Greece: the Classical Mainland, Naxos and Santorini

1. Day 1: Arrive in Athens

   Athens International Airport to your hotel in central Athens, then Plaka and Anafiotika on foot

   • Welcome dinner
   • Stay in Athens
   Day 1 details

   Fly into Athens International Airport (ATH), about 35 km east of the centre. A driver meets you in arrivals and takes you to our hotel within walking distance of Plaka and the Acropolis. Plan to land by about 3 pm to join the first walk; the latest arrival time is confirmed with your final itinerary. At about 5 pm your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a short briefing on the twelve days ahead: how the ferries and luggage work, what to wear at the monasteries, and which mornings start early. Then we walk together through the lanes of Plaka and climb into Anafiotika, the tiny whitewashed quarter built under the north face of the Acropolis in the 19th century by builders from the island of Anafi. From its steps you look across the rooftops to Lycabettus Hill as the light goes. The welcome dinner is at a taverna close by, with mezze to share.

   Included

   • Pick-up at Athens International Airport (ATH)
   • Welcome briefing with your guide
   • Evening walk through Plaka and Anafiotika
   • Welcome dinner

   Free time: Free until the 5 pm briefing

   Activity: The evening walk is about an hour on stepped lanes.

   

2. Day 2: The Acropolis at opening

   The Acropolis, the Acropolis Museum and the National Archaeological Museum

   • Breakfast
   • Stay in Athens
   Day 2 details

   We are at the Acropolis gate for the first timed slot at 8 am, ahead of the cruise groups and the heat. A licensed Athens site guide leads you up through the Propylaea to the Parthenon, the Erechtheion with its porch of Caryatids, and the edge of the rock for the view over the city. We come down the south slope past the Theatre of Dionysus to the Acropolis Museum, where the top-floor gallery sets out the Parthenon frieze in the order it ran around the temple, with the Parthenon itself in view through the glass. Lunch is yours in Plaka or Koukaki, and the hottest hours are free. At about 4 pm your guide takes anyone who wants to go to the National Archaeological Museum to see the gold from the royal graves of Mycenae, including the mask once called the Mask of Agamemnon, five days before we stand at the graves themselves. The evening is free.

   Included

   • The Acropolis on the 8 am timed slot with a licensed site guide: the Propylaea, the Parthenon and the Erechtheion
   • The Acropolis Museum
   • The National Archaeological Museum with your guide in the late afternoon

   Easier option: Skip the late-afternoon museum and rest at the hotel or in the National Garden.

   More active option: Climb Lycabettus Hill on foot for sunset, about 30 to 40 minutes up from Kolonaki.

   Free time: Midday and evening free

   Activity: About 3 hours on foot in the morning, on polished marble and uneven paths with no shade on the rock. From November to March the National Archaeological Museum closes mid-afternoon, so we go straight after lunch.

   

3. Day 3: North by Thermopylae to Meteora

   Athens to Thermopylae, then Kalambaka below Meteora

   • Drive about 4.5 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Kalambaka
   Day 3 details

   We leave Athens at about 8:30 am and head north on the motorway through Boeotia, the sea of the North Euboean Gulf appearing on the right. After about two and a half hours we stop at Thermopylae, where Leonidas and his Spartans held the pass against the Persian army in 480 BC. The coastline has moved several kilometres since, so the narrow pass between mountain and sea is now a plain; the bronze Leonidas monument and the information centre show how it looked. A sit-down lunch follows in a taverna nearby, then about two hours more across the Thessalian plain to Kalambaka, where the grey pillars of Meteora rise straight behind the town. This is the longest drive of the trip, about four and a half hours at the wheel, and it buys two nights under the rocks instead of a 12-hour return day from Athens. We arrive by about 4 pm and the evening is free: walk up into Kastraki, or sit with a drink and watch the rocks turn gold.

   Included

   • Drive from Athens to Kalambaka with your guide
   • Thermopylae: the Leonidas monument and the information centre
   • Sit-down lunch near Thermopylae

   Free time: Late afternoon and evening free in Kalambaka

   Activity: About 4.5 hours of driving in two parts, broken by Thermopylae and a sit-down lunch.

4. Day 4: The monasteries of Meteora

   Kalambaka to the monasteries of Meteora and back

   • Drive about 1 h
   • Breakfast
   • Stay in Kalambaka
   Day 4 details

   Six monasteries are still lived in on the rocks of Meteora, listed by UNESCO in 1988, and each closes one or two days a week. We visit the two or three that are open on your day, starting as the first opens at about 9 am, before the day-trip coaches arrive from Athens around late morning. Typically that means the Great Meteoron, the largest, founded in the 14th century and reached by a stairway cut into the rock; Varlaam, with its frescoed church and the old winch tower once used to haul up monks and supplies; and Rousanou, home to a community of nuns on a lower pillar. A local guide joins your See Sight Tours guide. We are back in Kalambaka for lunch on your own and a free afternoon out of the heat. Before sunset we drive up to a viewpoint on the ridge road to watch the light go down the pillars.

