Hellenic Treasures with Crete and Santorini
A 14 - day - Tour starts weekly in Athens, March thru Nov

CLASSICAL GREECE! Athens, Nauplia , Olympia , Delphi: See where our own Western civilization began, and how modern Greece lives today !

. The treasures of Athens . . . the romance of the Greek isles. What's better than a journey with a cherished companion to one of these prized destination?

Compare with the 9 Day version , or the 7 Day Edition. Add Spain and Andalusia , or Rome
Map & Maris Hotel - Crete * Weather Crete
Ten days with Meteora  

DAY 1 - ARRIVAL IN ATHENS - Saturday ( Weekly )
Our Athens-based personnel meets you at the international airport, assists you with the formalities, and sees you to your charming and comfortable four-star hotel, your base for the next two nights. Check in, relax, then take a stroll through the lively streets. Browse for treasures and curios, savor a coffee or aperitif at a terrace café, or enjoy a fine meal in the old Plaka district

DAY 2 , CRETE - Sunday (B)
We'll rendezvous in time to take you to your flight to Crete, Heraklion & your hotel.

DAY 3- CRETE - Monday (B)
Today is yours in Heraklion. you may wish to visit the unique 5000 year old museum, or enjoy lunch in a local tavern, and tour to the three-story Minoan palace of Knossos. Optional tours available locally

DAY 4 - CRETE - Tuesday (B)
Enjoy your stay at the hotel or explore one of the beaches. Or explore on your own the Venetian part of the old town , see below more details on tours in Crete.

DAY 5 - Santorini - Wednesday (B)
Do your last-minute shopping this morning, or just linger deliciously in bed. Then we'll call for you and see you to the port or airport ( depending on the day ) to go by ferry or plane to Santorini and your hotel in Santorini the Isle of Ancient " Atlantis ?!", where you'll find a room waiting in a four-star beach hotel. Or a cliff -side Villa .

DAY 6 - Santorini - Thursday (B)
Enjoy breakfast at your lovely hotel (or Villa),or venture out,to explore ON YOUR OWN. Some suggestion that you may wish to consider (on your own):Akrotiri,reputedly the site of fabled Atlantis. Then on to Athinios port to take a boat across to eh dormant volcano, and ascend through a crater-pocked moonscape to the crater. Visit Thirassia Island and watch sunset in Oia. Return to your hotel/villa early evening, the decision is totally yours :)

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DAY 7 - Santorini- Own activities-Friday (B)
To stay in your lovely hotel and enjoy the beach, the service, and the amenities, or to venture out to explore some of the dramatic cliffs, coves, and villages . . . that is the question! No doubt, you'll mix a bit of both; Relax, and revisit a favorite café or shop ,sip an ouzo or retsina at a waterside café, discover a beach or two, pick up a loaf of fresh bread and cheese and olives, and picnic on a hillside as you look out to sailboats at sea. Your days will be filled.

For those interested , a complimentary full day Greek cooking class ( available only on Thursdays -except during Easter week):
Advance reservation required, space is limited, must book this at the time you book your tour package with us

ONE DAY COOKING COURSE AT "SELENE" RESTAURANT.

Weekly on Thursday : at 10 30 a.m. we will welcome you at Selene Restaurant with fresh juice, coffee and traditional Greek cookies. A lecture by Evelyn Volikas and George Hatziyianakis will give you an introduction to the cuisine of the Cycladic Islands and particularly of Santorini .Following the lecture, we will introduce to you the unique local products of our island. The volcanic eruption that broke the island of Santorini apart almost 3500 years ago left the dramatic caldera that you see today. With more than 300 days of sunshine and its rich volcanic soil, the island yields a bounty of unusual indigenous herbs and vegetables. White eggplant, capers and caper leaves, fava (small yellow peas), exquisite baby tomatoes - all grown virtually without water.We will introduce you to the Santorini wine, to the grape varieties and to the Santorini vineyard, and you will have the chance to sample four different wines in the wine tasting we have arranged for you.
Cheeses and sausages from several other Cycladic islands, including Naxos, Siros, Ios, Tinos, brought especially for this occasion, will accompany the wines.At about 12.0 the presentation and the demonstration of four different recipes will take place. You will learn how to prepare an entire Greek menu: an appetizer,
a salad, a main course, and a dessert.

