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ITINERARY INSIGHT VACATIONS GLORIES OF GREECE
DAY 1 – ATHENS AT LEISURE
Welcome to Athens - warm hearted host city of the 2004 Olympic games. We are met at the airport and transferred to our hotel. Then time to relax or explore before a Welcome Drink tonight. Hotel: Metropolitan. (Three or four course table d'hote or buffet style dinner)
DAY 2 – ATHENS SIGHTSEEING
This morning Athens offers us glory in abundance, from the Parthenon and Acropolis to the Temple of Zeus and Hadrian's Arch. This evening, why not join your fellow travellers for a lively night out with dinner and entertainment? (Buffet breakfast)
DAY 3 – ATHENS – OLYMPIA
We cross the Corinth canal to the Peloponnese region, then drive to the ancient ruined mountainside city of Mycenae. We walk through the Lion Gate, see the giant 'Cyclopean' stones used to build the city walls, and visit the Beehive Tombs. Heading west, a delightful drive takes us through the Arcadia Mountains to Olympia. Hotel: Olympia Palace. (Buffet breakfast, Three or four course table d'hote or buffet style dinner)
DAY 4 – OLYMPIA – DELPHI
This morning we tour Olympia, birthplace of the Olympic Games in 776BC. Then we cross to the mainland and follow the coast before ascending the Sacred Way to Delphi, clinging to the side of Mount Parnassus at 2,000 feet. Here we see the splendid Parian marble Treasury of the Athenians and the Temple of Apollo, where the Oracle of Delphi breathed her enigmatic 'words'. Hotel: Delphi Palace. (Buffet breakfast, Three or four course table d'hote or buffet style dinner)
DAY 5 – DELPHI – KALAMBAKA
We cross fertile Thessaly, the 'bread basket of ancient Greece', then head for the Monasteries of Metéora, incredibly perched on rocky pinnacles, where we visit one of the monasteries, and then it's not far to Kalambaka for our overnight stay. Hotel: Divani. (Buffet breakfast, Three or four course table d'hote or buffet style dinner)
DAY 6 – KALAMBAKA – ATHENS
We stop at Thermopylae to see the memorial to Leonidas and his brave Spartans, then head back to Athens for a three night stay. Hotel: Metropolitan. (Buffet breakfast)
DAY 7 – ATHENS – DAY CRUISE
Today we enjoy a full day cruise during which we shall visit Aegina, Poros and Hydra, three of the islands of the Saronic Gulf. Our cruise includes a buffet lunch with wine and a display of traditional Greek dancing. (Buffet breakfast, Lunch)
DAY 8 – ATHENS
Our tour ends with a transfer to Athens airport. (Buffet breakfast)
Highlights
The first sight of the Parthenon atop of the Acropolis is truly memorable, as are the other historic archeological sites. For some, the highlight might be a Greek salad and cold drink at an outdoor taverna. However, those that have seen the sunset from cliff-top Santorini agree they are the best in the world!
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