MONDAY OCTOBER 21
Depart From New York JFK for your flight to Athens, Greece via Turkish Airlines. Beverages and meals will be served on board.
TUESDAY OCTOBER 22
We arrive in Athens and check into our hotel. You will have the remainder of the day free to relax or take a stroll along the streets of Athens to enjoy the flavor of the city. Enjoy dinner at the hotel.
Dinner and Overnight: – Athens
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 23
After breakfast, we depart for a Daily Tour starting from the Panathenaic Stadium known as Kallimarmaro. In Antiquity was used for the celebration of Panathenea in honour of Goddess Athena. You will have free time to take photos. Boarding the coach and departure to see the Zappeion Hall, the Greek Parliament and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the symbolic monument in the memory of the Soldiers who died for their country. Then, along Panepistimiou Street, one of the most central streets of Athens, we will see the triad of neoclassical buildings: The Library, the Academy and the University. We will visit Mars Hill (Acts 17:16-34) and the Acropolis with 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. We will have the chance to walk around the Parthenon Monument, which was built in the 5th century BC by the architects Ictinus and Kallikrates. Then, we will have free time in the traditional settlement of Plaka. It is a district in the centre of Athens just beneath the Acropolis. Then, we will visit the Acropolis Museum, which includes mainly findings of the archaeological site of Acropolis. The Museum started operating in 2009 and the buildings were designed by the French-Swiss Benar Tschumi. Return back to our hotel.
Dinner and Overnight: – Athens
THURSDAY OCTOBER 24
After breakfast, we will start our daily tour by visiting the Archaeological site of Elefsina. The Sanctuary of Elefsina (aka Eleusis) was for centuries one of the most important religious centers of antiquity. Within its area developed the cult of goddess Demeter and her daughter, Persephone, which is associated with the cultivation of land, vegetation, fertility, as well as with the regeneration of nature and life. In the southeast side of the acropolis of the shrine you can visit the Archaeological Museum, built in 1889 by the architect J. Moussis, which houses important finds from the excavations in the Sanctuary and the cemeteries of the ancient city of Eleusis. Then, we will depart for Peloponnese. Our first stop will be the Isthmus of Corinth, a narrow strip of land of 6 kilometers length, connecting central Greece with the Peloponnese. We will have free time for photos. Our next stop will be at Ancient Corinth, which 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 (Acts 18:1-17 & Acts 19:22). We will see the bema of Gallio and the Erastus inscription. Then, we will visit Cenchreae (Acts 18:18), before returning to Athens. Return to our hotel.
Dinner and Overnight: - Athens
FRIDAY OCTOBER 25
After breakfast, we will head to the Site of Delphi, known in ancient times as the navel of the world. Pass by Castalia Spring, visit the Archaeological Site and view the monument of the Argive Kings, the treasury of the Athenians, the Athenian Stoa, the Polygonal Wall, the monument of Platea and the Temple of Apollo famous for its oracle. Then, we will have time to visit the museum of Delphi, with its spectacular exhibits include the frieze of the Treasury of the Sifnians, the Naxian Sphinx, the statue of Antinoos the metopes of the Athenian treasury, the famous bronze Charioteer, originally created to commemorate a victory during the 476 B.C. Pythian Games, and many other artifacts. Departure for Kalambaka with a short stop at Thermopylae. Thermopylae is primarily known for the battle that took place there between the Greek forces including the Spartans and the Persian forces. Departure for Kalambaka. Arrival to our hotel.
Dinner and Overnight: - Kalambaka
SATURDAY OCTOBER 26
After breakfast, we will depart for Meteora and we will visit the prefecture built in a rare geological phenomenon of Meteora. It’s a cluster of huge dark colored stones made of sandstone. The name Meteora is attributed to the monk of the monastery, Agios Athanasius the Meteorite. We will have the chance to enjoy the panoramic ride and to visit one (1) of the six visited monasteries. Then, we will depart for the capital of Imathia, which name is Veria. It is built at the foot of Mount Vermio. We will have free time to visit the Step of Apostle Paul and the Synagogue. It is located next to the Barbouta area, which over time came to be known as the Jewish District. The stone-built Synagogue is the most ancient synagogue in the Northern Greece. Departure for Thessaloniki. Arrival to our hotel.
Dinner and Overnight: - Thessaloniki
SUNDAY OCTOBER 27
After breakfast, we depart for Litochoro, a town located at the base of Mount Olympus, on the western shore of the Thermaic Gulf. The first recorded mention of Litochoro is in an account of a visit by Saint Dionysius to Mount Olympus in the 16th century. We will have time to visit the ancient monastery named after the first Athenian converted by Paul (Acts 17:34). We will also walk the suspension bridge at Pinios river to visit the holy cave of baptismal site with the big fresco of St Paul. Then, we will return back to Athens. Arrival to our hotel.
Dinner and Overnight: - Athens
MONDAY OCTOBER 28
Transfer to airport for your return flight home. Arrive in the USA!
PLEASE NOTE! We reserve the right to omit any site and/or change the itinerary
Should it be necessary due to local conditions.
DAY BY DAY ITINERARY
