DAY    1            DEPARTURE FROM NORTH AMERICA
Enjoy full meal service on your scheduled wide-bodied flight to Athens.

DAY    2            ARRIVE ATHENS (6 NIGHTS) - HALF DAY TRIP TO CAPE
                          SOUNION
We will be met at the airport by our tour manager/guide, and transfer to Cape Sounion, on the coast of the Aegean Sea. Here we will visit the Temple of Poseidon, ideally positioned for worship of the powerful god of the sea, as it was built on a beautiful site set back from the sheer cliffs tumbling into the Aegean Sea. The present temple, built in 444 BC, stands on the site of older ruins. It features an Ionic Frieze made from Parian marble and 15 of the 34 original Doric columns survive. We continue to our hotel in central Athens. Time permitting; we will take a Walking Tour through the Monastiraki, the old area which takes its name from a sunken monastery. This section of Athens is highlighted by: the Fethiye Mosque, Tsistaraki Mosque, the Roman Agora, the remains of Hadrian's Library and the unique Tower of the Winds.

DAY    3            ATHENS (BIRTHPLACE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION)
Our morning commences with a visit to the Acropolis, which has dominated the skyline of Athens for over 2,000 years. A citadel was built on the rock in Mycenaean times, and was the first of a series of temples that honored Athena, the city's divine patroness. In 480 BC the Persians captured the Acropolis, and the Athenian leader Pericles rebuilt the site according to his plan of unsurpassed beauty and grandeur. During our tour of the Acropolis, we will view: the Propylaia, the monumental entrance to the complex; the Temple of Athena Nike; the Parthenon, the temple to Athena which crowns the Acropolis; the Erectheion, dedicated to Poseidon and Athena; and the Theater of Herodes Atticus, originally built in AD 161. Our time on the Acropolis concludes with a visit to the Acropolis Museum, featuring a superb collection of treasures excavated from the area. Our day continues as we view Hadrian's Arch, an enormous triumphal arch built by the Roman Emperor, which is still a symbolic entrance to Athens. The Temple of Olympian Zeus is the largest temple in Athens, and we will get a sense of its enormous size on our visit when we view the 15 columns that remain of the original 104. This evening we will explore and dine in the lively Plaka Area, the historic heart of Athens.

DAY    4            DAY TRIP TO MYCENAE & CORINTH
We will make an early start, as we travel to Mycenae, a fortified Palace Complex uncovered by archaeologist Heinrich Schielmann in 1874. The complex is one of the earliest examples of sophisticated citadel architecture, and only the ruling class would have inhabited the hilltop palace. Highlights of our visit will include: the 13 century BC Lion Gate; Grave Circle A, with six royal family shaft graves; the Royal Palace situated at the acropolis summit; and the Secret Stairway, a flight of 99 steps dropping to a cistern deep beneath the citadel. We continue outside the palace complex, where will visit the Treasury of Atreus, the most outstanding of the tholos tombs. Dating from the 14th century BC, it is one of only two double-chambered tombs in Greece. We continue to Corinth, one of the largest and most prosperous cities in ancient Greece and the site of an important Roman colony. The ruins of the ancient city rare spread out for miles, but we will focus on the site known as the Acrocorinth, beyond the main city. We will explore the remains of the huge rock fortress, which could withstand lengthy sieges due to the presence of the upper Peirene spring on the southeast side of the ramparts. In addition to the fascinating remains of the Acrocorinth, we will also be afforded one of the most sweeping views in all of Greece. Our panoramic views stretch over 35 miles in all directions, from the Geraneia range in the northeast to the peaks of the Ziria in the southwest. We return to Athens for the evening.

DAY    5            ATHENS
Our morning commences with a visit to the National Archaeological Museum, one of the world's most important museums, which houses treasures collected from many small museums in and around Athens. (Subject to Museum re-opening) Our day continues with a visit to the Ancient Agora, or marketplace, which formed the political heart of Athens from 600 BC. Socrates was indicted and executed here in 399 BC. The theater, schools and stoas filled with shops also made this the center of social and commercial life. We will explore the vast remains of the ancient complex, which have been excavated since the 1930s, including Hephaisteion, the best-preserved Temple, and the Stoa of Attalos, a reconstructed, colonnaded building, which houses a small museum with the finds from the Agora. This afternoon we will take a Walking Tour through the Anafiotika, one of the oldest settlements in Athens, nestled beneath the northern slopes of the Acropolis. This area, with an atmosphere typical of a Cycladic village, features spectacular white-washed houses, cramped streets, and two magnificent churches, Agios Georgios and Agios Symeon. The remainder of the day will be free to shop or explore the Plaka district at our leisure.

DAY    6            DAY TRIP TO DELPHI
Today we make an early start and travel north to explore Ancient Delphi, which to the Greeks was one of the most sacred spots in their world. Its setting is dramatic, a natural amphitheater that faces the sea and lies under the shadow of Mt. Parnassus. At the center of Delphi stands the Sanctuary of Apollo, for many centuries antiquity's largest center of pilgrimage. Our exploration of ancient Delphi will include: a walk up the Sacred Way, which winds up the hill to the Temple; the treasury buildings of the various ancient city-states; and the spectacular ruins of the Doric Temple of Apollo, the home of the Pythia, the oracle who would deliver the prophecies of the gods. After exploring the sacred site, we will visit the Delphi Museum, with a collection of sculptures and architectural remains of an importance second only to those of the Athenian Acropolis. This afternoon we return to Athens.

DAY    7            ATHENS & ELEUSIS
This morning we begin with a visit to two of Athen's most interesting churches. First we visit Panagia Gorgoepikoos, a tiny 12th century church also known as the Little Cathedral. Built entirely of Pentelic marble, this domed, cruciform church is highlighted by its beautiful bas-reliefs and the Lintel Frieze, dating from the 4th century BC. We continue next door to Mitropoli, a huge cathedral made of marble from 72 demolished churches. The cathedral is the official seat of the Bishop of Athens and is used for ceremonial events, such as coronations and state funerals. Our morning concludes with a visit to the nearby Museum of Greek Popular Musical Instruments, which houses an impressive collection of over 1,200 musical instruments. Instruments from all over Greece are displayed, and the museum traces the history and development of different styles of Greek and island music, all the way to the arrival of rempetika (Greek Blues). This afternoon we will travel out of Athens for a visit to Ancient Eleusis, which was a center for religious devotion that culminated in the Annual Eleusian Mysteries. Existing from the Mycenaean period, thousands of people from around the world would come to be initiated. Our visit to the ancient sight will be highlighted by: the remains of the Greater Propylaia, built by the Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius; the Ploutonion, the sanctuary of Hades; the Lesser Propylaia; the Telesterion, a 5th century temple; and the Anaktoron, the holiest portion of the sight. Our visit will also include a visit to the small Museum with artifacts from the ancient sight. We return to Athens for the evening.

DAY    8            DEPARTURE FROM ATHENS
Your enjoyable and rewarding tour will come to an end as your guide accompanies you to the airport for the return flight home.