Inspiration for your own tailor-made trip
Greece - Athens
100% customisable for you
Swap paperwork for passports as you make your way to the airport for your short flight (just three-and-a-half hours) to Athens. Once on Greek ground, you’ll be met by a local driver and transferred to your hotel in the heart of Greece’s capital. With all the city’s main sights on your doorstep, we recommend stretching your legs round Syntagma Square, taking in the National Gardens, Zappeion, the Parthenon and old Plaka neighbourhood as you go, before swinging by Oxo Nou for a traditional meze meal.
The saying goes ‘go big or go home’ so we can’t think of a better place to start your big fat Greekend than the Acropolis. The greatest symbol of Ancient Greece’s glory, its monuments and sanctuaries stand sentinel over the city – visible from almost any part of it. Its history spans 3,300 years, during which it became a religious sanctuary (in the fifth century BC), a site of rebellion (in 1687) and a UNESCO World Heritage site (exactly 300 years later). Continue your history lesson at the Temple of Olympian Zeus and the Ancient Agora, where Socrates expounded his initial philosophies. Athens is much more than ancient history though. Start the evening at one of the city’s unassuming yet well-stocked wine bars and grab a bite at a neighbourhood taverna before dancing the night away – the Mediterranean way – at Crust, Athens’ best kept clubbing secret hidden in the basement of a pizza joint.
Start the day like an Athenian local – at a kafeneion (Greek café). Watch the world go by on stone-paved streets in the picture-perfect Plaka neighbourhood and fill your boots on ibrik (Greek coffee) before embarking on a half-day alternative Athens tour. Catch the changing of the guard at the Hellenic Parliament in Syntagma Square, check out galleries such as The Breeder and the National Museum of Contemporary Art and rummage for hidden gems at the Monastiraki Flea Market. If you’re after a good sunset spot, take your pick between Filopappou Hill and Hill of the Pnyx. Studded with small ruins, stone paths and speakers’ steps, they are often empty leaving you to watch the city slip into its evening slumber in total silence. Before falling into bed, we recommend stopping for some loukoumadhes (fried dough lathered in honey and cinnamon) on your way back. We promise you won’t regret it.
We’d hate you to leave Athens hungry, which is why we’ve planned a private gourmet food tour for your last morning. Spend three hours getting to know your honey from your herbs and your olives from your oils. Stop for souvlaki at the legendary Kostas and get your hands on tyropita (cheese pie) from bucolic bakeries in Monastiraki for the journey home. After a final meze, you’ll have the early afternoon to do as you please before grabbing your bags and heading to the airport for your flight back to Blighty.
Everything in this itinerary is entirely customisable, down to the smallest details. Here are some more suggestions of what could be included
Each of our trips is entirely tailor-made with originality, quality and cultural immersion in mind. Our team of destination specialists will craft itineraries based on your tastes, using their first-hand knowledge and the help of our in-country team of Concierges and guides. All trips are accompanied by a wide range of additional services, including a 24-hour helpline, the Original Travel app, fast-track airport services and much more.
ENQUIRE NOWOur team of destination experts will get to know you and your unique requirements for your holiday
We work with you to build an ultra-personalised holiday itinerary with your choice of accommodation, experiences and activities
All of our holidays include little extras designed to make a big difference to your trip, from fast-tracking you through airport check-in and security to our network of local Concierges