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Greece Upgraded
12 days, Athens to Athens
Itinerary
Day 1Athens
Arrive at any time.
Arrival Day and Welcome Meeting
The adventure begins tonight. Feel free to explore before your welcome meeting, but make sure you’re back in time to meet the group. Check for the meeting time on the welcome note at the hotel. After introductions, your CEO will review the details of your tour. Please note that normal check-in times apply at our start hotels, but you can usually store your luggage for the day if you arrive early.
Day 2Athens
Explore Athens with an archaeologist guide, visiting the Acropolis, the Parthenon, and ancient Agora. Afterwards, head to a local non-profit cafe that provides opportunities to Athens' homeless community for a tour and a refreshing drink.
Ancient Athens Tour with an Archaeologist
Embark on a guided tour of the Acropolis — one of the world's most important and impressive ancient sites. A local archaeologist serves as your guide to discover the architectural wonders of ancient Athens. Stop at the Parthenon, a Greek temple built for the Goddess Athena in 447 BC. After, continue to the former marketplace of old Athens, the Roman Agora, which was built in the first century BC.
Your G for Good Moment: Tour of Shedia Home and a Beverage
Take time to relax at Shedia Home, a non-profit cafe providing purpose and employment to over 150 individuals experiencing homelessness in Athens. You'll enjoy a drink while one of Shedia's guides recounts the recent history of Greece's financial crisis which has made initiatives like Shedia even more important for those who have found themselves without work and shelter. Your stop here supports their programs - including the cafe, art program, and magazine - all dedicated to supporting the community.
Free Time
Enjoy a free evening in Athens.
Optional Activities - Day 2 HideShow
Athens Sunset Bike Tour
Witness the light of the setting sun transform the ancient city of Athens into a sight to behold - and all from your bicycle seat. Take in the golden hour during a scenic bike tour as you roll past Athens' most noteworthy sites. You will see the Panathenaic Stadium, the National Gardens, and the Acropolis Museum to name a few. Prepare for both up close and personal glimpses into life in Athens as well as breathtaking panoramic views of the city during your bike tour.
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 3Athens/Delphi
Enjoy a free morning to explore Athens on your own, and opt to visit the National Garden. Travel to Delphi in the afternoon, home to the Temple of Apollo and considered by the ancients as the center of the world.
Free Time
Head out and explore this ancient city.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Delphi Orientation Walk
Enjoy a brief orientation walk with your CEO, then enjoy a free evening in the ancient city of Delphi.
Optional Activities - Day 3 HideShow
National Garden Visit
Take a stroll through the National Garden, located in the heart of Athens. Commissioned by Queen Amalia in 1838, these former Royal Gardens are home to thousands of trees and plant species. Discover partial ruins and busts of notable Greek figures as you wind through beautiful shaded pathways and relive the splendour of ancient Greece.
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 4Delphi/Olympia
Set off on a guided tour of the ruins of Delphi, followed by free time to continue exploring and to visit the onsite Archaeological Museum. Later, travel along the Gulf of Corinth to Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympic Games. Take an orientation walk with the CEO after settling into the hotel.
Guided Tour of Ancient Delphi
Visit the ancient city of Delphi, at the base of Mount Parnassos. The UNESCO World Heritage Site includes ancient buildings like treasuries, a stadium, a gymnasium, an altar, hippodrome and the Temple of Apollo.
Visit to Delphi Archaeological Museum
Spend some time at the Delphi Archaeological Museum, one of the most visited collections of ancient Greek sculpture and art. See the marble Sphinx of Naxos, the 6th-century ‘twins of Argos’ and the famous bronze Charioteer, a life-size statue which celebrates victory in the Pythian Games of approx. 475 BC.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 5Olympia/Náfplio
Discover the archaeological site of ancient Olympia in the morning. In the afternoon, depart heading east to the port town of Náfplio, the first capital of modern Greece.
Guided Visit to Olympia Archaeological Site and Museum
Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympic Games, lies in a lush valley filled with symbolic ruins and captivating landscapes. Wander through the ancient olive groves to see remains of the Temple of Hera (today the starting point of the Olympic torch relay), the Temple of Zeus (a model for the development of Doric architecture) and the great Stadium of Olympia. Visit the nearby Archaeological Museum, whose collection spans over 3,500 years of Greek history. Here, find sculptures depicting Hermes and the Infant Dionysus, Zeus and Ganymede, and Nike of Paionios.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 6Náfplio
Head out on an excursion to the city of Mycenae for a guided tour of the ruins. After returning to Náfplio enjoy a free afternoon to wander the old town, hit the beach, or opt to climb up to the Akronafplia fortress.
Guided Tour of Mycenae
Visit the famous Mycenae, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and archaeological site with spectacular ruins and a treasury. Once a major settlement of Greek civilization, Mycenae was occupied during the Neolithic period around 4000 BC, and is linked to the mythology in Homer’s epics the Iliad and the Odyssey.
Free Time
Explore the seaside town of Náfplio with some free time this evening.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Optional Activities - Day 6 HideShow
Acronafplia Fortress Visit
FreeClimb to the top of the Akronofplia fortress tower to enjoy the phenomenal view from the top that looks back over the bay to Argos and out into the Saronic Gulf.