   Included

   • Two or three Meteora monasteries with a local guide, entry fees included
   • Sunset at a viewpoint on the ridge road

   Easier option: Visit only St Stephen's, reached by a short bridge with almost no steps, and wait at a cafe for the others.

   More active option: Walk up the old monks' footpath from Kastraki to the Great Meteoron, about an hour of steep climbing, and meet the group at the top.

   Free time: Afternoon free

   Activity: Up to about 300 steps per monastery. Shoulders and knees covered; women wear a skirt, and wraps are lent at the door.

   

5. Day 5: Over the mountains to Delphi

   Kalambaka to Lamia and Amfissa, then Delphi

   • Drive about 3.5 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Delphi
   Day 5 details

   A slower morning, then about three and a quarter hours south: back across the Thessalian plain, over the hills past Lamia, and down through the olive country of Amfissa to Delphi, on the slopes of Mount Parnassus. We arrive for a sit-down lunch in the village, on a terrace looking down over a valley of olive trees to the Gulf of Corinth at Itea. In the late afternoon, when the coaches from Athens have gone, your guide and a licensed local guide take you through the Delphi Archaeological Museum: the bronze Charioteer, still with his inlaid eyes, the Sphinx of the Naxians on its column, and the friezes from the Siphnian Treasury. This is the only single night on the trip, and it is here for a reason: sleeping in Delphi puts us at the sanctuary gate when it opens tomorrow. The evening is free; the village is small and quiet after dark.

   Included

   • Drive from Kalambaka to Delphi with your guide
   • Sit-down lunch in Delphi
   • The Delphi Archaeological Museum with a licensed local guide

   Free time: Evening free in Delphi

   Activity: The Delphi museum is open into the evening in the April to October season; from November it closes mid-afternoon.

6. Day 6: Delphi at opening, then Nafplio

   Delphi to the Corinth Canal, then Nafplio

   • Drive about 3.5 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Nafplio
   Day 6 details

   We are at the sanctuary of Apollo when it opens, at 8 am on most days in the summer timetable, with the hillside cool and nearly empty. Walk up the Sacred Way past the rebuilt Treasury of the Athenians to the Temple of Apollo, where the oracle spoke, then on to the theatre and the stadium at the top of the site, with the view down the valley to the sea. A short walk down the road takes us to the Sanctuary of Athena Pronaia and its round Tholos. We leave by about 11 am for the drive to the Peloponnese, about three and a half hours by Thebes and the motorway, and stop at the Corinth Canal, cut through the isthmus between 1881 and 1893, to look down its sheer rock walls. Lunch is a sit-down meal near the canal. We reach Nafplio, the first capital of modern Greece, by mid-afternoon, with a short evening walk through its old town.

   Included

   • The sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi at opening with a licensed local guide: the Sacred Way, the Treasury of the Athenians, the Temple of Apollo, the theatre and the stadium
   • The Sanctuary of Athena Pronaia and the Tholos
   • Stop at the Corinth Canal
   • Sit-down lunch near the canal
   • Evening walk in Nafplio old town

   Easier option: Stop at the theatre and wait in the shade while the others climb to the stadium.

   Free time: Evening free after the walk

   Activity: About 2.5 hours on foot at Delphi, mostly uphill on stone paths and steps. In summer the site opens at 10 am on Tuesdays; on a Tuesday we visit Athena Pronaia first and reach Nafplio later.

7. Day 7: Mycenae and Epidaurus

   Nafplio to Mycenae, then Epidaurus and back to Nafplio

   • Drive about 2 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Nafplio
   Day 7 details

   Mycenae opens at 8 am and we are there for it, about half an hour north of Nafplio, before the heat and the day groups. With a licensed local guide, walk in through the Lion Gate, one of the oldest monumental sculptures in Europe, past Grave Circle A, where Heinrich Schliemann found the gold you saw in Athens, and up to the palace on the summit, with the Argolid plain spread below. Below the citadel we step into the Treasury of Atreus, a beehive tomb roofed with huge stone rings. Then it is about an hour east to Epidaurus, the sanctuary of the healing god Asklepios, and its 4th-century BC theatre, set into a pine-covered hillside. Climb to the top rows while someone below drops a coin on the stage. Lunch is a sit-down meal in a village taverna, and we are back in Nafplio by mid-afternoon for a free afternoon and evening.

