Areas of Historical Interest – Tour

1^st Day: AIRPORT – ATHENS – SOUNION

Departure from the airport to Athens and our hotel. Arrival and arrangement/check-in in the rooms. Our Sounion Τour begins with a wonderful drive along the scenic coastal road which allows a splendid view of the Saronic Gulf, passing through some of Athens’ most beautiful suburbs (Glyfada, Vouliagmeni, Varkiza). Cape Sounion rises like a sheer cliff out of the sea as one approaches the site. At Cape Sounio we will visit the Temple of Poseidon, dated from the 5^th century B.C. and offering one of the most breathtaking panoramic views in the world. According to legend, Cape Sounion is the spot where Aegeas, King of Athens, believing that his only son Prince Theseas was dead, jumped off the cliff, giving his name to the Aegean Sea. The wind-swept Cape Sounion was an obvious choice for a sanctuary of Poseidon, where the sailors might offer a last sacrifice to appease the mighty God of the Sea before leaving the comparative safety of the Saronic Gulf for the perils of the open Aegean Sea.  The archaic temple was destroyed by the Persians in 480 B.C. and a new one was built in its place in 440 B.C. by Pericles.  The contrast between the 12 white remaining Doric columns and the deep blue of the sea is still as spectacular as in the days of Lord Byron, who carved his name on the marble. We will have lunch at a seaside tavern. Return to our hotel. Overnight stay.

* The Tour in Sounion depends on the time of arrival of travelers.

2^nd Day: ATHENS CITY TOUR – HISTORIC CENTER OF ATHENS

After breakfast we depart for a City Tour starting from the Panathenaic Stadium known as Kallimarmaro. In Antiquity, the Stadium was used for Panathenea, the celebration head in honor of Goddess Athena. Free time for photos will be given. With the bus we will be heading for Zappeion Hall, the Greek Parliament and the Tomb of Unknown Soldier, which is a symbolic monument dedicated to the memory of the soldiers who died fighting for their country. Passing along Panepistimiou Street, one of the most known and central streets of Athens, we will end up in the triad of neoclassical buildings: The Library, the Academy and the University. Coming next is our most important visit in the center of Athens, Acropolis. Here we will have the chance to admire magnificent monuments, such as Parthenon, the Temple of Athena Nike, the Erechtheion, the Propilaia, the Ancient Agora, the theatre of Dionysus and the Odeon of Herodes Atticus. We will have time for a tour in Parthenon Monument, which was built in the 5^th century B.C by the architects Ictinus and Kallikrates. A visit in the New Acropolis Museum follows, which mainly includes findings of the archaeological area of Acropolis. The Museum first opened in 2009 and the building was designed by French-Swiss Benar Tschumi. It is considered one of the most beautiful museums. After that, we will have a guided tour followed by free time in the old historical neighborhood of Plaka, a district in the center of Athens, near the Acropolis. In the afternoon we will return to our hotel. Dinner and overnight stay.

3^rd Day: HISTORIC MUNICIPALITY OF MARATHON

After breakfast, our day starts with a visit at one of the most historical municipalities of Greece, Marathon. It became known by the homonymous battle in September of 490 B.C between the Athenians and the Persians. We will start from the Marathon Lake. It’s an artificial lake made in order to collect water to be used for the water supply of Athens. The area of the lake covers 2.450 acres and its maximum depth is 54 meters. It’s entirely padded of pentelic marble, making it unique in the world. Time for photos will be provided. Museum of Marathon Race is our next stop. A gold medal has been awarded to the museum, as a Model Sports Museum. All the Marathon racers medals are kept in here, as well as that of the Olympic Winner “Spyros Luis”. Next important visit is Ramnus. It is an archaeological area that belonged to the Atlantic race. Ιn this area the famous sanctuary of Nemesis is located, the most important sanctuary of Divinity in Greece. A guided tour of this area will follow and afterwards we will visit the Archaeological Museum of Marathon, where you will admire findings from the Neolithic to the late Roman period. Οur next stop is the Tumulus with nine meters height of soil that covered the 192 Athenians who fell in the victorious battle against the Persians in 490 B.C. Return to our hotel. Dinner and overnight stay.

4^th Day: ISTHMUS OF CORINTH – ANCIENT CORINTH – MYCENAE – NAFPLION

After breakfast we depart for Peloponnese. Our first stop will be the Isthmus of Corinth. It is a narrow strip of land of 6 kilometers length, connecting Central Greece with Peloponnese. Free time for photos and departure for Ancient Corinth. Ancient Corinth was an important city – state in Ancient Greece and dates back from the Neolithic Period (5.000-3.000). We will visit one of the largest museums in Greece, in terms of the wealth and quality of the findings. A guided tour will follow and then we will have free time for lunch. Departure for Mycenae. Mycenae was an ancient town of Argolis and one of the biggest centers of Greek civilization constituting a powerful military fortress. We will visit the Kingdom of the mythical Agamemnon, whom Homer praised in his epics. Then, we depart for the first capital of the Greek state during the period 1828 – 1833, Nafplion. We will have time to wander through the picturesque alleys of the city *. Arrival to our hotel. Dinner and overnight stay.

* Our Company will provide, for all travelers, a sightseeing “Train Tour” in Nafplion, without any extra charge.

5^th Day: ATHENS – AIRPORT

After breakfast we depart for Athens. We will have free time to make our last purchases. Departure for the airport.