JOURNEY TO THE ROOTS OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION; GREECE, CRETE, PATMOS, EPHESUS, RHODES AND MYKONOS


DAY 1 - DEPART USA

Arrive in Athens the next day.

 

Day 2,3,4 - ATHENS

After the arrival you will meet with your guide at the airport and you will be transferred to your hotel. The Welcome Dinner will be this evening at your hotel.
After breakfast you will enjoy a tour of this lovely historic city, including a visit to ancient Acropolis. You will have time to enjoy lunch on your own. After lunch you will have the afternoon at your leisure. In the early evening you will have a session of archaeologyical backround of the sites that we will visit with a member of the American School of Classic Studies. Dinner will be your on your own.
The next day after breakfast you will spend the morning at the National Archaeological Museum of Athens. In the early evening you will attend a discussion “Today's Greece” with a professor from the Sociology Department of American College. After the lesson you will join the tour of Athens by Night. See famous landmarks in another light, illuminated under the night sky, and view the streets in the different atmosphere of the city’s active nightlife. Dinner is included at Fisherman’s Wharf.

 

Day 5 – ATHENS/KALAMBAKA

After breakfast we will depart this morning to Kalambaka. On the route we will stop for an included lunch near the town of Lamia, and arrive in Kalambaka in mid afternoon. This small town is set picturesquely at the foot of the towering gray cliffs where the Pinios River flows down from the Pindus Mountains. You will have the rest of the day to spend as you wish.
In the early evening you will have session on a Greek language. Dinner will be at your hotel.

 

Day 6 - KALAMBAKA

After breakfast in the hotel you will discover the city of Kalambaka. Perhaps one of the most recognizable sights in the world is that of an ancient monastery stronghold perched seemingly impossibly on the top of an enormous cliff. Today you will venture into the rocks that tower over the town of Kalambaka where the “hanging” monasteries of Meteora are located. After lunch on your own, we will visit to the School of Byzantine Icon Painting.You will return from the school to your hotel in the late afternoon, and you can spend the hours before evening as you wish.Tonight we will go together into town, where you will have the opportunity to dine at a local restaurant on your own.

 

Day 7 – KALAMBAKA/DELPHI/ARACHOVA

After breakfast at your hotel, we will depart for Arachova. We cross the plain of Thessaly to reach the village of Arachova, which is situated on the slopes of Mt. Parnassus. On our way to Arachova, we will make a stop to visit the ancient site of the oracle of Delphi. We will arrive to Arachova in mid­afternoon, checking into our hotel where we will stay for the next two nights. You can then join us in our another session on Greek Cooking. Dinner will be in your hotel this evening.

 

Day 8 - ARACHOVA/DELPHI

After breakfast we will tour the ancient site of Delphi, considered by the early Greeks to be the center of the known world. You will stop at the mysterious Delphic Oracle, one of antiquity's most sacred sites and where devotees of the god Apollo came to consult. In the afternoon you will have free time to have lunch on your own and see a little more of the area at your leisure. Dinner will be on your own.

 

Day 9 - ARACHOVA/OLYMPIA

Today we will travel along the coast and take a short ferry ride, beginning your explorations of the Peloponnese Peninsula, the large leaf­shaped “island” off the Attic mainland. We then continue our drive and arrive in the charming town of modern Olympia at the foot of Mt. Kronos in the early evening. This evening, you will have “Greek Night” with Greek music and dances. A native dancer helps you learn folk, like the Syrtos, and popular dances like Syrtaki. Dinner this evening will be at your hotel.

 

Day 10 - OLYMPIA

During a scenic two-hour drive up the After breakfast this morning you will tour the site of ancient Olympia, in a lush green valley at the junction of the Alpheios and Kladeos Rivers. You will see ruins not only of athletic structures like the stadium, gymnasium, and wrestling school, but also several temples. Here, in 776 B.C., the first Olympic Games were held. Your afternoon is at leisure. You will have a Home­Hosted dinner with a typical Greek family.

 

DAY 11 - OLYMPIA/NAUPLIA

After breakfast we will drive to Nauplia and it is a scenic drive across the mountains of Arcadia where Pan, the half­man half­goat god, played his flute. Start the morning with a drive to the green plains of Argolis.
We will arrive to Nauplia in late afternoon, dinner on your own.

 

DAY 12 - NAUPLIA/MYCENAE/EPIDURUS

After breakfast, we will have an interesting session on Homer and the Trojan War. Then you set off on an excursion to the ruined city of Mycenae, one of the most ancient cities of Greece. In late afternoon you will return to your hotel. Early this evening we will gather for a pre­cruise briefing, where you learn more details of your onboard days and have choices of optional tours offered by Celestyal Cruise Lines during your cruise. Dinner will be at the hotel.

