Days / Nights
7 Days – 6 Overnights
Tour Highlights
THESSALONIKI
LARISSA
METEORA
VOLOS
PELION
ATHENS
Day 1 | Arrival at Thessaloniki Airport – Thessaloniki Overnight
We begin our seven-day excursion by departing from Thessaloniki Airport and heading into the city of Thessaloniki, the second largest city in Greece, founded by Cassander, a descendant of Alexander the Great. Upon arrival, we will check in at our hotel and enjoy some leisure time. Next, we will take a panoramic tour of the city center. In the evening, we will dine at a traditional restaurant with live music. After dinner, we will return to our hotel for overnight stay.
Day 2 | Thessaloniki Full Day – Thessaloniki Overnight
After breakfast, we will take a City Tour, beginning with a visit to the Square of Jewish Martyrs and the ceremonial Synagogue, followed by a presentation at the Jewish Museum. There, we will learn about a community that once had 50 synagogues and was known as the “Mother of Israel,” home to renowned Jewish mystics, legal scholars, poets, and rabbis. The Jewish Museum of Thessaloniki stands at the historic center of the city’s Jewish community and aims to educate the public about its rich historical and cultural heritage. It is the only synagogue preserved in its pre-Holocaust state, having survived the Nazi occupation because it was used as a warehouse by the Red Cross. Our coach will then take us to Villa Alatini, the former Jewish quarters of the city, as well as archaeological sites dating back to Roman and Hellenistic times, including villas once inhabited by prominent Jewish residents. We will also visit the new Holocaust Memorial, located on the site of the cemetery destroyed by the Nazis, now part of the Aristotle University campus. We will then return to our hotel for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 3 | Veria – Vergina – Larissa Overnight
After breakfast, we depart for Veria, the capital of Imathia, located at the foot of Mount Vermio. We will have free time to visit the Synagogue, situated next to the Barbouta area, which over time became known as the Jewish District. The stone-built Synagogue is the oldest in Northern Greece. Although there are no longer any Jews living in Veria, the quarter where the community once lived still remains. We will then continue to Vergina, where we will visit the museum containing four tombs – two of which are of major historical importance – as well as a small shrine known as the Heroes’ Garden. Our next stop is Larissa. The Jewish Community of Larissa once maintained seven synagogues, founded at various periods, all of which remained active until a few years before World War II. We will visit the only synagogue still standing, “Etz Hayyim,” built in 1860 and kept in excellent condition after three restoration and maintenance projects. We will then proceed to our hotel in Larissa. Dinner and overnight stay.
Day 4 | Meteora – Volos – Pelion Overnight
After breakfast, we will enjoy a picturesque drive to Meteora, home to the famous 14th-century Byzantine monasteries perched atop towering granite rocks. In addition to admiring the breathtaking views, we will visit two of the monasteries. We then depart for Volos, where we will have free time for lunch. Volos is surrounded by beautiful mountains and overlooks a charming bay. We will walk to the Holocaust Memorial and through the Jewish neighborhood to the Synagogue and community center, learning about a community that dates back to the 6th century and still holds weekly services. Afterward, we will continue on to Pelion. Upon arrival, we will check in to our hotel, followed by dinner and overnight stay.
Day 5 | Ano Lehonia – Milies – Pelion Overnight
After breakfast, we will depart for the Ano Lehonia Railway Station. The whistle of the little train signals the beginning of an unforgettable journey. As we ascend the beautiful slopes of Mt. Pelion, history unfolds before us. The route between Ano Lehonia and Milies is mountainous and rich in lush vegetation, primarily plane trees, olive trees, and pines. We will have free time for lunch and leisure. Afterwards, we will return to our hotel for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 6 | Pelion – Athens – Athens Overnight
After breakfast, we will depart for Athens. Upon arrival in the city center, we will see the Beth Shalom Sephardic Synagogue and the Romaniote Synagogue located just opposite. We will then visit the Jewish Museum. The idea of creating a Jewish Museum of Greece was first conceived in the 1970s by members of the Jewish Community of Athens, who offered their full support to make this vision a reality. The Museum was officially established in 1977 and was initially housed in a small room next to the city’s synagogue. In the evening, we will enjoy dinner at a traditional restaurant with live music. Check in to our hotel. Dinner and overnight stay.
Day 7 | Athens – Departure Athens Airport
After breakfast, we depart for a Panoramic Tour, beginning at the Panathenaic Stadium, known as Kallimarmaro. In antiquity, it was used for the celebration of the Panathenaia festival in honor of the goddess Athena. You will have free time to take photos. We then board the coach and continue to the Zappeion Hall, the Greek Parliament, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the symbolic monument dedicated to the soldiers who died for their country. Driving along Panepistimiou Street, one of the main avenues of Athens, we will see the neoclassical trilogy: the National Library, the Academy, and the University. Next, we will visit Mars Hill and the Acropolis, with its magnificent monuments such as the Parthenon, the Temple of Athena Nike, the Erechtheion, the Propylaea, the Ancient Agora, the Theatre of Dionysus, and the Odeon of Herodes Atticus (Acts 17:16–34). You will have the opportunity to walk around the Parthenon, built in the 5th century BC by the architects Ictinus and Kallikrates. Afterward, we will enjoy free time in the traditional district of Plaka, located at the foot of the Acropolis. An optional visit to the Acropolis Museum is available; the museum houses artifacts from the archaeological site of the Acropolis. It has been operating since 2009, and its buildings were designed by French–Swiss architect Bernard Tschumi. We will also see the Beth Shalom Sephardic Synagogue and the Romaniote Synagogue opposite it, followed by a visit to the Jewish Museum. We then have free time in the city center before departing for Athens Airport. Return home with wonderful memories.
We present you various proposals of excursions but also we can customize our services “depending on your needs”
