Included Features:
• Round-trip air (arriving in Athens – returning from Crete)
• All transfers as listed in the itinerary
• 9 nights accommodations in conveniently located hotels with private facilities; hotel category will be chosen based on your preference
• Buffet-breakfast daily
• Extensive sightseeing in Athens – see itinerary
• Flight from Athens to Santorini
• Ferry from Santorini to Crete
• Comprehensive information kit
• Taxes and service charges
• Local representative in each city/island
Day 1
Depart the United States for Athens, Greece.
Day 2
Arrive in Athens, and transfer to a centrally located Athens hotel. The remainder of the day is at leisure to relax after your transatlantic flight.
Day 3
This morning enjoy a sightseeing tour of the Greek capital. This tour includes a visit to the famous Acropolis, the Panthenon – one of the most famous and beautiful temple in the world. See Monasteraki Square, Mount Likavitos, as well as the Parliament, the Presidential Palace, the Plaka and much more. The afternoon is at your leisure. You may want to visit the National Archaeological Museum.
Day 4
After a morning at leisure in Athens to explore and enjoy at your own pace, an afternoon tour will take you to Corinth. Corinth exported its pottery around the Mediterranean and dominated trad in Greece for much of the 8th and 7th c. B.C. It experienced a second Golden Age under the Romans in the 2nd c. A.D. Today, as in antiquity, Corinth and Patras are the two major gateways to the Peloponnese. Overnight in Athens.
Day 5
Today an excursion will take you to Delphi, which the ancient Greeks believed was the center of the world. Delphi has a long and glorious history as the scene of Apollo’s famous oracle and the Pythian games. One can admire spectacular ancient remains, including the Temple of Apollo and the well-preserved stadium where the ancient games took place. Lunch will be included in today’s excursion. Return to Athens for overnight.
Day 6
Enjoy the morning in Athens. In the afternoon join a half-day tour to Cape Sounion to see the temple of Poseidon, which was built about the same time as the Parthenon. It occupies a dramatic position on a cliff high above the sea. Return to Athens for overnight.
Day 7
An airport transfer has been arranged, for your flight to Santorini (Thira), one of the islands in the Cyclades. Upon your arrival in Santorini, a transfer will take you to your hotel choice on this spectacular island. A big part of the island is the enormous caldera (crater) formed when a volcano blew ou the island’s center around 1450 B.C.
Day 8
Santorini – full day at leisure. Visit the harbor, ride the funicular, and visit the dazzling site of Akroptiri, an Aegean Pompeii destroyed when the volcano erupted. Swim at the black volcanic beach of Kamari…. the possibilities are endless.
Day 9
A transfer will take you to the harbor from where you will take the ferry to Crete. Crete island is the largest of Greece and is located in the south of the Aegean Sea. It is one of the most famous Greek islands, which has everything to offer: mountainous landscapes, a coast with many beautiful beaches and rocky coves, beautiful towns and charming villages and harbors, excellent food, ruins of the Minoan Civilization, one of the greatest civilization ever.
A transfer will be arranged from Crete Harbor to the hotel of your choice.
Day 10
Crete – full day at your leisure.
Day 11
Transfer from the hotel to the airport, for your flight back home to the United States.
