Honeymoon tour in Greece and Turkey | Mediterranean Interlude Greece and Turkey Tour

This is a trip tailored to make the most of that special company and unique occasion, be it an anniversary, a honeymoon, or a singular chance to be alone and away. We have selected superior and deluxe hotels notable for their charm, atmosphere, and, of course, fine service. You'll be free to linger late in bed with breakfast brought to your room, stroll the romantic old Plaka district of Athens or frequent a seaside café in Santorini, entirely at your leisure. Here is a sample itinerary, starting in Athens. You may also start in Istanbul , and enjoy this escapade from east to west across the Aegean .

DAY 1 - Arrive : Friday, Sunday , Tuesday in Athens - Apr-Oct
WELCOME TO ATHENS!
Our Athens-based personnel meets you at the international airport, assists you with the formalities, and sees you to your charming and comfortable hotel. Check in, relax, then take a stroll through the lively streets. Browse for treasures and curios, savour a coffee or aperitif at a terrace café, or enjoy a fine meal in the old Plaka district.

DAY 2 - Saturday , Athens- Private Tour (BL)
Private air-conditioned vehicle - Private Guide- Private Chauffeur.
Lunch is included in a charming local restaurant.

On your first morning in Athens we show you the top sights: the Acropolis and its museum, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, Hadrian's Arch, the Theater of Dionysus.

The Acropolis hill, so called the "Sacred Rock" of Athens, is the most important site of the city. During Perikles' Golden Age, ancient Greek civilization was represented in an ideal way on the hill and some of the architectural masterpieces of the period were erected on its ground.
The first habitation remains on the Acropolis date from the Neolithic period. Over the centuries, the rocky hill was continuously used either as a cult place or as a residential area or both. The inscriptions on the numerous and precious offerings to the sanctuary of Athena (marble korai, bronze and clay statuettes and vases) indicate that the cult of the city's patron goddess was established as early as the Archaic period (650-480 B.C.).

During the Classical period (450-330 B.C.) three important temples were erected on the ruins of earlier ones: the Parthenon, the Erechtheion, and the Temple of Nike, dedicated to Athena Parthenos, Athena Polias, and Athena-Apteros Nike, respectively. The Propylaea, the monumental entrance to the sacred area was also constructed in the same period.
The monuments on the Acropolis reflect the successive phases of the city's history. Some of them were converted into Christian churches, houses of the Franks and later on, of the Turks. After the liberation of Athens from the Turks, the protection, restoration and conservation of the monuments was one of the first tasks of the newly-founded Greek state. This major effort is continued until today, with the large-scale restoration and supporting of the monuments, which started in the 1970's and is still in progress.
The first excavations on the hill were conducted between 1835 and 1837. More systematic work was carried out in 1885-1890 by Panagiotis Kavvadias.

In the afternoon, plunge into the city as you like ( on your own ) for sightseeing and shopping.

DAY 3 - Sunday - ATHENS to Delphi or Cape Sounion depending on the Day (BL)
Delphi:
We drive through Rion, Antirion and Nafpakatos and along the Corinthian coast on our way to Delphi, site of the famed oracle, at the foot of Mount Parnassus. Delphi was simply the center of the Greek ancient world. Visit the Treasury of the Athenians, the Temple of Apollo, the Castalia Spring and the Museum. Return to Athens late afternoon.

Drive along the coastal road, past the wonderful beaches of Glyfada, Vouliagmeni and Varkiza to the most Southern point of Attica, CAPE SOUNION, where the white marble pillars of the temple Posseidon stand. On the way you have a splendid view of the Saronic Gulf and the little is lands ...... After visiting the Temple of Posseidon, you have time to walk at leisure on the rocky promontory of Sounion.