 

DAY 13 - NAUPLIA/LAVRION PORT/EMBARK SHIP/MYKONOS

After breakfast, you will be transferred to the Athens port of Piraeus where you will embark your cruise ship, setting sail for Mykonos in the late morning. Relax over lunch onboard as you sail the waters of the Aegean and view the coast and islands of Greece. We will spend the afternoon at leisure, getting acquainted with your ship’s amenities.
Your early evening port of call is Mykonos, the Aegean’s most popular playground. You have the evening here on this Cycladic island to delight in its paradise of windmills, narrow streets, and sparkling beaches. You might want to visit one of the hundreds of chapels, or just stroll the shoreline. The ship sails again around 9 pm, with dinner served onboard.
(Note: Due to summer congestion at some islands and ports, your port call itinerary may vary.)

 

DAY 14 - KUSADASI/EPHESUS, TURKEY/PATMOS, GREECE

This morning after breakfast you dock at Kusadasi, Turkey—your gateway to Ephesus. Dating at least to 1300 B.C., Ephesus was Asia Minor’s largest metropolis, famous in antiquity for its Temple of Artemis (Diana)—another of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. We will return to the boat for lunch and your cruise continues to Patmos, Greece, arriving in the late afternoon. The ship calls at the port of Scala. You can join one of two different optional tours; Grotto and Monastery of St. John or Scenic Tour Around Patmos to view the island’s natural beauty. The last option is to enjoy the scenery of the island by exploring it on your own.You set sail again during dinner, at about 8:30 pm..

 

DAY 15 - RHODES, GREECE

Arrive this morning in Rhodes. This morning you can join the optional tour of the Old Town of Rhodes where you explore the most important highlights of the island or have a full day to spend as you wish. After having lunch on board afternoon will be at leisure on this beautiful island. At about 5:30 we set sail for Crete, with dinner onboard. Enjoy the spectacular sunset as you cruise away from Rhodes this evening.

 

DAY 16 - CRETE/SANTORINI

Early today, you will dock at Heraklion on the island of Crete. You can join us on an optional tour to see Heraklion or the morning is at leisure for those who wish to explore on their own.

Back onboard by late morning, you set sail and enjoy lunch while cruising. Late this afternoon, if weather permits, we disembark the ship in Santorini—an island marked by fabulous beaches and the massive caldera of a sleeping volcano that last erupted in 1956. You can either join to optional tour of Santorini island or enjoy the island on your own. Your ship sets sail again later this evening in time for dinner.

 

DAY 17 - PIRAEUS OR LAVRION/ATHENS

After breakfast, we will disembark ship at the port of Piraeus or Lavrion and drive to Athens. On arrival, you will set off to see more of the intriguing sights of this ancient city. A scenic drive takes you by many of the architectural highlights and renowned landmarks that make up the rich heritage of Athens. In late morning, you will arrive at your hotel and check in for your two-night stay here. Then you will have the tour of the magnificent Cape Sounion, taking a beautiful drive overlooking the Aegean. You will visit the hilltop Temple of Poseidon, dating to the fifth century B.C., and marvel at its Doric columns standing high above the sea. Dinner will be on your own.

 

DAY 18 - ATHENS

You have a full day to indulge your own tastes. We will gather this evening with your memories and new friends for a Farewell Dinner at local restaurant.

 
 

DAY 19 – ATHENS

After breakfast, you are transferred to the airport for your return flightto the United States, arriving the same day.

 

Tour Route & Program

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TOUR NAME

JOURNEY TO THE ROOTS OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION;
GREECE, CRETE, PATMOS, EPHESUS, RHODES AND MYKONOS

Tour Number TEO 1/GT TEO 2/GT TEO 3/GT
Land Only $ 5750 $ 5750 $ 5750
Single Supplement $ 2850 $ 2850 $ 2850
USA(Fly)/Athens May 04 Mon Aug 31 Mon Oct 05 Mon
Athens May 05 Tue Sep 01 Tue Oct 06 Tue
Athens May 06 Wed Sep 02 Wed Oct 07 Wed
Athens May 07 Thu Sep 03 Thu Oct 08 Thu
Athens/Kalambaka May 08 Fri Sep 04 Fri Oct 09 Fri
Kalambaka May 09 Sat Sep 05 Sat Oct 10 Sat
Kalambaka/Arachova May 10 Sun Sep 06 Sun Oct 11 Sun
Arachova(Delphi) May 11 Mon Sep 07 Mon Oct 12 Mon
Arachova/Olympia May 12 Tue Sep 08 Tue Oct 13 Tue
Olympia May 13 Wed Sep 09 Wed Oct 14 Wed
Olympia/Nauplia May 14 Thu Sep 10 Thu Oct 15 Thu
Nauplia(Mycenea / Epidurus) May 15 Fri Sep 11 Fri Oct 16 Fri
Embark Cruise ship/ Mykonos May 16 Sat Sep 12 Sat Oct 17 Sat
Ephesus/Patmos May 17 Sun Sep 13 Sun Oct 18 Sun
Patmos/Rhodes May 18 Mon Sep 14 Mon Oct 19 Mon
Rhodes/Crete/Santorini May 19 Tue Sep 15 Tue Oct 20 Tue
Disembark cruise ship/Athens May 20 Wed Sep 16 Wed Oct 21 Wed
Athens May 21 Thu Sep 17 Thu Oct 22 Thu
USA(Fly) May 22 Fri Sep 18 Fri Oct 23 Fri