04/09/2020 

• Gather at O’Hare International airport in Chicago 
• Board flight to Athens, Greece 

05/09/2020 

• Arrival at El. Venizelos airport in Athens 
• Depart for Delphi, one of the most important sites of ancient Greek civilization, and home of the Oracle Pythia 
• Visit Distomo and the Monastery of Hosios Loukas, a unique monument of Byzantine art and architecture and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 
• Depart for Ioannina 
• Arrive at the hotel in Ioannina, dinner and 1st overnight 

06/09/2020 

• Breakfast at the hotel 
• Transfer to Zagorochoria, a beautiful region consisted of 46 small villages, all tucked away in the Pindus mountain range. We will visit a few of those villages, most notably Dikorfo, Monodendri and Tsepelovo.  
• Visit the Pavlos Vrellis Greek History Museum, a wax museum depicting aspects of life and major events of Greek history, dating from 500 BC to the WWII era. 
• Return to hotel in Ioannina, dinner and 2nd overnight 

07/09/2020 

• Breakfast at the hotel 
• Depart for Metsovo, take a walking tour of the picturesque town and enjoy lunch. Don’t forget to try the famous Metsovian smoked cheese, a delicacy known and loved throughout Greece 
• After lunch, depart Greece’s second largest city Thessaloniki, named after Alexander the Great’s sister.  
• Arrive at the hotel, dinner and 3rd overnight 

08/09/2020 

• Breakfast at the hotel 
• Depart for Meteora, one of the most important sites for the Greek Orthodox community. This unique UNESCO World Heritage site, is a complex of stunning rock formations, upon which numerous monasteries have been built throughout history. Only 6 monasteries have survived the passage of time, 3 of which we will visit. Most notably, we will visit the Monastery of Megalo Meteoro, Moni Varlaam and the Monastery of St. Stephan  
• Next, visit Kastoria, a stunning lakeside city, once one of the greatest political and commercial hubs in Greece. Walk along the lake, enjoy coffee and lunch and also visit the ‘Gounaradika’ fur coat market for a quality shopping experience 
• Return to the hotel in Thessaloniki, dinner and 4th overnight 

09/09/2020 

• Wake up and enjoy breakfast at the hotel 
• Depart for a Thessaloniki sightseeing tour. Visit the White Tower, an iconic monument and also a trademark building of Thessaloniki. 
• Next, visit the Church of Hagia Sofia, one of the oldest churches in the city, and also the Basilica of St. Demetrius, the patron saint of Thessaloniki. Both churches are registered as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO 
• Visit the “Thessaloniki International Fair – Helexpo”, an annual international exhibition event, also one of the largest fairs in the Balkans. 
• Return to the hotel in Thessaloniki, dinner and 5th overnight 

10/09/2020 

• Wake up and enjoy breakfast at the hotel 
• Depart for Veria, and enjoy a tour of the city, while also visiting the Monastery of Panagia Soumela, also known as ‘The stronghold of the Northern Greek borders” 
• Visit Edessa, a picturesque town, home to a complex series of waterfalls, all flowing through the town. 
• Return to hotel in Thessaloniki, dinner and 6th overnight 

11/09/2020 

• Wake up and enjoy breakfast at the hotel  
• Depart for Ouranoupoli, the port of entry for the Holy Mountain.  
• Relax on deck on this guided cruise and enjoy the stunning views of the Orthodox Monasteries, untouched nature and the endless Aegean Sea. 
• Return to hotel in Thessaloniki, dinner and 7th overnight 

12/09/2020 

• Wake up and enjoy breakfast at the hotel  
• Free day in Thessaloniki. Explore the city’s many World Heritage Sites, enjoy your coffee or lunch at one of the many restaurants in town, walk along the seafront or simply go for shopping in the city centre. 
• Return to hotel, dinner and 8th overnight 

13/09/2020 

• Wake up and enjoy breakfast at the hotel 
• Depart for Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. 
• On route, visit Melnik, the smallest but one of the most historic towns in Bulgaria and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  
• Arrive at the hotel in Sofia, dinner and 9th overnight 

14/09/2020 

• Wake up and enjoy breakfast at the hotel  
• Depart for Plovdiv, one of the oldest inhabited cities worldwide and a place rich in Greek, Byzantine, Roman and Bulgarian history. 
• Return to hotel in Sofia, dinner and 10th overnight 

15/09/2020 

• Wake up and enjoy breakfast at the hotel 
• Depart for the International Sofia airport. 
• Along the route, stop and visit the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, among the 10 largest Orthodox churches worldwide. 
• Arrive at the airport and board flight to Samsun 
• Transfer to the hotel, dinner and 11th overnight 

16/09/2020 

• Wake up and enjoy breakfast at the hotel 
• Explore the Samsun region, a place of great historical importance for the Byzantine Empire and also the place where Turkey’s War of Independence started, after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in WWI. 
• Along the region, visit Kerasunda Kotyora, Cape Jason and Museum of Giresun and also the monasteries of Hagia Sofia, Hagia Anna and St. Nicholas.    
• Transfer to the hotel in Samsun, dinner and 12th overnight 

17/09/2020 

• Wake up and enjoy breakfast at the hotel 
• Continue exploring the Samsun region, visit to the ‘Tsinekio’ School, Amasya and the Amisos Hill King Tombs. 
• Explore the region’s Turkish history by visiting various mosques and places of religious significance. 
• Transfer to the hotel in the town of Samsun , dinner and 13th overnight 

18/09/2020 

• Wake up and enjoy breakfast at the hotel 
• Transfer to the Trebinzond region, home to the first Monastery of Panagia Soumela and also a place of significant cultural and historic value for the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires. 
• Return to the hotel in Trabzon, dinner and 14th overnight. 

19/09/2020 

• Wake up and enjoy breakfast at the hotel 
• Depart for Trabzon airport and board return flight