A Week in Greece: Athens, Mykonos & Santorini

Board your overnight flight to Athens today.

Close your eyes and take in the smell of orange blossoms and olive trees—you’re in Greece. Meet your Tour Director and fellow travelers at tonight’s welcome dinner, served with beer or wine.

Nothing can prepare you for the sheer sense of awe you’ll feel when you come face-to-face with Athens, where ancient architecture and artifacts coexist with modern life. Meet up with your dedicated local guide, who will introduce you to the highlights of this bustling capital.

• Pass by the Olympic Stadium, whose curved roof was designed by noted architect Santiago Calatrava.
• Continue to Syntagma Square, home to the neoclassical Greek Parliament building, and admire the plaza’s imposing marble steps, fountain, and lush shade trees.
• Reflect on the Arch of Hadrian, built to honor the Roman emperor, and imagine how its Pentelic marble stones were carted more than 11 miles from Mount Pentelikon in 131 AD.
• View the remains of the sixth-century Temple of Zeus and gaze up at its 16 ornate Corinthian columns.
• Drive through the Plaka district, one of the oldest parts of Athens, known as “the neighborhood of the gods” due to the dozens of monuments strewn throughout the area at the foot of the Acropolis.
• Set off on a walking tour around the ancient Acropolis—site of the Parthenon, Temple of Athena Nike, and Erechtheion. You may have seen these enduring icons of antiquity in books and film, but now you’re traipsing through the work of craftsmen who quarried and honed these marble blocks thousands of years ago.

Enjoy a free afternoon in Plaka, a neighborhood largely unbothered by time and modernity, with distinctive red-tiled rooftops, outdoor cafes, and colorful street vendors. Prefer to taste your way through Athens? Add an excursion and remember to say kali orexi—local speak for “have a good appetite.”

We’re off to the islands! Travel by ferry to Mykonos and join your Tour Director on a walk through Mykonos Town’s narrow, labyrinthian streets bursting with cafes, galleries, and shops. Surrender to the soft, salty air on The Island of The Winds.

• See the iconic white windmills in Mykonos Town, built as early as the 16th century and originally used to mill wheat and barley, and watch their thatched roofs dance in the sea breeze.
• Delight in Little Venice—perched right alongside the Aegean Sea shoreline and inspired by its Italian namesake—where the colorful sun-splashed residences seem to melt into the water, their balconies hanging over the sea.
• Pass the Church of Panagia Paraportiani, eminently photographed for its Byzantine-era, whitewashed facade and intriguing curves.

Sit down this evening for an included dinner, served with beer or wine.

Want to add another island to your list? Add an optional excursion to legendary Delos for a guided tour steeped in history and Greek mythology.

Not joining the excursion? Use your free day in Mykonos to hit the cobblestones early and take your time. If visiting the island’s famous beach clubs isn’t your speed, head back to Little Venice for a stroll along the Old Harbor; hike down to Armenistis Lighthouse, one of the oldest in Greece; or get lost in Matogianni Street’s shops and galleries.

You’ve seen the photos—now get ready to star in them yourself. Take a ferry to Santorini and enjoy a free afternoon on the island. You can admire the steep cliffs that plunge into the Aegean and the island’s iconic caldera, dotted with whitewashed buildings. You can eat your way through traditional dishes—like moussaka, a hearty eggplant dish, or tomato fritters—then use your free time to explore unique pebbly beaches and crystal clear waters.

Looking to expand your palate? Add an excursion to a local winery for a tour and a tasting.

Please note: For an additional cost, you can book a visit to the village of Oia through your Tour Director. The visit will either take place on the evening of day 6 or the morning of day 8, depending on ferry and flight schedules.

Your guided tour of Santorini will take you from dramatic black-sand beaches to jagged cliff-lined shores and back—a stark contrast to the island’s beloved whitewashed buildings and sprays of bright fuchsia bougainvillea vines.

• Visit the archaeological excavations at Akrotiri, a settlement buried in volcanic ash, where richly pigmented Bronze Age frescoes and other Minoan artifacts survived a devastating volcano eruption in the 16th Century BCE.
• Ride to the top of Mount Profitis Ilias panoramic views of Santorini, neighboring island chains, and the blue waters kissing the horizon.
• Stop in small, picturesque Pyrgos, where you’ll weave through the steep streets of this slightly off-the-beaten-path village.

Spend a free afternoon poking around authentic shops and sampling the local wine, or join the optional excursion and hop on a catamaran for a steal-your-breath-away cruise starring the village of Oia.

This afternoon, fly to Athens and celebrate your trip with your group at tonight’s farewell dinner, served with beer or wine. Kali antamos—or “until we meet again.”

Transfer to the airport for your flight home or extend your stay to the Eternal City—Rome—where you’ll traipse across timeworn paths as the city’s monuments keep enduring watch. And if you have the chance to cap off a week of Greek food with a few days of pasta and gnocchi, seize it!