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 7Athens/Náxos
Return to Athens, stopping en route at the ancient site of Epidaurus and the ruins of Corinth. From Athens, board a ferry bound for Náxos, the largest of the Cyclades Islands.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private bus.
Ferry
Get to the next spot on your route aboard a convenient and efficient ferry boat.
Visit to Epidavros
Visit Epidavros, highly regarded as one of the most renowned of Greek ancient sites. The site houses a huge, well-preserved theatre famous for its incredible acoustics, as well as the remains of an important medical sanctuary.
Ancient Corinth Ruins
Stop by the Ancient Corinth Ruins, a major centre of Greek antiquity. With its location on the coast, the city of Corinth gained immense wealth from trading goods and services, which led to the construction of Acrocorinth (the acropolis on the hill) and a wall that surrounded the ancient city.
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 8Náxos
Take advantage of a full free day to discover Naxos. Explore the old town, opt to walk to the ancient Temple of Apollo overlooking the sea, or just relax on the beach.
Náxos Orientation Walk
Enjoy a brief orientation walk with your CEO.
Free Time
Enjoy a free day to explore this stunning gem in the Cyclades.
Optional Activities - Day 8 HideShow
Portara (Temple of Apollo)
Built around 530 BC, the Portara towers over the busy harbour, and is the best place to watch the sunset in Naxos. Made of marble columns that weigh up to 20 tonnes each, the Portara serves as the "doorway" to the island's unfinished Temple of Apollo. From the mainland, walk across a paved path to reach this scenic lookout over the Aegean Sea.
Beach Time in Naxos
Explore the beautiful beaches of Naxos - there's no shortage of them across the island! Sparkling blue waters, pristine sandy beaches, and unforgettable sun-kissed weather make "beach hopping" an activity you can't miss, whether you opt to relax on the beach or spend an active day by the sea.
Local Village Visit
Spend some time exploring traditional villages around the island. Wander through alleyways that wind their way up the hillside, and across quaint town squares with incredible views of the region's famous whitewashed houses (with much fewer crowds than Santorini). Observe the strong Venetian influence in Naxian architecture, as seen in local windmills and churches.
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 9Santorini
After a leisurely morning on Naxos, take another ferry to the island of Santorini, a remnant of a volcanic caldera. Explore the island in the afternoon and take in a spectacular sunset from the village of Oía with its iconic whitewashed buildings.
Free Time
Upon checking into our hotel, enjoy some free time.
Ferry
Get to the next spot on your route aboard a convenient and efficient ferry boat.
Optional Activities - Day 9 HideShow
Museum of Prehistoric Thera
10EUR per personLocated in the island's capital, Fira, the Museum of Prehistoric Thera invites visitors to travel through time across the Cyclades islands. Learn about the region's geology and ancient settlements through the ceramics, frescoes and incredible objects on display, including a gold ibex figurine from the 17th century BC.
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 10Santorini
Take to the sea to explore the coastal waters off of Santorini. Enjoy time to swim and relax. The rest of the day is free to explore or to just sit back and soak in the views.
Santorini Volcanic Sailing Excursion and Hot Springs
Board a boat for an excursion around the bays of Santorini, taking in the beauty of the coast in all its splendour. On this half-day cruise, you’ll have lots of time to relax on deck, hike to the top of a volcano (if you so choose), and take a dip in the thermal waters of Palea Kameni island.
Free Time
There's lots to see and do. Get out and explore!
Optional Activities - Day 10 HideShow
Akrotiri Ancient Ruins Visit
20EUR per personRumoured to be the inspiration for Plato's Atlantis, the ancient ruins of Akrotiri are one of the most-visited attractions in Santorini for a reason. Buried under lava for centuries, many of the site's buildings, roads and structures present visitors an intimate look into Minoan culture from 1,650 B.C.
Volcano Tour
Explore the shape of the crater ring on a volcano tour. The crater has constantly changed over the last 3000 years, with several parts of the crater wall collapsing into the sea. Remarkably, the island has always been resettled due to the rich volcanic soil's fertile properties. The wines, tomatoes and cucumbers from this island are super tasty due to the soil composition and low rainfall.
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 11Santorini/Athens
Fly back to Athens in the morning and check into the hotel. In the afternoon, head out with a local expert to a teaching kitchen and learn how to prepare traditional mezze. Devour these tasty treats paired with some local Greek spirits like ouzo before enjoying a final night on the town.
Due to strict weight restrictions, plan on packing light for your flight. Because of current weight limits and the inability to add on more weight, checked baggage should be no heavier than 15kg, and hand luggage should weigh no more than 6kg.
Athens Culinary Mezze Experience
Go on a culinary journey in Athens with a local chef. Learn how to make authentic Greek mezze (sharing dishes) such as dolmades (rice-stuffed vine leaves), imam baildi (stuffed eggplants), and spanakopita (spinach pies). You'll also create a carrot tzatziki — a twist on the classic yogurt dip — to accompany the dishes and finish off the class with the sweet treat of portokalopita (orange phyllo cake). Sit down with your fellow "chefs" to indulge in your delicious creations for dinner and toast with a shot of ouzo.
Plane
Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... yup, it is a plane, actually.
Meals included:
Breakfast | DinnerDay 12Athens
Depart at any time.
Departure Day
Not ready to leave? Your CEO can help with any onward travel arrangements you require.