Welcome to Athens! 

Transfer to the hotel and free time. You will be provided with the information required for the beginning of the trip in the afternoon; otherwise, the information will appear on the information panels at the hotel reception area.

Note:

- Remember that hotels check-in time is usually at 14:00 hrs. If you require more hours of room availability, consider booking an additional night at the beginning of your trip.

-The schedules that you will find in this itinerary are indicative. The guide, depending on the situation and in order to improve the development of the trip, may adjust the schedules.

- All the following hotels are for your reference only, you may check-in other similar hotels.
Note: All mentioned hotels below are for your reference only, you might also check-in other same-level hotels.

We will enjoy the city tour 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 finish at the Acropolis site (entry not included).

In the evening we include a transfer to the PLAKA area, which is full of small Greek bars and where you will be able to enjoy the rich folklore of this country.

Scenery: Views over the sea. Fantastic landscapes in the region of Meteora, 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 the Meteora area!

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 Meteora, 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 Meteora region. Dinner included.

Scenery: Pleasant Mediterranean. Very beautiful landscapes in the Delphi region.

Note: the order of the program of the day may vary, with the Osios Loukas Monastery taking place first and then Delphi.

08.00 hrs.- Kalambaka –departure-. We travel through Thessaly towards Central Greece. Spectacular landscapes over the sea, arriving in Delphi.

11.30 hrs.- Delphi –Arrival-. We include admission to the beautiful archaeological complex that overlooks the Gulf of Corinth, a place full of magic. Time for lunch.

14:30 hrs.- Delphi –departure-. We travel amidst mountains; Mount Parnassus dominates the landscape.

15:15 hrs.- Osios Loukas Monastery. Arrival at one of the most beautiful Byzantine monasteries in Greece, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its magnificent 11th century mosaics are incredible.

16.30 hrs.- Osios Loukas – departure.

19:15 hrs. – Athens –Arrival.

Scenery: Most of today's traveling will be by boat. Welcome to the Aegean.

Note: Please, bring some warm clothes with you if you want to enjoy the ride on the ferry’s deck.

Note: the bus will not travel with us on the ferry (we will reencounter it at our arrival at Galatas). Please, do not forget to carry your documents with you, as well as everything you may need during the day.

Note: Although the departure of the scheduled ferries that are taken during this day is usually as planned, the definitive information on the schedules of these is only confirmed by the ferry company less than a week in advance. In case of variation, the program of this stage, schedules and services must be adapted to the existing ferries. Sometimes, it is even possible to change one of the planned islands for another with very similar characteristics.

Our journey is very special today. Greece has almost 6.000 islands, of which more than 100 are inhabited. Several ships connect the islands with the continent.

07:00 hrs. - Athens. We leave early in the morning to take the ferry, whose expected departure time is at 8:00 h from the Port of Piraeus and which will take us to one of the Saronic islands.

08:40 hrs. - Aegyna. We will arrive in less than an hour to this island which has been inhabited for more than 4.000 years, being one of the first maritime cities of ancient Greece and a notable rival to Athens. You will be able to walk around its picturesque port, its typical quarters of little houses and old churches, or go to the Temple of Apollo.

10:15 hrs. - Aegyna, departure. We board another ferry to sail to a second island.

11:30 hrs. - Arrival at the mountainous island of Poros. Free time in this charming place, full of life; its old houses climb to the clock tower. Free time for walking around and lunch.

14:30 hrs. - Poros, departure. After lunch time, we will make a 15-minutes way to Galatas, a small harbor in the Peloponnese. We then continue by road across beautiful landscapes of hills.

15:15 hrs. - Epidaurus; free time to discover its old theater (admission included), which was built 2.400 years ago and has been perfectly preserved. It still holds performances nowadays and has capacity for 14.000 people.

16:45 hrs. - Epidaurus, departure.