DAY 4 - Monday - MYCENAE, EPIDAURUS & NAUPLIA (BD)
Leave Athens along the Saronic Gulf coastal road to the Corinth Canal, which connects the Aegean Sea with the Ionian Sea. Drive on to Mycenae, the Homeric City of the Atreides, "rich in gold" of the ancient poets. (Visit the Lion's Gate, the Cyclopean Walls and the Royal Tombs), center of ancient Mycenaean civilization (2800-1100 BC); the legendary home of the Atreides, is situated upon a small hill-top on the lower slopes of Euboea Mountain, between two of its peaks, on the road leading from the Argolic Gulf to the north (Corinth, Athens, etc.).
The site was inhabited since Neolithic times (about 4000 BC) but reached its peak during the Late Bronze Age (1350-1200 BC), giving its name to a civilization which spread throughout the Greek world.
During that period, the acropolis was surrounded by massive "cyclopean" walls, which were built in three stages (ca.1350, 1250 and 1225 BC) except on its SE flank where a steep ravine provided natural defense.
A palace was built on the summit of the hill while towards the Argolic plain lay the wall - painted "Cult Center", the main gate or "Lion Gate" and "Grave Circle A" which contained the treasures now displayed at the National Archaeological Museum of Athens. On the NE side, a tunnel leading to a subterranean fountain was built in "cyclopean" masonry in around 1225 B.C.
More tombs, "Grave Circle B", and large tholoi as well as houses were discovered outside the walls. Mycenae was occupied without interruption until 468 B.C. when it was conquered by the city of Argos and its population banished. It was reoccupied in the 3rd century B.C. for a relatively short period. It had been abandoned for some time when Pausanias visited the site during the 2nd century A.D.

Drive through the fertile plain of Argolis to Nafplion, a picturesque town nestled at the foot of the Palamidi Fortress. After lunch, leave for Epidavros to visit the theater (4th Century B.C.), famous for its astonishing acoustics. On to Olympia where we spend the Night.

DAY 5 - Tuesday - OLYMPIA (BD)
Tour Olympia, ancient site of the Olympic games. We visit the great Temple of Zeus, one of the Wonders of the Ancient World, and tour the museum. We drive through Rion, Antirion and Nafpaktos and along the Corinthian coast on our way to Delphi, site of the famed oracle, at the foot of Mount Parnassus. On to Delphi and overnight.

DAY 6- Wednesday - DELPHI Kalambaka (BD)
We tour the ruins of Delphi and its oracle, sacred to Apollo and Dionysus. In the afternoon, we drive via the lovely Kalambaka.

DAY 7 - Thursday- Athens Markets or BYZANTINE Churches (cBL)
Ride the new Athens Subway alongside the locals today ( always escorted with your English speaking Guide) ! We take pride in affording you this experience, entirely by public transportation, with orientation by our English-speaking representative. You'll get to tour Athens fascinating vegetable & fruit markets by subway and/ or taxi. Enjoy lunch at a charming local restaurant before we head back to the hotel . Markets days/dates are subject to change, we may have to change your program in Athens to accommodate such changes.

Or if you prefer you may choose instead to tour one of the following tours:

BYZANTINE CHURCHES
Russian Orthodox Church at Filellinon & Amalias
Athens cathedral (Mitropolis) at Mitropoleos
Kapnikarea at Ermou
Saint Theodore at Klafthmonos
They then visited the Jewelry museum (LALAOUNIS) before breaking for lunch.
They used the metro 3 times (because they wanted to).

HISTORICAL INTEREST- Museum Tour :
BENAKI MUSEUM - (closed on Tuesdays)
Covering the history of Greece from Paleolithic (pre-historic, 60000 B.C.) till present. Can easily spend over 4 hours in there. There is also a cafeteria for breaks.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL INTEREST
Temple of Olympian Zeus / Dionissos Theatre/ Ancient Agora/ Roman Agora

Guests who have been on the organized tour (the day before) can use the same entrance ticket to all the archaeological sites mentioned above.

Above are only suggestions , you may discuss with the guide and modify (add/subtract) according to what you are most interested in. The guide will advise you on what is feasible to cover in a half-day. Or add another half day : additional $$$ apply

DAY 8 - Friday - ATHENS, MYKONOS (B)
Relax, and revisit a favorite café or shop today. Then we'll call for you and see you to the airport for your flight over the blue Aegean to Mykonos, Isle of Windmills. Extend your stay in Mykonos

DAY 9 - Saturday - MYKONOS (B)
You'll spend days on Mykonos-enough to when your appetite for your return! Day at leisure.

DAY 10 - Sunday - MYKONOS (B)
To stay in your lovely deluxe hotel and enjoy the beach, the service, and the amenities, or to venture out to explore some of the 350 whitewashed churches and chapels, dramatic cliffs, coves, and villages . . . that is the question! No doubt, you'll mix a bit of both; and with windmills to photograph and fishermen to watch along the sea, your days will be filled.

