TOUR REPORT : 13-Day Ancient Greece by Diane Anzalone
Ancient Greece, the birthplace of Western civilization, is an amazing destination. From the history of Athens to the landscape in the northern region of Macedonia, the history, natural beauty and culture are unique to this exquisite country.
Our tour began in Athens, the capital of Greece, a city crowned by the awe inspiring Acropolis. We were met at the airport and transferred to the beautiful Divani Caravel hotel. Our tour director, Lisa, welcomed us upon arrival. Our afternoon was at leisure so we tried out the metro service which took us directly to the new Acropolis Museum. If you have time I highly recommend exploring. That evening, we met our fellow travelers at the welcome reception where we were given a chance to sample Ouzo, the national drink of Greece!
The following morning we embarked on our city tour with our local guide, Eleni, who was extremely knowledgeable. Our first stop was the Temple of Zeus and Hadrian’s Arch. After time for photos we continued to the old Olympic Stadium, then on to the Acropolis and its beautiful Parthenon. We were given a guided tour of the Acropolis and free time to explore and take photos of this amazing site. We joined the optional excursion to Cape Sounion and the 5th Century BC Temple of Poseidon. We drove out of Athens along the beautiful coastline dotted with lovely coves and numerous sailboats and yachts. The view from the temple was spectacular. We headed back to Athens and later joined the group for an optional dinner excursion in Psirri. The dinner was excellent and an experience in itself with plate after plate arriving family style at our table filled with delicious Greek specialties and free-flowing Greek wine!
The next day we embarked on our incredible tour of Ancient Greece with the first stop being the Ancient Corinth Canal where we had time to take photos and have a coffee break. Then it was on to Ancient Corinth, where we met our local guide, Kula, who would stay with us for the day. Our visits included Mycenae, Epidaurus and our final stop of the day, the beautiful resort town of Nauplia. We visited several very interesting museums and historical sites which gave us all an even greater sense of the history of Greece. Our hotel, the Amalia, was located just outside Nauplia set in beautiful orange groves.
Our next destination was Olympia, site of the first Olympic Games held in 776 BC. On our way we stopped at a pottery factory for a demonstration of the traditional Greek pottery. Upon arrival in Olympia, we were met by our local guide, Sashia. Our tour included the new museum and the Olympic site. We had plenty of free time to explore the ruins and take photos before we headed to our hotel, the Antonios. Our visit to Olympia was definitely one of the highlights of our tour. The museum was extremely interesting and broadened our perspective of Greece. Our hotel was located within a 5 minute walk to town and its outdoor pool was very refreshing at the end of a rather hot day!
From Olympia, we headed north to Kalambaka which is located in Meteora at the base of the amazing rock-top monasteries. Our hotel, the Divani Meteora, was located right at the entrance to town and just below the incredible rock formations. The name Meteora comes from the Greek word meteorizome (to hang in midair). The monasteries are perched on a handful of tall rock formations that rise high above the beautiful valley. It is truly an amazing sight to travel up the road viewing the beautiful monasteries, wondering how the monks built them back in the 9th century AD. There are only six monasteries open to the public and each of the three we visited was very unique. The most impressive sights were the beautiful Byzantine chapels which have been very well preserved. That evening we headed to the town of Trikala for our Dine-Around dinner. We chose an excellent restaurant in the heart of this vibrant, beautiful town about 30 minutes from Kalambaka and we were once again treated to many local Greek specialties and wine.
Our next stop was Thessaloniki, Greece’s second largest city. We traveled through beautiful countryside to our first stop of the day, Vergina, where we visited the newly discovered tomb of King Phillip II, father of Alexander the Great. Our next stop was Pella, birthplace of Alexander the Great. It was an amazing day filled with unexpected treasures in the beautiful region of Macedonia. We arrived in Thessaloniki for a relaxing two night stay at the beautiful Makedonia Palace hotel. The hotel is located right on the waterfront; where you can sit and enjoy a coffee or cool drink in the Plata Aristotelous. We enjoyed seeing the highlights of Thessaloniki during our morning sightseeing tour and finished midday giving us a free afternoon. There was plenty to see including the main local market, shopping street and several outstanding museums.
The following morning we were off to Delphi, definitely one of the highlights of our tour for me. Our hotel, the Amalia Hotel Delphi, sits right at the entrance to the town. We had free time upon arrival to explore the city, take a swim in their lovely pool or just relax. The hotel had a delicious buffet dinner and an equally outstanding buffet breakfast. At times we thought we should rename our tour “Eating Your Way Through Greece”! The food everywhere was fresh and delicious.
We met our local guide, Penny, in the morning for our tour of the spectacular ancient Greek site of Delphi and the museum. Our guide was excellent and visiting the museum first gave us a better sense of how beautiful Delphi once was. We enjoyed free time to explore the ruins and take photos and found the view of the valley from the site to be incredible. This was definitely one of the greatest highlights of the tour. Later that evening we drove to Galaxidi, a beautiful small resort and fishing village about 30 minutes from Delphi and then onto Itea where we enjoyed our delicious seafood dinner and local specialties. The restaurant was right on the water with a beautiful view. Lisa surprised us with delicious Baklava which she picked up at a local bakery. It was a truly memorable evening.
As we headed back to Athens for our last night we could not help but realize what an amazing trip we had just experienced. The Greek people were wonderful, so friendly and helpful everywhere we stopped. The local guides were so knowledgeable and proud of their great history and culture. The food was delicious and plentiful. Our tour director, Lisa, made us all feel very welcome in her beautiful country. She put her heart and soul into each and every day to make sure we experienced the warmth of her culture and the history of Greece. Our driver, Thanassis, was also outstanding. Driving through Greece has its challenges with its many steep mountainous roads and narrow streets in the small towns and villages. He always made us feel comfortable and safe and greeted us each day with his friendly smile. “Kalimera” was the morning greeting and one we all became accustomed to during this most memorable of tours – Ancient Greece!
We heard so much in the news prior to traveling about the troubles in Greece and we really didn’t know what to expect. But, once we were there we didn’t experience any problems or see anything that would cause us concern to be there. We felt very safe and the Greek people seemed to welcome us with open arms. We truly had a great time visiting ancient and modern Greece.
Our sense of history has been tremendously enlightened and we now have a great desire to return and experience even more of the great warmth and culture of this beautiful country.
For more information about our 13-day Ancient Greece tour, including the day-by-day itinerary, accommodations, and dates & prices, click here.
At GET we strive to provide our clients with accurate and current information about our tours. In order to do this we invest significantly in our staff, sending them out on tours so that they can share their stories and experiences with you, our clients, upon their return.
Our Travel Specialist, Diane Anzalone and her husband, Michael, recently joined our “Ancient Greece” tour . We hope you enjoyed her report.
