The Heart of Thrace

Welcome to Europamundo! Transfer to the hotel and free time. You will be provided with the information required for the beginning of the trip in the afternoon; otherwise, the information will appear on the information panels at the hotel reception area.

IMPORTANT:- Remember that hotels check-in time is usually at 14:00 hrs. If you require more hours of room availability, consider booking an additional night at the beginning of your trip.
- IF YOU REQUESTED ADDITIONAL NIGHTS upon arrival at the hotel, you would have your room booked, but your trip guide would normally contact you at the beginning of the included activities. At the reception you can also find an informative sign, indicating the telephone number and hours of assistance of our staff. YOUR TIME THEREFORE BEFORE THIS MOMENT IS FREE. The hotel staff can help you with all the information you need.


Note: The schedules that you will find in this itinerary are indicative. The guide, depending on the situation and in order to improve the development of the trip, may adjust the schedules.

We will enjoy the city tour with a local guide which includes the Presidential Palace, the Panathinaikos stadium where the first modern Olympic games were held, the national library, the bustling squares of the center; the new neighborhoods that emerged after the 2004 Olympic games. The tour will finish at the Acropolis site (entry not included).


In the evening we include a transfer to the PLAKA area, which is full of small Greek bars and where you will be able to enjoy the rich folklore of this country.

Total distance: 410 km.

Scenery: Views over the sea. Fantastic landscapes in the region of Meteora, orthodox monasteries.
Notes: Wear appropriate clothing (women will have to wear the skirts that will be given at arrival to the monastery). Also foresee comfortable footwear... you will have to climb many steps in the Meteora area!

08:00 hrs. Athens –departure-. We leave for the north of Greece. Pleasant Mediterranean landscapes.
10.15 hrs. - Kamena Vourla – Arrival.- Charming tourist centre by the sea amidst magnificent scenery. Time for a stroll and a coffee.


11.15 hrs. - Kamena Vourla –departure-. Continuation northbound. We make a brief stop at the gorge where the battle of Thermopylae took place.
13.45 hrs. Kastraki- stop for lunch in this picturesque town located at the foot of the Meteora. The views here are magnificent!. After lunch we will visit Meteora, an impressive place declared UNESCO World Heritage, an area that covers a few square kilometers and where an ancient monastic community and a rare geological phenomenon of huge rock pillars coexist in absolute harmony. We will see the whole valley and have the chance to go into one of the most famous monasteries (entrance included).
Accommodation in Kalambaka, a small town in the center of the Meteora region. Dinner included.

Total distance: 395km
Landscapes: Beautiful landscapes in the north of Greece and on the way to Bulgaria: mountains, isolated areas, forests.
Note: Remember to have your Passport ready, you will need it to enter Bulgaria.


08.00 hrs.- Kalambaka.- Departure. We travel through the North of Greece, amidst pretty mountain scenery, to the Aegean Sea.
11.15 hrs.- THESSALONIKI– Arrival-, time for a walk and lunch in Greece’s second city.

14.00hrs.- Thessaloniki- Departure. We travel towards the Pirin mountain, a World Heritage Site, areas heavily influenced by the Greek, Slavic and Turkish cultures. After this we go on our way towards BULGARIA, crossing the border. Schedules of this stage sometimes can suffer important delays because of the border procedures.

16.45hrs.- MELNIK. Arrival. In Bulgarian Macedonia we will make a stop in this picturesque museum-town among beautiful landscapes in the center of a wine-producing area. We will learn about the traditional Balkan ways of life.

17.45hrs.- Melnik. Departure.
18.15 hrs- SANDANSKI, arrival in this beautiful small spa city, the birthplace of Spartacus, dinner and accommodation.

Total distance covered: 225 km.

Scenery: beautiful landscapes of the Balkans, with mountains, remote areas and forests.
Note: Wear suitable clothing to visit the monastery of Rila.-


08.30 hrs- Sandanski.- Departure.-
10.30 hrs - Rila Monastery - We visit this beautiful walled Orthodox monastery that is hidden hidden among forests and mountains within a national park. Time to visit it.


11.45 hrs - Rila -Departure-.
15.00 hrs - Sofia -Arrival-. After the lunch time we include a city tour of the capital of Bulgaria, where we will see the Alexander Nevski Cathedral, the Russian church, the mosque, its squares and avenues of Stalinist architecture. Free time afterwards.

At the time your guide says, we will make a transfer to the airport to catch a domestic flight includedin your trip. On arrival at destination we will give you another hotel transfer. Your guide will contact you at the end of the afternoon or you can consult the information in your hotel reception.

NB: remember that on domestic flights, the luggage normally allowed is one suitcase of up to 20 kg in the hold. Passengers must pay for all excess luggage directly to the airline

09.00 hrs.- A sightseeing tour of the city. We find ourselves in a city built in two continents. On our tour, we will enter the Mosque of Suleyman the Magnificent (the largest in Istanbul). We will see the walls, the Golden Horn, the fishing district, and we will admire the exterior of Hagia Sofia. After the visit, we will offer tickets and a visit to the Top Kapi Palace, which was the administrative centre of the Ottoman Empire, with its magnificent courtyards and its pavilions.


