CLASSICAL GREECE TOUR with SANTORINI

Athens-Epidaurus-Mycenae-Ancient Olympia-Delphi-Santorini – 9days / 8nights

This 10-day tour features some of Greece’s most impressive and important ancient sites around Athens, Mykenae, Olympia and Delphi and one of the Mediterranean’s most beautiful islands, Santorini. You will discover Greece’s classical era by visiting the Ancient Theater of Epidaurus – world’s famous for its outstanding acoustics, the archaeological site of Mykenae and the world Heritage site of Ancient Olympia – where the first Olympic Games took place and finally the Delphi site-also known as the Neval of the World. The same time you will admire Greece’s mainlands beauty by visiting the beautiful seaport town of romantic Nafplion and the beautiful coastal town of Nafpaktos. The tour ends with a 3-day stay in the amazing island of Santorini where all these photos on travelbooks with the whitewashed houses, the blue domed churches and the coral sunsets will come true!

HIGHLIGHTS

ATHENS SIGHTSEEING – Constitution Square (Syntagma), House of Parliament, Memorial to the Unknown Soldier, National Library, Hadrian’s Arch, Temple of Olympian Zeus, Panathenaic Stadium (first modern Olympic Games), Acropolis, Propylaea, Temple of Athena Nike, Erechtheion, Parthenon, Acropolis Museum
Ancient Theater of Epidaurus
Mykenae
Nafplion
Ancient Olympia, Temple of Zeus and Stadium
Delphi site and museum
Santorini Island

TOUR DETAILS

Tout Code: Classical Greece with Santorini
Duration: 9 days / 8 nights
Operating: Daily from 20 April to 20 October

Included

All transfers with private luxury car or minivan
Hotels 3* or 4* on BB base, 2 nights in Athens, 1 night in Tolon, 1 night in Olympia, 1 night in Delphi, 3 nights in Santorini. (Athens hotels near Syntagma sq. within walking distance from Acropolis, Plaka and Monastiraki)
Private professional and licensed english speaking guide
Meet & Greet on the arrival at the Athens airport for Welcome and sharing informations
All entrance fees to archaeological sites and museums

Not Included

Flight tickets
Ferry tickets
Hotel accomodation tax (1.5€ per day per room for 3* hotels / 3€ per day per room for 4* hotels)

*All packages are flexible and dynamic for any changes according to any personal needs and desires upon request.

Contact us for more tours in the area

GTN-FORMAT

Welcome to Athens

1st day:Arrival to Athens a/p, welcome from our staff at the a/p, share informations and private transfer to your hotel. The rest of the day at leisure. In the afternoon you can walk (escorted upon request) at the Athens old town, Plaka. One of the most worth-seeing areas of Athens, where the architecture mirrors the Greek tradition and culture. On the way you have the chance to shop Greek folk-art products and taste our local street food, souvlaki or OPTIONAL to enjoy a dinner at a traditional music tavern in Plaka with Greek dances performance, local dishes and greek wine. The best way to introduce you Greece is through our culinary and our unique way in nightlife! Overnight in Athens.

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2nd Tour day: Athens sightseeing, start with the Constitution Square (Syntagma), the House of Parliament, the Memorial to the Unknown Soldier and the National Library. Driving down Herod Atticus st., you will see the Evzones in their picturesque uniform and the Presidential Palace. On your way to the Acropolis you will see the Hadrian’s Arch, visit the Temple of Olympian Zeus and you will make a short stop at the Panathenaic Stadium where the first modern Olympic Games took place in 1896. Then Acropolis, the architectural masterpieces of the Golden Age of Athens (5th century BC), Propylaea, Temple of Athena Nike, Erechtheion, and finally Parthenon, an ode to civilization. We complete the visit with the New Museum of Acropolis. Drive forwards to Peloponnese and after a short stop at Corinth Canal to take some photos, we arrive at Tolon, a beautiful sea side small town. Overnight in Tolo.

3rd Tour day: This morning we’ll visit Epidaurus and the Ancient Theater (4th century B.C.), world famous for its acoustics and aesthetics. Continue the trip to the Homeric City of Mycenae (1300 B.C.). Visit the Lions Gate, the Cyclopean Walls and the Royal Tombs. Then after a short stop at the beautiful Nafplion, the first capital of Greece in its modern history, we drive through the picturesque countries of Central Peloponnese and we arrive at Olympia. Overnight in Olympia.

