4 Day Guided Tour Athens, Delphi, Meteora, Hydra, Poros, Aegina

What's Included

Meeting and pickup

Itinerary

Day 1
Athens - Delphi - Meteora.
3 stops
1
Delphi Archaeological Museum
Pickup from your hotel in Athens and a drive of about 3 hours through Boeotia and up the slopes of Mount Parnassus to Delphi. With your entrance tickets included, you walk the Sanctuary of Apollo, where ancient Greeks came to consult the oracle, and see the Temple of Apollo, the Treasury of the Athenians, the ancient theater and the stadium. In the museum, you see the bronze Charioteer and the Sphinx of the Naxians. Since 2010 our drivers have timed this visit to arrive before the midday tour buses. The path up to the stadium is uphill on old stone, so wear comfortable shoes.
2 hours • Admission ticket included
2
Arachova
A stop in Arachova, a mountain village on the slopes of Mount Parnassus known for its stone houses, narrow lanes and the clock tower of Agios Georgios above the main square. It’s a good place for lunch at a local tavern (not included) and to try formaela, the village’s own PDO cheese, or browse the shops selling handwoven rugs and local honey.
1 hour • Admission ticket free
Kalambaka (Pass by)
You continue north across the plain of Thessaly and reach Kalambaka late in the afternoon, with your first view of the Meteora rock pillars as you approach the town. Check in at your hotel and enjoy dinner, which is included tonight. Kalambaka sits right at the foot of the rocks, so next morning you are only minutes from the monasteries. Overnight in Kalambaka.
Day 2
Meteora - Athens
3 stops
3
Meteora
After breakfast, you leave the hotel and drive a few minutes up to Meteora, where monasteries stand on top of sandstone pillars rising up to 400 meters above the plain. Monks began building here in the 14th century, and six monasteries are still active today. Each one closes on a different day of the week, so we plan your visit around the ones open that day, usually two of Great Meteoron, Varlaam, Roussanou or St. Stephen. Your entrance tickets are included. Inside, you see Byzantine frescoes, old monastic kitchens and collections of manuscripts. Between visits, we stop at panoramic viewpoints where you can still spot the hermit caves in the cliffs above Kastraki. Dress code applies: shoulders and knees covered, and skirts for women (wraps are usually available at the entrance).
3 hours • Admission ticket included
4
Thermopylae
On the way back to Athens, we stop at Thermopylae, the narrow pass where King Leonidas and his 300 Spartans held back the Persian army in 480 BC. Here you see the bronze statue of Leonidas and the monument to the Thespians who fought beside the Spartans. Across the road is the hill of Kolonos, where the last defenders made their final stand.
15 minutes • Admission ticket free
Athens (Pass by)
We drop you off at your hotel in Athens in the late afternoon. The rest of the evening is yours to rest or explore the city at your own pace. For dinner, Plaka and Psyrri are both a short walk or taxi ride from most central hotels, and the view of the lit Acropolis from a rooftop is a fine way to end the day. Overnight in Athens.
Day 3
Day cruise to Poros, Hydra, Aegina form Athens
3 stops
5
Aegina Town
After breakfast, we transfer you from your hotel to the port, where you board your cruise ship for a full day in the Saronic Gulf. First stop is Aegina, which served as the first capital of modern Greece in 1828. Stroll the narrow streets to see traditional houses with small courtyards, the neoclassical buildings along the harbor and the little white chapel of Agios Nikolaos at the harbor entrance. Aegina is known across Greece for its pistachios, so make time to taste them fresh at the stalls by the port. If you prefer history, an optional tour to the Temple of Aphaia is usually available on board at extra cost.
2 hours • Admission ticket free
6
Hydra Town
Hydra is one of the most romantic destinations in Greece, with its town built on a slope around a horseshoe harbor. No cars are allowed on the island, so donkeys and water taxis still do the work. Walk past the stone mansions of the old shipowners who funded the Greek fleet in the War of Independence of 1821, visit the monastery with its marble clock tower right on the harbor, or follow the coastal path west for views over the sea. Lunch is served on board during the cruise.
2 hours • Admission ticket free
7
Poros
Poros sits across a narrow channel from the Peloponnese, close enough that you can see the mainland from the town. Walk among the neoclassical buildings and climb up to the famous clock tower, built in 1927, for the best view over the town and the bay. In the late afternoon, the ship sails back to Athens, and we transfer you from the port to your hotel. Overnight in Athens.
2 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 4
Guided Tour in Acropolis, Museum and Panoramic City tour.
3 stops
Athens (Pass by)
After breakfast, we pick you up from your hotel for a panoramic drive through the center of Athens with your licensed guide. You pass the Temple of Olympian Zeus and Hadrian’s Arch, the Panathenaic Stadium, built entirely of marble and home to the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, and Syntagma Square with the Parliament and the Evzones guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Along Panepistimiou Street, you see the neoclassical trilogy of the Academy of Athens, the University and the National Library, designed by Danish architects in the 19th century.
8
Acropolis
On the Acropolis, you visit the architectural masterpieces of the Golden Age of Pericles in the 5th century BC, with your entrance tickets included. Your licensed guide leads you through the Propylaea to the Parthenon, the Erechtheion with its porch of the Caryatids and the small Temple of Athena Nike. You learn how the monuments were built, what they meant to ancient Athenians and how the restoration work you see today is carried out. From our years of guiding here, we start early for cooler temperatures and fewer crowds. The marble is polished smooth by centuries of visitors, so wear shoes with good grip.
2 hours • Admission ticket included
9
Acropolis Museum
The new Acropolis Museum, opened in 2009, holds the original finds from the hill, from votive offerings and everyday objects to the sculptures of its temples. Highlights include five of the original Caryatids from the Erechtheion and the Parthenon Gallery on the top floor, where the frieze is displayed in the same layout as on the temple, with the Parthenon itself visible through the glass walls. At the entrance, the glass floor lets you look down on the excavations of an ancient Athenian neighborhood. At the end of the tour, we drop you off at your hotel or the airport.
1 hour • Admission ticket included

Additional info

• Specialized infant seats are available
• Service animals allowed
• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels
• 2 people will stay in a double-sharing room, 3 people will stay in a triple-sharing room, and 1 person will have a private single room

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