17:30 hrs. - Nauplia. Arrival at this charming coastal city dominated by the citadel and the Venetian fortress. Free time to walk around. Dinner included.

Note: the schedules of the ferries are subject to change. During the low season, the ferries between Aegyna and Poros may not operate. In this case, Aegyna island will be replaced by the island of Hydra.

Scenery: Strong presence of the sea and the Mediterranean landscapes. Mountains and hills in the hinterland of the Peloponnese.

Note: We recommend that you use sunscreen and take a small bottle of water during the hottest months of the summer.

08.30h- Nafplio, departure. We travel through the mountains across the Peloponnese hinterland.

09.45h- Tripoli. Stop in the lively capital of the Arcadia region. There will be free time to walk around the Areos Square, its cafes and restaurants.

10.45h- Tripoli, departure.

12.45h- Olympia. Free time for lunch and exploring the archeological site (admission and visit with a local guide included). This is the place where the first Olympic Games were held in the year 776 BC. Athletes from all over Greece and its colonies participated. The Temple of Zeus, the stadium, the gymnasium, and the arena are outstanding landmarks. There will be free time during the visit; if you wish, you will be able to visit the museum on your own.

16.00h.- Olympia –departure-. Mountainous landscapes, some picturesque villages in our way.

18.00h- Patras. Arrival at the third city of Greece in terms of population. It is a port city with an active city life, a medieval fortress which overlooks the city, and the biggest cathedral in Greece. Both the cathedral and the small Saint Andrew’s church are pilgrimage destinations. Dinner included.

Scenery: way across Central Greece. Ferry across the Ionian Sea.

Note: Please, consider taking some warm clothes with you to enjoy the crossing on the ferry's deck.

INDICATIONS: Please, do not forget your passport; you will need it when crossing the border.

It is an hour earlier in Italy: when it is 12:00h in Greece, it is 11:00h in Italy.

Note: on the way from Greece to Italy, the bus will not travel in the ferry; therefore, you will have to carry your luggage with you.

08.00h- Patras. After breakfast, we will cross over the Rio-Antirrio bridge, a spectacular cable-stayed bridge which connects the Peloponnese with the Greek continent. We travel across Central Greece and Epyrus.

11.45h- Igoumenitsa, arrival at this port city; free time for a walk.

13.30h- Transfer to the port to get on the ferry (departure time expected at 14:00h) on which we will cross the Ionian Sea to Italy. We recommend enjoying the crossing on the deck.

21.00h (local time, one hour earlier than Greece)- Brindisi- Arrival, transfer and lodging.

Scenery: today we will visit two spectacular and authentic towns.

Note: wear comfortable shoes, especially for Matera.

09.00 hrs. - Brindisi, departure.

10.15 hrs. – Alberobello - Time to discover this charming town famous for its unique conical-shaped houses known as "trulli". These unique structures, with their stacked stone roofs, are a World Heritage Site and are considered an outstanding example of Italian rural architecture.

11.15 hrs. - Alberobello, departure. We continue to the Basilicata region.

13:00 hrs. – Matera – We will make a stop to see this spectacular city known for its ancient historic center with its "Sassi di Matera", a complex of ancient houses and buildings carved into the rock that date back thousands of years. This town is a World Heritage Site and is one of the oldest continuously inhabited human settlements in the world. Time for a walk and lunch.

15:30 hrs. - Departure. We continue through Basilicata and Campania, admiring their beautiful mountain landscapes.

19:00 hrs. - Naples, arrival in the evening. We recommend you having a walk through this impressive city.

Scenery: Very beautiful landscapes in the Bay of Naples and Sorrento.

Notes: Part of this trip is by boat, we recommend that you bring some warm clothes during this day. Do not forget to bring your camera as the landscapes today are very beautiful. Due to weather conditions, in some cases the ships that connect Naples with Capri or Capri with Sorrento do not operate; in these cases the route would be modified arriving at Sorrento by highway and visiting Amalfi instead of Capri.

