Pre-Cruise Packages

• 1 nt Before, Athens Discovery
• 2 nt Before, Athens Discovery
• 3 nt Before, Athens Discovery

Post-Cruise Packages

• 1 nt After, Athens Uncovered
• 2 nt After, Athens Uncovered
• 3 nt After, Athens Uncovered

Itinerary

Day 1, Athens arrival

Upon arrival into Athens airport you will be greeted outside customs and immigration with signage by our local representative. You will be taken to your hotel for check-in, rest and relaxation for the rest of the day.

Overnight in Athens.

Day 2, Athens, The Acropolis & New Acropolis Museum

Following a leisurely morning, you will be met in the lobby of your accommodation by our local expert. We strongly advise departing early for the Acropolis of Athens to avoid the large crowds and long queues.

The acropolis still dominates the Athens skyline and was an important site as early as the Bronze Age, when it housed a Mycenaean citadel. For thousands of years the Acropolis has been the symbol of Athens, the sacred rock, the link that connects the magnificent ancient civilization with the modern. On the hill of the Acropolis you will see the masterpieces of: Parthenon, Propylea, Temple of Athena Nike, Erechtheion & The Cariatides, Ariopagus (Mars Hill), Herodion Theater and the Theater of Dionysus.

Continue with a pleasant, short walk passing by Herodion and Dionysos Theater, in order to visit the new Acropolis Museum. Enjoy your time inside the New Acropolis Museum which offers main attractions such as: votives, artifacts of everyday life, statues from the Archaic Period, Caryatids and of course the Parthenon hall with the metopes, the pediments and the frieze which will all impress you. It is designed in a way that allows visitors to see all the exhibits in natural light and incorporates a number of on-site excavations including a large urban settlement dated from the Archaic to Early Christian Athens.

On our way to the port, we will see the Panathenaic Stadium where the first Olympic Games of modern times were held in 1896 (short stop). Continue and pass by the Prime Minister's residence (ex Royal Palace) guarded by the Euzones in their colorful uniform, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Hadrian's Arch, the Parliament and the memorial to the Unknown Soldier, the Academy, the University, the National Library, the Constitution Square (Syntagma).

(Duration of tour is approximately 5hrs)

Meals: B

Day 3, Athens, Ancient Delphi

Following a leisurely morning, you will be met in the lobby of your accommodation by our local expert. Explore one of the most famous archeological sites of Greece with your personally guided tour. Departing from Athens, travel to Delphi, located on the spur of Mount Parnassus, enjoying a short stop in the picturesque town of Arachova.

Arrive in Delphi, and visit the famous theatre, where you will enjoy spectacular views of the surrounding mountains, and get an insight into the world of the Ancient Greeks. Visit the Temple of Apollo, the center of Ancient Greece, and best-known for its famous oracle. Dating back to 1400 BC, the Oracle of Delphi was the most important shrine in all Greece, and in theory all Greeks respected its independence. Built around a sacred spring, Delphi was considered to be the center of the world.

Tour the Museum of Delphi, home to a unique bronze Charioteer, the Naxian Sphinx, and the Statue of Antinoos, providing an amazing insight into Ancient Greek culture and history. Its centerpieces are the antiquities found in the complex of the ancient Oracle of Delphi from the 18th century BC. The museum was enlarged and refurbished in 1999 by the Greek Ministry of Culture according to the latest museological standards. A new modern facade, a new lobby, a cafeteria and a gift shop with replicas of the antiquities were also created.

After lunch, 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.

(Duration of tour is approximately 10hrs)

Meals: B

Day 4, Athens departure, Ancient Corinth

We begin our day with a leisurely drive out of the city. Drive along the beautiful, scenic Saronic Gulf through the ancient areas of Elefsis and Megara where the Battle of Salamis took place in 480 B.C. The Persians had overrun Athens and Attica and assembled their fleet in the Bay of Phaleron while the Greek trieres had withdrawn into the Bay of Elefsis.

Reaching Corinth Canal, take some photos from the bridge which is the highest point above the canal. Admire this amazing construction consisting of a manmade cut of some 3.91 mlesi (6.3 km) long, dug between 1881 - 1893. The channel unites the Aegean with the Ionian Sea.

Back in ancient times, Corinth was one of the three major powers in Greece and took part in all the battles against the Persians. St. Paul lived and preached here for two years. It was one of the richest cities which is evident by it’s rather large Agora or market place and Apollo’s Temple built in the 6th C. B.C. Marvel at the stunning site of the sun caressing the marble ruins of the Temple! A short stop will be made will be made at the site of the Ancient Port of Cehries, where St. Paul disembarked.

At the conclusion of our tour, we will make our way to the the Port of Piraeus for check-in to your cruise ship.

(Duration of tour is approximately 5hrs)

Meals: B

Discovery Option 2

Itinerary

Day 1, Athens arrival

Upon arrival into Athens airport you will be greeted outside customs and immigration with signage by our local representative. You will be taken to your hotel for check-in, rest and relaxation for the rest of the day.