DAY 11 - MYKONOS, SANTORINI - Monday (B)
Spend another relaxing morning. Reserve some time to stroll the cobbled lanes of Mykonos, to sip an ouzo or retsina at a waterside café, to discover a beach or two, to pick up a loaf of fresh bread and cheese and olives, and picnic on a hillside as you look out to sailboats at sea. We'll rendezvous in time to take you to your fast ferry/hydrofoil for Santorini, where you'll find a room waiting in a four-star beach hotel.
Sample optional tours available based on Private arrangement or Local Group tour .

DAYS 12 - SANTORINI - Tuesday (B)
Enjoy breakfast at your lovely hotel and linger for as long as you wish. When you venture out, explore the cliff top town of Thira with its winding paths leading from view to spectacular view. Day at leisure.

DAYS 13 - SANTORINI - Wednesday (B)
Day on your own to enjoy your hotel facilities or : Take a boat across to the dormant volcano, and ascend through a crater-pocked moonscape to the crater.

DAYS 14 - SANTORINI - Thursday (B)
Another day at leisure in this Greek paradise . Arrange a winery visit, or an outing to Akrotiri, reputedly the site of fabled Atlantis. Click here for more info & Images: Villas on Santorini

DAY 15 - SANTORINI, ISTANBUL - Friday (B)
After a leisurely breakfast, we'll pick you up and escort you to board a flight for Athens, and onward travel to Istanbul. Our personnel will be on hand to greet you upon arrival and see you to your Ottoman mansion-style boutique hotel in the Turkish capital. Air fare from Greece is included in our rate to fly to Istanbul in economy class, tax included

DAY 16 - "Imperial Constantinople in the Belle Epoque" (late 19th century), the exotic romance of the "Paris of the East:" Saturday (BL)

Morning walking tour : We start with our guide in Karaköy where the foreign bankers and shipping companies had their headquarters, then take the Tünel up to istiklal Caddesi; stop in the whirling dervish tekke, and walk past the various old embassy buildings (now consulates), and point out the architecture. Stop for tea (included) at the famous Pera Palace Hotel.
Walk at least as far as Galatasaray Square, and have lunch in the Çicek Pasaji (Flower Passage); then walk up to Taksim Square and be picked up for the afternoon tour.

Lunch is included at a local restaurant.

In the afternoon the tour visit Yildiz Palace Park and the Ihlamur Kasri, a mini-palace south of Yildiz, and finish up with a visit to the Military History Museum in Harbiye in time to hear the "Mehter," or Ottoman military band (mid-afternoon).

DAY 17 - ISTANBUL - Sunday (B)
You'll have today to experience Istanbul on your own . You won't want to miss the Blue Mosque and Aya Sophia, and Topkapi Palace, with its Ottoman treasures. The Grand Bazaar offers endless bargains in its 5000 stands, kiosks, and shops. Soak up the atmosphere of a traditional coffee house, complete with bubbling water pipes. And if you still have time, take a cruise on the Bosphorus. Extend to Kusadasi & Ephesus

DAY 18 - DEPARTURE - Monday From Istanbul (B)
Do your last-minute shopping this morning, or just linger deliciously in bed, like Turkish royalty. Then we'll call for you and see you to the airport to begin your journey home. Bon Voyage. This tour operates from Apr through Oct . If you need to fly back to Athens : Please add $ $200 USD , tax included , Turkish Airlines

Rates are per person in USD $

Rate per person in US $

Weekly : Apr-Nov	Category A	First Class
In Triple occupancy	$ 4607.00	$ 4400.00
In Double occupancy	$ 4746.00	$ 4520.00
In Single occupancy	$ 5570.00	$ 5210.00

Please note that Deluxe / First / Tourist class doesn't apply to hotels in : Nauplia , Delphi ,Olympia
Where the hotels used are Tourist Class

Category A :
Athens Modest 5 stars such as : Divani Palace.
Mykonos : Royal Mykonian
Santorini : Chromata or Dana

Category B
Athens : 4 stars such as : Stanley.
Mykonos: Pelican
Santorini: Volcano View or similar

Mediterranean Interlude

An 18 Day- In Depth Touring of Greece, Athens, the Greek Isles
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Island Hopping : 8 days Athens, Mykonos & Santorini - Arrive any day Apr- Nov

Mediterranean Interlude

An 18 Day- In Depth Touring of Greece, Athens, the Greek Isles and Istanbul Turkey l

Island Hopping : 8 days Athens, Mykonos & Santorini - Arrive any day Apr- Nov

An 18 Day- In Depth Touring of Greece, Athens, the Greek Isles
and Istanbul Turkey l