10-Day Northern & Central Greece
Thessalonika – Evia – Ioannina – Meteora – Volos – Athens
DAY 1: Welcome to Thessalonica
Welcome to Greece! Upon arrival in Thessaloniki you will be met with your representative who will give you an overview of the city and its Jewish history on the way to our hotel. Check in and leisure time until dinner. Overnight in Thessaloniki.(Dinner).
DAY 2: Thessalonica
Breakfast at hotel and start our city tour. We will visit the Square of Jewish Martyrs and the ceremonial Synagogue followed by a presentation at the Jewish Museum where we learn about a community that once had 50 synagogues and was called Mother of Israel, home to famous Jewish mystics, legalists, poets and rabbis. Our coach takes us to quarters of the city that were once wholly Jewish and to archaeological sites going back to Roman and Hellenic times, villas once inhabited by prominent Jewish residents and the new Holocaust Memorial on the site of the cemetery destroyed by the Nazis, now the Aristotle University campus. We return to our hotel for dinner and overnight.(Breakfast, Dinner).
DAY 3: Thessalonica
After breakfast we visit the Archaeological Museum and the famous landmark, the Rotunda, close to each other and the wonderful promenade. Afternoon at leisure. Return at hotel, dinner and overnight.
(Breakfast, Dinner)
DAY 4: Thessalonica – Veria
Breakfast at hotel, In this day we head for Vergina where the unearthing in 1977 of the richly extravagant tombs of King Phillip 11, father of Alexander the Great, became as famous as the Dead Sea Scrolls. We continue to Veria where the Jewish community existed in this Macedonian town as early as the first century. That was the case for the following two millennia, albeit with interruptions until 1943, when the Holocaust brought Jewish life in Veria to an abrupt end. Barbouta, the Jewish quarter of Veria we hear about the town’s rich Christian heritage and absorb its Jewish quarter with its unique setting and the atmosphere that still prevails at the natural river Mikva. Today there are no Jews in Veria, a town of some 66.000 residents, but the quarter where they lived -Barbouta- still stands, and at his heart a synagogue that draws a small but steady stream of visitors. Dinner and overnight in Veria. (Breakfast, Dinner)
DAY 5: Veria – Ioannina
After breakfast, we leave Veria for Ioannina which was once a trade centre for Jewish leather merchants. Inside the castle we stroll through the ancient cobbled streets of the former Jewish Kastro quarter and visit the Romaniote Kahal Kadosh Yashan Synagogue where we are shown its unique artifacts. Our guide will show us around the medieval Jewish cemetery which is in a forest. We also have time to walk around the city’s beautiful lake or take a coffee at the lakeside before driving to the hotel for dinner and overnight.(Breakfast, Dinner).
DAY 6: Ioannina – Meteora – Kalambaka
After breakfast at hotel we take a picturesque drive to Meteora site of the famous 14th century Byzantine monasteries, suspended on granite rocks. As well as marvelling at the views we visit two of the monasteries. Late afternoon we arrive at our hotel. (Breakfast, Dinner)
DAY 7: Kalambaka – Volos
After breakfast we set off for Volos which is surrounded by beautiful mountains and looks out on a charming bay. We have a group lunch at an excellent restaurant on the promenade and have time to stroll by the water’s edge. We then walk to a Holocaust memorial and through the Jewish neighborhood to the Synagogue and community center and learn about a community that date back to the 6th century and still has weekly services. We dine and spend the night in Volos. (Breakfast, Dinner)
DAY 8: Volos – Athens
We leave Volos to head for Athens. We arrive late afternoon for a tour of the Acropolis. We continue to the other remarkable sites of the city, Constitution Square with its picturesque guards, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, Hadrian’s Arch, the Theatre of Dionysus and the Olympic stadium. Check in to the hotel for dinner and overnight. (Breakfast, Dinner)
DAY 9: Athens
After breakfast, we see the Beth Shalom Sephardic Synagogue and the Romaniot Synagogue just opposite. Then we visit the Jewish Museum. Our tour guide will lead us through their excellent exhibits, enhancing our understanding of Greek Jewish history. After this, we will visit the Ancient Greek Agora, the place where was the ancient synagogue of Athens. Dinner and overnight in Athens. (Breakfast, Dinner)
DAY 10: Athens
Breakfast. According to the schedule of your flight you will be transferred to Athens Airport. (Breakfast)
This Program Includes
Prices are per person based on double occupancy
- Accommodation in Thessalonica (3 nights)
- Accommodation in Veria (1 night)
- Accommodation in Ioannina (1 night)
- Accommodation in Kalambaka (1 night)
- Accommodation in Volos (1 night)
- Deluxe and Modern A/C Bus for Tours & Transfers as per itinerary with Wi Fi Service (Free of Charge)
- English Speaking Professional Tour Guide/Assistant for tours and transfers as per itinerary
- Entrance Fees to Jewish Museum of Thessaloniki, Rotonda (Thessaloniki), Vergina, Meteora (2 Monasteries), Acropolis of Athens, Ancient Greek Agora of Athens & Jewish Museum of Athens.
- Daily breakfast
- Daily dinners
- Headsets for the tours
- Porterage Service at the hotels
- Accommodation Tax
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