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Includes airfare, fuel surcharges, great hotels, transfers, many meals, touring and more!

Athens, the city where past and present, east and west, myth and history all mingle together in a fascinating and lively collage, is yours! Our package includes flights, deluxe hotel accommodations, lavish buffet breakfast daily and transfers. Explore on your own or take interesting and inexpensive optional tours in the city known as the birthplace of western civilization. After your tour, take advantage of an inexpensive and exciting 3-night/4-day Classic Greece extension. But, be sure to reserve your space quickly; at prices this low, this tour is sure to sell out soon!

Want to add a Mediterranean cruise to your Athens visit? Check out our 9 day Athens & Greek Isles Cruise package from only $1599*.

Athens Express Tour Program

Day 1: Depart USA. Your exciting journey to Athens, Greece, begins today as you check in for your overnight jet flight.

Day 2: Arrive Athens. Late morning arrival in Athens, the birthplace of western civilization. You'll be met by our representative in Athens and then escorted to your hotel overlooking the Acropolis and within short distance of Constitution Square and the famous Plaka (Old Town). Hotel Titania

Day 3 to 6: Athens. You'll have four full days to explore Athens on your own. Your hotel is ideally located in the heart of the city, close to many major attractions, as well as the best shopping and dining. Our Athens representatives will be glad to make suggestions for independent exploration. Or, join some of our exclusive optional excursions to the city's highlights as well as memorable optional evening activities.

If you are interested in extending your stay in Greece, our exciting optional Classical Greece post-tour extension begins on Day 6. (See details below.)

Day 7: Athens/USA. Today you'll be escorted to the airport and bid farewell to Athens as you board your return flight. Your exciting journey comes to an end as you arrive in the USA later today.

Classical Greece Post-Tour Extension

Why not take advantage of your already-included international airfare and add three nights in Greece to visit the classical cities of Mycenae, Olympia, and Delphi? Your extension includes first class hotel accommodations, full buffet breakfast and dinner daily, guided touring and all entrance fees to places visited.

Day 6: Athens, Mycenae & Olympia. After breakfast this morning, board your touring coach and begin a tour of the classical cities of Greece. Drive across the Corinth Canal, which connects the Ionian Sea with the Aegean, to the Peloponnesian Peninsula, where 4,000 years of history are more fully and comprehensibly illustrated than anywhere else in Europe.

Here we'll visit the famous theater of Epidaurus, the best preserved in Greece, which reached the height of its fame in the 5th & 4th centuries B.C. The acoustics are so perfect that even from the last of the 55 tiers, every word can be heard. Continue to ancient Mycenae, which, according to the poets, was founded by Perseus and built with the aid of the mythological Cyclops. Drive on to Olympia, birthplace of the Olympic games, for dinner and overnight. Hotel Amalia Olympia (B,D)

Day 7: Olympia, Nafpaktos & Delphi. This morning we'll tour the archeological site and museum at Olympia, where the Olympic games were conceived as a tribute to Hercules, son of Zeus. These games were the most important international event in the Hellenic world from 776 B.C. to 393 A.D. and continue today, with the lighting of the Olympic flame that is carried by runners throughout the world. Visit the Sanctuary of the Olympian Zeus and the Museum.

This afternoon we drive via Patras to Rion, Antirion and picturesque Nafpaktos, where according to mythology, Hercules slew the Erymanthine boar and where we'll view the lovely circular Venetian harbor. Continue our drive to Delphi for dinner and overnight. Hotel Amalia Delphi (B,D)

Day 8: Delphi & Kalambaka. After breakfast we'll explore the ancient site of Delphi, located on the slopes of the breathtaking Mount Parnassus, in a landscape of unparalleled beauty and majesty. Here lie the ruins of the Sanctuary of Apollo Pythios, the Treasury of the Athenians, the Temple of Apollo and the museum, which contains masterpieces of ancient Greek sculpture including the famous bronze Charioteer.The site had been sacred since at least the Bronze Age. According to legend, the shrine was originally guarded by the she-dragon Pytho. She was killed by Apollo who then took over the oracle. In antiquity, Delphi was regarded as the centre of the world.

Later, we'll depart for the small town of Kalambaka, built at the foot of the majestic gray rocks, at the point where river Pinios leaves the Pindos Mountain. Hotel Amalia Kalambaka (B,D)

Day 9: Meteora & Athens. This morning we will visit the spectacular Meteora monasteries, perched upon the summits of some precipitous and isolated rocky pinnacles, which rise above the almost flat valley of the Pinios river, 9 km beyond Kalambaka. The monastic history of Meteora goes back to the 11th century AD, when the monks constructed inaccessible eagle's nests in the crannies of these rocks and today, four are still occupied.

Later this afternoon we'll drive back to Athens, via Thermopylae, famous battleground from the Persian wars. Arrive in Athens and check in at our hotel. Hotel Titania (B)

Day 10: Athens/USA. This morning, board your homebound flight. Your magical journey to Greece ends as you arrive the USA later today.

Optional Tours in Athens

$239/person if pre-booked

To take full advantage of your visit to Greece, we offer a discounted package of the most popular optional tours featured on our tour. These are not "seat in coach" tours that pick up passengers in various hotels. All the optional tours are operated for Friendly Planet groups only.

