Best of Italy and Greece

Welcome to Rome, the Eternal City. Relax after your journey or perhaps take a stroll through this historic city. Join your Travel Director and fellow travellers for a Welcome Reception and evening orientation drive which will take you to view the magnificent St. Peter's Basilica - a perfect start to your holiday.

With a Local Specialist visit St. Peter's Basilica and view Michelangelo's Pietà. See the Circus Maximus where chariot races were held. Visit the impressive Colosseum. There's time afterwards to explore the city on your own or simply relax and watch the world go by.

This morning visit the Vatican Museums with a Local Specialist. Experience a Cultural Insight when you ascend Bramante's smooth and step-less spiral staircase. Admire Michelangelo's frescoed ceiling when you visit the Sistine Chapel. Later, drive north through picturesque scenery to the Renaissance city of Florence in Tuscany. Tonight enjoy a Be My Guest dinner in the Chianti countryside.

Your Local Specialist reveals Florence's rich cultural heritage during your walking tour. Visit Piazza della Signoria, with its impressive sculptures and imposing palazzi. View the marble Duomo and the famous Baptistery, renowned for its bronze doors with relief sculptures and the Ponte Vecchio. Learn about the quality and workmanship of one of this city’s historic industries at a demonstration of Florentine leathercraft. Travel through the Apennines and cross the Veneto plains to Venice. This evening, you might like to take a gondola ride along enchanting canals - it's the perfect introduction to this magical city.

Savour the unique sights and sounds of Venice as you cruise by private launch to visit some of the attractions of this unique city. Enjoy a Cultural Insight into the Venetian tradition of glass making before seeing the sights including the Bridge of Sighs, St. Mark's Square, St. Mark's Basilica and the ornate Doge's Palace. This afternoon consider taking an Optional Experience to one of the islands in the lagoon.

Travel south to the ancient port city of Ancona to board your overnight ferry to mainland Greece.

Arrive early into the port of Igoumenitsa and travel along the foothills of the Athamanika mountains before arriving at the breathtaking UNESCO World Heritage monasteries of Meteora. These are some of the largest and most important complexes of Eastern Orthodox monasteries in Greece. Visit two of the six monasteries built on sandstone rocks above the town with your Local Specialist. Dine tonight at your hotel.

Drive south towards Mount Parnassos and Delphi, where we will stay overnight. Join a Local Specialist and see the site of the most important oracle in the classical world and walk the Sacred Way to the Temple of Apollo where every four years athletes competed in the Pythian Games.

We depart the 'navel of the earth' this morning and travel to Athens where we'll discover the city's rich heritage during our morning sightseeing tour with a Local Specialist. Marvel at the Agora, the Royal Palace and the Temple of Zeus. Your choice of sightseeing includes a visit to the Acropolis to view the Parthenon or entry to the spectacular Acropolis Museum containing remarkable antiquities. See Hadrian's Arch and the stadium where the first modern Olympics took place in 1896. Enjoy a Farewell Dinner to celebrate the end of your trip.

Say goodbye to your fellow travellers and Travel Director after an unforgettable journey. Airport transfers are available. Conditions apply.