From Dubrovnik to Athens

Included in tour package:<ul><li>Tirana</li><li>The Meteora</li><li>Olympia</li><li>Mycenae and Nafplio</li><li>Athens and the Acropolis</li></ul>

We&rsquo;ll set off by coach with our guides for the Athens Acropolis, situated on a 150m-high rocky plateau and which in Ancient times was a vast sanctuary for the worship of the Goddess Athena and numerous other gods in Greek mythology. You will have the chance to discover the different temples on the site including the Parthenon, built in the 5th century BC and dedicated to Athena, whose gold and ivory statue stood in the sanctuary. It was destroyed during the siege of the city during the 12th century crusades, and the Parthenon was turned into a Catholic church when the Franks occupied Athens, then into a mosque by the Turks in the 17th century. You will also visit a number of other remarkable monuments still standing such as the Erechtheion, an elegant little temple dating back to the 5th century BC; the Temple of Athena Nike, known in Ancient Greece as the &quot;temple of victory&quot;; the Propylaea, the monumental entrance to the Acropolis; the ancient Theatre of Dionysos and the Odeon of Herodes Atticus...

You will then return to the coach to finish off with a panoramic tour of the modern city of Athens, also taking in the Agora, the center of public life for the ancient Athenians. This square open space served a variety of purposes: political, religious, economic, commercial and cultural.

PLEASE NOTE

<ul>
	<li>Good shoes are recommended.</li>
	<li>The order of the visits can change.</li>
	<li>Times are approximate.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

Athens and the Acropolis

Discover one of the most spectacular sites in Greece. Although the original town of Kalambaka was destroyed during World War II, the Meteora monasteries remained intact on the summit of the rocks. The caves in the rocks were inhabited by hermit monks in the 9th century AD. They began to build monasteries in the 11th century, and at its peak in the 16th century, there were 24. Today, there are now six functioning monasteries still inhabited by either nuns or monks.

PLEASE NOTE

<ul>
	<li>The order of the visits can change.</li>
	<li>Times are approximate.</li>
</ul>

The Meteora

According to Greek mythology, Perseus founded Mycenae. He used Cyclopes to build the citadel walls so that no human could move them. The earliest mention of the city appears in Homer&rsquo;s works. Join us for a tour of this fascinating center of Greek civilization and former military stronghold. Notable curiosities include the Lion Gate access way and the circular burial areas. The ruins are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as they played a vital role in the development of Classical Greece from the 15th to 12th centuries BC. The Mycenaean culture is the source of ancient epics and legends such as the labors of Hercules, the Trojan War, and Agamemnon&rsquo;s tragic life and death. We&rsquo;ll then continue on to Nafplio, founded by the son of Poseidon as recounted in Greek mythology. Have fun discovering this charming, romantic city dominated by the Palamidi Fortress high on the hill. We&rsquo;ll also see the Bourtzi Castle, built by an Italian engineer in 1473, just off the coast of the city.

PLEASE NOTE

<ul>
	<li>The order of the visits can change.</li>
	<li>Times are approximate.</li>
</ul>

Mycenae and Nafplio

We&rsquo;ll hit the road for Tirana, nestled between Dajti Peak and the coastal plains. We'll first visit the National History Museum, which takes you chronologically from ancient Illyria to the post-communist era. The museum is divided into pavilions, each portraying the diversity of Albanian history, including the Antiquity, Middle Ages, Ottoman Occupation and Albanian Resistance, as well as its independence from Turkey in 1912. There are two pavilions dedicated to the rise of fascism and the consequent era of communist terror. Bringing inspiration through all this, is the final pavilion dedicated to Mother Theresa&rsquo;s life and work.&nbsp;Tirana's National History Museum is currently closed for restoration. The visit will be replaced by a visit to the Bunk'Art museum. This former nuclear shelter now houses a museum retracing the history of modern Albania, from the Italian assault of 1839 to the collapse of Communism, which you will discover through old photographs and original documents. After our visit, we&rsquo;ll set out on foot for Skanderbeg Square, the city center surrounded by important government buildings, as well as the historic Et'hem Bey Mosque.PLEASE NOTE<ul><li>The order of the visits can change.</li><li>Times are approximate.</li></ul>

Tirana

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CLASSIC EXCURSIONS PACKAGE

Included in tour package: Tirana The Meteora Olympia Mycenae and Nafplio Athens and the Acropolis

CLASSIC EXCURSIONS PACKAGE

Cruises

From Dubrovnik to Athens

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