If you only have a few days, but you want to enjoy Athens and Rome , this is the way. Add this short tour onto any other 4 or 7 day Greek Cruise for an even better travel adventure.

DAY 1 - ATHENS
Arrive at Athens Airport, where you will be greeted by our staff and transferred to your hotel. The rest of the day is yours to spend as you like. Take your first look at this great ancient-modern city. Wander through the Plaka, and up to the Acropolis if you like, guidebook in hand.

DAY 2 - ATHENS CITY TOUR (cBD)
After breakfast, a half day seat in a coach tour:
we tour the great Greek capital, including Constitution (Syntagma) Square, Parliament, the Memorial to the Unknown Soldier, and the National Library.

Driving down Herod Atticus street you will see the Evzones in their picturesque uniforms and the Presidential Palace.

On your way to the Acropolis, you will see the Panathenaic Stadium (where the first Olympic Games of the modern era were held in 1896), the Temple of the Olympian Zeus and Hadrian's Arch.

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.

Evening Greek dinner with music & show.

DAY 3 - ARGOLIS (cBL)*
Leave Athens along the Saronic Gulf coastal road to the Corinth Canal, which connects the Aegean Sea with the Ionian Sea. Drive on to Mycenae, the Homeric City of the Atreides, "rich in gold" of the ancient poets. (Visit the Lion's Gate, the Cyclopean Walls and the Royal Tombs). Drive through the fertile plain of Argolis to Nafplion, a picturesque town nestled at the foot of the Palamidi Fortress. After lunch, leave for Epidavros to visit the theater (4th Century B.C.), famous for its astonishing acoustics. Return to Athens by the national road connecting Epidavros with Corinth. Lunch in Mycanae or Nafplion.

DAY 4 - ATHENS/ ROME (B)
Our staff escorts you to the airport for your flight to Rome , Athens Rome air ticket is included , issued and delivered in Athens.

Whatever it is about Rome that intrigues you, fascinates you, tempts you, or entertains you, you'll find it exactly, because your visit will be tailored exactly to your desires. Fascinated by the tastes of Roman cuisine? Your private guide will suggest the best restaurants. Drawn to the masterpieces of Michelangelo? We'll whisk you to the Vatican at the best time. Have your heart set on Italian footwear or daring designs in clothing? Talk it over with your guide-in your own language-and find out where to shop.

You'll arrive today at Rome's Fiumicino Airport, please proceed to COTAV DESK outside the Customs. This is your meeting point where your Roman host will be waiting to greet you in your preferred language, be it Spanish, Japanese, French, or English.

After introductions, you'll be escorted in a private car to the hotel you've selected. You'll have a chance to discuss what you'll be doing over the next few days. Your host will make sure that you're settled in for the evening, after which you'll have a chance to make your own acquaintance with the Eternal City.

DAY 5 IMPERIAL ROME WALKING TOUR (B)
Enjoy a leisurely breakfast at your hotel, until your guide calls for you to begin your walking visit to glorious Rome of the empire. In just a few hours, you'll pass through centuries of history. You'll take in the Colosseum, completed in 72 A.D. by Emperor Vespasian, once the site of gladiatorial bouts and chariot races, and so solidly constructed that it still is largely intact. You'll continue to the Forum, the main public square of the ancient city, site of markets, public ceremonies, and religious rituals. You'll take in the Monument to the Unknown Soldier in the Piazza Venezia, and journey back across centuries again to the Piazza del Campidoglio, the masterpiece city hall square designed by Michelangelo. And you'll appreciate unforgettable hilltop views of all of Rome. Spend your afternoon as you choose. Your host will be pleased to call a taxi to take you to your hotel, or recommend a restaurant for lunch. Rome offers an endless array of temptations, and your only problem will be choosing among them: a stroll on the Via del Corso, shopping on the Via Condotti, browsing the Via delle Carrozze and the Via della Croce. Of course, there's nothing as Roman as stopping for a cappuccino at the Antico Caffč Greco in the heart of the Via Condotti. Indulge yourself! For dinner, we can recommend typically Roman restaurants near the Forum, the Colosseum, or in other parts of Rome. Your host will be happy to discuss your preferences and write down some suggestions, with full directions.

