Magical Journeys to Greece: Athens

Showing posts with label Athens. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Private Walking Tour: The Acropolis

Discover Athen's Ancient history on this fascinating three-hour Private walking tour. No trip to Athens is complete without a visit to the ancient Acropolis. See this monumental structure that towers above the city below. You will also see such sites as the House of Parliament and the historical city centre .

Got the morning free in Athens? Then why not take a relaxing tour to ancient Corinth? You'll tour Corinth's fascinating archaeological site and have breathtaking views of Corinth Canal and the Saronic Gulf.

Walk along the historic streets of Athens while indulging in traditional Greek cuisine. This tour allows you to savor a wide variety of local delicacies, ranging from the mouthwatering, syrupy 'loukoumades' to traditional 'bougatsa,' 'pastourma,' rusks and olives. You'll also discover Greek herbs and spices at the Varvakeios food market. Numbers are limited to 14 people on this small-group walking tour, ensuring you'll receive personalized attention from your guide.

The moment your cruise ship arrives in port in Athens (Piraeus), your shore excursion to the Acropolis begins. Discover Athens' ancient history on this fascinating city walking tour with a local guide. Venture inside the Acropolis, see the Parthenon and admire how this ancient monument towers above the city. As you soak up the local scene, you'll also see such sites as the House of Parliament and the Zeus Temple.

Athens Shore Excursion: Athens Hop-on Hop-off Tour

No matter what cruise ship you arrive on, this is the perfect do-it-yourself shore excursion in Athens. Experience the essential things to do in Athens aboard a hop-on hop-off sightseeing tour. You'll see all the historical and modern sights of Athens in a comfortable and secure environment, with full commentary provided. Stop at all the major attractions dating from both ancient times and the present day, including the Acropolis, Parthenon, New Acropolis Museum, National Archeological Museum and the Plaka!

Experience the essential things to do in Athens aboard a hop-on hop-off sightseeing tour. You'll see all the historical and modern sights of Athens in a comfortable and secure environment, with full commentary provided. Stop at all the major attractions dating from both ancient times and the present day, including the Acropolis, Parthenon, New Acropolis Museum, National Archeological Museum and the Plaka!

Mycenae and Epidaurus Day Trip from Athens

Explore the remains of the ancient city of Mycenae a major centre of Greek civilization from 1600BC to 1100BC and visit the small village of Epidaurus famous in ancient times for being a place of healing.

One for all you history buffs! Discover Athens' ancient history on this fascinating city walking tour with an expert local guide! Venture inside the ancient Acropolis of Athens - a UNESCO World Heritage site - and discover just how this ancient monument towers above the city below. You'll also see such sites as the Greek Parliament House and Syntagma Square in the heart of central Athens. All entrance fees are at your own expense.

Fuel your appetite with a night-time tour of Athens, before relaxing with a Greek dinner show. Taking place at a typical taverna in the renowned Plaka district, it's the perfect way to finish your night out in Athens!

Skip the line and take a walk through history on a guided tour of Athens' New Acropolis Museum. See the treasures of the ancient Athens Acropolis - the fortified natural defense which towers over the city of Athens and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Combine the sights of modern Athens with sites of historical importance on a 3.5-hour morning or afternoon tour by luxury coach. With an expert guide on hand to explain all the top Athens attractions, the tour passes Constitution Square and Panathenaic Stadium - home of the first modern Olympic Games. Explore the Acropolis of Athens on foot, and discover famous monuments such as the Pantheon. If you're eager to see more, book the morning tour and upgrade to include an entrance ticket to Athens Acropolis Museum.

Temple of Olympian Zeus, Athens

The Temple of Olympian Zeus (or Olympieio) has been a ruin almost since it was built. The Athenian rulers who began its construction in the 6th century BC set out to build the greatest temple in the world, but it was not actually finished until about the 2nd century AD (over 600 years late!) by the Roman emperor Hadrian.

By then it was the largest temple in Greece, bigger than the Parthenon. In the 3rd century AD it was looted by barbarians and its glory days were over. Since then it has slowly fallen into ruin.

The temple was dedicated to the worship of Zeus, king of the gods of Mount Olympus, and once contained a massive statue of the god. Of this, there is no trace and only fifteen of its original 104 columns still stand. Over the centuries much of its marble has been recycled or stolen for other temples, or perhaps, over the centuries, a bit of garden paving.

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Friday, July 25, 2014

Meteora

Meteora, in central Greece, is a place of natural beauty and man-made wonder. The huge natural rock towers are home to cliff-top monasteries built by Eastern Orthodox hermit monks in the 14th century.

