Classical Greece & the Islands

Thessaloniki city tour – Kalambaka

Arrival at Thessaloniki Airport with TK1881 at 08:35hrs, meet & greet with your guide.

This city was the “co-reigning” city throughout the era of the Byzantine Empire, second in population and prestige only to Constantinople. You will see Ano Poli, the Byzantine Walls, the Byzantine Baths (entrance), the Roman Rotunda / Saint George's Church (entrance), the Arch of Galerius, the White Tower and Aristotelous Square.

Continue through the plain of Thessaly and past Mount Olympos — the highest mountain in Greece and home of the twelve gods — to Kalambaka.

Meteora – Great Meteoron & Varlaam – Delphi

08:30hrs departure for Meteora sightseeing with entrance to two of the monasteries.

Perched on huge granite rocks, the monasteries seem suspended between earth and sky. Each contains priceless historical and religious treasures and exquisite specimens of Byzantine art.

Lunch in Kalambaka, then on through the villages and towns of central Greece to Delphi.

Delphi – Corinth Canal – Nafplio

09:00hrs guided tour of the Delphi archaeological site and Museum (entrance).

Once believed to be the “navel” of the earth, Delphi is home to the Sanctuary of Apollo Pythios, where the Pythia delivered her prophecies. You will see the Castalian spring, the Treasury of the Athenians, the temple of Apollo, and the Museum with the bronze Charioteer.

Continue to Nafplio via a short stop at the Corinth Canal.

Nafplio – Epidaurus – Mycenae – Rhodes

08:00hrs departure to Epidaurus (entrance) and Mycenae (entrance), then Athens Airport for the domestic flight to Rhodes.

Epidaurus and its 4th-century BC theatre, famous for astonishing acoustics. Then Mycenae — the Homeric city of the Atreides, “rich in gold” — with the Lion Gate, the Cyclopean walls and the royal tombs.

Arrival in Rhodes and transfer to the hotel.

Rhodes – Lindos – Old Town

09:00hrs, local licensed guide: panoramic tour, Hirsch statue, half-day south of the island with the Acropolis of Lindos (entrance).

Ninety minutes along the east coast bring you to Lindos, a village declared a monument for preservation. Above the white houses and the blue of the Aegean rises the acropolis, sacred to Athena Lindia and a mighty fortress.

Old Town walking tour: the Jewish Quarter, Ippokratous Square, the Street of the Knights and the Grand Master's Palace (entrance).

Rhodes Old Town – Heraklion

09:30hrs half-day Old Town walking tour with the Archaeological Museum (entrance) and the fortifications of the Palace, then the domestic flight to Heraklion.

Arrival in Heraklion, meet & greet and transfer to the hotel.

Knossos – Heraklion

09:00hrs city tour of Heraklion and Knossos (entrance).

Knossos, a 3,000-year-old palace of the Minoan era and the centre of economic and political life of its time — one of the largest preserved Minoan palatial centres, seat of the legendary king Minos and home to the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur.

Return to Heraklion for the Archaeological Museum (entrance), the Venetian fortress at the harbour gate, and the car-free 25th August Street leading to Lion Square and the Morosini fountain.

Heraklion – Santorini

07:05hrs transfer to the port for the “Power Jet” high-speed: Heraklion 08:20 → Santorini 10:10.

Half-day island tour with the coach and guide: the traditional village of Pyrgos at the highest point of the island, a protected settlement since 1995 with the ruins of Kasteli castle, then the famous black beach created by the ancient volcanic eruption.

Santorini island tour

10:30hrs cable car in Fira down to the old port, return by donkey path, then Fira on foot.

Walk the white cobbled streets of Fira through Gold Street and the Venetian district to the edge of the caldera, discovering local workshops, art galleries and wine cellars.

17:00hrs departure to Oia — the most photographed place in Greece, best known for its sunsets, about 150 metres above the sea, reached by 250 traditional steps or on donkey-back. Dinner at a local restaurant in Oia.

Santorini – Mykonos

08:00hrs transfer to the port for the “Super Cat Jet”: Santorini 09:40 → Mykonos 11:40.

Half-day walking tour of Mykonos Old Town: whitewashed churches, the windmills and the narrow winding streets, Little Venice, local figures and history — with a stop at a well-known bakery.

Mykonos – Athens

Free time for leisure, then transfer to the airport for the flight to Athens.

Arrival at Athens Airport, meet & greet and transfer to the hotel.

Athens sightseeing

09:00hrs sightseeing tour of the capital with your guide.

Constitution Square, the House of Parliament, the Evzones guarding the Memorial to the Unknown Soldier, a short stop at the Panathenaic Stadium where the first modern Olympic Games were held in 1896, then Hadrian's Arch and the Acropolis (entrance): the Propylaea, the Temple of Athena Nike, the Erechtheion and the Parthenon.

Continue to the New Acropolis Museum (entrance).

Athens – departure

09:00hrs full-day Athens tour, then 18:00hrs transfer to the airport for TK1846 at 21:50hrs.

The National Archaeological Museum (entrance) — founded in 1889 and one of the most important museums of ancient Greek art in the world, with more than 11,000 exhibits including the bronze Poseidon and the golden death mask of Agamemnon. Then the Temple of Olympian Zeus (entrance), and free time.