CRETE-ATHENS & ARGOLIS - 20 days |
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CRETE – BRAURON – SOUNION – ATHENS – CORINTH CANAL – DIOLKOS – PERACHORA – CORINTH – ACROCORINTH – NEMEA – MYCENAE – EPIDAURUS – TIRYNS – ARGIVE HERAION – MESSENE – NESTOR’S PALACE – BASSAE – OLYMPIA – DELPHI - AEGINA
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DAY 1: CRETE ARRIVAL
Upon your arrival transfer to the hotel for check in. Evening is free. (Overight in Heraklion)
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DAY 2 : HERAKLION
Today we visit the Palace of Knossos and the Heraklion Museum (Overnight in Heraklion)
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DAY 3 : GORTYN – PHAESTOS – AGIA TRIADA
Today we tour three Minoan sites that span the entire Minoan period: Gortyn, Phaestos and Agia Triada. (Overnight Heraklion)
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DAY 4 : GOURNIA – MALLIA - PSYCHRO
Today we visit Gournia, the most fully excavated Minoan town, Mallia and the Dictaeon Cave in Psychro, the mythological birthplace of Zeus. (overnight Ferry to Piraeus)
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DAY 5 : PIRAEUS – BRAURON - SOUNION
Upon our arrival to Piraeus we depart for Brauron, the picturesque Sanctuary of Artemis and then to the Sanctuary of the Temple of Poseidon, majestically situated on the precipitous, rocky headland of Sounion. (Overnight in Athens)
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DAY 6 : ACROPOLIS – NATIONAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM
An early morning visit to the Acropolis, where we pass through the magnificent ceremonial gates—the Propylaea, and inside view the Parthenon, the Erechtheum, and the Temple of Athena Niké. From the heights of the Acropolis we will study the Theatre of Dionysus and the Roman Odeion of Herodes Atticus, an ancient opera house in which modern musical extravaganzas are still produced. We then climb up the Areopagus, where Paul preached to the Athenian philosophers. In the afternoon we take public transit to the National Archaeological Museum, an incomparable collection of masterpieces from excavations throughout Greece. (Overnight in Athens)
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DAY 7 : ANCIENT AGORA
This morning we visit the Agora, the civic centre of ancient Athens, the Agora Museum, and the 11th century Church of the Holy Apostles. After lunch we stroll to the ancient cemetery of the Kerameikos, with its Street of the Tombs. (Overnight in Athens)
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DAY 8 : CORINTH CANAL – DIOLKOS - PERACHORA
This morning we set out on our tour of the Peloponnese. As we leave Athens, we stop at the Sanctuary of Eleusis, and then cross over the Corinthian Canal, where we stop briefly to examine the remains of the Diolkos, on which ships were hauled overland across the isthmus. We complete the day with a visit to the Sanctuary of Hera in the small and beautiful bay of Perachora and a relaxing visit to nearby Lake Vougliameni. (Overnight in Loutraki)
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DAY 9 : CORINTH - ACROCORINTH
Today we spend all our time in Corinth. First we visit the city centre of Roman Corinth and the Museum of Corinth, and then we climb up to Acrocorinth with its impressive Classical, Hellenistic, Frankish, Venetian, and Turkish fortifications. ( Overnight in Loutraki)
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DAY 10 : NEMEA - MYCENAE
We spend the morning at Nemea, with its well preserved Stadium, the site of the Nemean Games, and its Temple of Zeus. In the afternoon, we visit Mycenae, where we see the Lion Gate, the shaft graves of Grave Circle A, the Beehive Tombs, the Megaron of the Royal Palace and the fortifications of the Citadel. (Overnight in Tolon)
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DAY 11 : EPIDAURUS – TIRYNS – ARGIVE HERAION
This morning our coach takes us to Epidauros, the healing centre of Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine. After lunch, on to Tiryns, a Mycenaean fortress palace thought by some to be even more impressive than Mycenae itself, and finally to the Argive Heraion, which provides a spectacular view overlooking the Argive Plain. (Overnight in Tolon) |
DAY 12 : MESSENE
Today we visit Epaminondas’ Messene. Here we see the magnificent walls and towers of its fortifications stretching out over the crest of Mount Ithome. Then we go on to the picturesque bay of Pylos, the scene of Sparta’s military humiliation in 425 BC. (Overnight in Pylos) |
DAY 13 : PALACE OF NESTOR - BASSAE
In the early morning light, we drive around Navarino Bay to the site of the Mycenaean Palace of Nestor, and then to the Museum at Chora, which houses the earliest Linear B tablets unearthed on mainland Greece. In the afternoon, we visit the impressive Temple of Athena at Bassae. (Overnight in Olympia)
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DAY 14 : OLYMPIA
Today we visit Olympia, home of the Olympic Games, with its gymnasium, palaestra, the Temples of Zeus and of Hera, and the Workshop of Phidias. After lunch we visit the Museum of Olympia, (Overnight in Olympia) |
DAY 15 : DELPHI
Today we depart from Olympia and cross the Rio -Antirrion suspension bridge. We travel up the sounthern slopes of Mt. Parnassos to the site of Delphi. We also visit the museum.
( Overnight in Delphi) |
DAY 16 : AEGINA
This morning we return to Athens, and drive to Piraeus and take our ferry to Aegina. Upon our arrival we transfer by coach to the resort town of Agia Marina. (Overnight in Agia Marina) |
DAY 17 : AEGINA
In the morning we visit the site of the Temple of Aphaia on a pine clad hill overlooking the Saronic Gulf. The afternoon will be free for students to prepare for examinations. (Agia Marina) |
DAY 18 : RETURN FERRY TO PIRAEUS
A mid-day transfer to the ferry back to Piraeus where our coach waits to take us to take us back to our hotel in Athens. (Athens |
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DAY 19 : DEPART
Transfer from hotel to Athens Airport |
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