis with its treasures and admire the Parthenon, dedicated to the goddess Athena, the Royal Palace, Temple of Zeus and the Agora, once the haunt of Socrates and Plato. Dive Into Culture and see remarkable displays of an ancient world during an included visit to the Acropolis Museum, and see Hadrian's Arch and the stadium where the first modern Olympics took place in 1896. The rest of the day is yours to enjoy on your own. Stroll through the Plaka, people-watch in Syntagma Square or go in search of the city's tastiest souvlaki – the choice is yours.

Hotel:  Radisson Blu Park Hotel Athens/Crowne Plaza Athens City Centre/Divani Caravel or smiliar
Breakfast included.

Day 3   Corinth, Mycenae and Nafplion

Departing Athens in the morning, you'll cross the mighty Corinth Canal to the wild Peloponnesian Peninsula. Arriving in Corinth, you'll join a Local Specialist to explore an ancient city that several empires fought over throughout the centuries.  Continue to Mycenae, a mighty kingdom of Ancient Greece, where you'll see the Beehive Tombs (the Treasury of Atreus), the Lion Gate and the remains of Agamemnon's Royal Palace, in the company of a Local Specialist. Later, you'll travel to Epidaurus to visit the ancient theatre and view the Sanctuary of Asclepius, the God of Medicine, whose snake-entwined staff remains the symbol of medicine to this day. Arriving in the Venetian town of Nafplion later, you'll dine in our hotel this evening.

Hotel:  Amalia Hotel Nafplio or similar
Breakfast and Dinner included
 

Day 4   Ancient Olympia

Traverse the Mountains of Arcadia to ancient Olympia, the site of the first Olympic Games held in 776 BC. This evening, you'll Connect With Locals joining the Karambellas family for dinner on their olive and wine farm at a Be My Guest experience featuring traditional dancing and characteristic Greek philoxenia.

Hotel:  Amalia Hotel Olympia or similar
Breakfast and Dinner included

Day 5   Patras and Delphi

You'll join a Local Specialist this morning to delve into centuries of history. You'll visit the ancient Olympic site, the museum and the ruined remains of the Temples of Zeus and Hera. Leaving Olympia and skirting the coastline north to Patras, you'll cross the Gulf of Corinth to mainland Greece before continuing to Delphi, where you may wish to try your hand at preparing some local dishes during an interactive cooking lesson.

Hotel:  Amalia Hotel Delphi or similar
Breakfast included


Day 6   Thermopylae and Kalambaka

Tread in the footsteps of the ancient Greeks and descend on the sanctuary of Delphi to consult with the most important oracle in the classical world. Join your Local Specialist and walk the Sacred Way to the 4th-century Temple of Apollo. View the statues immortalising the strength of the athletes who once competed in the Pythian Games, held in honour of Apollo and the Arts. Continue on to a family-ran honey farm for a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience. Taste the rich thyme honey freshly collected from the hive and come up close to the unique biodiversity of the area. A scenic afternoon drive brings us to Thermopylae, famous for the heroic defence by Leonidas and his brave Spartans against the invading Persians. You'll cross the lush Thessaly region, the 'breadbasket of Greece', then travel over the Pourmaraki Pass towards Kalambaka.

Hotel:  Amalia Hotel Kalambaka or similar
Breakfast and Dinner included

Day 7   Meteora and Athens

The UNESCO World Heritage monasteries of Meteora are your first stop today. Join a Local Specialist to visit two of the six Eastern Orthodox monasteries that cling impressively to immense, rounded rock towers overlooking the town. A scenic drive returns us to Athens, where you'll enjoy a rousing Farewell Dinner with our travel companions and reminisce over an incredible journey through Greece.

Hotel:  Radisson Blu Park Hotel Athens/Crowne Plaza Athens City Centre/Divani Caravel or similar
Breakfast and Dinner included

Day 8   Athens

We say a fond farewell to our newfound friends and the treasures of Greece after an unforgettable journey.

Breakfast included