Welcome to Athens! You will be greeted on arrival and transferred to your hotel in Athens. Time at leisure to discover Athens! Redolent with history and mythology, Athens is a vibrant city, enlivened by bustling outdoor cafes, pedestrian streets that wind through the city's ancient sites, and its fair share of urban eccentrics. It is a city full of contrasts. Enjoy the rest of the day at leisure.

After breakfast, enjoy a city tour of Athens, combining a visit to the Acropolis with other iconic landmarks. The sightseeing tour begins with a drive to the center of Athens and the majestic sight of the Acropolis. With cameras in hand, walk up to the site to enjoy the beauty of these magnificent buildings. See the Parthenon, the Propylaia, the Erechtheion, and the temple of Athena Nike. The buildings on the Acropolis are considered by many to be the most impressive architectural feats of ancient times and are listed as UNESCO world heritage sites. Your guide will walk you through the site and give you insights into its history and connection to mythology. 

Concluding your visit to the Acropolis, take a short walk to the Acropolis Museum. Opened in 2009, the new museum looks out onto the Acropolis and features amazing displays. The artifacts are arranged in specific locations to help visitors comprehend and picture what the Parthenon looked like in ancient times. It is considered one of the most beautifully situated museums in the world. This dazzling modernist museum at the foot of the Acropolis's southern slope showcases its surviving treasures still in Greek possession. 

Finishing the first part of the tour, continue to your next stop, the Panathenaic Stadium, which used to host the first modern Olympic Games in 1996. Take a short photo stop here before continuing on to see other landmark buildings in Athens. From your private vehicle, enjoy the national gardens and the Greek parliament. See the traditionally dressed Evzones stand guard outside the building. You will enjoy views of the temple of Zeus and the Zappeion before returning to the city center again to see the National Library and the University of Athens, the two most impressive neoclassical buildings. Afternoon and dinner at leisure

The tour will begin with a scenic drive via the coastal road from Athens towards the Corinth Canal. It will take about an hour to get to Corinth and cross the bridge that connects the mainland with the Peloponnese over the narrow canal.

After a brief stop, continue towards Mycenae, one of the most important cities of ancient Greece. You will walk under the famous Lion Gate up to the Mycenaean Acropolis and the Palace. We will see the tomb of Agamemnon and the ruins of the Cyclopean walls that protected this mighty city. After Mycenae, we will set off to Epidaurus.

The site of Epidaurus, which is listed as a world heritage site by Unesco, is vast. With ruins of temples and hospital buildings devoted to the healing gods, it is considered to be the birthplace of Asklepios. The monuments, particularly the temple of Asklepios, the Tholos, and the Theatre, are considered some of the purest masterpieces of Greek architecture and date from the 4th century BC. For most travelers, Epidaurus is known for the magnificent theater that still stands there and is still used for plays and other performances. The theater's acoustics are unmatched even by modern standards, and it was considered an engineering marvel. Walk down the site's pine-lined path toward the exit after seeing the Epidaurus Theater.

A highlight of the tour is our overnight stay at the port town of Nafplio, one of the most historic and beautiful towns in Greece.

 

In the morning, travel from Nafplion to Olympia. Enjoy a spectacular drive through the mountains of Arcadia to Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympic Games, first held in 776 B.C. In both antiquity and modern times, Olympia was a significant archaeological site. The town itself is not remarkable, but the surroundings are stunning. The magnificent site of ancient Olympia is not the only thing to stroll through and admire; the surrounding landscape is also incredibly beautiful. You will first see the main attraction before moving on to the fascinating museum.

At the main site, you can see the temple of Zeus, which once housed one of the Seven Wonders of the World, a statue of Zeus made of ivory and gold. Your expert guide will show you the gymnasium where the athletes trained, the nymphaeum, and, of course, the main stadium in which the games were held. The museum is a short walk from the site, and it contains the 4th-century BC statue of Hermes by Praxiteles, plus several other finds from the excavations, including the Nike of Victory by Paeonios.

The site of Olympia is one of the most important in Greece and one of the most awe-inspiring due to its beauty and wonderful setting. It is not only rich in history; it is also a lovely spot to visit. 

After the sightseeing, travel to the town of Delphi. Driving north to Patras, cross the Gulf of Corinth on the new and most impressive suspension bridge to mainland Greece. Delphi, situated on the slopes of Mount Parnassus, you will see the home of the legendary oracle, the most revered site of ancient Greece and considered to be the navel of the world.

Today, in the morning, enjoy the sightseeing of Ancient Delphi, probably the ancient world's most famous oracle.

Start your walking tour at the site at the foot of the mountain of the Pan-Hellenic sanctuary of Delphi. Visit the archaeological site, the Argive Kings Monument, the Athenian Stoa, the Polygonal Wall, the Platea Monument, and the Temple of Apollo while passing by the Castalia Spring. There is a lot to see at the site, which is very large, including the famous oracle where, in earlier times, people thought they could learn what their futures held.

Enjoy the views from the site; they are incredible. The setting is so impressive that in ancient times it was considered the navel of the world. Visit the Delphi Museum after exploring the area. The Delphi Museum has spectacular exhibits, including the frieze of the Treasury of the Sifnians, the Naxian Sphinx, the Statue of Antinoos, the metopes of the Athenian Treasury, and the famous bronze Charioteer. The museum is well worth a visit because the artifacts add to what you saw at the site and help you understand Delphi's significance in ancient times.

A picturesque early afternoon drive brings you to Thermopylae, famous for the heroic defense by Leonidas and his three hundred courageous Spartans against the invading Persians. After seeing the memorial, continue the drive across the fertile Thessaly region to Kalambaka.

When you awaken to see the awe-inspiring rock formations unfold before your eyes, you will easily understand why we call this place Meteora, which means “suspended in the heavens above.” Today we will climb above the charming mountain villages of Kastraki and Kalambaka to visit two of the six surviving monasteries of Meteora, a UNESCO world heritage site and one of the most important complexes of Eastern Orthodox monasteries in the world. Visit some of Greece's most fascinating Byzantine basilicas while learning about how monks still live today. In the afternoon, you will head south to Athens for dinner (at leisure) and an overnight stay.

As the tour ends, say farewell to the vibrant city of Athens. Enjoy a nice breakfast at the hotel. Before your flight, enjoy some free time. Depending on the time of your flight, the team will arrange a transfer for you to the Athens airport.