Greece | Experience Athens

Welcome to Greece! Upon arrival at Athens, Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport, you will be greeted by an OUTstanding Travel Representative, who will assist with your luggage and escort you to your hotel in Athens. Check-in to your hotel in downtown Athens, the birthplace of western civilization, once hailed as the Paris of the Mediterranean, is now a bustling modern city, a colorful tapestry of eastern and western influences, full of outdoor cafes, pedestrian streets, parks and gardens, street bazaars, dilapidated mansions and ancient ruins. 

Enjoy the rest of the day at your own leisure.
Overnight in Athens

After your delicious breakfast, you will meet with  your guide at your hotel for a walking tour of Athens.

The tour begins with the House of the Greek Parliament, the Monument to the Unknown Soldier and watch the changing of the guards. Continue towards the National Gardens and on to the beautiful neoclassical Zappeion Hall, and you will view both Zeus and Hadrian’s Arch. From there you walk towards the Acropolis through the beautiful pedestrian walk way of Dionysiou Areopagitou and pass by the Melina statue. 
Enter the Acropolis from the south slope to avoid the crowds & visit the Dionysus sanctuary and Dionysus Theatre built in the 5th century BC. As you begin to ascend the sacred hill enjoy a breathtaking view of the city below. Your guide will give you a detailed explanation of the glorious monuments of the Acropolis such as, the Parthenon, the Erectheion, the Propylaia, the Nike Temple, the Agrippa Monument & the surrounding monuments such as the Herodes Atticus Odeon, the Ancient Agora, the Observatory as well as the Philopappos, Mars & Pnyx Hills. 
Onto the Acropolis Museum - which is a must see.

In the afternoon meet an OUTstanding Travel representative and party through the vibrant gay scene of Athens.
Overnight in Athens

After breakfast, enjoy a Three Islands Cruise (adjoining gay friendly bus tour) and enjoy your day cruising through the water.

Experience the charm of the Greek islands by visiting three of the most attractive isles near Athens; Aegina, Poros and Hydra. 
Aegina has a lovely town full of neoclassical buildings and a well -preserved ancient Temple dedicated to the local goddess Athena Afea, at some distance from the town. This island is famous for its tasty pistaccchio nuts and the special sweets the locals make with them. 
During the time you’ll spend there, you can try some of the delicious specialties. Poros is a small and very green island, closer to the Peloponnese than to Attica, with a lovely forest of lemon trees and a very nice main town and charming promenade with lots of coffee and souvenir shops. 
Finally, Hydra (Ydra) is an extremely picturesque place, because of the unique architecture of its fortress mansions, which once belonged to the ship-owners of the Ottoman rule period. As far as local delicacies go, this isle is known for their almond desserts (made of almond pasta), that you can taste during your visit. 
Re-embark for the sail back to Piraeus Port where you will arrive late afternoon and transfer back to your hotel. 

Enjoy the rest of the day at leisure.  
Overnight in Athens

After breakfast, you will be picked up from your hotel for your full day Argolis tour, visiting the renowned place Mycenae and Epidaurus (adjoining gay friendly bus tour). This tour will also include a delicious lunch.

While driving along the coastal road of the Saronic Gulf to Mycenae  you will reach the ancient site of Mycenae which means 'Rich in Gold'. Mycenae was the kingdom of mythical Agamemnon, first sung by Homer in his epics, and is the most important and richest palatial center of the Late Bronze Age in Greece. Its name was given to one of the greatest civilizations of Greek prehistory, the Mycenaean civilization. 
Continue the tour through Argos on to Nauplia 1st capital of Greece in 1829. After lunch depart to Epidaurus, on the headland called "Nesi" at Palaia Epidaurus, the theatre of the ancient city is quite well-preserved, in the shape it acquired during the latter years of its function. Apart from a few rows of seats, the cavea is made of limestone with poros staircases. Until now, nine cunei with eighteen rows of seats have been excavated, which originally could accommodate about 2000 spectators. All the benches and thrones of the theatre carry inscriptions with the names of the donors while implying a direct relationship of the monument with the cult of Dionysus. The theater is marveled for its exceptional acoustics, which permit almost perfect intelligibility of unamplified spoken word from the proscenium or scene to all 12,000 spectators, regardless of their seating. 

Return back to Athens and enjoy the rest of the day at leisure. 
We suggest for your last evening enjoy a night out at the Plaka, where you will find typical Greek tavernas complete with music, dancing and celebratory throwing of plates. It's an experience not to be missed!
Overnight in Athens

After breakfast, check out of your hotel and transfer to Athens, Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport, for your flight back home with everlasting memories of Greece! 

Goodbye and Antío :)