Classical Greece & the Ancient World

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Classical Greece & the Ancient World

HOME OF THE GODS

A fascinating journey that brings to life the wonders of the Classical Greek civilisation and the histories of the Byzantine and Roman periods. This wonderful week-long odyssey features stays in the fascinating city of Thessaloniki and the bustling metropolis of Athens. Enjoy escorted tours of some of the most fascinating and absorbing sites of Classical Greece, including the staggering Temple of Apollo at Delphi, the 5th-century Acropolis of Athens and the monasteries at Meteora.

Holiday Highlights

Spend eight days exploring some of Classical Greece’s best-preserved sites
Explore fabled Athens, ‘The Glorious City’
Discover historic Delphi, home to the Temple of Apollo
Enjoy a boat ride around the UNESCO-listed Mount Athos
Learn about the fascinating history of Thessaloniki on a city tour
Enjoy a visit to Mount Olympus, where Homer lived
Discover the UNESCO-listed Meteora monastery, filming location of James Bond's For Your Eyes Only

What's Included

Seven nights’ carefully chosen bed and breakfast accommodation
One evening meal
Flights to Thessaloniki, returning from Athens
Coach travel and transfers throughout
Fully escorted by a friendly, experienced tour manager

Itinerary

Day 1 ?

Upon arrival, meet your tour manager for the short 30-minute transfer to your hotel. Spend the rest of the day relaxing and acclimatising to your new surroundings. Depending on your time of arrival, you might choose to talk a stroll into Thessaloniki, which was once the wealthiest city in the Byzantine Empire. Take a walk along the seafront promenade, perhaps pausing for a souvlaki and a beer at one of the numerous cafés and restaurants, no doubt looking forward to a fascinating week ahead.

Day

Join your tour manager for a fascinating tour of Thessaloniki, which, despite being Greece’s second-largest city, has a compact centre that is perfect for exploring on foot. Founded in 315 BC, Thessaloniki was an important city during the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman periods, and is home to several well-preserved sites from these eras. Visit the stunning Byzantine Church of Saint Demetrios, honouring Thessaloniki’s patron saint, a Roman soldier killed on the site of the church in 306 AD by Emperor Galerius, infamous persecutor of Christians. Continue to the Arch of Galerius, a magnificent symbol of the emperor’s power with intricate panel carvings commemorating a decisive victory over the Persians, and the waterfront White Tower, an Ottoman fortress and perhaps Thessaloniki’s most famous landmark. The tower was built in the 15th century on the site of a Byzantine fortification and was used to protect the harbour. Enjoy lunch at your leisure in Thessaloniki, which has a well-earned reputation as a powerhouse of Greek gastronomy, before the tour continues to Halkidiki for a boat tour around the UNESCO-listed Mount Athos. The ‘Holy Mountain’, as it is also known, sits on a peninsula that juts out in the Aegean Sea, and is home to 20 monasteries. According to myth, the mountain was created by Athos, who was one of the Gigantes. Sit back and relax as your guide explains the legend of Mount Athos, as you gain a unique perspective from the sea.

Day

Enjoy an fascinating day of exploration in the home of the Gods. In Greek mythology, Mount Olympus was the home of the 12 Greek gods. Your tour guide will bring these fascinating myths to life as you explore the mountain, which is Greece’s highest peak, reaching to 9,573ft above sea level. Homer, legendary author of the Odyssey and Iliad is also believed to have lived here. Mount Olympus is famous for its unique biodiversity and is classified as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The mountain’s forested slopes are home to 32 species of mammals, 108 species of birds and countless different reptiles and amphibians, together with 1700 plant species, which equates to roughly 25% of all the plants found in Greece.