   Included

   • Mycenae at opening with a licensed local guide: the Lion Gate, Grave Circle A, the palace and the Treasury of Atreus
   • Epidaurus: the Sanctuary of Asklepios and the theatre
   • Sit-down lunch in a village taverna

   Easier option: At Epidaurus, take a seat in the lower rows of the theatre and skip the walk round the sanctuary.

   More active option: In the evening light, climb the long stone stair to the Palamidi fortress above Nafplio; locals say it has 999 steps.

   Free time: Afternoon and evening free in Nafplio

   Activity: About 3 hours on foot on uneven ground and steep paths at Mycenae, with little shade.

8. Day 8: By ferry to Naxos

   Nafplio to Piraeus, then the ferry to Naxos

   • Drive about 2 h
   • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
   • Stay in Naxos
   Day 8 details

   After breakfast we drive about two hours back over the isthmus to Piraeus, the port of Athens, and say goodbye to our mainland vehicle. Your guide boards with you, handles the bags and keeps the group together on deck. We aim for a sailing between late morning and early afternoon; the crossing takes about four to six hours depending on the boat, past the Cyclades of Syros and Paros on the way. Timetables for the season are published in winter or spring and we confirm the exact boat with your final itinerary, never one that needs a pre-dawn start. Door to door it is a long day, about seven to nine hours from Nafplio to Chora, so we bring a packed lunch on board. Chora, the main town of Naxos, climbs from the harbour to a Venetian castle. After check-in we walk the causeway to the islet of Palatia for sunset at the Portara, the great marble doorway of a temple to Apollo begun around 530 BC and never finished. Dinner together tonight in Chora.

   Included

   • Drive from Nafplio to Piraeus with your guide
   • Ferry from Piraeus to Naxos, with a packed lunch
   • Sunset at the Portara
   • Dinner together in Naxos Chora

   Activity: If the meltemi wind or a strike stops the ferry, your guide moves the group to the next sailing or a flight to Naxos.

9. Day 9: The mountain villages of Naxos

   Naxos Chora to the Tragaea valley, Halki, Apeiranthos and Melanes, then back to Chora

   • Drive about 1.5 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Naxos
   Day 9 details

   Naxos is green and farmed, unlike its barer neighbours, and today we drive into its interior with your guide. First the Tragaea valley, where old olive groves fill the floor between the hills and Byzantine chapels sit among the trees. In Halki we visit a kitron distillery, where the island's liqueur is made from the leaves of the citron tree, and taste the three strengths. Higher up, Apeiranthos is a village of marble-paved lanes and stone towers built by Cretan settlers, with its own dialect. Lunch is a sit-down meal in a village taverna: local cheese, slow-cooked goat or a vegetable dish, and bread from the oven. On the way back we stop at Melanes to see a 6th-century BC kouros, an unfinished marble statue of a young man, still lying in the ancient quarry where it was abandoned. We are back in Chora by about 3 pm, with the rest of the day free.

   Included

   • Village day by van with your guide: the Tragaea valley, Halki, Apeiranthos and the Kouros of Melanes
   • Kitron tasting at a distillery in Halki
   • Sit-down lunch in a village taverna

   Free time: Afternoon and evening free in Chora or at the beach

   Activity: Short walks of up to an hour on village lanes and steps.

   

10. Day 10: A free day on Naxos, or Paros

    Naxos, with an optional ferry to Paros and back

    • By ferry
    • Breakfast
    • Stay in Naxos
    Day 10 details

    Today is yours. The long sandy beaches of Agios Prokopios and Plaka are a short bus or taxi ride south of Chora, and the water is clear and warm from June. Chora itself rewards a slow morning: the lanes of the Kastro, the Archaeological Museum in the old Ursuline school with its Cycladic marble figures, and coffee by the harbour. If you would rather see another island, your guide takes anyone who wants to go on the morning ferry to Paros, under an hour away. We walk through Parikia to the Panagia Ekatontapiliani, the Church of a Hundred Doors, with parts dating to the 6th century, then cross the island to the fishing harbour of Naoussa for lunch on your own by the boats. We are back on Naxos by late afternoon. Whichever you choose, the evening is free, with plenty of tavernas in Chora and by the water.

    Included

    • Day trip to Paros with your guide for those who want it: return ferry, Parikia and the Panagia Ekatontapiliani, and Naoussa harbour

    Optional experiences

    • A guided walk up Mount Zas, at 1,004 m the highest point of the Cyclades, about 3 hours up and down (extra cost, booked through your guide)
    • Boat trips to the Small Cyclades from Naxos (extra cost)

    Easier option: Stay on Naxos for a beach day at Agios Prokopios or Plaka.

