Peony Tours | Best Quality Europe Tours, China Tours, Vacation Packages to Taiwan, Thailand, Peru, Australia, New Zealand, Africa (2024)

USA - Athens, Greece

Today, board your international flight from the US to Athens, the capital of Greece.

Arrive Athens

On arrival at Athens International Airport, meet your Peony Tours representative and transfer to your 5-star hotel. After checking in, enjoy time this evening to have dinner at your choice of the many enticing tavernas and restaurants near your hotel.

Accommodation:

★★★★★ Electra Metropolis Hotel or Similar

Athens

Today, set off on a comprehensive sightseeing tour of Greece's capital. With a 3,500-year history, this captivating city blends bustling plazas and cobbled lanes with classical antiquities dating to the 5th century BC, as well as landmarks left by the Roman, Venetians, and Ottomans. Your explorations begin with a tour of the modern and ancient highlights, including Constitution Square, the Parliament House, the Memorial to the Unknown Soldier, and the National Library. See sites such as Hadrian's Arch, the Temple of Zeus and the Panathenaic Stadium, the site of the first modern Olympic Games, en route to the Acropolis*: the stunning citadel that looms high over the city. Here, marvel at the masterworks of Athens' golden age, including the sublime Parthenon, Propylaea, Temple of Athena Nike, and Erechtheion. Finally, explore the Acropolis Museum*, a stunning contemporary home to statues and sculptures discovered at the Acropolis site. After the remainder of the day at leisure, enjoy dinner at a local restaurant this evening.

Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation:

★★★★★ Electra Metropolis Hotel or Similar

Athens – Embarkation – Mykonos – Aegean Cruise

After breakfast, transfer to Athens' port and board your comfortable cruise ship for your 4-night Aegean islands cruise, starting with the picture-perfect island of Mykonos. Sail the azure waters of the Mediterranean to this sun-washed and glamorous isle, known for its whitewashed houses, stone windmills, sandy beaches, and electrifying nightlife. After docking in Mykonos Town in the early evening, choose to sample some of the lively bars and trendy shops before a late-evening departure for Kusadasi, on Turkey's Anatolian coast.

Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation:

Celestyal Cruises or Similar

ROOM UPGRADES:

• Celestyal Cruises or Similar (Category XC) 4 nights

Kusadasi, Turkey – Patmos, Greece – Aegean Cruise

This morning, your ship arrives in Kusadasi, Turkey. Here, join our included morning tour to Ancient Ephesus*, the best-preserved collection of classical ruins in the entire Mediterranean region. Once a flourishing Roman port city, relics include the façade of the Celsus Library, columned roads, ruined shops and temples, and a 25,000-seater theater where St. Paul once preached. Having explored Ephesus, set sail for Patmos, the island where St. John is said to have witnessed the visions that inspired the Revelation, the last book of the New Testament. If you wish, take an optional tour to the saint's grotto and 11th-century hilltop monastery perched above it or relax at your leisure in the pretty port town of Scala. Tonight, cruise toward Rhodes.

Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation:

Celestyal Cruises or Similar

Rhodes – Aegean Cruise

Your ship docks at Rhodes, known as the ‘Island of Knights,' early this morning. On arrival, you may take the optional tours to Acropolis of Lindos and Citadel of the Knights. View the rock-top Acropolis of the whitewashed village of Lindos and explore Rhodes' Old Town, Europe's largest inhabited medieval town. Enter this walled enclave of cobbled streets, built by the Knights of St. John over 500 years ago during the time of the Crusades, and admire the 14th-century Palace of the Grand Masters and Street of the Knights, the latter lined with the lodging ‘inns' of knights from different countries. This evening, your ship sets sail for Crete.

Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation:

Celestyal Cruises or Similar

Heraklion (Crete) – Santorini – Aegean Cruise

Today's first port of call is Heraklion, Crete's bustling capital. Here, choose to participate in an optional tour to the Palace of Knossos, the remnants of a vast Minoan palace that was the mythological seat of King Minos. Explore the restored ruins of this 7,000-year-old royal complex and uncover the mysterious legend of the Minotaur. Alternatively, choose to stay in Heraklion and explore its old town areas independently, perhaps discovering highlights such as its Venetian harbor fortress, lively shopping areas, and Lion Square, centered on the 17th-century Venetian Morosini Fountain. Later, cruise to Santorini, the most spectacular of Greece's Cyclades Islands, formed by a massive volcanic eruption in around 1,600 BC. Marvel at the sea-filled caldera and Santorini's white buildings atop its black cliffs as you approach this postcard-worthy island, and after docking in the afternoon, set off to experience its charms. If you wish, join an optional tour to the cliff-top town of Oia to watch Santorini's celebrated sunsets. Tonight, your ship cruises back toward Athens.

Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation:

Celestyal Cruises or Similar

Disembarkation – Corinth Canal – Epidaurus – Nafplion – Olympia

Your wonderful 4-night cruise ends this morning when you disembark at the port for your 4-day tour of some of Greece's major classical and medieval treasures. Settle into a deluxe coach and travel to the man-made passage, Corinth Canal, one of the smallest ocean canals today in the world. After a photo stop, continue to Epidaurus to view its incredible 4th-century theater, one of the greatest and the best preserved Greek theaters. Later, visit the seaside city of Nafplion. Enjoy dinner in your hotel in Olympia tonight.

Included: Breakfast, Dinner at hotel

Accommodation:

★★★★ Europa Hotel or Similar

Olympia – Nafpaktos – Delphi

After breakfast, visit the Ancient Olympia*, the birthplace of the idea and site of the Ancient Olympic Games. Discover the Sanctuary of Olympian Zeus and the Archaeological Museum of Olympia, which hosts important treasures such as the famous statue of Praxiteles, Herms. After your tour, travel through Achaia and Rio-Antirio toward Delphi, passing through the picturesque towns of Nafpaktos and Itea. Tonight, enjoy dinner in your hotel in Delphi.

Included: Breakfast, Dinner at hotel

Accommodation:

★★★★ Amalia Hotel Delphi or Similar

Delphi – Kalambaka

A visit to the magnificent classical site of Delphi* is one of the highlights of any tour of Greece. This morning, venture to this mountainside complex, set on the slopes of Mt. Parnassus. Once considered the ‘navel of the earth,' this ancient sanctuary has its roots in the 6th century BC and was home to the oracle of Apollo, which issued cryptic predictions and advice to visiting leaders and pilgrims. Walk up to the site for a guided tour of the highlights, including the Sanctuary of Apollo where the oracle, Pythia, the temple priestess, delivered her prophecies, and the beautiful Doric Treasury of the Athenians, built to house offerings to Apollo. Plus, don't miss the Delphi Museum*, which houses a fascinating collection of finds from the site, including the beautiful statue of the bronze charioteer. Afterward, depart for the lovely town of Kalambaka in Central Greece, situated near Meteora. This evening, enjoy dinner at your hotel in Kalambaka before retiring for the night.

Included: Breakfast, Dinner at hotel

Accommodation:

★★★★ Grand Meteora Hotel or Similar

Kalambaka – Meteora – Kalambaka – Athens

Teetering high on sandstone pillars that were first settled by hermits in the 11th century, the UNESCO-listed rock monasteries of Meteora were largely built between the 12th and 15th centuries as inaccessible religious retreats. This morning, visit a selection of breathtakingly situated monasteries to view some of the priceless icons and treasures they hold and soak up the bird's-eye views from their jaw-droppingly high terraces. After the tour, enjoy lunch at a local restaurant in Kalambaka on your own expense. Then, make the journey back to Athens, bypassing Trika, Lamia and Thermopylae where a stop will be made to visit the memorial of Leonidas and the brave 300 Spartans. This evening, sit down to a special farewell dinner with your fellow travelers at a local restaurant in Athens.

Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation:

★★★★★ Electra Metropolis Hotel or Similar

Athens – USA

After breakfast at your hotel, transfer to Athens airport for your homeward flight to the US.

Included: Breakfast

Aegean Sea Cruise

• Celestyal Cruises or Similar (Category XC) 4 nights FROM $250 PP

*Subject to availability

Treat yourself to the most sought-after seats on our coaches — those in the first two or three rows. We assign 10 seats in the front rows on a first-come, first-served basis subject to availability. To pre-book these seats for less than $10 per day, select the front of coach seating option online in your Peony Tours account.

• FRONT OF COACH SEAT UPGRADES FROM $50 PP