*Half Day Athens
Enjoy a morning tour of the principal modern and classical sites, including Constitution Square, the Panathenian Stadium (site of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896), the Presidential Palace, The Roman Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Parthenon with its many monuments atop the Acropolis and the Acropolis Museum. (€52 per person)

*Athens by Night Dinner/Tour
Your evening dinner-tour begins with a gorgeous orientation drive along the illuminated boulevards of Athens, as far as Piraeus, Greece's principal commercial port. Continue to Marina Zea, one of the busiest yacht harbors on the Mediterranean and home to many luxury pleasure yachts belonging to Greece's shipping and jet-set communities. From here, a short drive to lovely Mikrolimano, another picturesque yacht and fishing harbor. Return to Athens and the renowned "Plaka" district, located around the base of the Acropolis, for dinner with live floor show at a typical Greek taverna. (€60 per person)

*Saronic Islands Full-Day Cruise
Embark early this morning on a one-day cruise through the Argo Saronic Greek Islands. Disembark first in the laid-back and charming island of Hydra, where you’ll have time for strolling, shopping, and independent exploration. Early this afternoon, continue sailing to the island of Poros, best know for its wine and unique architecture. After lunch, the final stop takes you to Aegina, where you’ll have leisure time to explore the main town or join an optional excursion to the Temple of Aphaia (additional cost). Arrive back in Athens early this evening. (€95 per person)

The special package price of $239 per person is available when booked and prepaid prior to departure. If you don't want to book the entire package, individual optional tours will be available for booking when you arrive in Greece. These tours, when purchased individually in Greece, cost €207 per person (approximately USD $272 per person).

Destination FAQs

For quick answers to Frequently Asked Questions about travel to Greece, click here.

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Athens Express
Included Features

• Round trip flights from New York via Olympic Airways non-stop service including fuel surcharges (flight schedule). Other gateways are available upon request.
• 5 nights superior hotel accommodations at the Hotel Titania
• Lavish buffet breakfast daily in Athens
• On the Classic Greece Extension, 3 nights accommodations at the Superior First Class Amalia Hotels in Olympia and Delphi
• On the Classic Greece Extension, buffet breakfast and dinner daily
• Special, discounted optional tours package
• All group transfers
• Professional, English-speaking tour host throughout

  TourCode: d-000

Athens Express Departures & Prices* Depart Return Book by Dec 19 After Dec 19 2009 DEPARTURES Jan 12 Jan 18 $999 $1299 Jan 19 Jan 25 $999 $1299 Jan 26 Feb 1 $999 $1299 Feb 2 Feb 8 $1049 $1349 Feb 16 Feb 22 $1049 $1349

Tour prices are per person, double occupancy, including airfare. Prices in red reflect an early booking discount if you reserve by Dec. 19, 2008. * Prices do not include Additional Taxes, Fees & September 11th Security Fee for this tour of $135.

Taxes & Fees Service Price Additional Taxes, Fees & September 11 Security Fee +$135

Optionals & Upgrades Service Price Single Room Supplement +$269 Discounted Optional Tours Package* +$239

* The optional tours package must be booked prior to departure in order to receive discounted price.

Classical Greece Extension Service Price Classical Greece Extension +$599 Single Room Supplement +$199

Departure Airport: This tour departs from New York Kennedy International (JFK). Ask about availability and prices for connecting flights from other cities.

Travel Insurance: Our comprehensive policy is available for only $99-$159 per person (depending on total trip cost) and is recommended to protect your investment.

Important Note: If you are reserving this tour less than 60 days prior to departure, confirmation is subject to space availability. We will advise you within 48 hours if we can confirm your reservation. In the meantime, no credit cards will be debited for deposits or payments until we are able to confirm your reservations.

Waitlisting on Sold-Out Departures: If your preferred departure is sold out, you can place yourself on a waitlist by completing the online reservation form and submitting it to us. Just click on the "waitlist" button, complete the form and click "submit". In the comments box at the very bottom of the form, please write any notes regarding your request, especially any flexibility you might have in your dates of travel. This way, if your first choice doesn't clear, we can try for a second or third choice. We will make every effort to clear your space in a timely way so that you can join us on tour. You do not need to send any deposits for waitlists. When we clear your space, we'll contact you immediately by phone or email, and if you still wish to travel, we will arrange for deposits or payments at that time. We regret that we cannot accept waitlists beyond 35 days prior to departure. If you see "sold out" next to the dates you wish to reserve or waitlist, please note that this departure is now closed, including waitlist possibilities.

Important Information About Transfers: Transfers for this tour are provided on a group basis only. For land-only passengers or for passengers deviating in any way from the group program, transfers are not provided. Transfers are not provided for passengers flying from alternate gateways, unless arrival and departure flights are close to those of our Olympic group flights. Individual, private transfers can be arranged at a supplement in price. Taxis and other forms of transportation are also available and may cost less than private transfers. If you wish to arrange private transfers, please request this service at the time of reservation.

Flight Schedule: Click here for a full flight schedule.

Already Booked? Print and complete your Tour Registration Form (PDF).

800.555.5765 / Fax 215.572.9803

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* Some tour prices reflect an early booking discount on select dates. Prices do not include Additional Taxes, Fees & September 11th Security Fee.

Though we do our best to provide accurate and up-to-date information on our site about our tours, sometimes oversights and typographical errors can occur. Please confirm all tour prices and details with us via email or phone prior to booking. We will not be held responsible for misunderstandings arising from such errors.

TourCode: d-000