SOCRATES Travel Package / 5 days – 4 nights / Athens – Delphi – 3 Greek islands

As soon as you arrive at the airport of Athens, you will be met by our representative and transferred to your hotel. Rest of the day in Athens at leisure.

After breakfast, you will be picked up for the Half-day City Tour of Athens, including Acropolis and the Acropolis Museum. The Athens half-day tour begins with a panoramic drive around Syntagma (Constitution Square), passing by National Garden, Hadrian’s Arch, St. Paul’s Church, the House of Parliament, the Memorial to the Unknown Soldier, the Catholic Cathedral, and Schliemann’s House.
You will then drive past the Athens Trilogy which includes the University of Athens, the Academy of Fine Arts of Athens, and the National Library. Your licensed guide will explain more about Athens’ history, old and new, as you look at these stately buildings.
Continue for a photo stop at Panathinaiko (Panathenaic) Stadium, the cradle of the first Olympic Games of the modern era, which took place in 1896 (short stop). It is the only stadium built out of white marble.
Proceed, passing by Zappeion, the Temple of Olympian Zeus and Hadrian’s Arch.
Make your way to the archaeological site of ACROPOLIS, an UNESCO’s world heritage monument, and visit Propylae the monumental entrance to the Acropolis which blends Doric and Ionic building principles, the Temple of Athena Nike, which stands on a protruding mass of rock, protecting the gate to the citade, the Erechtheion with its porch of Maidens, and of course the PARTHENON, the monument that has been described as “harmony between material & spirit”.
Continue the expert guided Athens tour with a pleasant short walk passing by Herodion and Dionysos Theater, in order to visit the MUSEUM of ACROPOLIS. Skip the lines of this new magnificent museum. The main attractions include votives, artifacts of every day life, statues from the archaic period, the Caryatids, and of course the Parthenon hall with the metopes, the pediments & the frieze, which will impress you! Overnight at the hotel in Athens. (B)

After breakfast, you will be picked up for the wonderful one-day cruise to 3 Greek islands. AEGINA, the biggest island of the Saronic Gulf, with 2 major archaeological sites, a large cathedral, a wonderfull fish market, a unique fruit floating market, and an economy based on pistachio nuts. POROS, the smallest of the 3 islands but probably the most beautiful one, is covered with pine and lemon trees. Enjoy a walk up to the clock tower and admire the panorama. HYDRA island is one of the favourite resorts of the international Jet-Set. The unique architecture of its houses, the pedestrian narrow streets full of boutiques, exclusive jewelry and handicrafts, attract shoppers and photographers. The crystal clear waters will refresh the swimmers. Lunch is included onboard the ship. In the evening you will be transferred back to your hotel in Athens and overnight. (B, L)

After breakfast, you will be picked up for the full-day tour to Delphi. Drive through the fertile plain of Boeotia, crossing the towns of Thebes (connected with the tragedy of King Oedipus), Levadia (short stop), and Arachova. Pass by Castalia Spring, and arrive at DELPHI, the center of the Ancient World – the “Omphalos” (navel) of the Earth – whose prestige extended far beyond the boundaries of the Hellenic world. On the slopes of Mount Parnassus, in a landscape of unparalleled beauty and majesty, lie the ruins of the Santuary of Apollo Pythios, the Treasury of the Athenians, the Temple of Apollo (famous for its oracle) and the Museum of Delphi, containing such masterpieces of ancient Greek sculpture as the bronze Charioteer, the Naxian Sphinx, the Statue of Antinoos and the famous athlete Aghias. After lunch, return to Athens via the picturesque mountain village of Arachova, well known for its attractive hand-woven carpets, rugs and quilts, as well as for its wine and cheese (short stop). Overnight at the hotel in Athens. (B)

You will have breakfast at your hotel, and then transferred to the airport for your return flight. (B)