Summary Bask in the splendours of the ancient world on this 15-day Greece tour. Explore the Acropolis and the Arch of Hadrian in Athens. See where the Olympic Games began in 776 B.C at the Temple of Zeus and in the city of Mycenae, take in the giant Cyclopean stones. Thessaloniki’s markets tempt you with regional delicacies and a local beekeeper invites you to tour his family-run honey farm. On the romantic isle of Crete, stroll medieval towns and get up close and personal with archaeological finds. Short Itinerary / Route
- Day 1
- Welcome To Athens
- Day 2
- The Glorious City Of Athens
- Day 3
- Ancient Dion And Onto Thessaloniki
- Day 4
- Thessaloniki, The Foodie Capital
- Day 5
- Vergina, Metsovo And Onto Ioannina
- Day 6
- Picturesque Ioannina
- Day 7
- Venetian Town Of Nafpaktos To Galaxidi
- Day 8
- Delphi With A Local Expert
- Day 9
- Onto Nafplion
- Day 10
- The Beauty Of Nafplio
- Day 11
- The Big Island Of Crete, Heraklion
- Day 12
- Heraklion History With A Local
- Day 13
- Rethymno And Onto Chania
- Day 14
- Chania, The Old Town
- Day 15
- Farewell Greece
Travel Cities (7): Athens, Crete, Delphi, Ioannina, Knossos, Nafplio, Thessaloniki |
Highlights Dining Summary - 6 Dinner (D)
- 14 Breakfast (B)
- 1 Lunch (L)
Choice Highlights - Thessaloniki: Explore the historical city of Thessaloniki with your Local Expert.
- Thessaloniki: Explore Thessaloniki and its cuisine, perfect for local-food-lovers.
Additional Included Highlights - Personal radio headsets give you the freedom to wander during visits to famous highlights, without missing any of your Local Expert's fascinating commentary.
- Hotel and restaurant tips are included - you'll never have to worry about how much to give, nor search for foreign currency. We also include all taxes and porterage charges at hotels.
- We carry your bags for you and promptly deliver them to your hotel door.
- From time to time, your Travel Director will delight you with an Insight Flourish, which is a local specialty representing the destination.
- Stay connected with friends and family with our complimentary coach and hotel Wi-Fi (where available).
- If your arrival and/or departure flights are as per the itinerary start and end dates, then transfers are available at scheduled times. If your flights are outside these times, or you have booked additional nights accommodation with Insight Vacations, you may purchase transfers or make your own way from/to the airport.
Authentic Dining - Athens: Indulge in local specialties with your fellow travellers as you savour dinner in one of the city's historic neighbourhoods.
- Heraklion: Enjoy the famous Cretan hospitality this evening and join your fellow travellers at a local restaurant for a Cretan feast. Food is a social affair for the locals, to be savoured with good company, served in the middle of the table to taste, and share. An array of dishes such as the delectable dakos – a traditional Cretan recipe, with barley rusk, fresh tomato and Cretan cheese “mizithra” and the famous kaltsounia, a pastry dessert served with honey and cinnamon are carefully prepared for you this evening. Complete your Cretan experience this evening perhaps raising a toast with a glass of tsikoudia or raki, the national drink of the Cretans!
- Chania: Toast the culmination of your travels with dinner in true Greek style at a local restaurant.
Insight Choice - Thessaloniki: Explore the historical city of Thessaloniki with your Local Expert.
- Thessaloniki: Explore Thessaloniki and its cuisine, perfect for local-food-lovers.
Insight Experiences - Vergina: Visit the UNESCO-protected site of the ancient city of Aigai (modern name Vergina) and its new archaeological Museum, see the monumental palace and burial ground.
- Nafplion: Meet an expert sommelier at a Nemea winery and learn about the evolution of Greek wine making, dating back to antiquity. After touring the winery, sample some of the delicious and elegant Greek wines, expertly paired with piquant local cheeses and tasty cured meats.
- Heraklion: While in Crete, enjoy your guided visit to the Palace of Minos at Knossos.
Make Travel Matter - Delphi: Visit a family-run Moka honey farm for an educational tour about bees and taste the rich thyme honey produced in the valley of olive trees. This experience advances United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 15: Life on Land.
Tasting - Nafplio: Stop at a local olive oil factory to learn about the olive oil making process while tasting extra virgin olive oil, a staple of the Mediterranean diet.
Top Rated Highlights - Athens: Ascend the Acropolis with a Local Expert to admire the Parthenon, built in 5th century B.C. Steps away you'll see the Temple of Athena Nike, also known as the Temple of the Wingless Victory, and the six stone-carved caryatids that make up the Porch of the Maidens on the Erechtheion.
- Athens: See the Arch of Hadrian, erected in honour of the Roman Emperor and used as a divider between the ancient city and the new Roman district, along with the remaining columns of the Temple of Olympian Zeus.
- Thermopylae: See the Leonidas Monument dedicated to the brave warrior and his 300 Spartans.
- Metsovo: Visit Metsovo, the authentic traditional village on the picturesque mountainside.
- Ioannina: Cruise to the island of Ioannina, spreading out around the beautiful lake Pamvotida. Walk around the old town, see the Ali Pasha and Revolutionary Period Museum, where Ali Pasha was killed and decapitated by the sultan's troops in 1822, marvel at the museum's rich collection. See the Monastery of Saint Nicholas of Philanthropinoi – an important site as the island is Greece's third-largest monastic community.
- Nafpaktos: The site of the Great Sea battle of Lepanto, scenery and history are revealed on your visit to the Venetian town of Nafpaktos. Nafpaktos Port, once used to defend the city, is now home to gorgeous private yachts. Admire the yachts, an old lighthouse and two statues depicting the Greek national hero Anemogiannis and Cervantes.
- Delphi: With your Local Expert, walk to The Sacred Way once lined with offertory temples. See the reconstructed Athenian Treasury and pass the superb Polygonal Wall to reach the Temple of Apollo, where the people would seek divine wisdom from the mysterious Oracle.
- Nafplio: Join your Travel Director in an orientation of this beautiful seaport town and see why it is named one of Greece's prettiest spots.
- Archaeological Site of Mycenae: Walk through the Lion Gate past the royal beehive-tombs where Schliemann uncovered golden treasure, while hearing tales of Agamemnon.
- Heraklion: Take an internal flight to Crete, your home for the next four nights
- Corinth Canal: Cross the amazing rock-cut channel dividing the Peloponnese from mainland Greece.
- Heraklion: Join your Travel Director in an orientation of the urban capital of the island of Crete - Heraklion, a port city with millennia of history.
- Heraklion: Further your discovery of the Crete island and its past on a visit to the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion with a Local Expert for an insightful background to the history and culture of Crete. You’ll see treasures from the Palace of Knossos, astounded by the incredible details in pieces from thousands of years ago.
- Rethymno: Take a walking tour past the Venetian buildings as well as Ottoman domes and minarets built by the Turks. View the 16th-century Venetian fortress built on Paleokastro hill overlooking Rethymno town to protect it from Turkish invaders.
- Chania: A fusion of Venetian and Ottoman archaeology, delve into the history of the town of Chania with your Local Expert. Visit the most important monuments of the old town and the Ottoman district of Splantzia.
Well-being - Enjoy the comfort of Insight's luxurious, air-conditioned, 40-seat coach with double the standard legroom and onboard washroom. Our customized luxury coaches are sanitized before the start of your tour and are maintained to very high standards. Physical distancing measures have been implemented on our customized luxury coaches.
- Hand sanitizer is freely available on board for you to use throughout the day.
|