Greece Family Journey: Stories of the Past

Arrive in time to meet your fellow travelers for a welcome gathering this evening.

Your Welcome Moment: Welcome Moment - Meet Your CEO and Group
Your opportunity to meet your CEO and fellow travellers, and learn more about your tour. Don't forget to see the notice in the lobby (or ask reception) for the official time and place to meet up with the group.

Accommodation
Below is an example of the hotel we may use in this city. For the actual hotel your specific departure will be using, please check your voucher.

Acropolis Select Hotel (or similar)

Immerse yourself in Athens, the birthplace of Western civilization. Begin the morning with a visit the Agora of Athens—where Athenians gathered to discuss the affairs of the day—and listen to your guide bring these timeless ruins to life. Next, walk to the Acropolis Museum and visit the exhibits—including a model of the Athenian Acropolis built entirely of LEGO pieces that took the creator around 300 hours to complete. Enjoy lunch on your own and a free afternoon to explore Athens, where you may opt to visit the Temple of Olympian Zeus and Hadrian's Arch. Before dinner, learn all about the Parthenon—a global symbol of the ancient world—on a guided visit. Revel at the sight of the marble Doric temple, built between 447 and 438 BC, as you wander among the columns dedicated to the goddess Athena. Afterwards, walk together with the group to a Bouzouki dinner experience.

Ancient Agora Visit
Athens

Explore the ruins, located in the heart of modern Athens, which were once the site of the marketplace in ancient times. It was the political, cultural, social and economic centre of the ancient world, where the likes of Socrates, Plato and affluent Athenians used to gather to discuss philosophy, political issues, exchange gossip and trade.

Free Time
Athens

Spend a free afternoon in Athens. Opt to visit the Temple of Olympian Zeus and Hadrian's Arch, or simply walk around and get to know the city.

Guided Parthenon Visit
Athens

Visit the Parthenon, built for the Goddess Athena in 447 BC with a local guide. This Greek temple, despite the gradual state of ruin and damage sustained over time, still symbolizes the key ideals of harmony and balance that defined the Classical style of Greek architecture.

Acropolis Museum Visit
Athens

Visit the Acropolis Museum to see some of the artifacts and artworks discovered during excavations of the Acropolis on a self-guided tour. With over 25, 000 square meters (82,020 ft) the museum is architecturally as interesting as the collection. The museum is built over an archaeological dig site and there is an impressive view of the Acropolis from the third floor.

Accommodation
Acropolis Select Hotel (or similar)

Meals included: Breakfast | Dinner

Following breakfast, the group will walk to the National Garden of Greece—an oasis at the heart of the city center—to enjoy a private family experience in the garden, where you’ll learn about childhood in Athens and Sparta from a museum educator. You’ll view replicas of centuries-old toys and discover the connections between games played in ancient Greece and the games children play today. You’ll even get to play 5 ancient Greek family games using the same equipment, like pebbles, ceramic knucklebones, balls and rings. Enjoy lunch with the group at a traditional Greek restaurant, then spend a free afternoon in Athens, where you can choose to visit the National Archaeological Museum, the Panathenaic Stadium or ride the cable car up to Lycabettus Hill. Dinner this evening is on your own.

Your Family Journeys Moment: Greek Family Games Experience
Gain knowledge of childhood in Athens and Sparta from a museum educator on a visit to the National Garden of Greece. Learn about the toys and childhood games of ancient Greece. View replicas of these centuries old toys and discover the connections between games played in ancient Greece and the games present-day children play. Then, play five family games as if you were ancient Greek children, using the same kinds of equipment they did like, pebbles, ceramic knucklebones, balls, and rings.

Free Time
Athens

Enjoy a free afternoon in Athens. Opt for more museum visits, like the National Archaeological Museum. Or perhaps see the Panathenaic Stadium or ride a cable care up Lycabettus Hill.

Accommodation
Acropolis Select Hotel (or similar)

Meals included: Breakfast | Lunch

Begin your day with a ferry ride from Piraeus Port to the island of Paros. This island’s semi-translucent, snow-white marble is responsible for providing the stone slabs used in the creation of 80% of Greek antiquities. Next, set off on a tour of the island, which includes lunch. Visit some of the unspoiled, authentic whitewashed villages like Lefkes and Marpissa. In Marpissa, you’ll tour the Folklore Museum to see replicas of typical houses on the island of Paros filled with traditional old furniture, looms, utensils and other objects used throughout the island’s history. After touring the island, return to the hotel, and the rest of the day will be spent at your leisure. In the late afternoon, you may swim at the beach and have dinner on your own at a local restaurant in the village.

Private Vehicle
Athens – Port of Piraeus

Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.

Ferry
Port of Piraeus – Páros

Get to the next spot on your route aboard a convenient and efficient ferry boat.

Paros Island Tour
Páros

Enjoy a guided tour around the island of Paros. Visit the unspoiled, authentic whitewashed villages of Leffkes and Marpissa. Next to the port of Parikia, stands the Church of Ekatontapiliani (the church with the hundred gates). The church was built in the 4th century AD, is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and is one of the most important Byzantine Monuments in the whole of Greece. Up in the mountains admire the whitewashed houses, Venetian architecture, windmills, and dovecotes. In Marpissa pay a visit to the Folklore Museum to see a typical island house of Paros. See traditional furniture, looms, utensils, and other household items dating back hundreds of years.

