Tour Description

Visit Athens for 2 Nights, Crete for 4 Nights & Santorini for 4 Nights

For Travelers who are visiting Greece for the first time to enjoy the culture, the History and the Mediterranean Cuisine.

Visit Athens to vie the main historic sites of the city, where the Greek civilization was born. Go to the island of Crete, where you will discover the heart of the Mediterranean cuisine, its magnificent beaches the Minoan Palace of Knossos, the Venetian Port towns of Chania and Rethymno, together with some picturesque villages where the local culture is still vivid. Complete your vacation in Greece nested in a cave suite on the caldera (cliffs) of Santorini with the stunning views and the unique atmosphere of the island that will amaze you.

During the specific trip travelers will be able to enjoy, History and Archeology tours, islands with beautiful beaches, relaxation, unique architecture, Mediterranean cuisine and Cooking Classes, walking and Hiking tours, churches and Monasteries, sailing trips and sun set cruises, water sports, night life and shopping.

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1:
Arrive in Athens and stay for two nights in a nice hotel next to the Plaka area, where you can walk to most of the sites of the city.
Surrounding the hill of the Acropolis, Plaka area, is full of coffee shops, local restaurants, the fleet market (Monastiraki), the Central Food Market of the city, The Roman Agora (Stoa of Attalos) and the Hephaestus Temple, The tower of the winds, the Philopappos, Mars, and the Pnyx Hills, "Anafiotika" (featuring Traditional Cycladic Architecture, built by settlers of the Cycladic island of Anafi, across Santorini island) and the picturesque neighborhood of Psiri.

Day 2:
Enjoy your first day at leisure and next day you can optionally enjoy the half day tour of Athens, until 14:00pm.
Alternatively, the half day walking tour of Athens, would be an equally interesting way to enjoy the sightseeing of the city of Athens.
Enjoy the rest of the day at leisure considering some nice dinner at the Lycabettus hill where a spectacular view of Athens could be enjoyed.

Day 3:
After Breakfast transfer to the airport and fly over to the island of Crete, at the capital town of Heraklion, where you will pick up your rental car, which would be the best way for you to explore the entire island, throughout your stay.
From the airport you can drive straight in to the actual town of Heraklion for 10 minutes where you could visit the Archaeological Museum of the island, to admire exhibits from different regions of Crete, dated five thousand years BC.
Your Next stop should be the Minoan Palace of Knossos (10 minutes drive) where you could enjoy a tour of the archaeological site. Late in the afternoon you should drive towards the Venetian Port town of Rethymnon, where you will stay for four nights and enjoy your evening at leisure. On the way there you could optionally stop at the Arkadi Monastery, which is located 15 minutes drive before Rethymnon town. On the way to Arkadi Monastery you could also take a stop at the villages of Adele and Maroulas, where you'll enjoy the local cuisine.

Day 4:
After Breakfast, you can drive at the south coast of Crete and visit the Lagoon of Preveli (60' drive) and the Kourtaliotis Gorge, Plakias Vilage, the Monastery of Preveli and the secluded Beach of Kokkina Chorafia. On the way to Plakias village, you can take a stop at the picturesque village of Roustika and Argiroupoli. On the way back from Preveli, you can equally enjoy a stop at the village of Spili. You could optionally extend your sightseeing in the area and visit the Beach of Matala (former hippie's settlement), that is located south west of Preveli and the Minoan Palace of Festos, south of Vori Village.
After a long day you should enjoy some nice dinner at the Avli Lounge Hotel.

Day 5:
Today you will visit the Venetian port town of Chania, but on the way there you can take a stop at the village of Vrises and visit the Monastery of Saint George and its abandoned Olive oil Factory. Past the Nautical base of Souda, you should turn right to enter the Akrotiri Peninsula, where you can drive around the airport and visit the Monastery of Agia Triada. Your next sop should be the Beach of Stavros, where you can take a swim.
From there you can drive to Chania Town where you can spend your evening, explore some of the sites of this town (The Venetian Cathedral, Kasteli (Castle), with its Venetian fortification walls and the light house, the Byzantine walls, the Mosque of the Janissaries, the old Venetian Town Hall, as well as the new one, the Jewish Headquarters with the synagogue and Platia Mitropoleos). You will enjoy some nice dinner in along the taverns that are spread along the old pier. Keep in mind that the drive back to Rethymnon is approximately one hour.

Day 6:
Today you can explore the east part of the island where you could optionally visit the Lagoon of Balos and Falassasrna Beach, an hour's drive away from Chania Town, driving along the north coast of Crete. Alternatively you could consider driving at the south east tip of the island, to enjoy the Lagoon of Elafonissis, by driving over the plateau of Topolia, the village of Milies, Inachori Villages and the Monastery of Chryssokalitisa, prior to accessing the spectacular Lagoon of Elafonissi.
Just keep in mind that the drive back from Elafonissis is approximately 2:30 Hours.

Day 7:
Early in the morning, drive to Heraklion port where you will take the speed boat to the island of Santorini. Upon your arrival you will be transferred to your hotel, in one of the main villages of the island, such as Fira Town, Firostefani, Imerovigli, or Oia Village, that is located at the northern tip of the island.
You can spend your first day by enjoying the amazing views of the ocean, the Crater of the Volcano and the spectacular sun set, from your room's balcony and have dinner in one of the nice restaurants overlooking the ocean, 1000 feet above the sea level.

Day 8:
Rent a car and explore the black sand beaches of Kamari, Perisa and Perivolos Beach. Vlichada Beach and the local fishing port, where the sailboats are docking. The red Beach and the Archaeological site of Akrotiri, together the Venetian Lighthouse that is the southern tip of the island.
Don't forget to drive to the highest tip of the island, in Profitis Elias Monastery and the quaint village of Pyrgos, where you can enjoy a stroll in to Venetian castle of the village and its impressive churches with their Blue doms.
The Traditional settlements of Megalochori and Emporio would also be places worth visiting, to experience the local atmosphere and the local cuisine.

Day 9:
You can take a wine tour, a cooking class, or a combination of both, to sample the good quality wines, learn about the wine making in Greece and taste some local specialties with local ingredients.

Day 10:
A nice way of ending your trip to Greece, would be for you to enjoy a unique sun set cruise, sailing along the extensive crater of the volcano, with a nice meal on board, or simply take a half day boat trip to the new crater of the volcano and the Hot springs and Thirasia island.

Day 11:
Transfer to the airport and fly back to Athens, where you will connect with your overseas flight back at home.

Photos

ACROPOLIS ATHENS	THESEION ATHENS	ODEON OF HERODES ATTICUS ATHENS.jpg
KNOSSOS	RETHYMNO HARBOR	CHANIA CRETE
ELAFONISSI CRETE	PINK BEACH CRETE	OLIGROVE IN CRETE
SUNSET IN OIA	WOODEN BOAT RESTING IN SANTORINI	VIEW OF FIRA TOWN FROM THE VILLAGE OF OIA

Price and Inclusions

Price: Tailor Made Inclusions: Tailor Made