12 days / 11 nights
Greece and Italy

Inclusions:

• Flights

• Insurance

• Accommodation

• Breakfast daily

• Excursions and activities

• One teacher travels free per 10 paying students

• Local English speaking guide throughout

• Departure date of your choice

Itinerary:

Please note that this itinerary is provided as an example and can be changed as required.
 

Day 1 -2
Flights from New Zealand to Athens.

Day 2 
Visit the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. The musuem houses some of the most important artifacts from a variety of archaeological locations around Greece from prehistory to late antiquity.

Day 3 
A full day guided sightseeing tour of Athens. The cosmopolitan and bustling capital city is set amidst reminders of a long and glorious past. Visit the world famous Acropolis, Ancient Agora, Roman Agora, Temple of Olympian Zeus and Hadrian’s Library (the Acropolis site ticket allows you to visit any of the named attractions over a period of 4 days).

Day 4 
Sightseeing tour to Naupila. You leave by the coastal road via the Corinth Canal, an idea that dates back over 2000 years though was only completed in the late 19th century. The strip of land that connects the Peloponnese and mainland Greece is called the “Isthmus”. Your first visit will be to the city of Corinth. Corinth was a significant ancient city of Greece, which is considered to be the largest city in the Peloponnese that houses sites of interest to pilgrims and visitors. You will stop in Epidaurus where you will visit the Archaeological Site and Museum.

You will then continue to Mycanae. On arrival in to Mycanae you will enjoy a guided orientation tour. You will also visit the archaeological site and museum.

Day 5 
Transfer to Olympia - the site of the ancient Olympic Games which were celebrated every four years by the Greeks. On arrival you have a guided sightseeing tour, with entrance to the Olympic site and the remains of Temples of Zeus and Hera. The most celebrated temple was the Temple of Zeus, dedicated to the father of the gods. This temple was the statue of Zeus made of ivory and gold, the masterpiece of the Athenian sculptor Phidias.

Day 6 
Guided city tour of Delphi. You will visit the famous Oracle of Delphi. This mountain sanctuary was the holiest site in Ancient Greece. It was believed to be the centre of the world, marked by the sacred Omphalos stone. Walk the Sacred Way to the Sanctuary of Apollo – which was the most important sacred site in the Greek world.

You will then visit Thermopylae and the Leonida Monument, famous for the ancient battle that took place there in 480 B.C.

Day 7 
Sightseeing tour and visit one of the Meteora Monastries.

This afternoon you have free time in Igoumenitsa before catching the ferry to Brindisi.

Day 8 
Morning excursion to Pompeii. Pompeii is one of the most significant proofs of Roman civilization and like an open book, provides outstanding information on the art, customs, trades and everyday life of the past. The city has re-emerged from the darkness of centuries precisely as it would have been when it was unexpectedly buried in the thick layer of ash and lava which poured down from the eruption of Vesuvius.

Day 9
Visit the National Archaeological Museum of Naples. The musuem houses one of the most important collections of classical archaeology in the world. Set in the 16th century palace Palazzo degli Studi, the museum was founded by Ferdinand IV in 1777. Formed from the discoveries from the Vesuvian Excavations which were at the time exhibited in Museo Herculanese in the Royal Palace at Portici and his family’s extensive collection of art and Roman antiquities, the Farnese collection, today the museum holds over three million objects of archaeological and historic importance.

Transfer to Rome.

Day 10
Rome city tour. Highlights include entrance into the Colosseum, visit to Pantheon Church, Trevi Fountain, Arch of Constantine, and Piazza Di Spagna (Spanish Steps).

Day 11
Visit the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel. The tour will take you through the most significant, cultural and religious areas of the Vatican Museums. The tour follows an itinerary which includes: the Pio Clementino Museum, the Gallery of the Candelabras, the Gallery of the Geographical Maps, and the Gallery of the Tapestries (Renaissance art), the Raphael Rooms and the Sistine Chapel.

Day 12
Return Flights to New Zealand.

*Costs are based on the current level of exchange and are therefore subject to change due to currency fluctuation until final payment is received.
We reduce your exposure to currency rate fluctuations by making regular and early payments to overseas suppliers.