The monks settled in the area from the 9th century and began by living in the caves and fissures of the rocks. They built the inaccessible monasteries - 6 of 20 survive - to fend off Turkish invaders. UNESCO has identified the area as having world significance.

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Thursday, July 24, 2014

Acropolis of Athens

The Acropolis (Akropolis) means 'city on a hill' and dates from the 5th century BC. Dominated by its main temple, the Parthenon, the Acropolis can be seen from all around the city of Athens.

In 510 BC, the Delphic Oracle told Pericles that this hill should be a place to worship the gods so he set about an ambitious building project which took half a century and employed both Athenians and foreigners. It reflects the wealth and power of Greece at the height of its cultural and influence.

Even now, the Classical architecture of the temples influences the building styles of our modern cities. But the thick pollution of Athens has taken its toll on the gleaming white marble of which the temples are made, as have souvenir-hunters, including the British Government who still have the famous Elgin Marbles (a frieze from the Parthenon) in the British Museum. T

hese days the area is heavily protected, undergoing restoration, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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Parthenon, Athens

The Parthenon (Parthenonas), one of the world's most famous buildings, represents a high point in ancient Greek architecture. Built around 440 BC, the Parthenon's classical architecture has influenced buildings ever since - and still does today.

Built for worship of the goddess Athena, it was to give thanks for the salvation of Athens and Greece in the Persian Wars. Officially it is called the Temple of Athena the Virgin; the name Parthenon comes from the Greek word for virgin.

In the 2,500 years of its existence, the building has been a temple, a treasury, a fortress, and a mosque; in the 6th century AD the Parthenon became a Christian church, with the addition of an apse at the east end. Today it is one of the world's leading tourist attractions.

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Thursday, July 11, 2013

Athens City Highlights Segway Tour

See the sights of modern and ancient Athens on a 2.5-hour Segway tour, led by a local guide! On your self-balancing electric Segway, glide through the city streets, stopping by famous monuments to hear tales about this charismatic city. Admire sights of the Acropolis of Athens, visit Zappeion Garden, and then see top Athens' attractions like Hadrian’s Arch, the Temple of Zeus, Panathinaikos Stadium and more!

This small-group tour is limited to 12 people, ensuring you’ll receive special attention from your guide.

Meet your friendly guide at your chosen time - 10am, 12pm or 4pm - and start with an orientation session to get familiar with your two-wheeled, electric, self-balancing Segway. Once you feel comfortable, you’ll weave through tree-lined streets close to the Acropolis of Athens, following your guide into the heart of the city.

Glide past Hadrian’s Arch, the monumental gateway that once separated the old and new part of the city, and hear about the Emperor Hadrian who ruled Athens during the 2nd century AD. After stopping to take photos and listen to tales about this historic area, set off for your next stop.

See the Temple of Zeus, the largest monument of Ancient Greece, and pass through Zappeion Garden - a wonderfully serene extension of the National Garden of Athens. Stop to look at the Old Parliament House on Stadiou Street and swing past the Presidential Mansion, admiring its majestic white facade.

Your 2.5-hour tour finishes with a look at Panathinaikos - the city stadium -- where the first modern Olympic Games were held in 1895. Also known as Kalimarmaro Stadium, this vast site has a seating capacity of 60,000 and is one of Athens’ true modern-day highlights.

After exploring all the city sights with your guide, glide back to the start point where your tour ends.

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Athens Art Tour: National Archeological Museum and Byzantine and Christian Museum

Learn about Greek art and history on a half-day tour of two must-visit Athens museums: Byzantine and Christian Museum and the National Archeological Museum. Led by an art-loving local guide, the tour introduces you to incredible pieces of religious art created during the Byzantine period, plus the different eras of Greek civilization. See mosaics, paintings, books and more on this exciting art history tour! All meals, public transport costs and entrance fees are at your own expense.

Meet your guide at Evangelismos metro station in central Athens, and then walk to the nearby Byzantine and Christian Museum. After paying your entrance fee direct, head inside and explore the incredible collection of antiquities, religious artifacts and paintings from the days of Byzantine Greece - the era that roughly stretched from 600 BC to the mid-15th century.

With some 25,000 artifacts on display, the museum is vast and knowing where to start can be bewildering! Let your guide introduce you to its best bits while learning about Greece during the Byzantine Empire. Highlights of the museum include a beautiful gallery of Coptic Christian paintings, mosaic icons inside the re-constructed Christian church, and a collection of medieval books. The building itself is both beautiful and historic too, having once been the palace of a Greek duchess.

