Granddaughters Laura Greene and Mollie Smith will travel with me in Greece during their Spring vacation April 22- May 1, 2016! We will explore Athens, the Peloponnese and mountains of the mainland.
Initial ideas from friends included a short stay in Athens and the travel to islands such as Santorini , Crete, Mykonos. Challenge is the distance between Athens and these islands and the time it takes to get to/from them relative to the limited time we have, and April is not the best time to travel to these islands... most activities are not available until May/June. Plus, there is much to be learned in/around Athens and the Peloponnese! And, we must have dinner at Dionysos... opposite the Acropolis when it is lit up at night. Dymi, Greek Tourism Office in NYC says it makes her feel that she is transported to ancient Greece; where we must start our journey to gain insights in Greece today.
Upon reflection, I am really interested in the history and culture (food, art, archaeology, natural environment, ...) of the country and the people. What insights can we gain about Greece today by understanding its history and culture?
Simply searching the internet and reading was not getting me on the path to creating a cohesive trip that meets our objectives, so on December 11, 2015, I spoke with Dymi C. at the Greek Tourism Office in New York; she gave me a starter set of ideas and an itinerary including sights to see on mainland and advising me that April is off season in the islands.
On Trip Advisor, I found excellent references to Georges Taxi, for private tours; emailing back and forth resulted in an itinerary which we can pack into 7 1/2 days in country that will meet our objectives!
Itinerary
Friday-Saturday April 22-23: Travel JFK/Athens Delta Airlines nonstop; Airport pick up by Georges Taxi
Saturday afternoon, April 23: Settle in O&B Athens Hotel; walk Athens
Sunday, April 24: 8:00 am - 12:00 pm Georges Taxi Tour, A Taste of Athens (Acropolis, Parthenon, Temple of Zeus, Panathenaic Stadium (site of 1896 Olympics), Lycavettus Hill, Tomb of the Unknown Solider, Athens Neoclassical Buildings..)
Sunday afternoon... roaming in Athens
Monday, April 25 - Thursday, April 28: 4 day Classical Tour to Epidaurus, Mycenae, Nafplion, Olympia, Delphi, Meteora
- Monday, April 25
- ►8:00am: Depart O&B Hotel, Athens►9:15am: Arrival at Corinth Canal (20 min stop)►11:00am: Arrival at Epidaurus theater (1 Hour stop)►12:30pm: Arrival in Nafplion and lunch break►14:30pm: Arrival at Mycenae (1.5 hour stop)►19:00pm: Arrival in Olympia and overnight stay
- Overnight Best Western Europa, Olympia
- Tuesday, April 26
- ►9:00am: Ancient Olympia sightseeing after breakfast (3hours time)►12:30pm: Lunch time►14:30pm: Departure for Delphi►18:00pm: Arrival in Delphi
- Overnight Nidimos Hotel, Delphi
- Wednesday , April 27
- ►9:00am: Delphi sightseeing after breakfast (3hours time)►12:30pm: Lunch time►14:30pm: Departure for Meteora►18:00pm :Arrival in Meteora and overnight stay
- Overnight Meteoritis Hotel, Meteora
- Thursday , April 28
- ►9:00am: Meteora Monasteries visit (3hours time)►12:30pm: Lunch time►14:30pm: Departure for Athens►17:30pm: Arrival in Athens
- Return to Athens, O&B Hotel
Friday, April 29 - Free day in Athens
(could do afternoon trip to Cape Sounion - Temple of Poseidon, with dinner by the sea)
Saturday, April 30 One day cruise to Hydra -Poros-Aigina
Sunday, May 1: Transfer to airport; travel Athens/JFK Delta nonstop
- Mycenae Day 1 afternoon
- Mycenaen Civilization at Metropiltan Museum of Art, NYC Mycenae is celebrated by Homer as the seat of King Agamemnon, who led the Greeks in the Trojan War.
- Ancient History
- Mycenae is an archaeological site in Greece, located about 90 kilometres southwest of Athens, in the north-eastern Peloponnese. Argos is 11 kilometres to the south; Corinth, 48 kilometres to the north. Wikipedia
Archaeological Sites of Mycenae and Tiryns
The archaeological sites of Mycenae and Tiryns are the imposing ruins of the two greatest cities of the Mycenaean civilization, which dominated the eastern Mediterranean world from the 15th to the 12th century B.C. and played a vital role in the development of classical Greek culture. These two cities are indissolubly linked to the Homeric epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey , which have influenced European art and literature for more than three millennia.
- OLYMPIA
- Night Day 1 Best Western Europa Hotel http://www.hoteleuropa.gr/index.php?language=en
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympia,_Greece
- The Olympic flame of the modern-day Olympic Games is lit by reflection of sunlight in a parabolic mirror in front of the Temple of Hera and then transported by a torch to the place where the games are held. When the modern Olympics came to Athens in 2004, the men's and women's shot put competition was held at the restored Olympia stadium.
- Delphi Night Day 2/Morning Day 3
- Delphi is a town on Mount Parnassus in the south of mainland Greece. It's the site of the 4th-century-B.C. Temple of Apollo, once home to a legendary oracle. This extensive mountainside archaeological complex contains the remains of the sanctuaries of Apollo and Athena Pronaia, plus a stadium and a theater. Delphi Archaeological Museum displays artifacts found among the ruins.
- UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Meteora Day 4 morning
- Hiking
- UNESCO World Heritage Site In a region of almost inaccessible sandstone peaks, monks settled on these 'columns of the sky' from the 11th century onwards. Twenty-four of these monasteries were built, despite incredible difficulties, at the time of the great revival of the eremetic ideal in the 15th century. Their 16th-century frescoes mark a key stage in the development of post-Byzantine painting.
https://www.privatetoursathens.com/product/300/classial-tour-to-epidaurus,mycenae,nafplion,bassae,olympia,phimeteora-top-seller
If we include 1 1/2 days touring in Athens and 1 day cruise to nearby islands, we will fill up our 7 1/2 days in Greece!
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