DAY 6 TREASURES OF THE VATICAN (B)
Your Roman host will once again call for you after breakfast at your lodgings, to take you on a walking visit (or, as an option, by private car) to Rome's universal masterpieces of religious art and architecture. You'll travel together to the Vatican, and on the way, discuss the background of this unique city-state as patron of the arts, temporal power, and beacon of faith for millions worldwide. Your morning-and more, for there's so much to see-will be devoted to the Vatican Museums and St. Peter's Basilica. Count on four hours for the visit. Of course, you'll see the absolute musts for anyone visiting the Holy See, including Michelangelo's ceiling frescoes in the Sistine Chapel, his Last Judgment over the altar, and masterpieces by Raphael. You'll continue to St. Peter's Basilica, the greatest church in the world by any measure, to view its grandeur as a whole, and its individual treasures, from the Pietą by Michelangelo to the Papal altar and Throne of St. Peter by Bernini. Afterward, a horse-drawn carriage will convey you into the heart of Rome, to view monuments and treasures from all eras, including Castel Sant'Angelo and the Pantheon of the ancient empire, and the beloved Fontana de Trevi and the Piazza di Spagna of more recent times. Once again, the remainder of the day will be yours to spend as you choose, shopping or enjoying the cuisine and street life of one of the world's most lively cities, with recommendations by your guide.

DAY 7 DEPARTURE (B)
Your host will call for you after breakfast to arrange your onward travel from Rome. Are you continuing by rail? You'll be escorted to Rome's Termini station. Otherwise, you'll be accompanied to Fiumicino Airport to catch your flight.

RATES per person in USD

Your tour includes:

• Transfers from and to the airport in Athens and Rome
• Air fare Athens Rome , one way in economy class , tax included.

• Accommodations in a Moderate deluxe ( 5 -star), Hotel Divani , Superior First Class , or First Class (4-star) hotel such as the Novotel, Titania , Stanley, or Royal Olympic.
• Travel books on Athens & Rome

• Meals as specified including B = Breakfast, (or cB, Continental Breakfast) L = Lunch, D = Dinner

• Seat in a coach-group tours, with guided sightseeing as per itinerary Including all entrance fees.

Please note that for Nov - Mar period :

• Argolis is only on Tuesdays, Thursday & Saturdays . You may consider Delphi if your tour doesn't coincide with Argolis.
• Delphi : on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays.

• Accommodations with breakfast (B) as indicated below, or at comparable properties, according to availability:
  

• Athens:

Athens : Divani Caravel : 5 Stars Moderate
Athens: Divani Palace Acropolis : 5 Stars Moderate
Electra Palace (four stars).

In Athens you may wish to visit on your own:

The Ancient Agora of Athens was the heart of ancient Athens, the focus of political, commercial, administrative and social activity, the religious and cultural center, and the seat of justice.
The site was occupied without interruption in all periods of the city's history. It was used as a residential and burial area as early as the Late Neolithic period (3000 B.C.). Early in the 6th century, in the time of Solon, the Agora became a public area.
After a series of repairs and remodeling, it reached its final rectangular form in the 2nd century B.C. Extensive building activity occurred after the serious damage made by the Persians in 480/79 B.C., by the Romans in 89 B.C. and by the Herulae in A.D. 267 while, after the Slavic invasion in A.D. 580, It was gradually abandoned. From the Byzantine period until after 1834, when Athens became the capital of the independent Greek state, the Agora was again developed as a residential area.

The first excavation campaigns were carried out by the Greek Archaeological Society in 1859-1912, and by the German Archaeological Institute in 1896-97. In 1890-91, a deep trench cut for the Athens-Peiraeus Railway brought to light extensive remains of ancient buildings. In 1931 the American School of Classical Studies started the systematic excavations with the financial support of J. Rockefeller and continued until 1941. Work was resumed in 1945 and is still continuing. In order to uncover the whole area of the Agora it was necessary to demolish around 400 modern buildings covering a total area of ca. 12 hectares.

In the 19th century the four colossal figures of Giants and Tritons at the facade of the Gymnasium were restored by the Greek Archaeological Society. In the years 1953-56, the Stoa of Attalos was reconstructed to become a museum and in the same period the Byzantine church of Aghioi Apostoloi, built around A.D. 1000, was restored by the American School. Between 1972 and 1975, restoration and preservation work was carried out at the Hephaisteion; the area was cleared of the vegetation, and the roof of the temple was repaired in 1978 by the Archaeological Service.

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