Enjoy a break in the museum’s on-site cafe, and then take the metro with your guide to the National Archeological Museum - the largest archeological exhibition in Greece. Devoted to Ancient Greek art, the exhibition space comprises several spacious rooms featuring art from the Stone Age, Cycladic and Minoan eras as well as Classical and Hellenistic works. Learn about Greek civilization throughout the different artistic periods while browsing the exhibitions, admiring sculptures, paintings and metalwork.

Your tour finishes inside the National Archeological Museum, but you can stay inside after your tour, if you wish.

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Sunday, May 26, 2013

Athens Bike Tour: City to Coast

Cycle from city to coast on this 4-hour Athens bike tour! Led by an expert local guide, your leisurely paced tour takes in all the sights of Athens on your way to the Aegean Sea. Ride through the vibrant neighborhoods of Thission and Petralona; head inside the Averof Ship Museum to learn about the country's naval heritage; and then stop for drinks at chic Faliro Marina, where all the well-heeled Athenians hang out. Relax in a beach-side taverna in Palaio Faliro and then bask on the beach - just remember to bring your bathing suit!

Numbers are limited to eight on this small-group bike tour, ensuing you'll enjoy personalized attention from your guide.

Meet your guide in central Athens and after listening to a comprehensive safety briefing, put on your helmet, hop on your bike and set off on your way. Following your guide, leave the busy city center streets behind, riding along the streets near Athens' Acropolis and then into the city's more peaceful neighborhoods. See the Temple of Thission (Temple of Hephaestus) and pedal through Petralona, admiring its village-like charm with bustling tavernas and street stalls.

Enjoy plenty of stops throughout your ride to soak up the sights and relax. As you enter Palaio Faliro, hop off your bike and head inside Averof Ship Museum to see an exhibition about Greece's naval heritage (entry at your own expense). After a brief look around inside with your guide, follow the stunning coastal roads over to Faliro Marina where you'll stop for a drink (own expense).

Continue your tour through Flisvos Park and then leave your bike to enjoy a snack in a beach-side taverna, overlooking the glistening waters of the Aegean Sea. After eating, you'll have roughly an hour to spend at leisure here, soaking up the sun on the sandy beach and swimming in the sea. Your guide will then meet you for the ride back to central Athens.

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Athens Bike Tour: City Highlights

Ride through Athens on a 3-hour bike tour and see both modern and ancient sights while following an expert local guide around town! After leaving the lower slopes of the UNESCO-listed Acropolis of Athens, stop for photos at the Rock of Ares and then ride to Plaka (Athens' Old Town) to enjoy a selection of typical Greek pastries inside a century-old pastry shop. Visit off-the-beaten-path sites like Keramikos Cemetery as well as top Athens attractions such as Syntagma Square, Panathinaikos Stadium and more!

Numbers are limited to six on this small-group tour, ensuring you'll see the best of Athens with personalized attention from your guide.

Meet your guide at the foot of the UNESCO-listed Acropolis in central Athens and after listening to a safety briefing, put on your helmet, hop on your bike and set off on your way. Following your guide, leave the busy city center streets behind, riding along the streets around the Acropolis, seeing many of the city's historical monuments.

Stop to pose for pictures in front of the incredible Rock of Ares (Aereopagus) on Mars Hill and marvel at the city panoramas that lie before you. Work your way across to Keramikos Cemetery - an ancient site littered with hundreds of ornate statues and monuments - and continue to Plaka, the city's Old Town. As you pedal along, admire the neighborhood's Neoclassical architecture, Byzantine churches and bustling independent shops.

Take a break by Plaka's food market, and head inside one of its century-old pastry shops to enjoy a selection of traditional Greek deserts and snacks - typically made with an abundance of honey, nuts and fruit.

Continue to Syntagma Square in the heart of downtown Athens, and then enter the National Gardens of Athens to see the Presidential Guards guarding the Presidential Palace in their distinctive red berets. Pass Panathinaikos Stadium - the site of the very first modern Olympic Games - and then ride back toward the Acropolis, stopping briefly at Hadrian's Arch. Hear how the Emperor Hadrian designed the monumental gateway to separate the old and new parts of the city, and then ride back to the start point, where your tour ends.

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Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Private Tour: Sailing Trip from Athens

Sail through the stunning Aegean Sea on a 4.5-hour round-trip tour from Athens to the beautiful island of Apollo. While your captain sails the boat, sit back and relax with a drink, admiring the dazzling sea views. On the island simply soak up the sun on the beach or swim in the clear waters.
Meet your captain and guide and hop on board your sailboat for a 4.5-hour adventure around the Aegean Sea.

Magical Journeys to Greece