Classic Greece & the Ancient World

Classical Greece & the Ancient World

A fascinating journey that brings to life the wonders of the Classical Greek civilisation and the histories of the Byzantine and Roman periods.

Athens, Greece and the Parthenon

Meteora Day One – Fly to Thessaloniki Upon arrival, meet your tour manager for the short 30-minute transfer to your hotel. Spend the rest of the day relaxing and acclimatising to your new surroundings. Depending on your time of arrival, you might choose to take a stroll into Thessaloniki, which was once the wealthiest city in the Byzantine Empire. Walk along the seafront promenade, perhaps pausing for a souvlaki and a beer at one of the numerous cafés and restaurants, no doubt looking forward to the week ahead.

Day Two – Included tour of Thessaloniki

and Mount Athos Join your tour manager for a tour of Thessaloniki, which, despite being Greece’s second-largest city, has a compact centre that is perfect for exploring on foot. Founded in 315 BC, Thessaloniki was an important city during the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman periods and is home to several well-preserved sites from these eras. Visit the stunning Byzantine Church of Saint Demetrios, honouring Thessaloniki’s patron saint, a Roman soldier killed on the site of the church in 306 AD by Emperor Galerius, infamous persecutor of Christians. Continue to the Arch of Galerius, a magnificent symbol of the emperor’s power, with intricate panel carvings commemorating a decisive victory over the Persians, and the waterfront White Tower, an Ottoman fortress and perhaps Thessaloniki’s most famous landmark. Enjoy lunch at your leisure in Thessaloniki, which has a well-earned reputation as a powerhouse of Greek gastronomy, before the tour continues to Halkidiki for a boat tour around the UNESCO-listed Mount Athos. Sit back and relax as your guide explains the legend of Mount Athos, and gain a unique perspective from the sea.

Day Three – Optional Mount Olympus

tour Enjoy a morning at leisure before this afternoon brings the choice of exploring Mount Olympus on an optional tour or continuing your exploration of Thessaloniki under your own steam.

Available May, Jun, Sep & Oct 2023

Fly direct from these airports. Prices from

Gatwick £1,415 • Manchester £1,479 Room for Sole Use from £485

Please note: If you are taking the Island extension, the transfer time from your hotel in Athens to Piraeus port is 30 minutes and from Piraeus port to Athens airport is one hour. The transfer time from Thessaloniki airport to your hotel is 45 minutes upon arrival and one hour on the return to Athens Airport from your hotel in Glyfada.

Thessaloniki

Mount Olympus

Meterora

Greece

Delphi

Aegina

Mount Athos

Athens

• Spend eight days exploring some of

Greece’s best-preserved sites • Explore Athens, ‘The Glorious City’ • Discover historic Delphi, home to the Temple of Apollo • Enjoy a boat ride around the UNESCO-listed

Mount Athos • Learn about the fascinating history of

Thessaloniki on a city tour • Enjoy a visit to Mount Olympus, where

Homer lived • Discover the UNESCO-listed Meteora monastery, filming location of James Bond film For Your Eyes Only • Seven nights’ carefully chosen four-star bed and breakfast accommodation • One evening meal • Flights to Thessaloniki returning from

Athens, with coach travel and transfers throughout • Fully escorted by a friendly, experienced tour manager

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This tour will transport you back to a time when Greece was the cradle of civilisation. Journey from the birthplace of Alexander the Great to the fabled oracle of Delphi and finish in cosmopolitan Athens.

Saint Paul cathedral, Thessaloniki Ruins of the Temple of Athena Pronaia, Delphi Mount Olympus

In Greek mythology, Mount Olympus was the home of the 12 Greek gods. Your tour guide will bring these fascinating myths to life as you explore the mountain, which is Greece’s highest peak, reaching 9,573ft above sea level. Homer, legendary author of the Odyssey and Iliad is also believed to have lived here. Day Four – Included Meteora tour Join your tour manager after breakfast today for an included tour of the rock formations at Meteora. The stunning landscape is littered with enormous rock columns, some as tall as 1,800ft. There are six working monasteries precipitously perched on top of these gigantic columns, which are a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. The monasteries date back to the 14th-century, and one of them, the Monastery of the Holy Trinity, was featured in the 1981 James Bond film For Your Eyes Only. Spend a wonderful day exploring this truly unique landscape before returning to your hotel this evening. Day Five – Transfer to Delphi This morning, after breakfast, board the coach and transfer to Delphi. Stop en route for lunch (payable locally), before arriving at your new hotel in the late afternoon. Relax and take the time to settle in, perhaps heading to explore the town or enjoying an apéritif at your hotel before an included dinner is served.

Day Six – Included tour of Delphi and transfer

to Athens After breakfast, join your tour manager for an included tour of sacred Delphi. Site of the Oracle, consulted for a thousand years for her wise utterances, Delphi’s remains include the Sacred Precinct with its fabled Temple of Apollo and its reconstructed Treasury of the Athenians. Marvel at the 5th-century BC bronze charioteer, one of Greece’s most priceless remains and visit the fabled Castalian spring, into which Byron once plunged. After a day spent exploring Delphi, transfer to Athens, and your new hotel in Glyfada. Depending upon your arrival time, enjoy a first taste of the bustling Greek capital. Choose to dine in the hotel, or perhaps in one of the innumerable restaurants or tavernas close to your hotel. Day Seven – Included tour of Athens This morning our included guided sightseeing tour will introduce you to this extraordinary, beguiling city. Explore the fabled Acropolis, the massive rock buttress topped with the familiar ruins of the Parthenon. Entrance is included to the Acropolis Museum, which houses items rescued from the monuments, and don’t miss the great Roman Herodes Atticus Theatre, the nearby ruins of the 17-000-seat Theatre of Dionysos, which once witnessed the masterworks of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides, and the stupendous remains of the Temple of Zeus, once the largest temple on the Greek mainland. Modern Athens surrounds the relics of the past – and your tour will leave you keen to explore under your own steam. This evening, you can enjoy some traditional Greek hospitality in your choice of restaurant, reflecting on a wonderful week. Day Eight – Return to the UK Depending on the time of your flight, you may have some free time today to explore Athens before you transfer to the airport to begin your journey home.

your hotels

Holiday Inn Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki HHHH

Bed & Breakfast nights 1-4

Located in the heart of Thessaloniki, less than a mile from the bustling port, this well-equipped hotel features comfortable, air-conditioned rooms, together with a gym, bar and restaurant. Hotel Amalia, Delphi Half-Board HHHH night 5

Boasting wonderful views over a green valley and out toward the sea, this hotel has an outdoor pool, well-manicured gardens and an inviting lounge. Rooms are light and airy, with air conditioning and complimentary Wi-Fi. The hotel offers a restaurant and bar. Hotel Bomo Palace, Glyfada HHHH Bed & Breakfast nights 6-7

This comfortable hotel is located right on Glyfada’s waterfront, and boasts spacious, airy rooms, together with an outdoor pool, restaurant and bar. Complimentary Wi-Fi is provided throughout, and Piraeus port is close by.

Hotel Bomo Palace

extend your holiday

Seven-night Greek Island Extension from £765

Time to unwind! Choose from lazing by the pool, exploring Aegina Island, home to the Temple of Apollo, swimming in the sea and enjoying some classic Greek food. Staying at the three-star Hotel Danae on bed & breakfast basis. However you decide to spend your week, you’re sure to leave relaxed.

Hotel Danae, Aegina