Athens Classical Greece 2024

7 days / 6 nights
Seasonality period: 1 November 2023 – 31 March 2024

Low Season: 1st November 2023 to 31st March 2024

The above Rates are PER PERSON sharing in a Double/Twin Room and for 3rd Pax and/or Child

Supplement [Single] to be added to Double PER PERSON Rate to include FULL Package Rate

Exclusion Dates Conferences / Exhibitions / Special Events / National Holidays (the above RATES do NOT apply during these Dates and will be Subject to Availability upon Request).

Athens

Athens is the historical capital of Europe, with a long history, dating from the first settlement in the Neolithic age. In 1834, it became the capital of the modern Greek state and in two centuries since it has become an attractive modern metropolis with unrivalled charm. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world’s oldest cities, with its recorded history spanning. A large part of the town’s historic centre has been converted into a 3-kilometre pedestrian zone.

The historic centre is an open-air museum, yet the city’s cultural and social life takes place amid these ancient landmarks, merging past and present. The magnificent Acropolis rises above the sprawling metropolis and has stood witness to the city’s many transformations. The Plaka is the oldest section of Athens. Most of the streets have been closed to automobile traffic, though you should still keep a watchful eye for a speeding motorcycle or delivery truck.

At one time it was the nightclub district, but most of these closed down when the government outlawed amplified music in the neighborhood in the seventies in an effort to get rid of undesirables. The strategy was very successful, and it is now an area of restaurants, Jewelry stores tourist shops, and cafes. Though it is quite commercialized it is still a neighborhood and arguably the nicest neighborhood in central Athens.

Mycenae

Mycenae is one of the most important archaeological sites of Greece. The fortified citadel is nested over the fertile plain of Argolis near the seashore in the northeast Peloponnese.

Mycenae is the largest and most important center of the civilization that was named “Mycenaean” after this very citadel. Mycenaean is the culture that dominated mainland Greece, the Aegean islands, and the shores of Asia Minor during the late Bronze Age. The Mycenaean Era occupies the tail end of the Helladic Civilization.

The Mycenaeans used a syllabic script that is the earliest form of Greek, attesting to the continuity of the Greek civilization from the early Bronze Age era. Many archaeological sites, cemeteries, and Tholos Tombs of the era have been unearthed throughout Greece, and the discovered artifacts speak of a people with strong cultural presence, a centralized political system with a King at the top, with strong commercial ties to the rest of the Bronze Age Mediterranean centers, and a militaristic attitude.

Nafplio

According to mythology, the town was founded by Náfplios, the son of god Poseidon and the daughter of Danaus (Danaida) Anymone. The town’s history traces back to the prehistoric era when soldiers from here participated in the Argonautic expedition and the Trojan War alike. The town declined during the Roman times and flourished again during the Byzantine times. Frankish, Venetian and Turkish conquerors left their mark in the town and strongly influenced its culture, architecture and traditions during the centuries. Ancient walls, medieval castles, monuments and statues, Ottoman fountains and Venetian or neoclassical buildings mesmerize the visitor with their unique architecture and beauty.

Nafplion was among the first towns to be set free at the Greek War of 1821. It became the seat of the permanent Greek government until the end of the war and many war heroes and fighters moved to Nafplion, among which Theodoros Kolokotronis, Manto Mavrogenous and Dimitrios Ipsilantis. After the end of the war, it was in the port of Nafplion where the first governor of the Greek State arrived, Ioannis Kapodistrias, making the town the first capital of Greece.

Olympia

In western Peloponnese, in the beautiful valley of the Alpheios river, lies the most celebrated sanctuary of ancient Greece. Dedicated to Zeus, the father of the gods, it sprawls over the southwest foot of Mount Kronios, at the confluence of the Alpheios and the Kladeos rivers, in a lush, green landscape. Although secluded near the west coast of the Peloponnese, Olympia became the most important religious and athletic centre in Greece. Its fame rests upon the Olympic Games, the greatest national festival and a highly prestigious one world-wide, which was held every four years to honour Zeus.

The visitor can walk though the impressive ruins of the area where athletes trained and run in the ancient stadium; just as the ancient Olympians did after their victory 3000 years ago. They can also visit the museum and get the chance to see some unbelievable sculptures such as the sculpted decoration of the temple of Zeus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the famous Hermis of Praxiteles and the statue of Nike of Paionios.

Delphi

One of the most interesting archaeological sites in Greece, Delphi is located on the slopes of Mount Parnassus in central Greece. Delphi Greece was the most important oracle in the ancient Greek world and pilgrims from all over the Mediterranean would come to ask for the prophecy of god Apollo. The prophecy was spoken by the god through the words of Pythia, the high-priestess of his temple. As the myth says and scientists have confirmed, Delphi is the naval of the Earth, meaning the central point of our planet. Along time, it became also the base of a political and military association, apart from a religious sanctuary. According to the myth, Delphi is the centre of the world.

On top of this place, a sanctuary to god Apollo was constructed in the ancient times, which also worked as a famous oracle. Pilgrims from all over the Mediterranean basin would come to Delphi to ask for prophecy, while this oracle is frequently referred in ancient Greek myths and tragedies. Next to the archaeological site is the modern village of Delphi. Today, apart from the visit to the ancient site, holidays in Delphi can be combined with roads trips in Arachova, and other places in central Greece.

Kalambaka – Meteora

Meteora is the second largest monastic and pilgrimage area in Greece after Mount Athos. The first monks took refuge on these cliff tops fleeing an invading Turkish army around the 11th century. Several monasteries were built in the centuries that followed and all the building materials had to be winched up in baskets. Until 1920 this was the sole means for getting supplies up to the monasteries. According to numerous historical sources, there were once thirty religious communities but today only six of them remain and can be visited; other smaller monasteries, mostly built during the 14th century, are now deserted.

Meteora is one of those places where all the elements gather in perfect order to create a natural work of art on a monumental, yet human scale. Being engulfed by the landscape one is awed by the shapes, volumes, and textures that we often recognized in excellent art. The flowing, curvy outlines of the rocks emanate a peaceful mood that contrasts sharply with the majestic scale of the volumes. The mass of rock would seem so intimidating if it weren’t for the soft, fluid appearance of their surface. Meteora is not just masses of rocks however; it is this a rare moment where time becomes eternal, and where a human can feel simultaneously so small and so great, so much of the earth and so much of the sky.