Depart the USA. Overnight flight to Athens.
After arrival in Athens you will be transferred to your hotel, close to the Acropolis and Plaka which will give you the opportunity to wander a bit by yourself or rest. Surrounded by mountains with its seaport to the west, this is an ancient city with a tumultuous history.
We will spend the morning at the most famous site in Athens, the Acropolis. This monument, crowned by the Parthenon, is considered the defining aspect of Athens and visible from virtually everywhere within the city.
In the afternoon we will visit the splendid newly opened New Acropolis Museum.
Today we visit the National Archaeological Museum, which is perhaps the nation’s finest home to a fascinating collection of Greek antiquities, and the Benaki Museum with an eclectic collection from Mr. Antonie Benaki. In the afternoon we will visit the Agora and Plaka, the new market place.
Today we leave Athens and cross over the Corinth Canal which links the Ionian and Aegean Seas. A major engineering feat, work on the canal was originally begun by Nero in 67 AD. After many interruptions, the canal (which cuts through solid rock) was completed in 1893. Arriving in Peloponnese, we will visit the ancient cities of Corinth, Mycenae with its ruins and museum as well as the famous Theater in Epidaurus.
Nafplio, the first capital of Greece after its independence, is also one of the country’s prettiest towns. Its strategic seaside location made it a major port which required three fortresses for defense. We will spend the day to enjoy and relax in this charming city, and to visit the impressive Akronafplia Fortress with its magnificent view over the city and the Sea, the Archaeological Museum, finally the Popular Art Museum.
Ancient Olympia. This was the site of the original Olympic Games, and although the magnificent temples and complex that made the games famous have been largely destroyed by earthquakes and war, it remains a romantic historical attraction with its stadium and gymnasiums among the ruined temples.
We leave the Peloponnesian Peninsula today, traveling via Patras using the newly built bridge and along the beautiful coastline to Delphi. A place of spiritual history, the setting of this city is spectacular. It is the site of the Temple of Apollo from which the ancient Oracle of Delphi was believed to speak for the gods.
This is the most unique site in Greece, with its incredible architecture and the location of its monasteries (remember the James Bond movie “For Your Eyes Only”?) The rock landscape itself is unusual, creating a retreat for the clusters of monasteries with their chapels, courtyards, and monks’ cells. Visitors can walk up steps now, not using the original basket/pulley system.
Leaving Meteora we take one of the scenic roads in Greece to the picturesque town of Metsovo tucked beautifully into the Pindus Mountains, famous for its cheeses and winemaking industries.
We arrive in Ionannina, largest city in Epirus handsomely located on Lake Pamvotis.
We will spend the whole day to explore this beautiful old city with its fascinating architecture, market, castle, lake and island of Ioannina. We will visit the impressive castle and its museum with a splendid view over the Pamvotis Lake, the island of Ionannina and the city itself.
Today we climb to the Zagori Mountains to enjoy the breath taking vistas and 45 villages with its unusual beauty spread all over. We will visit two of most interesting villages, the Papingo and Pendalofos before we arrive in Kastoria located on Lake Orestiada. We will stroll and explore this charming city, well known for manufacturing and trading of furs, Byzantine walls and churches, as well as traditional mansions of the 17th and 18th centuries unique for their architectural design, Byzantine Museum, the Folklore Museum “Nerantzi – Aibazi”.
Today we will drive to Edessa famous for its many waterfalls and greenery. Edessa is virtually unknown to tourists; the town is one of the most beautiful in Greece full of little streams, bridges and parks, sits on a ledge overlooking a vast agricultural plain that extends all the way to Thessaloniki.
Today we will drive through the beautiful villages, small towns to visit and taste wines in this region including the most famous Boutari in the beautiful town of Naousa. Naousa is famous for its wines, agriculture production and ideally landscaped sceneries.
Thessaloniki, the capital city of the Macedonia area and the second largest city in Greece has a more relaxed, pleasant feeling in spite of being a big city. In the morning, we will drive to Pella the city where both Alexander the Great and his father, Philip the II were born. Then we will stop in Vergina, the ancient capital of the kings of Macedonia. There are fascinating temple tombs here, including the one of Philip II, and the famous theater where Philip II, unarmed and escorting his daughter to her wedding, was assassinated.
We spend the day to enjoy this lively, vibrant city of magnificent ancient monuments, the old city with its colorful markets and modern shops.
We will visit Folkloric & Ethnological Museum of Macedonia and Archaeological Museum.
This morning we will transfer you Thessaloniki airport for your home flight via Athens.
We recommend travel insurance.
