TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: Arrival. Transfer to the hotel.
Welcome to Europe!!!. On arrival at the airport we shall be waiting to transfer you to the hotel. You can enjoy free time until your tour starts, information about the meeting place and start time can be found on the information boards in the hotel reception area.


IMPORTANT - IF YOU REQUESTED ADDITIONAL NIGHTS on arrival at the hotel you will have your booking made but the guide of your trip will normally not arrive until the start of the included activities. YOUR TIME BEFORE THIS MOMENT IS THEREFORE FREE. At your hotel they can help you with all the information you need.


NB: The schedules you will find in this itinerary are approximate. The guide, depending on the situation and in order to improve the development of the circuit, may adjust the schedules.

Athens.-

TODAY´S HIGHLIGHTS: City tour in Athens.


We will enjoy a panoramic tour of the city with a local guide which includes the Presidential Palace, the Panathinaikos stadium where the first modern Olympic games were held, the national library, the bustling squares of the center; the new neighborhoods that emerged after the 2004 Olympic games. The tour will end at the Acropolis site (entry not included).


In the evening we include a transfer to the area of PLAKA, a place full of small Greek taverns where you can also enjoy this country´s folklore.

Athens- Kamena Vourla- Kastraki- Meteoras- Kalabaka.-

Total distance: 410 km.

Scenery: Views over the sea. Fantastic landscapes in the region of Meteoras, orthodox monasteries.
Notes: Wear appropriate clothing (women will have to wear the skirts that will be given at arrival to the monastery). Also foresee comfortable footwear... you will have to climb many steps in Meteoras!

08:00 hrs. Athens –departure-. We leave for the north of Greece. Pleasant Mediterranean landscapes.
10.15 hrs. - Kamena Vourla – Arrival.- Charming tourist centre by the sea amidst magnificent scenery. Time for a stroll and a coffee.


11.15 hrs. - Kamena Vourla –departure-. Continuation northbound. We make a brief stop at the gorge where the battle of Thermopylae took place.
13.45 hrs. Kastraki- stop for lunch in this picturesque town located at the foot of the Meteora. The views here are magnificent!. After lunch we will visit Meteoras an impressive place declared UNESCO World Heritage, an area that covers a few square kilometers and where an ancient monastic community and a rare geological phenomenon of huge rock pillars coexist in absolute harmony. We will see the whole valley and have the chance to go into one of the most famous monasteries (entrance included).
Accommodation in Kalambaka, a small town in the center of the Meteoras´ region. Dinner included.

Kalabaka- Metsovo- Corfú- Lefkada.-

Distance covered by road: 305 km

Countryside: High mountains in northern Greece. NB: Have some warm clothes in hand to enjoy the deck on the ferry crossing.


08.00 hrs- - Kalambaka –Departure-.
09:15 hrs - Metsovo –Arrival at this picturesque, Balkan tourist village amidst the mountains. This area, which is isolated by mountains from the rest of Greece, maintains its distinct culture of strong Slav and Turkish influence. Time for a stroll and a coffee.


10:30 hrs - Metsovo –Departure-. Impressive new motorway between the mountains.
12:15 hrs- Igoumenitsa. Arrival-. At this point, we embark (around 13.00 hrs) on the ferry for an hour and a half’s crossing; pretty maritime scenery along the coast, views of Albania and the island of Corfu. We recommend having lunch on the crossing.


CORFU – Arrival (at around 14:45 hrs). We are at the island considered the most beautiful of the Ionian Sea. On the bus, we go to see KANONI, a very beautiful white church in the city. Free time afterwards in KERKIRA, the capital of the island. A town of Venetian origin, with very attractive historic centre and powerful fortresses in the port. Free time to stroll until 18.00 hrs, when we take the ferry back to the continent. Crossing takes about one and a half hours. 19:45 hrs - Approximate arrival time in Igoumenitsa and continuation of our route to


21:30 hrs - Lefkada - Accommodation in the hotel.



Note: on some high difficulty dates, some groups can be accommodated in Preveza.

Lefkada- Cruise of the islands of the Ionian- Lefkada.-

Distance covered by road: 50 km.

Countryside: Very beautiful scenery both on the island and on the crossing, as well as travelling along the coast.
NB: In the case of bad weather, the cruise may be cancelled. An alternative programme will be offered in this case. The cruise may also sometimes take a different route due to the weather.
If the weather is good, travel with your swimsuit and towel, you are sure to enjoy the beaches!


08:30 hrs- Lefkada –Departure-. We travel to the island of Lefkada, which is connected to the continent by a bridge. Very pretty coastal scenery.
09.00 hrs - Nydri. Arrival at this popular spa town. Here, after time for a coffee, we get on a small holiday cruiser with capacity for up to 500 people, which will show us some of the most attractive islands of the Ionian Sea.


