Greece Family Journey: Stories of the Past

Welcome to Athens–your arrival transfer to the hotel is included. Check in and get excited to meet your fellow travelers during a welcome meeting this evening where all families can bond before the Journey ahead.

Included Experiences

• Welcome Moment - Meet Your Expedition Leader and Group: Your opportunity to meet your National Geographic Expedition Leader and fellow travellers, and learn more about your tour. Opt to join the group for a local meal afterwards. Don't forget to see the notice in the lobby (or ask reception) for the official time and place to meet up with the group.

Immerse yourself in Athens, the birthplace of Western civilization. Begin the morning with a walk to the Acropolis Museum and visit the exhibits—including a model of the Athenian Acropolis built entirely of LEGO pieces that took the creator around 300 hours to complete. Next, enjoy free time to explore Athens, where you may opt to visit the Temple of Olympian Zeus and Hadrian's Arch. Before dinner visit the Agora of Athens—where Athenians gathered to discuss the affairs of the day—and listen to your guide bring these timeless ruins to life. Then learn all about the Parthenon—a global symbol of the ancient world—on a guided visit. Revel at the sight of the marble Doric temple, built between 447 and 438 BC, as you wander among the columns dedicated to the goddess Athena. Afterwards, walk together with the group to a Bouzouki dinner experience.

Included Experiences

• Acropolis Museum Visit: Visit the Acropolis Museum to see some of the artifacts and artworks discovered during excavations of the Acropolis on a self-guided tour. With over 25, 000 square meters (82,020 ft) the museum is architecturally as interesting as the collection. The museum is built over an archaeological dig site and there is an impressive view of the Acropolis from the third floor.
• Free Time: Spend a free afternoon in Athens. Opt to visit the Temple of Olympian Zeus and Hadrian's Arch, or simply walk around and get to know the city.
• Ancient Agora Visit: Explore the ruins, located in the heart of modern Athens, which were once the site of the marketplace in ancient times. It was the political, cultural, social and economic centre of the ancient world, where the likes of Socrates, Plato and affluent Athenians used to gather to discuss philosophy, political issues, exchange gossip and trade.
• Guided Parthenon Visit: Visit the Parthenon, built for the Goddess Athena in 447 BC with a local guide. This Greek temple, despite the gradual state of ruin and damage sustained over time, still symbolizes the key ideals of harmony and balance that defined the Classical style of Greek architecture.

Explore Experiences

Following breakfast, spend a free afternoon in Athens, where you can choose to visit the National Archaeological Museum, the Panathenaic Stadium or ride the cable car up to Lycabettus Hill. Then head to ancient Pnyx Hill, the historic site that hosted Athenian public assemblies-the first form of democracy! Join one of the site’s professional facilitators for a fun and interactive family activity to gain insight on the origins of democracy in ancient Athens. Take part in a role-playing game recreating a people’s assembly, where teams will speak and vote on day-to-day city matters, then use a map for clues while discovering the other attractions around Pnyx Hill. After, enjoy dinner with the group at a traditional Greek restaurant.

Included Experiences

• Democracy Experiential Workshop on Pnyx Hill: Explore the world of Democracy and learn about how the People’s Assembly operated in classical Athens. Work with a professional facilitator to role play an assembly meeting and vote on a city matter, carving your vote on a real ceramic ostrakon.
• Free Time: Enjoy a free morning in Athens. Opt for more museum visits, like the National Archaeological Museum. Or perhaps see the Panathenaic Stadium or ride a cable care up Lycabettus Hill.

Optional Experiences

• National Archaeological Museum Visit: Take a tour of the National Archaeological Museum, home to some of the most important artifacts from ancient Greece. In the collection are various sculptures, vases, as well as metal works and is considered one of the most impressive museums in the world.

Begin your day with a ferry ride from Piraeus Port to the island of Paros. This island’s semi-translucent, snow-white marble is responsible for providing the stone slabs used in the creation of 80% of Greek antiquities. Next, set off on a tour of the island, which includes lunch. Visit some of the unspoiled, authentic whitewashed villages like Lefkes and Marpissa. In Marpissa, you’ll tour the Folklore Museum to see replicas of typical houses on the island of Paros filled with traditional old furniture, looms, utensils and other objects used throughout the island’s history. After touring the island, return to the hotel, and the rest of the day will be spent at your leisure. In the late afternoon, you may swim at the beach and have dinner on your own at a local restaurant in the village.

Included Experiences

• Ferry: Get to the next spot on your route aboard a convenient and efficient ferry boat.
• Paros Island Tour: Enjoy a guided tour around the island of Paros. Visit the unspoiled, authentic whitewashed villages of Leffkes and Marpissa. Next to the port of Parikia, stands the Church of Ekatontapiliani (the church with the hundred gates). The church was built in the 4th century AD, is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and is one of the most important Byzantine Monuments in the whole of Greece. Up in the mountains admire the whitewashed houses, Venetian architecture, windmills, and dovecotes. In Marpissa pay a visit to the Folklore Museum to see a typical island house of Paros. See traditional furniture, looms, utensils, and other household items dating back hundreds of years.