19.30 hrs.- At the end of the afternoon we will provide a transfer to the Taksim neighbourhood, the most commercialised and lively area of the city. There will be time to dine in one of its many restaurants, and you can also take the old tram that crosses the area or go to see the nearby Galata Tower. Return to the hotel around 22.00 hrs.


Important: Services during the stay in Istanbul may change order by taking the boat ride on the Bosphorus on the first day and the panoramic visit on the second day.

Today we include a boat trip on the Bosphorus that will last about two hours. We will undertake the trip on a boat exclusively for Europamundo travellers. The Bosphorus is a strait that connects the Black Sea with the Sea of ??Marmara, which separates Istanbul into two parts: the European part and the Asian one. We will enjoy seeing the liveliness of the strait with its multitude of boats. We will pass under the two bridges that unite Europe and Asia and we will admire the palaces of the sultans, the typical wooden houses and the Ottoman villas. Return to the center of Istanbul.

Rest of the day at leisure. You can go shopping in the Grand Bazaar; visit Hagia Sophia; ... Multiple options in this great capital.

Total distance covered: 560 km.Scenery: Cold lands inside Anatólia.


07.00 hrs.- We will leave early morning from Istanbul.
14.00hrs.- Ephesus, the best preserved ancient city of Asia Minor; 2000 years ago it had a quarter of a million inhabitants. We will discover the Basilica of Saint John, and then the house of the Virgin Mary and the archaeological site (tickets included).


18.00 hrs- Ephesus departure. We continue on towards the Turquoise Coast.
18.30 hrs- Kusadasi- Arrival to this popular coastal town with a lot of atmosphere, commercial life and a small castle. Free time in the center to enjoy its bazaars and the city. Dinner and accommodation.


Note: during the high season, from June to September (both included), accommodation may be provided in a nearby town.

Total distance covered: 320 km.
Scenery: Various beautiful sights over the Aegean sea.


08.30 hrs.- Kusadasi- Departure.
10.00 hrs- Lake Bafa- Stop to see the lake, its magnificent nature, history, mystical beauty and serenity is undoubtedly one of the natural wonders to be seen in Turkey.


10.30 hrs.- Bafa Lake, departure.
12.00 hrs.- Bodrum, free time in this beautiful fortified city of Greek origin. You can visit its castle, walk through its streets which are full of life and tourist activity or its leisure marina. Time for lunch.


15.00 hrs- Bodrum, departure.
17.30 hrs.- Marmaris, arrival to another beautiful coastal tourist enclave, with its castle, its marina and its fountains. Dinner and accommodation.


NOTE: On some high difficulty dates (especially in summer), some groups can be accommodated in a nearby town.

NOTE -Remember that we are entering to Greece. On the ferry you should carry your luggage and have your passport handy as it is requested for embarkment.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The ferries that link Marmaris with Rodhes undergo frequent changes in schedules and do not operate every day (except during summer months). The itinerary may be adapted based on the frequencies available during your trip. If the group is less than 10 people, the visits of Rhodes can be made in a regular service at a different schedule (sharing with other people from other companies).


07.30 HRS.- Early in the morning, at first light, we will leave the hotel. After border procedures we will take a boat to Greece.
09.15 hrs. - Fast ferry, a cruise of approximately one hour.


10.15 hrs.- Border procedures to enter Greece. Rhodes, arrival. We will include a sightseeing tour of the city with a local guide. Its impressive walled citadel, its old town that shows the traces of the different cultures (Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Knights of Saint John, Ottomans, Italians, etc.) that inhabited it. The visit lasts about two hours. After the visit we will transfer you to the hotel.


Free afternoon.- We suggest you to enjoy on its beaches or stroll on your own in this beautiful city.-

Distance traveled (by road): 115 Km

Scenery: Mediterranean landscapes, picturesque views over the sea.
Note: Ferry schedules are often subject to change. Departure time indicated in this
itinerary is a matter of changes. Journey to Athens could be made by plane.


09.00hrs.- Rhodes -departure-. Today an excursion to visit the island of Rhodes is included.
09.30 hrs.- Philerimos, on the top of the hill, among magnificent landscapes, you can
visit its small monastery sitting amid amazing landscapes.

10.15hrs.-Filerimos- Departure.
11.30hrs.-Lindos. Arrival to this city with a medieval fortress and Greek Acropolis overlooking the sea. With the coach we will take you to the bay of St. Paul, it is said that the apostle arrived here by sea in 51 AD to preach Christianity. The movie "The Guns of Navarone" was filmed here. Afterwards you will have free time, you can stroll through the white and commercial streets of the center, relax on the beaches or climb (by donkey if you wish) to the Acropolis.


15.00 hrs.- Lindos -departure-. Return to Rhodes.
16.00 hrs.- Rhodes. Arrival. At the port we take a modern ferry to Athens. Scheduled departure (July and August period not yet confirmed) from Rhodes at 17.00 hrs. Relax and enjoy the Mediterranean on board.

Accommodation in cabins with private bathrooms. Breakfast not included. Night on board.


Note: Depending on the number of passengers, your guide may not accompany you on the
ferry.

Free day.

After breakfast, end of our services.

Note: Remember that hotels check-out time is usually at 10.00 hrs. In most cases, you can leave your luggage at the hotel reception at check-out time, so you can enjoy the city and pick it up at the time you require that same day. If you need more time to use your room, please consider booking an additional night at the end of your tour.