The Independent Travel Reader Offers

Seven nights from only £899 per person

Selected departures September and October 2012

Obviously Greece is synonymous with antiquity, with Athens in particular a city of intriguing paradoxes – ancient yet modern; busy and frenetic but so laid-back; a capital city, yet in places as intimate as a village. If one building can ever symbolise an entire nation, it is the Parthenon - but Athens is much more than this. The hugely acclaimed new Acropolis Museum succeeds wonderfully in displaying the outstanding ancient masterpieces within to the finest effect. We visit the best of Classical Greece: firstly Epidaurus, the greatest healing centre and finest theatre in the ancient world. Then there’s Mycenae, and a very different experience – a place of myths and legends and of a fierce, untamed people so vividly depicted in Homer’s epics. In complete contrast, Olympia, birthplace of the Olympic Games, is set in an idyllic pine-forested valley, and is the very spot where the modern Olympic torch is kindled from the rays of the sun. You also spend a night at the centre of the world! At least that’s what the ancients believed Delphi to be – the world’s navel, where mortals, via the ‘oracle’, communicated with Apollo.

Greece though, is far from being just a series of ancient sites. We also see the amazing 700-year old frescoed Byzantine monasteries of Meteora – looking like something from another world, perched precariously atop sheer pinnacles of rock. The six monasteries are still very much in operation, with their black-robed monks living a traditional, simple and ascetic way of life. Then there is some startlingly beautiful scenery too: the steep ravines of the Peloponnese mountains are particularly spectacular, their peaks rocky and barren, whilst heather and broom cover the slopes and the enchanting scent of wild thyme and oregano hangs heavy in the warm air. The views from Delphi too are quite exceptional, with the valley below a silvery sea of olive groves. In Greece we are never far from the sea – innumerable bays, coves and headlands form one of the most enchanting coastlines in the world, with islands and distant mountains shimmering under cobalt blue skies.

Fully escorted price includes:

Return scheduled flights to Athens
Seven nights accommodation in hand-picked, three-star superior and four-star hotels
Guided walking tour of Athens, including the Parthenon and the Acropolis Museum
Guided tour of Olympia, birthplace of the Olympic Games
Optional cruise of the classic Greek Islands of Hydra, Aegina and Poros
Guided tour of Delphi, home of the legendary ‘oracle’, the ancient fountain of all wisdom
See Meteora’s amazing 14th century monasteries - crowning huge rock pinnacles, some of the most extraordinary in the world
Browse through Athens’ famous flea market
Cross the engineering marvel that is the Corinth Canal
Visit the site of ancient Mycenae, home of Agamemnon
Wonder at the perfect symmetry and incredible acoustics of the ancient theatre of Epidaurus on a guided tour
Visit the site of the battle of Thermopylae, a defining moment in European history
Daily breakfast and three dinners included
Escorted by our experienced tour manager
The price of this holiday is per person, based on two people sharing a twin room
Single rooms subject to availability at a supplement of £269 per person
Entrance to archaeological sites and museums not included (approximate cost €53 per person or €30 per person for EU citizens over 65 years, payable locally)
Optional full-day three-island cruise with lunch (approximate cost €95 per person, payable locally)
Please note that where hotels have a swimming pool, this will be open in the summer months, weather permitting