QUINTESSENTIAL ATHENS

Built in the Attica Basin, Athens, the modern capital and largest city of Greece, lies between Mount Parnitha, Penteliko, Hymettus and the Saronic Gulf. The importance of its geographical position and its mild climate were the main reasons that the first inhabitants chose to settle here. The citizens of Athens, together with their rich history, produced a brilliant civilization and thus made an incomparable contribution to mankind.

Your day begins at 08:15 hrs., with a panoramic tour of the main monuments of Athens. Among the monuments and places of interest, you will have the chance to visit the famous Syntagma or Constitution Square, National Gardens, the Presidential Residence, Hadrian's Arch, the Greek Parliament, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, where the Evzone soldiers change guard in honor of those fallen in battle, and last but not least, the University, Academy and National Library, or simply the Trilogy of Athens, which have all been recently restored.

There will be two stops during our tour: the first one at the old Panathenaic Stadium, or as the Greeks call it, Kalimarmaro (good marble). This is the place where the first modern Olympic Games were held in 1896, but also the site of another major event in antiquity, known as the Panathenaic Games, in honor of Athena the patron of the city. You will visit the Temple of Olympian Zeus, which was completed by the Emperor Hadrian many centuries later, showing his passion for the Greek culture. The "main course" of the day is your visit to the "sacred rock", the famous Acropolis and symbol of Athens. Once there, you will appreciate some of the most well-known Monuments of Classical Greece, such as the Parthenon, Erechtheion, the Temple of Athena Nike and the Propylaea.

Finally, you will visit the Acropolis Museum, the most important museum of the city and one of the five most celebrated museums in the world, because of its cultural, sculptural and archeological heritage.

Greca Tip: Wander in the tight, twisting alleys of Plaka with its 19th-century facades garlanded with flowering bougainvilleas and enjoy your meal or a drink in one of the fine restaurants and bars.