Day One: Day Two: Depart the USA for Greece. Your overnight flight includes meals, drinks and in-flight entertainment for your journey. Arrive in Athens After overnight flight you will arrive in Athens on Day Two. After check-in at the Athens Diamond Hotel located a five minute walk from Syntagma Square we will board the open air Hop On-Hop Off bus for an Athens City Tour. We will enjoy a traditional Greek dinner in the Plaka this evening. Meals: Dinner ATHENS Syntagma Square Greek Orthodox Church, Plaka View from Plaka Day Three: After breakfast at the hotel we will begin our Athens Cultural Tour. We will visit the Acropolis, the crowning beauty and glory of Ancient Athens, with its many monuments atop its rocky base including the awesome Parthenon, the Temple of Athena Nike and the Erechtheion and its Porch of Maidens. We will visit the Roman Temple of Zeus and Hadrian s Arch and the Panathenian Stadium (sight of the first modern Olympic Games). We will see views of the Greek Parliament and Presidential Residence and enjoy the Greek Evzones at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Syntagma Square. We will visit the new Acropolis Museum a marvel of architecture with a full exhibition of the glory of Ancient Athens. ATHENS Acropolis Evzones Temple of Zeus
Day Four: Depart Athens by ferry from the Port of Piraeus to Mykonos. After check-in at Renate s Rooms & Apartments we will enjoy lunch in Mykonos Town. This picturesque Cycladic town has a maze of tiny streets and whitewashed steps, lanes, houses and churches all gathered around its harbor in the middle of a wide bay. The streets are lined with little shops, boutiques, art galleries and cafes which you will have time to enjoy. We will stroll through Little Venice which offers a fantastic sunset and visit the windmills which are one of the most recognized landmarks of Mykonos. Overnight: Mykonos, Lunch MYKONOS Little Venice Signature Windmills Old Port Day Five: This morning we will visit Delos a short 30 minute boat ride. Delos is a small uninhabited island known for its important archaeological sites. Upon our return you may want to spend the remainder of the day enjoying one of the many beaches of Mykonos or exploring Mykonos Town. Overnight: Mykonos DELOS Avenue of the Lions Hike to a spectacular view of Mykonos
Day Six: Depart Mykonos by ferry to Santorini, an island known throughout the world for its stunning Red Beach, colorful sunsets and whitewashed buildings along the sea-cliffs. (You will have time this morning to do any last minute shopping in Mykonos Town.) After check-in at Pension Stella we will enjoy a beautiful sunset at the Lighthouse and a traditional dinner at a local taverna. Overnight: Santorini Meals: Dinner MYKONOS Whitewashed Street Gallery Flying Cat Ferry Day Seven: After breakfast we will take a bus to the port where we will board the traditional boat King Thiras. Our first stop is the volcanic island of Nea Kameni where we will walk an ascending soil path to approach the crater of the still active Volcano. We continue to the island of Palea Kameni where we can swim in the green sulphur waters or bath in the warm therapeutic mud. After half an hour, the boat will sail to the picturesque island of Thirassia, where you can have lunch at one of the traditional seafront tavernas or swim at the beach next to the port. The boat tour ends up at the Village of Oia where we will stay and admire the spectacular colorful sunset. Overnight: Santorini SANTORINI Atop Nea Kameni Thirassia Oia
Day Eight: After breakfast we visit two of the many beaches of Santorini. Our first stop will be at the Black Beach. We will enjoy lunch at a seaside café before heading to the Red Beach. This evening we will watch another spectacular sunset at the Santo Winery overlooking the caldera. The rest of the evening is yours to enjoy. Overnight: Santorini SANTORINI Black Beach Red Beach Santo Winery Sunset Day Nine: After breakfast we will check-out of our hotel, store our luggage and spend our last hours on Santorini at leisure before we transfer to the port for our ferry to Athens. Upon arriving in Athens we will check-in to the Athens Diamond Hotel for the night. SANTORINI Taverna Caldera Sunset Picturesque
Day Ten: After breakfast we depart for Delphi, the ancient sanctuary of Apollo. We will pass through Levadia and Arachova (a most beautiful village with breathtaking views) where we will make a short stop for pictures. At Delphi we will visit the excavated site and museum of Delphi, where you will find the sacred Omphalos, once kept in the Adyton of Apollo s Temple, along with the Kourus Statues and the 32 foot high Sphinx of Naxos. We will continue on to the small town of Trikala where we will overnight at the Litheon Hotel. Overnight: Trikala DELPHI Arachova Delphi Delphi Museum Day Eleven: After breakfast and check-out we depart Trikala and arrive at Meteora. Among striking scenery, perched on top of huge rocks which seem to be suspended in mid-air, stand ageless Monasteries, where you can see exquisite specimens of Byzantine art. We will visit three of the Monasteries then stop for lunch in Kalambaka before returning to Athens. We will make the Athens Diamond Hotel our home for two more nights., Lunch METEORA Monasteries Perched High Above Ground
Day Twelve After breakfast spend the day enjoying one of the many fantastic museums, shopping or exploring one of the unique galleries. Take time to stroll through the Plaka and Monastraki for a glimpse of the amazing culture that made Athens a center for the arts, economy and philosophy in ancient times. We will all meet for a group farewell dinner., Dinner ATHENS National Museum Acropolis Hellenic Flag Day Thirteen: Depart to USA Departing 09/01/11, Returning 09/13/11 Land Only Cost $1875 per person, double occupancy There s more to Greece than the Acropolis We ve brought you to the best sites to see. GREAT ESCAPES TRAVEL, VALERIE PHILLIS, TRAVEL COORDINATOR greatescapestc@aol.com www.greatescapestravelclub.vpweb.com 940-631-3999