Overnight in Athens.

Day 2, Athens, The Acropolis & New Acropolis Museum

Following a leisurely morning, you will be met in the lobby of your accommodation by our local expert. We strongly advise departing early for the Acropolis of Athens to avoid the large crowds and long queues.

The acropolis still dominates the Athens skyline and was an important site as early as the Bronze Age, when it housed a Mycenaean citadel. For thousands of years the Acropolis has been the symbol of Athens, the sacred rock, the link that connects the magnificent ancient civilization with the modern. On the hill of the Acropolis you will see the masterpieces of: Parthenon, Propylea, Temple of Athena Nike, Erechtheion & The Cariatides, Ariopagus (Mars Hill), Herodion Theater and the Theater of Dionysus.

Continue with a pleasant, short walk passing by Herodion and Dionysos Theater, in order to visit the new Acropolis Museum. Enjoy your time inside the New Acropolis Museum which offers main attractions such as: votives, artifacts of everyday life, statues from the Archaic Period, Caryatids and of course the Parthenon hall with the metopes, the pediments and the frieze which will all impress you. It is designed in a way that allows visitors to see all the exhibits in natural light and incorporates a number of on-site excavations including a large urban settlement dated from the Archaic to Early Christian Athens.

On our way to the port, we will see the Panathenaic Stadium where the first Olympic Games of modern times were held in 1896 (short stop). Continue and pass by the Prime Minister's residence (ex Royal Palace) guarded by the Euzones in their colorful uniform, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Hadrian's Arch, the Parliament and the memorial to the Unknown Soldier, the Academy, the University, the National Library, the Constitution Square (Syntagma).

(Duration of tour is approximately 5hrs)

Meals: B

Day 3, Athens, Mycenae, Nauplia & Epidarus

Following a leisurely breakfast, you will be met in the lobby of your accommodation by our local expert. Begin your journey by taking the coastal National highway headed for the Corinth Canal where we will have a short photo stop. The canal connects the Gulf of Corinth with the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea. It cuts through the narrow Isthmus of Corinth and separates the Peloponnesian peninsula from the Greek mainland, thus effectively making the former an island. The builders dug the canal through the Isthmus at sea level; no locks are employed. It is 4 miles (6.4 km) in length and only 70 feet (21.4 m) wide at its base, making it impassable for most modern ships.

Drive to Mycenae and visit the archaeological site, home to the kingdom of mythical Agamemnon. Explore the remains of the ancient city of Mycenae a major centre of Greek civilization from 1600 BC to 1100 BC and a world heritage monument. Visit the Palace, the Lionesses Gate and the tomb of Agamemnon. Before lunch, you have an option to stop at a pottery factory. After free time for lunch on your own, you will leave Argos and proceed to Nauplia, the first capital of modern Greece with its Venetian fortress of Palamidi and the fortified islet of Bourtzi (short stop).

Continue on your way to Epidaurus and visit the ancient theatre. The UNESCO’S world heritage listed monument is reputed to be the birthplace of Apollo's son Asklepios, the healer, and was the most celebrated healing center of the classical world. Epidaurus is probably most famous for its theatre, one of the best preserved classical Greek buildings and still used today due to its amazing acoustics.

(Duration of tour is approximately 10.5hrs)

Meals: B

Day 4, Athens departure, Cape Sounion

After a leisurely breakfast, you will be met in your hotel lobby by our local expert. Take a wonderful drive along the scenic coastal road which affords a splendid view of the Saronic Gulf, passing through some of Athens most beautiful suburbs (Glyfada, Vouliagmeni, and Varkiza) to Cape Sounion where you will visit the 5th Century B.C. Temple of Poseidon.

Cape Sounion is noted as the site of ruins of the ancient Greek temple of Poseidon, the god of the sea in classical mythology. The remains are perched on the headland, surrounded on three sides by the sea. Here you will find one of the most breathtaking panoramic views in the world. On a clear day, you can see at least seven islands. The precipice is a sheer 197 foot drop to the sea.

There were two ancient temples on this site, one dedicated to Athena (of which only the foundations remain) and the other the famous one to Poseidon. From this jutting headland, there is a panoramic view of the surrounding Aegean islands. Nearby are the islets of Makronisi and Patroklou or Patroclus. Further away, to the south, the larger islands of Kea, Kithnos, Serifos and, on a clear day, as far as Milos, 60 miles (97 km) distant. To the east, looming behind Kea can be seen the 994 m (3261 ft) peak of Andros island. To the west, the mountainous shore of the Argolis peninsula, across the Saronic Gulf.

We finish this wonderful and very interesting private tour and make our way to the the Port of Piraeus for check-in to your cruise ship.

(Duration of tour is approximately 3.5hrs)

Meals: B