* Greece - coach tour from Olympia to the Meteora Monasteries

We set off for Venice, reaching the ferry port in the middle of the afternoon. Boarding at 5.00 p.m. followed by cabin allocation.  We are scheduled to depart at 7.00 p.m. for Greece with the crossing taking 36 hours. Dine at your leisure on board. Overnight.

Breakfast at your leisure on board. We arrive at Patras at 6.00 a.m. and are welcomed by our Greek guide before departing for Olympia, site of the Olympic Games. We visit the ancient archaeological complex including the stadium, the temples of Zeus and Hera, and Phidias' workshop, one of antiquity's greatest sculptors. Following lunch you are free to wander at leisure in the world's sporting capital. Dinner and overnight in the region of Olympia. 

Famous for its amazing acoustics and symmetrical beauty, we begin with a visit to the vast and well preserved amphitheatre at Epidaurus. Lunch, then on to the ancient fortress of Mycenae with its gigantic stone walls, sophisticated tombs and the famous Lion gate leading into the citadel. We continue to Corinth, one of the most prosperous trading centres of ancient times, and visit some of its majestic ruins. Dinner and overnight in the region of Corinth.

We journey to Greece's capital for a guided tour of her most famous sights : the temples of the Acropolis, the old town and the delightful Plaka district, the Parliament buildings and the Presidential Palace with its guards in traditional dress and the massive port at Piraeus. After lunch we drive out to the dramatic Cape of Sounion, Homer's "sacred promontory", where the impressive cliff top ruins of Poseidon's Temple stand, commanding breathtaking views of the Aegean Sea and the Cyclades islands. Diner. Overnight in the region of Athens

Today we explore Delphi, legendary site of the Oracle and Apollo's Sanctuary, on a mountain terrace encircled by the rugged Parnassus Mountains. We arrive in time for lunch, then a tour of the Sacred Precinct where pilgrims once flocked en masse. On to Kalambaka for dinner and overnight.

The mountain pillars of Meteora are extraordinary by themselves, huge chunks of rock hundreds of metres tall, with horizontal stripes and strange shapes. But what makes them all the more remarkable are the exquisite monasteries build on top, as if suspended in mid-air. After lunch we visit two of the monasteries before departing for Igoumenitsa. Dinner and overnight.

We rejoin the ferry terminal in Igoumenitsa at 6.30 a.m. for boarding and cabin allocation. Departure for Italy is scheduled for 8.30 a.m . All meals on board at your leisure. Overnight on board.

Breakfast at your leisure on board. Arrival in Venice at approx. 7.30 a.m.