This morning, experience a cooking class on the island in the village of Naousa. Join a local chef, who shares their passion for cooking by passing on their grandmother’s traditional recipes. Along with the chef, you’ll prepare a 6-course Parian meal using the regional flavors of Greece. Then, sit down with your hosts and fellow travelers for a feast featuring the delicious dishes you made. The afternoon is yours to continue exploring Paros. You may swim in the inviting waters of the Mediterranean, go sea kayaking along the coast or cruise around the islands by boat, where you can snorkel, explore caves and swim in the calm, turquoise waters. Dinner this evening is at your leisure.

Included Experiences

• Free Time: Opt to snorkel, swim in the calm waters, or cruise around the islands by boat on a free afternoon in Paros with your family.
• Parian Cooking Class: Learn from a local chef on the island of Paros how to cook a traditional Greek meal. After enjoying a refreshment, the group will prepare a six course Parian meal handed down from the chef’s grandmother. Dishes include a starter, a salad, fish, meat, and vegetarian options, pulse desert. After the lesson everyone will sit down together and enjoy their delicious meal.

This morning, enjoy some time on your own to experience more of Paros with your family. Stroll by the waterfront, play a game of volleyball on the beach or try watersports at Aliki Beach. Catch the ferry to Crete in the afternoon and arrive in the evening. Transfer to the hotel and sit down for a group dinner.

Included Experiences

• Ferry: Get to the next spot on your route aboard a convenient and efficient ferry boat.
• Free Time: Spend a free morning as a family in Paros. Stroll along the waterfront, opt to gave a leisurely breakfast, or maybe check out the volleyball games and watersports happening at Aliki Beach.

Explore Experiences

This morning is at your leisure in Crete, where you can swim at Agios Nikolais or spend time exploring this stunning island on your own. In the afternoon, wander through the ruins of Knossos Palace, an incredibly well-preserved structure offering a glimpse into the lives of the Minoans. Then transfer by bus to the port city of Heraklion—the capital of Crete—where you’ll set out on a half-day walking tour and scavenger hunt adventure organized by the Mobile Children Museum, a G for Good supported project. Follow an expert cultural guide through this historical labyrinth, as you work together with your family, searching for sites, monuments, buildings and answers to riddles. Later, join the group for a delicious dinner.

Included Experiences

• Free Time: There will be free time in Crete this afternoon for swimming at Agios Nikolais or to wander the island on foot in search of more stunning ocean views.
• Knossos Palace Guided Visit: Enjoy a guided visit to Knossos, known to be the largest archaeological site of the Bronze Age on Crete. Knossos was a major city ruled by King Minos and is believed to be the oldest city in all of Europe. Explore the ancient palace and surrounding city, discovered in the 1900s by the English archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans.
• The Hunt for the Olympian Gods: The “Hunt for the Olympian Gods” is an interactive city walking tour and educational program set in the heart of Heraklion, supported by a G for Good supported non-profit. The almighty Zeus, king of the Gods, has arrived on the islands of Crete for a special mission: the Gods of Mount Olympus have gone missing! A powerful southern wind swept over Mount Olympus leaving all twelve thrones empty. Where could Athena be hiding now? Where has Hephaestus been working? In which Cretan waters is Poseidon swimming? Team up with your family and join Zeus on a thrilling scavenger hunt across Heraklion. With his guidance, solve puzzles, explore monuments, and search for the twelve Olympian Gods. Along the way you’ll come across Pandora’s box – will it help or will it hinder this wild adventure? Twelve Gods await, each hidden in a different spot throughout the city. Will you find them all?
• Immersive Tour of Heraklion: The Immersive Tour of Heraklion is operated by the Mobile Children Museum, a G for Good supported project. Heraklion acts as a stunning example of where history, culture, and modernity mesh perfectly. As part of an exclusive to National Geographic Family Journeys travellers – and part of our G Adventures for Good program – explore multiple areas of the city and learn of the twelve Gods affiliated with Zeus who is said to have been born in Crete. Join a local guide, explore multiple monuments and historic areas, completely immersing yourself in the local culture. Your involvement in this unique service means the non-profit can continue providing income that supports the community directly.

Spend the day exploring the magnificent island of Crete on your own. Several tours are available at an additional cost, including a full-day land rover safari along an ancient Minoan route leading into the mountains. Or tour through pastures, villages and the scenic Lassithi Plateau. In the afternoon, you may spend time swimming at the resort or pay a visit to a Cretan olive oil farm for a tour of the grounds and a tasting. In the evening, gather together with your group to enjoy a farewell dinner.

Included Experiences

• Free Time: Enjoy a full free day in Crete for a variety of optional activities in the area. Choose between a full-day land rover safari along an ancient Minoan route leading into the mountains. Pass through pastures, villages, and the scenic Lassithi Plateau. Or opt to spend time swimming in the pool at the resort, or pay a visit to a Cretan olive oil farm.

Optional Experiences

• Land Rover Safari - Crete: Hop on a Land Rover safari along an ancient Minoan route into the mountains, pastures and villages of Crete and take photos of the scenic Lassithi Plateau. Local cuisine and wine will also be showcased during an included tavern lunch.

Depart at any time.