Greece and the Holy Land

Product Description

ITINERARY

DAY 01 ATHENS

Arrival at Athens International Airport, reception and transfer to the hotel. Athens owes its name to Athena, the protective goddess born from the head of Zeus, whose history is intertwined with that of Greece itself, it is the center of the economic, political and cultural life of the country. Birthplace of the great artists and philosophers of antiquity. Overnight stay.

DAY 02 ATHENS

Breakfast and optionally: departure for ½ Day City Tour: Acropolis + Panoramic tour of Athens. The Parthenon, a classic symbol of architecture, built entirely of white marble. The Parthenon is the largest temple erected in honor of the goddess Athena. Near the Parthenon is the small Temple of Erechthion with sculptures of beautiful maidens holding the roof of the porch. The panoramic tour takes us to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, guarded by soldiers in traditional dress, the Parliament, and the Panathinaikon Stadium, where the first Olympic Games of the modern era were held. Then we will go to the Library, the Academy, and the University, three buildings representative of the architecture of the nineteenth century mixed with classical influence. Free afternoon. Overnight at the hotel.

DAY 03 ATHENS

Breakfast. The 1 Day Cruise gives us the opportunity to visit 3 islands of the Saronic Gulf: Hydra. The queen of the Saronic Islands. A favorite island of artists and jet-setters. Its picturesque harbor impresses with its unique architecture. Poros. Pictures of the island almost next to the Peloponnese, the smallest of the three, but with exceptional beauty, a green paradise full of lemon and pine trees.

Aegina. The largest island in the Saronic Gulf inhabited since the second millennium BC with a remarkable historical heritage and with its capital full of neoclassical buildings. Return to Athens in the afternoon. Overnight.

DAY 04 ATHENS – EPIDAURUS – MYCENAE – OLYMPIA

Breakfast and departure for the 4 days tour. Departure to the Corinth Canal. Continue to Epidaurus, where the famous, for its natural acoustics, the Theater of Epidaurus is located. Then we arrive at Mycenae, one of the most famous cities of prehistoric times. In the afternoon arrival in Olympia. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

DAY 05 OLYMPIA – DELPHI

Breakfast and visit of the ancient city of Olympia, center of veneration of Zeus, where the Olympic competitions were held in ancient times. Visit to the Stadium and other Olympic facilities. We will also visit the Museum of Olympia. In the afternoon arrival at Delphi. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

DAY 06 DELPHI – KALAMBAKA

Breakfast. In Delphi we will visit the Oracle of Apollo, one of the most sacred sanctuaries of Greece, located on Mount Parnassus, and the Museum where, among other works, we will see the famous bronze sculpture “the Auriga of Delphi”. In the afternoon departure to Kalambaka. Arrival dinner and overnight at the hotel.

DAY 07 KALAMBAKA – ATHENS

Breakfast and visit of two Hanging Monasteries of Meteora, religious and monastic center between the XII-XVIII centuries. On the way back to Athens we pass by Thermopylae, where we will see the statue of the Spartan King Leonidas. Return to Athens in the afternoon. Overnight in Athens.

DAY 08 ATHENS – TEL AVIV

Breakfast. Transfer to Rome airport by our Travel DMC correspondent to take the flight to Tel Aviv. Arrival in Tel Aviv and transfer to the hotel. Overnight stay.

DAY 09 TEL AVIV – KAFFA – CAESAREA – HAIFA – SAN JUAN DE ACRE

Departure for a short city tour of Tel Aviv-Jaffa. Continue to Caesarea to visit the Roman Theater and the Crusader Fortress. The trip continues to Haifa to visit the Carmelite Monastery of Stella Maris, and from Mount Carmel to appreciate a panoramic view of the Persian Gardens of the Temple Bay and the bay of Haifa. Continue to St. John of Acre to visit the ancient medieval fortification. Dinner and overnight at Hotel in Tiberias or Kibbutz in Galilee.

DAY 10 JERUSALEM – NAZARETH – GALILEE

Departure to the Mount of Beatitudes, site of the Sermon on the Mount. On the shore of the lake, visit Tabgha, site of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes and Capernaum. In the afternoon, passing through the village of Cana of Galilee, arrival in Nazareth to visit the Church of the Annunciation and the Workshop of St. Joseph. Dinner and overnight at Hotel in Tiberias or Kibbutz in Galilee.

DAY 11 SAFED – YARDENIT – MOUNT TABOR

Depart for Safed to visit its charming narrow streets and synagogues. Safed is the city of Kabbalah, the mystical side of Judaism. Continuation to Yardenit, traditional place of baptism on the Jordan River. In the afternoon, arrival at Mount Tabor to visit the Basilica of the Transfiguration. Drive to Jerusalem. Overnight in Jerusalem.

DAY 12 JERUSALEM – MOUNT OF OLIVES – MODERN CITY – JERUSALEM

Departure via Mount Scopus to the Mount of Olives for a magnificent panoramic view of the city. Visit the Garden of Gethsemane and the Basilica of the Agony. Continue to the modern part of the city to visit the Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum where the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Herodian Model of Jerusalem are housed. Visits to Yad Vashem, Holocaust memorial museum and the Ein Karem neighborhood, where the Churches of St. John the Baptist and the Visitation are located. Overnight in Jerusalem.

DAY 13 JERUSALEM OLD CITY – BETHLEHEM – JERUSALEM

Departure to the Old City of Jerusalem to visit the Wailing Wall, view of the Temple Esplanade, visit the Via Dolorosa and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Continuation to Mount Zion where the Tomb of King David, the Upper Room, and the Abbey of the Dormition are located. In the afternoon, visit the Basilica and Grotto of the Nativity and the Shepherds’ Field in Bethlehem. Overnight in Jerusalem.

DAY 14 JERUSALEM

Free day. Optional excursion to Masada and the Dead Sea. Overnight in Jerusalem.

DAY 15 JERUSALEM – TEL AVIV

Breakfast. Free time until transfer to the airport to take the flight to your destination city. End of our services.