Grecian Odyssey

A local guide, well-educated and specially-trained on the history and culture of Athens, will accompany your group.

Visit the awesome monuments built by Pericles on the Acropolis during Athens' Golden Age in the 5th century BC. On that hill, the goddess Athena reigned supreme. You'll see the Propylaea, the Temple of Athena Nike, and the Erechtheion with the Kore Porch, famous for its Caryatid columns.

Of course, you'll visit the centerpiece of the Acropolis, the 2,500 years old yet ageless Parthenon. For this huge temple dedicated to the goddess Athena, architects skillfully avoided straight lines and right angles to counterbalance the unsightly optical illusion called optical sagging, which deforms straight lines.

Delve deeper into antiquity at the contemporary archaeological museum open in 2009 at the base of the Acropolis hill, in the hope that it will one day house the superb and much disputed 5th century BC Parthenon Sculptures that were moved to England in the 19th century by Lord Elgin. For now, visitors can view a Permanent Collection with artifacts from the 7th century BC to the 5th century AD, and peer at excavations through a glass floor.

Discover one of the most beautiful sites of ancient Greece. Visit the Temple of Apollo, the foreboding Sanctuary of Earth and the Sacred Way, lined with the treasuries of the ancient Greek cities.

See artifacts and treasures on display at the Archaeological Museum, notably the celebrated bronze statue known as the Delphic Charioteer.

Enjoy some free time this morning.

Hydra Island:

Step ashore at Hydra Town, the main port on the island by the same name, where the former mansions of sea captains rise above the town's quaint harbor, now an artists' colony. Relax at a waterfront café or meander through narrow streets lined with art galleries and shops displaying gold jewelry or ceramics.

Poros Island:

The next port of call is Poros Town. In the 4th-century BC, the great Athenian orator Demosthenes, who famously worked on his diction by speaking with marbles in his mouth, sought refuge from his Macedonian enemies on this small island. The temple where he found sanctuary now lies in ruins, but Poros' fame endures, its memorable sights enhanced by red-roofed villages and windmill-dotted lemon groves.

Aegina Island:

Stop at Aegina Town on the lovely isle of Aegina, which experts regard as the place where ancient Greek coins were first produced in the 5th century BC. At that time, Aegina was a prosperous maritime city-state which challenged Athens in war and in games, its sprinters often zooming past the Athenian competition. Narrow roads that wind past whitewashed houses lead up into the mountainous interior, bedecked with landmarks such as the temple of Athena Aphaia, the ghost town of Paleochora, and the seaside villages of Vagia and Perdika.

There's enough time on Aegina to book an optional excursion of your choice.

Marvel at the colossal canal, about 4 miles long, 70 to 80 feet wide, and 26 feet deep, which was begun in AD 67 by the Roman Emperor Nero. The herculean task was completed in 1893, some 1,800 years after Nero's attempt.

Walk through the site of a very old Greek city that became the largest Roman city in Greece: in its heyday, the population of Ancient Corinth climbed as high as 90,000. Its ruins include notably the splendid columns of the Temple of Apollo.

In AD 51, when Paul the Apostle arrived in Corinth, the city had a reputation for immorality that earned his wrath. On the Agora, you will see the bema (platform), where Paul was dragged in front of the Proconsul and accused of sacrilege.

Visit the oldest place on the European continent. Legend has it that Mycenae was founded by Perseus himself, while its origins and decline have long beguiled historians. Add your speculations to theirs at the well-preserved and extensive ruins, which include in particular the famed Lion's Gate, the Treasury of Atreus, the Tombs of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, and the Circle Grave.

Visit the huge open-air theater, which is almost 2,500 years old and perhaps the finest of all the ancient Greek monuments of its kind. Listen to the sound of your voice here: you'll hear it as never before.

You will also visit the most celebrated healing center in antiquity: the Asklepieion, or Sanctuary of Asklepios, the Greek god of medicine. Known to the Romans as Aesculapius, he is often represented holding a staff with a snake wrapped around it: the Rod of Asclepius (Caduceus) became the symbol of medicine and, in our time, of the World Health Organization.

Enjoy some free time in Athens today.