A time to stroll in Naples before taking our ferry (departure scheduled at 09:30 hrs). The boat trip to the Isle of Capri lasts about 50 minutes, with beautiful scenery.

10.40 hrs. CAPRI.- Free time for lunch on the island. Optionally you can take a boat to visit the White Grotto and cliffs or take the funicular to go up to Capri.

15.15 hrs- We take a ferry (schedules variable), this time, towards Sorrento; Beautiful scenery while arriving to Sorrento.

16.00 hrs - SORRENTO - We are in a small very picturesque and lively town, with the port located in the lower area, and the town at the base of a cliff.

18.00hrs-. Sorrento, departure.

19.45 hrs. - SALERNO. Accommodation. Would you like to take a stroll through this active southern italian city?

Note: During the winter months the schedules will be modified (leaving earlier from Naples) in order to take advantage of the sunlight.

Note: We recommend you to take warm clothes to enjoy the crossing on the ferry between the Italian Peninsula and Sicily.

07.30 hrs- Salerno. Departure. We travel to the south of ¨the boot¨. Attractive southern Italian scenery as we cross the Cilento National Park.

11.30 hrs- We arrive in PAOLA, on the shores of the Tyrrhenian Sea, we visit the sanctuary of St Francis of Paola and we have free time for lunch in its pretty historic centre.

14.00 hrs- We go on our way to VILLA SAINT GIOVANNI where at around 16.30 hrs we take a 20 minutes short ferry crossing to the island of SICILY.

17.30 hrs- Arrival in MESSINA where we will have time for a stroll in the center of this great city, our meeting with the island of Sicily.18.30 hrs.- Messina, departure.

19.30 hrs- TAORMINA. Arrival.

Note: Accommodation in the "region of Taormina", the accommodation may sometimes be in Messina.

Scenery: Inland Sicily, Mediterranean mountainous landscapes.

After breakfast time to walk through the wonderful city of Taormina, at the foot of the Etna volcano, which was defined by Churchill as the most beautiful place on earth. Its old town is full of life, its Greek theater dominates unforgettable landscapes.

11.00 hrs. - Taormina, departure. We continue our route towards the center of the island.

12.45 hrs. – Caltagirone - Time to walk and have lunch in this city declared a World Heritage Site for its great Baroque legacy. We include a ride on a tourist train to listen to the explanations of the city and learn about its main points. The city is the center of ceramics in Sicily, as witnessed by its numerous shops and workshops and some of its emblematic places, the best known, the staircase of 142 steps, each decorated with different tiles.

15.00 hrs. – Caltagirone - departure.

15:45 hrs. - Villa Romana del Casale (admission included). Time to get to know this World Heritage Site. Villas, in the Roman Empire, were the symbol of agrarian exploitation. El Casale not only it has the architectural configuration of the 4th century been preserved, but, due to their abundance and quality, the mosaics that adorn almost all the rooms are the most beautiful in the Roman world.

17.15 hrs. - Villa Romana del Casale - departure. We continue crossing the mountainous center of the island.

19:30 hrs. – Palermo - arrival at the end of the day.

09.00 hrs. - Today with a local guide we will have a city tour of Palermo. We will admire the cathedral with its mix of styles and its royal tombs inside (admission included); the Norman Palace (the former royal palace), its fountains, its markets and gardens. During the visit we will also go to MONREALE, its cathedral (admission included) has been declared a World Heritage Site for its impressive golden mosaics that cover the interior. Free time in the afternoon.

Note: Sometimes, if the number of travelers is very limited, the visit may not be private but rather carried out with a regular excursion provided by local companies.

After breakfast, end of our services.

Note: Remember that hotels check-out time is usually at 10.00 hrs. In most cases, you can leave your luggage at the hotel reception at check-out time, so you can enjoy the city and pick it up at the time you require that same day. If you need more time to use your room, please consider booking an additional night at the end of your tour.