-Fava beans with tomato caper sauce or Tomato fritters (tomatokeftedes)

-Eggplant salad with octopus or Taramosalata

-Rabbit with egg- cheese sauce or Lamb in grapevine leaves

-Cheese and honey sweet pastry or Melitinia (traditional Santorini cookie)After we have prepared the dishes, at about 2.0 p.m. you will be able to enjoy the fruits of your labors accompanied by a bottle of delicious wine from Santorini.
The cooking class takes place every Thursday. Web site for the world famous " Selene" Greek restaurant : www.selene.gr

DAY 8 - Saturday -Athens
WELCOME back to TO ATHENS!
Our staff escorts you to the Airport and fly back to Athens and your hotel, with time left to start exploring Athens.

DAY 9 - Sunday - ATHENS (B)
Morning in Athens : we show you the top sights: the Acropolis and its museum, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, Hadrian's Arch, the Theater of Dionysus.

The Acropolis hill, so called the "Sacred Rock" of Athens, is the most important site of the city. During Perikles' Golden Age, ancient Greek civilization was represented in an ideal way on the hill and some of the architectural masterpieces of the period were erected on its ground.
The first habitation remains on the Acropolis date from the Neolithic period. Over the centuries, the rocky hill was continuously used either as a cult place or as a residential area or both. The inscriptions on the numerous and precious offerings to the sanctuary of Athena (marble korai, bronze and clay statuettes and vases) indicate that the cult of the city's patron goddess was established as early as the Archaic period (650-480 B.C.).

During the Classical period (450-330 B.C.) three important temples were erected on the ruins of earlier ones: the Parthenon, the Erechtheion, and the Temple of Nike, dedicated to Athena Parthenos, Athena Polias, and Athena-Apteros Nike, respectively. The Propylaea, the monumental entrance to the sacred area was also constructed in the same period.
The monuments on the Acropolis reflect the successive phases of the city's history. Some of them were converted into Christian churches, houses of the Franks and later on, of the Turks. After the liberation of Athens from the Turks, the protection, restoration and conservation of the monuments was one of the first tasks of the newly-founded Greek state. This major effort is continued until today, with the large-scale restoration and supporting of the monuments, which started in the 1970's and is still in progress.
The first excavations on the hill were conducted between 1835 and 1837. More systematic work was carried out in 1885-1890 by Panagiotis Kavvadias.

In the afternoon, plunge into the city as you like ( on your own ) for sightseeing and shopping.

DAY 10 - Monday - MYCENAE, EPIDAURUS & NAUPLIA (BD)
We set forth from Athens to tour classical Greece, passing Corinth and its steep-walled canal as we go. We stop at Mycenae, center of ancient Mycenaean civilization (2800-1100 BC); the legendary home of the Atreides, is situated upon a small hill-top on the lower slopes of Euboea Mountain, between two of its peaks, on the road leading from the Argolic Gulf to the north (Corinth, Athens, etc.).
The site was inhabited since Neolithic times (about 4000 BC) but reached its peak during the Late Bronze Age (1350-1200 BC), giving its name to a civilization which spread throughout the Greek world.

During that period, the acropolis was surrounded by massive "cyclopean" walls, which were built in three stages (ca.1350, 1250 and 1225 BC) except on its SE flank where a steep ravine provided natural defense.
A palace was built on the summit of the hill while towards the Argolic plain lay the wall - painted "Cult Center", the main gate or "Lion Gate" and "Grave Circle A" which contained the treasures now displayed at the National Archaeological Museum of Athens. On the NE side, a tunnel leading to a subterranean fountain was built in "cyclopean" masonry in around 1225 B.C.
More tombs, "Grave Circle B", and large tholoi as well as houses were discovered outside the walls. Mycenae was occupied without interruption until 468 B.C. when it was conquered by the city of Argos and its population banished. It was reoccupied in the 3rd century B.C. for a relatively short period. It had been abandoned for some time when Pausanias visited the site during the 2nd century A.D.

