Classical Greece Tour & 3 Day Cruise

10 Days / 9 Nights

Only one region of the Mediterranean comes to mind that combines historic landmarks and age-old traditions from the ancient civilizations, delightful seaside villages of white-washed buildings, picturesque windmills, sparkling turquoise waters and blue, blue skies. The grandeur of classic Greece welcomes you.

Highlights included in your tour:

• 3 nights accommodation in first class or deluxe hotels in Athens with breakfast.

• Arrival transfer from the airport to the hotel

• 4 days classical tour of Greece including breakfast & dinners in class “A” hotels.

• Transfer from hotel to port (for the cruise).

• Transfer from port to hotel.

• Transfer from hotel to airport.

• Three days Cruise by Louis Cruises, all meals included.

• All taxes, port taxes, services and assistance.

Day 1 - Sunday: Athens

Today you arrive in Athens where you are met by our representative and taken to your hotel. Overnight Athens.

Day 2 - Monday: Corinth / Mycaene / Epidaurus

Your Classical coach tour leaves Athens via the coastal highway and crosses the Corinth Canal which joins the Aegean and Ionion seas. After a brief stop, you proceed to the ruins of Mycenae. Homer wrote about it more than 3500 years ago. In Epidaurus, you’ll visit the famous 14,000 seat theatre, the best-preserved theatre in all Greece. Its acoustics are legendary. Dinner and overnight in the port of Nauplion, the first capital of Greece. (B,D)

Day 3 - Tuesday: Olympia

Today’s drive is through the scenic Peloponnese by way of Tripolis to Olympia. The road covers mountains and plains, offering breathtaking panoramas. You go through Arcadia, the home of the lute-playing Pan, Megalopolis, arriving at Olympia midday. This is the cradle of the Panhellenic Games held in honour of Zeus. Modern Olympics are descended from Olympia. A visit to the stadium that still houses the sacred eternal Olympic flame is followed by a visit to the Museum with is statue of Hermes by Praxiteles.  Dinner and overnight in Olympia. (B,D)

Day 4 - Wednesday: Delphi

Today you continue through the picturesque villages and plains of the Western Peloponnese. At Patras you board a ferry and cross the Gulf of Corinth. Proceed via Nafpaktos and Galaxida to Delphi, the sanctuary of the god Apollo and site of the famous Delphic Oracle and the Nine Muses. The highlight is the majestic Doric Temple dramatically situated on the slopes of Mount Parnassos. A walk along the Sacred Way with its Treasuries and monuments and the Castalia Fountain are memorable sites. Dinner and overnight in Delphi. (B,D)

Day 5 - Thursday: Delphi / Athens

In the morning, before you depart for Athens, a visit to the Museum of Delphi for a viewing of the 5th century bronze statue if the charioteer is a must. In the afternoon, return to Athens via Levadia and Thebes, arriving in early evening. Overnight in Athens. (B)

Day 6 - Friday: Cruise to Mykonos

After breakfast, you will be escorted to Piraeus, the Port of Athens, where you will embark for your three-day cruise. Welcome aboard and experience Greek hospitality at its best. Today’s port of call is Mykonos, an island that will dazzle you with its pristine white homes and its picture-perfect windmills atop a hill overlooking the harbour. Stroll at leisure through the flowered-decked alleyways to the Church of Paraportiani or rub shoulders with international jet-setters. (B,D)

Day 7 - Saturday: Rhodes

This morning you arrive in Rhodes, a Philistine and Crusader stronghold. As you enter the harbour, try to imagine one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the Colossus of Rhodes, the 100 foot high statue that straddled the harbour. You can spend some quiet time at an elegant cafe on the harbour, explore the cobblestoned old city or take an optional excursion to the Temple of Athena sitting atop the imposing, rocky Acropolis of Lindos. Lindos is picture-post card perfect, an artists’ colony splayed out beneath the Temple, the blue Aegean quietly lapping against the stones of the walled town. (B,L,D)

Day 8 - Sunday: Kusadasi

(Ephesus) / Patmos

The Turkish town of Kusadasi, with its bustling bazaar, is the port of call this morning. An optional excursion to the ancient Greek city of Ephesus is highly recommended. This once great city, founded in the 10th century B.C., is still being excavated. Magnificent public buildings like the Baths of Scholastica, the Library of Celsius and the Temple of Artemis are a dazzling testament to a time gone by. In the afternoon, you set sail for the island of Patmos, the site of the Monastery of St. John the Divine. Here he wrote the Book of Revelations during his exile from the Roman Empire.(B,L,D)

Day 9 - Monday: Piraeus / Athens

Your Aegean cruises ends this morning when your ship arrives at the Port of Piraeus. You are transferred back to your hotel in Athens for a final day of leisure. Time for those last minute souvenirs and a final look at this fascinating, historic city. (B)

Day 10 - Tuesday: Departure

After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your return flight. (B)