GREEK ISLAND ODYSSEY

Your Itinerary

1. Day 1 Your Greek retreat begins!

   Make your way to our city centre hotel from Athens International Airport (ATH) and enjoy some free time to explore the surrounding neighbourhood. We’ll gather as a group for the first time at around 6pm this evening, when you’ll meet our Local Insider – your expert guide for the trip – in the hotel lobby. Ice firmly broken, we’ll head over to a nearby rooftop restaurant for cocktails and an assortment of small plates.

   Accommodation

   Polis Grand Hotel (or similar)

   Activities Included

   • Welcome dinner
2. Day 2 The ultimate tour of Athens and the Acropolis

   After breakfast meet your guide to the reception of your hotel. Walk together through Omonoia Square and Kotzia Square where the City hall of Athens is located and admire the old refurbished buildings. This is the main area where the Athenians do their grocery shopping during week days but on a Sunday a more easy going pace is present! Walk all the way towards the view of the Acropolis and find yourself to the yussurum market of Athens. Especially on a Sunday local salesmen will display their findings and the necessary ‘bargain game’ will take place. On spot someone can find from old books to amazing furniture and this is a ‘must’ for an Athenian’s Sunday walk.Along with your guide, visit the flea open market with the amazing vibe and walk towards the Ancient Agora. From the present to the past, enjoy a guided tour to the place where Ancient Athenians used to shop and interact to each other! After the guided tour to the archaeological site, walk through Plaka neighbourhood to the Acropolis of Athens and enjoy a guided tour to the Parthenon!At the end of the tour, your guide will show you where to eat or chill to the Acropolis area. Make your way back to the hotel at your own pace.

   Accommodation

   Polis Grand Hotel (or similar)

   Activities Included

   • Guided walking tour of Athens
3. Day 3 Set sail for Naxos!

   Today it’s time to actually set sail on our island-hopping adventure, so we’ll be grabbing an early breakfast before shooting off to the port. From here a ferry will take us to the magical island of Naxos. Despite being the largest isle in the Cyclades, and one of the most beautiful in all of Greece, this little Mediterranean gem remains largely in the shadow of other traditional tourist favourites. This gives it a slightly more laid-back vibe, representative of the Greek way of life, but with just as much natural splendour as anywhere else in Greece. On arrival mid-afternoon we’ll check into our hotel in the city of Naxos, leaving you to spend the rest of the day getting a feel for its charming cobbled streets and gorgeous surrounding beaches.

   Accommodation

   Argo Boutique Hotel

   Activities Included

   • Ferry to Naxos
4. Day 4 Journey through the beating heart of Naxos on a food and village tour

   This morning we embark on an enlightening tour across the island, leaving the guidebooks behind and following instead our expert Local Insider, who’ll whisk you across the mountains and from village to village on an off the beaten path journey through the authentic heart of Naxos. This is your chance to discover the beautiful little moments, places and people that make up daily life on the island. You’ll meet locals, taste their delicious culinary treats, learn about their cultural quirks and witness the splendid natural beauty that surrounds them. When we wrap the tour up mid-afternoon you’ll have had a priceless insight into this magical island, which leaves you with plenty to reflect on for the remainder of the day, so we recommend hitting the beach!

   Accommodation

   Argo Boutique Hotel

   Activities Included

   • Villages of Naxos tour (lunch included)
5. Day 5 Explore ancient history and enjoy spectacular coastal scenery in Paros

   This morning we’ll hop on the ferry to nearby Paros. This gorgeous little island is famed for its fabulous beaches and, in Greek antiquity, for producing high-quality white marble, which was even used to sculpt Venus de Milo herself. We’ll explore the gorgeous old town of the island’s capital, Parikia, and discover one the earliest and best preserved monuments of Christian Greece, Panagia Ekatontapiliani. Next up is the idyllic coastal village of Naousa, an authentic slice of Greece with its cobbled streets and traditional market. It also happens to be home to a spectacular Venetian Fortress. No trip to Paros is complete without some time spent on the pristine sands of Agios Nikolaos. By the time we hop back on the ferry to Naxos, you’ll have touched upon ancient history, charming village life and beach splendor – the complete Greek experience in a day!

   Accommodation

   Argo Boutique Hotel

   Activities Included

   • Day trip to Paros
6. Day 6 Set sail to Santorini!

   Today we hop back on the ferry to the final destination of our trip, and perhaps the most sumptuously gorgeous island in all of Greece, Santorini. Upon arrival mid-afternoon our Local Insider will take you on an orientation walk of Fira, the island’s capital. Marvel at the majesty of those iconic whitewashed buildings before spending the rest of the day at your own leisure.

   Accommodation

   Nissos Thira

   Activities Included

   • Ferry to Santorini
   • Orientation walk of Fira
7. Day 7 Settle down for a picnic with the iconic Santorini sunset

   After breakfast this morning you’ll have more time to yourself – we recommend a scenic coastal walk or perhaps some chill time on the beach. Later on you’ll regroup with our Local Insider to head out on a tour of some of Santorini’s most spectacular viewpoints. We’ll walk to the first organic blackcurrant vineyard in Santorini, spotting local herbs such as caper and thyme and, season depending, picking some to taste. The visit ends with an infused olive oil tasting and a gift bottle paired with herbs from the farm. The evening then culminates with a stunning evening picnic looking out across the island and the Aegean Sea – the perfect way to enjoy Santorini’s world-famous sunset, one of the great sights on Earth.

   Accommodation

   Nissos Thira

   Activities Included

   • Sunset picnic experience
8. Day 8 Return to Athens

   It’s an early breakfast again this morning as we hop back on the ferry to return to the mainland. We should check-in to our hotel in Athens at around 3pm, so you’ll have some time to tick off any remaining bucket-list sights in the capital, or perhaps buy a souvenir or two in the market, before regrouping for a farewell dinner at an authentic local Athenian restaurant.

   Accommodation

   Polis Grand Hotel

   Activities Included

   • Ferry to Athens
   • Farewell dinner
9. Day 9 Time to say goodbye!

   After one final breakfast at our hotel, it’s time to part ways and mark the end of your Greek island-hopping experience with Culture Trip. You’ll have a suitcase full of memories to take home with you, but if you don’t want to head straight back to the airport, why not continue your Mediterranean adventures someplace else?