On to Epidaurus, site of the temple of Asclepius. We spend the night in Olympia. Tourist class hotels

DAY 11 - Tuesday - OLYMPIA (BD)
Tour Olympia, ancient site of the Olympic games. We visit the great Temple of Zeus, one of the Wonders of the Ancient World, and tour the museum. Tourist class hotels

DAY 12 - Wednesday - DELPHI (BD)
We drive through Rion, Antirion and Nafpaktos and along the Corinthian coast on our way to Delphi, site of the famed oracle, at the foot of Mount Parnassus. During the Mycenaean period, the female deity of Earth was worshipped in the small settlement of Delphi. The development of the sanctuary and oracle though, began in the 8th century B.C. with the establishment of the cult of Apollo. Under the protection and administration of the Amphictyony, the sanctuary continued to be autonomous after the First Sacred War and, as a result, increased its panhellenic religious and political influence. The Pythian Games were re-organized, the sanctuary was enlarged and it was enriched with nice buildings, statues, and other offerings. In the 3rd century B.C. it came under the domination of the Aetolians and later, in 191 B.C., was conquered by the Romans. During the Roman occupation the site was sometimes plundered but was also favoured by some of the emperors. With the spread of Christianity, the sanctuary lost its religious meaning and was permanently closed down with a decree of emperor Theodosius the Great. Tourist class hotels

We tour the ruins of Delphi and its oracle, sacred to Apollo and Dionysus. In the afternoon, we drive to the lovely Kalambaka and overnight

DAY 13 - Thursday - Meteora & ATHENS (B)
Tour Meteora then on to Athens.

DAY 14 - Friday - ATHENS/ DEPARTURE (B)
Our staff escorts you to the airport for your flight home. Compare with the Triangle of Ancient Lands : Egypt Greece Israel

Rate per person in US $

Enchanting Greece 7 days . Tour starts weekly in Athens, APR-OCT

Rates include:

• All transfer in Greece.
• All ferry and / or domestic air fare as per itinerary , economy class.
• Hotel accommodation with tax, & continental breakfast daily.
• Seat in a coach-group tours, with guided sightseeing as per itinerary Including all entrance fees.
• Meals as indicated, pre set menu: BLD = : Breakfast Lunch Dinner.
• Lonely Planet Travel Guide book.

Not included:

• Gratuities Personal expenses.
• Beverages, and meals not specifically listed.
• Trip Cancellation Insurance/Travel Insurance (Please ask us for the flyer)
• International airfares between New York and Athens .

Sample hotels in Athens :
Deluxe: Divani Palace Acropolis. First : Electra Palace. Stanley

Sample hotel in Crete:

Heraklio / Hersonissos Area:
* Creta Maris ( 5 stars)
* Knossos Royal Village (5 stars)
* Royal Mare Village (5 Stars)
* Atlantis Hotel ( 5 stars - Town property)
* Aldemar Royal Mare (5 stars)

Heraklio /Amoudara Area:
* Candia Maris Hotel ( 5 stars)

Elounda Area:
* Hotel Elounda Mare (5 stars):
Supplement $65 per person per night with breakfast & dinner included (part of the deal, cant delete).

Lasithi Area:
* Hotel Elounda Mare (5 stars) : PRIVATE BUNGALOW with private pool: Supplement $200 Per person per night.

First Class : 4 - Star Properties in Crete :

Heraklio Area:
* Sylva Maris Bungalows hotel ( 4 stars)
* Galaxy Iraklio Hotel ( Town property)
* Asotria Capsis Hotel ( Town Hotel)
* Marina Beach in Gouves area
* Pantheon Palace in Gouves area

Lasithi Area:
Miramar in Aghios Nikolaos

Sample Villas/ Apartments in Santorini:

For Deluxe rates : Dana Villas with a view of the Caldera & the sea ( Firostefani) .

First Class accommodation:
" Sun Rocks ", in Firostefani" , "Astra Apartments", " On The Rocks" or Chromata Apartments with a view of the caldera & the sea (Imerovigli.)

For first class accommodation in the: "Grotto Villas" in Firostefani . Or Rose Bay on Kamari Beach Hotel.