Your driver will meet you on the pier for your transfer into the city into the center of Athens, the cradle of the European civilization. For twenty-five centuries, the panorama of this city has been dominated by the rock of the Acropolis. Upon arrival into the city, you will be greeted by your guide.
This morning, your guide will take you into the New Acropolis Museum which recently opened to much acclaim and is a show-piece of Athen’s historical and architectural grandeur. Be sure not to miss the excavations of an early Christian settlement which can be viewed through a glass walkway which hovers over these ruins.
You will leave your vehicle at the foot of the rock and follow your guide on foot uphill to visit the Acropolis and see the principal buildings: the Propylaia, the Temple of Athena Nike, the Erechtheion and the Parthenon Temple. You will also have some free time at the Acropolis for some photographs and to drink in the atmosphere of this amazing site.
This afternoon your guide will take you to visit The Ancient Agora – the best known example of an agora (marketplace) in Greece. This was the center of social and political life. Excavations began in the 1930s and continue today. A reconstructed building serves as a museum to house the site’s numerous finds.
Afterwards, your guide will take you on a walking tour of the fascinating alleys and side streets of the Plaka area. . This neighborhood is an historic center, full of beautiful buildings, Byzantine churches, quaint shops, cafes and taverns.
Continue your exploration with a drive trough the city to see some highlights. Depending on timing, you may have to pick and choose what you would like to see. Stop at the Temple of Olympian Zeus and Hadrian’s Arch. Next, you will make a stop at the Panathenaic Stadium which hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the first modern Olympics in 1896.
Lastly, you will see the Constitution Square home to the Hellenic Parliament which is the former royal Palace of Greece and you will see the monument of the Unknown Soldier and the changing of the guard.
Exeter Services: Vehicle & Driver (9 hours); Guide (8 Hours)