Expected departure time of the cruiser 10.00 hrs. We will travel to PORTO KATSIKI, a beautiful beach; CEPHALONIA, the largest island of the Ionian Sea, where we can stroll around the picturesque village of FISCARDO; ITHACA, the hometown of Ulysses and a stroll in the village of FRIKES; the boat then goes into a hidden grotto in MEGANISI. Our boat also stops at SCORPIO, the island of Onassis, where we are able to swim. Small lunch included on board. Return to the port of Nydri at around 18:30 hrs.


20.00 - Lefkada- Arrival- Accommodation. We suggest a stroll around the bustling centre of this picturesque town.

Lefkada- Nafpaktos- Delphi- Olympia.-

Distance covered: 490 km.

Countryside: Presence of the sea and Mediterranean scenery. Very pretty views in some places.


08.00 hrs - Preveza –Departure-. We travel to the south of Greece.
11.00 hrs - Nafpaktos –in the Gulf of Corinth, the fortress reminds us that we are in Lepanto, the city where the Christian ships came up against the Turks, and the battle in which Cervantes lost an arm. Time for a stroll.


12.00 hrs - Nafpaktos –Departure-. Little villages, huge scenery over the Gulf of Corinth.
14.00 hrs – Delphos – Arrival. Time for lunch and to see the beautiful archaeological complex that overlooks the Gulf of Corinth, with incredible scenery. Entrance included.


16.30 hrs - Delphos –Departure-. We travel towards the Peloponnese, crossing a large hanging bridge that traverses the Strait of Corinth.
20.30 hrs - Olympia –Arrival, dinner and accommodation.

Olympia- Patras- Nafplio.-

Distance covered: 290 km. Countryside: Pretty Mediterranean scenery of hills and mountains on the Peloponnese Peninsula.
NB: We suggest sun protection and a bottle of water in the warmer months.


With a local guide, we visit OLYMPIA where you can see the archaeological complex (tour with a local guide and entrance included) which was the cradle of the Olympic Games in antiquity. We will see the Sanctuary of Zeus. After the visit there will be free time for you to visit the museum at your own pace if you like.


11:00 hrs - Olympia –Departure-. Mountain scenery, some picturesque villages on our way.
13.15 hrs - PATRAS –Arrival-. We visit the Cathedral of Patras, the largest in Greece, dedicated to Andrew, the first apostle. This Orthodox basilica is a place of Christian pilgrimage as it contains the relics of St. Andrew the Apostle. Time for lunch and to get to know Greeece´s third largest city.


16.00 hrs - Patras –Departure-. We continue our route through the Peloponnese, travelling to the shores of the Aegean Sea.
18.30 hrs - NAUPLIA, a charming coastal town overlooked by the citadel and Venetian fortress; time for a stroll and dinner included.

Nafplio- Epidaurus- Poros- Aegina- Athens.-

Distance covered by road: 85 km Countryside: Today we do most of the route by boat as it is dominated by the Aegean Sea.
Notes: The bus will not travel with us on our trips made by boat (we will meet it again on arrival in Athens). Do not forget to take your documentation with you and everything you might need during the day.
The timetables of the ferries connecting the Greek islands change a lot depending on the time of year, and will be announced very shortly beforehand. The timetable information given here is intended as a rough guide. The boat frequencies between Poros and Aegina are very limited. In the low season, the island of Aegina may be substituted by Hydra.


08:30 hrs –Nauplia - Departure-.
09.00hrs - EPIDAURUS, where there will be time to see its ancient theatre built 2400 years ago; it is magnificently preserved and is still used today, accommodating up to 14,000 people.


10:30 hrs - Epidaurus –Departure-.
11:15 hrs - Galatas – Arrival this small port, where we can see the island of Poros in front. We board a pleasant ferry which in fifteen minutes leaves us on the island of POROS. Time in this charming place full of tourist life; its ancient houses climb up to the clock tower. Time for a stroll and for lunch. After this (on a variable timetable depending on the time of year, a crossing of approximately 45 minutes) we take the ferry to AEGINA, an island inhabited for more than 4000 years, where we can stroll around its ancient churches, its picturesque port and its typical districts of small houses.


In the evening, we take the ferry once more, which takes around 45 minutes to return us to ATHENS –Arrival in the Piraeus, where our bus is waiting – collection of luggage and end of the services if you end your trip here.

 

End of our services. Please, check the time of your flight in case you might need an additional night.

Important ote: In case you have to book an external service (plane/train...) on the day of the end of
your tour with activities included, please remember that the schedules of the detailed itineraries are the "planned" ones but may be affected by different circumstances (traffic density, customer delays, breakdowns...). Do not book a flight/train with a tight schedule without taking this into account.
Always leave a margin in the schedule for unforeseen events.