    More active option: Hike Mount Zas with a local walking guide in the cool of the morning.

    Free time: Whole day free, or join the Paros trip

    

11. Day 11: Santorini and the caldera rim

    Naxos to Santorini by ferry, then Fira to Imerovigli on foot

    • By ferry
    • Breakfast
    • Stay in Santorini
    Day 11 details

    A mid-morning ferry takes us south to Santorini, a crossing of about two hours, and the view as the boat enters the caldera is one to be on deck for: red, black and white cliffs about 300 m high, with the villages of Fira and Oia strung along the top like snow. A vehicle meets us at the port of Athinios and climbs the hairpins to our hotel in or near Fira, about three hours door to door from Naxos. Lunch is yours in Fira. In the late afternoon your guide walks the group north along the caldera path, about 3 km, through Firostefani to Imerovigli, the highest village on the rim, with the volcanic islands of Nea and Palea Kameni in the bay below. We watch the sunset from Imerovigli or Skaros Rock, rather than in the crush at Oia, and take a taxi back to Fira. The evening is free in town.

    Included

    • Ferry from Naxos to Santorini
    • Transfer from Athinios port to the hotel
    • Caldera walk from Fira through Firostefani to Imerovigli with your guide
    • Sunset at Imerovigli

    Easier option: Walk only as far as Firostefani, about 1 km, and take a taxi on to Imerovigli for sunset.

    More active option: Keep going from Imerovigli to Oia on the full caldera trail, about 7 km more and 2 to 3 hours, and see Oia after dark when the crowds have gone; we arrange the taxi back.

    Free time: Early afternoon and evening free

    Activity: The caldera path is paved but rises and falls on steps; there is little shade.

12. Day 12: Akrotiri and a sail in the caldera

    Fira to Akrotiri, then a sail to Nea Kameni, the hot springs and Thirasia

    • Drive about 45 min
    • Breakfast and dinner
    • Stay in Santorini
    Day 12 details

    We are at Akrotiri when it opens at 8 am. Under a modern roof lie the streets of a Bronze Age town buried by the great eruption of Thera in the 17th or 16th century BC, its two- and three-storey houses still standing to the upper floors, with stairs, storage jars and drains in place. Your licensed local guide explains how the town was found and why no bodies have turned up. We are back in Fira by late morning for lunch on your own and a free middle of the day. In the mid-afternoon we board a sailing boat in the caldera: a walk up the black lava of Nea Kameni to its crater, a swim to the warm, iron-red water of the hot springs off Palea Kameni, and a stop at quiet Thirasia across the bay. We sail back as the sun sets over the caldera, then share a farewell dinner in Fira.

    Included

    • Akrotiri at opening with a licensed local guide
    • Caldera sail: Nea Kameni crater walk, the hot springs and a stop at Thirasia
    • Farewell dinner in Fira

    Optional experiences

    • The Museum of Prehistoric Thera in Fira, with the frescoes and finds from Akrotiri (extra cost)

    Easier option: Stay on the boat at Nea Kameni and skip the swim to the hot springs.

    Free time: Middle of the day free

    Activity: The Nea Kameni crater walk is about 1 hour up and back on loose volcanic gravel. Swimming at the springs is optional.

    

13. Day 13: Fly to Athens, trip ends

    Santorini to Athens International Airport by air

    • By plane
    • Breakfast
    Day 13 details

    A last breakfast with the caldera below, then a short transfer to Santorini's airport (JTR) for the included morning flight to Athens, about 45 minutes in the air instead of a day on the ferry. Your guide flies with the group, collects the bags with you at Athens International Airport (ATH) and sees you to your connections before saying goodbye around late morning. That leaves the afternoon and evening open for flights home to Canada, the US and elsewhere, without a second day of island transport. If you would like more time in Athens, we can book extra nights at a central hotel and a transfer into the city, so you can see the Ancient Agora, the Benaki Museum or Cape Sounion at your own pace. Flight times for the season are confirmed with your final itinerary; if the schedule moves, we move the group with it.

    Included

    • Transfer to Santorini airport (JTR)
    • Flight from Santorini to Athens (ATH) with your guide

    Optional experiences

    • Extra nights in Athens with a transfer into the city (extra cost)

    Activity: Book your flight home from Athens to leave after about 3 pm.

Wildlife and weather: Spring and autumn are warm and clear; July and August reach about 40 C on the mainland and the meltemi wind can delay Aegean ferries, so we start early, rest at midday and keep a backup sailing or flight in mind.

• Athens2 nights
• Kalambaka2 nights
• Delphi1 night
• Nafplio2 nights
• Naxos3 nights
• Santorini2 nights