Day

After breakfast it's time to leave the hotel and Thessaloniki and transfer to Meteora. Join your tour manager for an included tour of the rock formations at Meteora. The stunning landscape is littered with enormous rock columns, some as tall as 1,800ft. There are six working monasteries precipitously perched on top of these gigantic columns, which are a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. The monasteries date back to the 14th-century, and one of them, the Monastery of the Holy Trinity, was featured in the 1981 James Bond film For Your Eyes Only. Spend a wonderful day exploring this truly unique landscape, before arriving at your hotel for one night in Kalambaka where you will enjoy dinner.

Day

This morning, after breakfast, board the coach and transfer to Delphi. Stop en route for lunch (payable locally), before arriving at your new hotel in the late afternoon. Relax and take the time to settle in, perhaps heading to explore the town, or enjoying an apéritif at your hotel, before an included dinner is served this evening.

Day

After breakfast, join your tour manager for an included tour of sacred Delphi. Site of the oracle consulted for a thousand years for her wise utterances, Delphi’s remains include the Sacred Precinct, with its fabled Temple of Apollo and its reconstructed Treasury of the Athenians. Marvel at the 5th-century BC bronze charioteer, one of Classical Greece’s most priceless remains and visit the fabled Castalian spring, into which Byron once plunged. After a wonderful day spent exploring Delphi, transfer to Athens, and your new hotel in Glyfada. Depending upon your arrival time, enjoy a first taste of the bustling Greek capital. Choose to dine in the hotel, or perhaps in one of the innumerable restaurants or tavernas close to your hotel.

Day

This morning our included guided sightseeing tour will introduce you to this extraordinary, beguiling city. Explore the fabled Acropolis, the massive rock buttress topped with the familiar ruins of the Parthenon, one of the world’s most enduring symbols. The great double gatehouse, the Propylaea, the elegant Temple of Athena Nike and the great Erechtheion complete the major monuments that are awe-inspiring windows to the 5th-century BC era of the great Classical Greek Civilisation and its immortal leader Pericles. Entrance is included to the Acropolis Museum, which houses items rescued from the monuments, and don’t miss the great Roman Herodes Atticus Theatre, the nearby ruins of the 17-000-seat Theatre of Dionysos, which once witnessed the masterworks of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides, and the stupendous remains of the Temple of Zeus, once the largest temple on the Greek mainland. Modern Athens surrounds the relics of the past – and your tour will leave you keen to explore under your own steam, before, this evening, you enjoy some traditional Greek hospitality in your choice of restaurant, reflecting on a wonderful week.

Day

Depending on the time of your flight, you may have some free time today to explore Athens before you transfer to the airport to begin your journey home.

Hotel transfer times

The transfer time from the airport to your hotel is approximately ***

Combining hotel transfers

We sometimes need to combine transfers to and from your hotel. We always try to keep any wait to a minimum, but you may be asked to wait at the airport for up to an hour, while other incoming flights arrive, before the transfer to your hotel. Similarly, we may need to transfer you back to the airport up to three hours before your flight home departs.

Room tax

Some hotel have introduced a room tax of between 1 € and 3 € per person per night, payable directly by the guest to the hotel on check-out. You'll be advised by your tour manager at your destination if a particular hotel is implementing this charge.

Special requirements

If you have notified us of any special requirements, please check that they have been noted and acknowledged. This is especially important with any dietary needs you may have.

Disabled access

The majority of our tours involve a certain amount of walking, including a short walk from the coach stop to the town, attraction or venue you're visiting. If you are bringing a wheelchair, please let us know at the time of booking so that appropriate arrangements can be made.

Itinerary changes

Occasionally, for operational reasons, we may have to change the order of the excursions on your holiday. The final day-by-day itinerary will be confirmed on your Final Travel Documents, which you will receive approximately three weeks prior to your departure.

Changes to your hotels

Should circumstances require, we reserve the right to accommodate you in alternative hotels, of a similar standard, nearby. Full details of your hotels will be sent with your Final Travel Documents.

Foreign Office Travel Advice

Visit www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice to find out the latest Foreign And Commonwealth Office travel advice for your holiday destination, as well as information about passports and visas.

Holiday provided by

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