Greece Trip with Stylish Tours
Athens, Kalambaka, Thessaloniki, Kavala
16 days / 15 nights
DAY 1 –
Depart the U.S.
DAY 2 – ATHENS
Upon arrival in Athens, you will be met by a Stylish Tours USA representative and transferred to your hotel for overnight.
DAY 3 – ATHENS
Begin your tour of Athens by ascending to the Acropolis and the full splendor of the 5th century BCE Athens. See the Propylaria (Gateway), the Temple of Athena Nike (Victory), the Parthenon and the Erechteion. The expansive Agora of Athens, where the ancient philosophers counseled and taught, lies below. Next, visit the Parliament, and the Plaka. In the afternoon, leave the city and drive the coastal road to Cape Sounion. The scenic drive includes views of the Saronic Gulf, wonderful beaches and countless coves. Along the way, stop to visit the Vravrona Sanctuary. The dramatic scenery of Cape Sounion, is dominated by the spectacular Temple of Poseidon overlooking the Aegean.
Return to the hotel for overnight.
DAY 4 – ATHENS
Drive the historic coast road to Corinth, where Paul ministered for nearly two years and wrote the earliest New Testament writings, The Letters to Thessalonians. The columns of Apollo Temple dominate the Agora. See the tribunal before which Paul was dragged, but where Gallio refused to pass judgment on him. Continue to the beautiful Peloponnese and the ancient city of Mycenae, the center of Europe's first civilization. Proceed to the great Theater of Epidaurus and the ruins of the Asklepion. Return to Athens along the new scenic road with magnificent views of the Saronic Gulf and the ancient port of Conchreas from which Paul sailed to Ephesus.
DAY 5 – KALAMBAKA
Depart for Delphi, nestled in the mountains of Parnassus with an unforgettable view across acres of olive trees as far as the Gulf of Corinth. It was the site of the famous Oracle of Apollo and a city of fame and wealth considered by early Greeks to be the center of the world. In the afternoon, depart to Kalambaka for dinner and overnight.
DAY 6 – THESSALONIKI
Visit Meteora, where Byzantine monasteries perch atop gigantic rocks, each standing alone in space; some over 1,000 feet high. In the Byzantine period, the monastic communities were important centers for art. Today, some of the monasteries are still occupied by religious orders. Depart Kalambaka to Larisa, the fourth largest city in Greece, and on through the valley of Tempe along the green water of River Pinios. Continue on through Katerini to the beautiful and cosmopolitan city of Thessaloniki.
DAY 7 –THESSALONIKI
Thessaloniki is also known as Salonika. The New Testament books of Thessalonians are Paul’s correspondence with the people of this church. Visit the old city ramparts, the Archaeological Museum, St. George Church, an ancient Roman monument which was transformed into a church, and the Galerius Arch, which rises over the famous Via Egnatia. Also visit two of the most beautiful basilicas in the city, St. Dimetrius, dedicated to a distinguished member of the Roman army and a martyred Christian convert, and St. Sophia. Continue to the ancient site of Veria, a modern shrine which commemorates Paul’s visit, and to Vergina, one of the most important sites in Northern Greece.
DAY 8 – KAVALA
Head north from Thessaloniki to Philippi, the first great city in Europe visited by Paul.
It lies astride the Via Egnatia, the road that connected Rome with Constantinople. Visit the extensive ruins of Philippi and see where Paul was imprisoned. Walk by the stream near the modern village of Lydia where the first baptism in Europe took place. Continue to Kavala.
DAY 9 – CANAKKALE
The ancient port of Kavala was known as Neopolis in New Testament times. See the attractive port and the 16th-century aqueduct, built by Suleiman the Magnificent. Then drive to the border where you will be met by your Turkish tour guide and continue to Canakkale.
DAY 10 – IZMIR
Visit Troy, the legendary city-state of Homer’s Iliad. See the excavations showing several layers of this civilization, and the replica of the infamous Wooden Horse. Continu