Accommodation
Narges Hotel (or similar)

Meals included: Breakfast | Lunch

This morning, experience a cooking class on the island in the village of Anezina. Join a local chef, who shares their passion for cooking by passing on their grandmother’s traditional recipes. Along with the chef, you’ll prepare a 6-course Parian meal using the regional flavors of Greece. Then, sit down with your hosts and fellow travelers for a feast featuring the delicious dishes you made. The afternoon is yours to continue exploring Paros. You may swim in the inviting waters of the Mediterranean, go sea kayaking along the coast or cruise around the islands by boat, where you can cliff jump, snorkel, explore caves and swim in the calm, turquoise waters. Dinner this evening is at your leisure.

Free Time
Páros

Opt to cliff jump, snorkel, swim in the calm waters, or cruise around the islands by boat on a free afternoon in Paros with your family.

Anezina Cooking Class
Páros

Learn from a local chef on the island of Paros how to cook a traditional Greek meal. After enjoying a refreshment, the group will prepare a six course Parian meal handed down from the chef’s grandmother. Dishes include a starter, a salad, fish, meat, and vegetarian options, pulse desert. After the lesson everyone will sit down together and enjoy their delicious meal.

Accommodation
Narges Hotel (or similar)

Meals included: Breakfast | Lunch

This morning, enjoy some time on your own to experience more of Paros with your family. Stroll by the waterfront, play a game of volleyball on the beach or try watersports at Aliki Beach. Catch the ferry to Crete in the afternoon and arrive in the evening. Transfer to the hotel and sit down for a group dinner.

Free Time
Páros

Spend a free morning as a family in Paros. Stroll along the waterfront, opt to gave a leisurely breakfast, or maybe check out the volleyball games and watersports happening at Aliki Beach.

Ferry
Páros – Crete

Get to the next spot on your route aboard a convenient and efficient ferry boat.

Accommodation
Candia Park Village (or similar)

Meals included: Breakfast | Dinner

In the morning, transfer by bus to the port city of Heraklion—the capital of Crete—where you’ll set out on a half-day walking tour and scavenger hunt adventure in Heraklion City. Follow an expert cultural guide through this historical labyrinth, as you work together with your family, searching for sites, monuments, buildings and answers to riddles. Later, wander through the ruins of Knossos Palace, an incredibly well-preserved structure offering a glimpse into the lives of the Minoans. The remainder of the afternoon is at your leisure in Crete, where you can swim at Agios Nikolais or spend time exploring this stunning island on your own, before joining the group for a delicious dinner.

Your Family Journeys Moment: Heraklion Scavenger Hunt
Enjoy a half-day guided walking tour and scavenger hunt in the center of Heraklion. Search for sites, monuments, and buildings as you answer questions and solve riddles to find the clues. Discover the fascinating history and fortification of Heraklion. Visit popular sites with an experienced cultural guide and race to be the first team finished. The tour focuses on the year 1669 in Heraklion. It was during this time that the city experienced one of the longest sieges in world history. With the city in ruins and the fall of its crown looming on the horizon, you will answer questions like, How did people survive under these circumstances? And What was the city administration doing to help?

Knossos Site Visit
Irákleion – Dimos Heraklion

Enjoy an included visit to Knossos, known to be the largest archaeological site of the Bronze Age on Crete. Knossos was a major city ruled by King Minos and is believed to be the oldest city in all of Europe. Explore the ancient palace and surrounding city, discovered in the 1900s by the English archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans.

Free Time
Crete

There will be free time in Crete this afternoon for swimming at Agios Nikolais or to wander the island on foot in search of more stunning ocean views.

Accommodation
Candia Park Village (or similar)

Meals included: Breakfast | Dinner

Spend the day exploring the magnificent island of Crete on your own. Several tours are available at an additional cost, including a full-day land rover safari along an ancient Minoan route leading into the mountains. Or tour through pastures, villages and the scenic Lassithi Plateau, where you’ll visit Dikteon Cave, the mythological birthplace of Zeus. In the afternoon, you may spend time swimming at the resort or pay a visit to a Cretan olive oil farm for a tour of the grounds and a tasting. In the evening, gather together with your group to enjoy a farewell dinner.

Free Time
Crete

Enjoy a full free day in Crete for a variety of optional activities in the area. Choose between a full-day land rover safari along an ancient Minoan route leading into the mountains. Pass through pastures, villages, and the scenic Lassithi Plateau. Visit the mythological birthplace of Zeus at Dikteon Cave, and watch island shepherding traditions at an interactive eco-park. Or opt to spend time swimming in the pool at the resort, or pay a visit to a Cretan olive oil farm.

Accommodation
Candia Park Village (or similar)

Meals included: Breakfast | Dinner

Depart at any time.

Departure Day
Not ready to leave? Your CEO can help with any onward travel arrangements you require.

Meals included: Breakfast