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4th Tour day: Today after breakfast we visit the Ancient Olympia, the archeological site with the Temple of Zeus, the Temple of Hera, the altar of the Olympic flame, the Olympic Stadium of 45,000 seating capacity where the first Olympic games took place in 776 B.C and the archaeological museum with the famous Hermes sculpture of Praxitelus. Continue the trip to Delphi, passing via Patras and crossing the Corinthian bay, we visit the beautiful city of Nafpaktos and following the coastal road we arrive at Delphi. Overnight in Delphi.

5th Tour day: Today we’ll visit Delphi, Delphi city considered by the ancients Greeks to be the center of the world and a religious center. Guided visit to archaeological site, Temple of Apollo, Theater, Market, the famous Omphalos treasures (=navel of the earth), and finally the Delphi Museum with the amazing sculptures. At Delphi you might get Pythia’s chrism for your future and the future of the world, as it had happened for Alexander the Great before conquering the known in those day world. We continue with a short stop at Arachova, a Greek traditional village and then drive back to Athens for overnight.

6th Tour day: Breakfast and private transfer to Piraeus port for embarkation to ferry boat to Santorini island. This is the best way to complete this Greece-knowing trip, because except Greece’s huge history, you will descover in these three days, Greece’s huge..beauty. There is no denying the uniqueness of this destination. A Caldera (crater) in the middle of the sea, Santorini’s trademark landscape, is what left from a large volcanic eruption thousands of years ago and made actually the whole island a huge natural geological museum. Today this caldera is offering the best sunsets in the world and the unique volcanic-sand beaches. Today after arrival you can OPTIONAL join a Volcano and Hot Springs Boat tour. A very popular tour in Santorini, you will stay on the volcano for about an hour where you can walk to the active craters and then you visit Palaia Kameni for the hot springs and the famous mud baths. Overnight in Santorini.

7th Tour day: Fira is the capital of Santorini. Walk in and around Fira is the only way to savor its beauty and walk the edge of the caldera is the only way to admire its views! Walking down the 587 steps you reach the small port of Fira, Skala. For the return you can take Santorini’s cable car. The next village called Firostefani and located about 15 minutes walk from Fira. After halh-hour walk from Fira you reach Imerovigli, the highest point of the caldera edge. In Santorini there is a magical hour which is strongly connecting in people’s mind with a magical place. The hour when the sun go down and the sky turn these incredible shades of pink, purple and orange, the only place that you should be is in Oia. Oia is a beautiful village, where the whitewashed houses and the small cherches with blue dome, provide an ideal background of the warm colors palette which gives the sun when dive into the dark blue Aegean sea. The best place to watch the sunset in Oia is the Byzantine Castle. Only a few minutes away from the cosmopolitan Oia, do not miss to visit the old wineries of Finikia. These old wineries have been converted into homes and painted in orche, blue and pink, contrary to the cycladic architecture, compose today a fairytail settlement that remind a painting. Also below Oia located a small fishing village called Amoudi Bay. You can get there walking down the footpath from Oia but you can also drive there. The islanders the best swimming spot in Santorini but not a beach. Just jump from the rocks into the amazing emerald waters. Definitely the seaside taverns is the best choise in Santorini if you like fresh fishes.

8th Tour day: Swimming in Santorini is an exhilarating experience, a refreshing natural spa in Red, White and Black sand beaches with volcanic pebbles and impressive lunar landscapes. Red beach is Santorini’s most famous beach and fairly so! Emerald-blue waters and unusual red sand which comes from the pulverized volcanic rocks. Perivolos, Perissa and Kamari are large beaches with black volcanic sand. They are organized, lined with beach bars and taverns. And of course Vlychada beach, one of the most unusual beaches with black sand and white lunar cliffs making a unique – out of the world- landscape. Vlychada beach is a semi-organized beach. In the afternoon you can visit some of the vineyards of the island or take OPTIONAL a Wine Tour (a very popular activity in Santorini) and taste excellent wines-known as some of the best in the world. Santorini with thousands of years of wine-making tradition, remains the home of a major wine industry, based on the indigenous grape variety of Assyrtiko. If you decide to visit the wineries on your own we suggest the Santo Wines (maybe the most popular) and also Venetsanos Winery. Don’t miss to taste Santorini’s delicate products. Because of the climate and the volcanic soil, the traditional products of Santorini growing in perfect conditions and giving tastes and flavors that make the island a gastronomic paradise. Some of them as the cherry tomatos, the wine and the yellow split peas-called fava-, have been labeled as Protective Destination of Origin products by E.U.

9th tour day: After breakfast transfer to Santorini airport for your flight to Athens and and then to connect with your home flight. End of the tour.