Arrival in Athens and welcome dinner

Your trip begins in Athens. Ancient and modern, with equal measures of grunge and grace, bustling Athens is a heavy mix of history and edginess. The historic center is an open-air museum, yet the city’s cultural and social life takes place amid these ancient landmarks, merging past and present. The magnificent Acropolis rises above the sprawling metropolis and has witnessed the city’s transformation. In the afternoon we will meet at our hotel and after a brief introductory meeting, we’ll set off to explore the old part of this lively city. To complete the night, we will have our first dinner together in a traditional Greek restaurant while getting to know each other in eager anticipation of our adventure.

Overnight in Athens

Visit Acropolis and Acropolis museum. In the afternoon take the ferry to Andros

No matter how many photographs you’ve seen, nothing can prepare you for watching live the Acropolis, standing there proudly for thousands of years. Alongside with a specialized guide, explore the archeological site and later enrich your experience with the visit to the amazing Acropolis museum. In the afternoon we will drive to the port of Rafina and embark the ferry to the island of Andros. On this lush island, springs tend to be a feature of each village and waterfalls cascade down hillsides most of the year. Our hotel is located in the beautiful main town of Andros, also known as Chora, which is a ship-owner’ enclave packed with neoclassical mansions.

Overnight in Andros Town

Hike from Andros town to Menites and back

This hike is really a must on the island of Andros. We will walk steep ancient paths connecting the main town with the village of Menite. On this hike you get a marvellous impression of the large valleys above Chora, with beautiful views on the town itself. It also brings you to one of the wateriest spots on the island with the wonderful valley of Menites. In the afternoon, we will stroll in the narrow streets of Andros town, home of famous Greek captains and ship owners, with a remarkable combination of medieval, neoclassical style evident in its houses. Flights of stairs, a spacious square with trees, narrow streets, remarkable churches and museums, shops, cafes and restaurants play their part in the beauty of the place.

Overnight in Andros town

Hike from Andros town to Apikia, Gyalia beach and back

Today’s hike is a beautiful circular route with lush vegetation, passing through major settlements of seamanship and rural Andros, parallel to Pythara ravine. From Andros town we will ascent in one of the most beautiful cobblestone paths of the island, towards the village of Apikia and the views along our route will take your breath away. From there, the paved footpath descends and concludes to Gyalia Beach and alongside the river we cross a verdant landscape with oaks, olive and walnut trees, leading to a traditional restored olive press, the Bistis-Mouvelas Tower and Stenies, a seamen village.

Overnight in Andros town

Ferry to Tinos, visit Pyrgos and from there hike to Panormos

Don’t you just love it when you stumble across a local’s secret spot when travelling? Well, here’s one more to add to the list: Tinos island in Greece. All the fascination is hiding in the more-than-forty extraordinarily well preserved villages, in the stone huts, in the architectural details of the unique dovecotes, in the “handmade” terraces that cover the whole island. Early in the afternoon we will drive to Pyrgos, a historical village with great tradition in marble carving, where even the cemetery is a feast of that fine art. From Pyrgos we will do a short hike to the seaside village of Panormos while the fragrant sea air and gentle climate of the island will refresh our spirits.

Overnight in Tinos town

Hike from Falatados to Livada beach and back

Falatados village is located in the rugged interior of the island, which is largely untouched by mass tourism. A dreamy mosaic of sleepy villages, terraced vineyards and fertile valleys, dotted with tiny chapels and dovecotes. With starting point Falatados, hike an ancient footpath shaded by plane trees, following the course of a brook and head towards Livada beach. There, massive breakers battered the rocks, whipped into weird shapes by the north wind. Locals have developed their own Beaufort scale to measure the winds: "kapelato" will blow your kapelo (hat) off, "kareklato" will knock you off your karekla (chair), and "trapezato" will blow over the whole trapezi (table).

Overnight in Tinos town

Hike from Volax to Tinos town. Afternoon ferry to Syros

The village of Volax is like a habitat for... hobbits. Cottages crouch among smooth round boulders which tumble down the mountain like giant bowling balls. Nobody knows how these peculiar rock formations evolved. Some say there was a volcanic eruption; others claim that meteorites rained down from the sky. The 20th-century Greek philosopher Cornelius Castoriadis simply concluded that Tinos was "not made by human hand". From Volax hike to the imposing rock of Exombourgo, with its medieval castle on top of it and then descend towards the town through the Venetian trail, that since many centuries ago connected the harbor and the fortress. Later in the afternoon and after lunch we will take the ferry to the nearby island of Syros, the biggest naval center of Greece in the 19th century which rests over the glory of its past greatness.

Overnight in Syros town

Explore Syros town and ferry to Athens

Syros is the Ermoupolis! Once Venice's prized Aegean colony, at that time Greece's biggest port, is spread across two hills, one crowned with a Greek Orthodox church, the other with a Roman Catholic church – a legacy of the Italians, who have also made their mark on the architecture. Ermoupolis certainly remains one of the most beautiful towns in Greece and is characterized by gorgeous neoclassical mansions and 19th-century tenement blocks. In the morning we will explore its labyrinthine alleyways and we will talk about the history of this fascinating city. Later in the afternoon we will hop again in a ferry towards Athens, where we are going to have our farewell dinner.

Overnight in Athens

Say farewell to Greece or continue on your own

Breakfast is at your leisure at the hotel and following that, your trip in Greece concludes. You can transit independently from our accommodations in Athens to the international airport or continue exploring one of Europe’s oldest cities.