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8 nights 9 days $1700 per person (double occupancy) shared room or $2200 Private room (single occupancy) . To book this trip each guest must secure a $500 deposit. Explore the Pearls of Northern and Central Greece during this incredible 9 day tour. Be amazed by the mountain formations in Kalabaka and its’ mysteries monasteries on the top rocks. Visit the glorious ancient Greek oracle of Apollo at the well preserved ruins in Delphi. You will be captured by the unique experience and lively Mediterranean vibe. Ride through the mythical train route from Lekhonia to Milee with the so called “Moutzouris” one of the tightest tracks in the world. Relax on the beautiful beach town of Agios Ioannis. This trip has it all minus the crazy crowds.
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After arriving in Thessaloniki, you will have some free time so you can relax from your long flights. This day is planned as a relaxed day giving you free time to accommodate, explore the surrounding area by yourselves and get to know each other. At about 17:00 we organised a meet and greet activity. We will have the opportunity to get to know each other, meet with your tour guide and shoot some glasses of Ouzo, the famousGreek traditional drink.
Our tour guide will come and pick you up at your hotel in Thessaloniki. We will begin this amazing journey with a city tour of Thessaloniki, the second largest city of Greece and located at the coast. Thessaloniki is an open-air museum of Byzantine history as it has many monuments from that time. We will go to the old city, walk through the Ana Poli area and the traditional markets as well as visit the White Tower, symbol of Thessaloniki. Next to the White Tower is the Arch of Galerius and Rotunda, dating back to Roman times. We will
also visit the most famous hammam in the city, Yahudi hammam, meaning ‘’Bath of the Jews’’, resembling all the different cultures that lived here through time.
After sightseeing you will have some free time for shopping in Thessaloniki. The city offers a wide range of choices. The city offers excellent shopping options, all nearby the city center. The main Thessaloniki shopping street is Tsimiski. This boulevard is lined with international brands, boutiques and stores. The best way to close your day at Thessaloniki after sightseeing and shopping would be by enjoying a drink in front of the sea side.
Thessaloniki.
From Thessaloniki we will drive (around 3 hours) to our first destination for today Meteora, also part of UNESCO world heritage and constructed in the 14th – 15th century. The monasteries are built on top of the spectacular rock formations, creating a beautiful and impressive sight. The surrounding rocks are oddly shaped, which makes it a landscape that cannot be found anywhere else. The town also has lots to offer. Walking through the cobblestone lanes, surrounded by two of Meteora’s rock formations, is an experience in itself. We will visit the
Church of Assumptions, dating back to the 11th century. Some marble stones in the church used to be part of an Ancient Greek temple. The local food is also delicious, with mushrooms as the main ingredient but also yoghurt, cheese and honey on the menu. After lunch we will drive towards Delphi.
Our first destination for today is Delphi, UNESCO world heritage site. This ancient Greek archaeological site is considered to be one of the most beautiful in the world, including multiple monuments such as the Temple of Apollo, the Castallian Fountain and the Large Sphynx of Naxos. After the day tour of Delphi we drive towards Volos. . Next destination for this day will be Volos, hillside village with sweeping views of the Greek coastline. Visiting Volos is a chance to see Greece far away from the crowded touristic destinations. Volos is one of the best places where you can spend a few hours to walk around and interact with local people. Do not be surprised if you only get answers in Greek, best way to learn some new words and have a laugh with the natives. Overnight in Volos.
Today you will travel through a mythical route from Lekhonia to Milee with the so-called “Moutzouris” , one of the tightest train tracks in the world.
The route to Milees is filled with wild Mediterranean nature and remarkable architectural buildings such as bridges and train stations. The fact that the trains maximum speed is about 20km/h allows you to enjoy the spectacular view of hilly and mountainous terrain, crossing green slopes with trees and bushes, plain trees, olives and pine trees. On the final approach towards Milee, the scenery becomes more extreme, with the crossing over the large metal bridge of Taxiarchi, being the highlight of this last section. At this point, the train will roll in a curve line, while the bridge is straight. After this amazing experience we will drive to Agios Ioannis Beach.
Agios Ioannis, a beautiful village by the sea with a very large and beautiful beach with white pebbles. The beach strip is over 500 meters long as it is narrowed along the promenade.The beach of Agios Ioannis is the perfect place for swimming. You will have free beach day to dive in the mesmerizing blue water, to absorb and store all the sunshine. Overnight near thecoast line.
After breakfast we drive towards the mythical Mount Olympus (also said to be the home of the 12 Greek gods in mythology) with a variety of microclimates which are considered responsible for the reversion of the vegetation zones.
After arriving at Prionia we started our hiking adventure towards Mount Olympus, first National Park in Greece. Mount Olympus is the highest mountain in Greece 2,917m or 9,570 feet. During the hike we will pass by breath-taking waterfall, wooden bridge a small hut in the mountains and the monastery dating back to the year 1542. We will visit Agios Dionysios Monastery, a Greek Orthodox monastery on the slopes of Mount Olympus. To return we will follow the same path to Prionia. Overnight near the coast line.
Today you will have some free time to explore the city by yourselves, buy some gifts and souvenirs as a memory of this amazing trip. You can enjoy the one last frappe coffee or a traditional Mediterranean lunch by the seaside. This remarks the end of this unforgettable tour through the highlights of Northern and Central Greece
- Old city of Thessaloniki
- Ana Poli area in Thessaloniki
- White Tower of Thessaloniki
- Arch of Galerius and Rotunda in Thessaloniki
- Yahudi hamam in Thessaloniki
- Meteora in Kalabaka
- Monasteries of Meteora
- Archaeological site of Delphi
- Portaria village
- Farm near Volos
- Volos
- Volos Port
- Mille
- Pelion Railway
- Agios Ioannis Beach
- Prionia
- Agios Dionisios Monastery
- Archaeological site in Pella
- Ktima Gerovassiliou Winery
- BB (Accommodation and Breakfast) for 8 overnights
- Agrotourism wine tasting at Ktima Gerovassiliou vineyards
- Mythical Train Ride from Lekhonia to Milee
- Professional tour guide
- Transport provided by the company
- Hotel pick up in Thessaloniki
- Hotel drop off in Thessaloniki
- Entry tickets for the ‘’will be visited’’ sites
- Tourist taxes
- International car insurance
- Meet and Greet Dinner and all breakfasts
- Lunches, Dinners, Drinks Snacks
- Souvenirs
- Personal spending
- Everything that is not mentioned in the included
* Tips are not a must in Albania or the Balkans, however, our recommendation is to tip the
tour guide/driver 5 - 6 Euros per day/person as an international practice to tip good service.
Both the $500 deposit and final balance paid within 90 days are NON REFUNDABLE.
The travel industry now considers the Coronavirus “a foreseeable event”. That means many airlines, resorts, charter companies, rental shops, etc are no longer offering refunds due to COVID issues. They expect YOU to protect yourself with “INSURANCE”. When looking at insurance options please consider plans that offer a cancel for any reason option. More and more countries and hotels/resorts/charter companies are establishing very onerous cancellation policies. The travel industry as a whole has generally adapted the attitude that you now know the risks of COVID-19 or other illnesses and THEY are not willing to accept the risks of you needing to cancel or delay your travel.
You Can’t Steal My Happy recommends that you purchase a travel protection plan to help protect you and your travel investment against the unexpected. For your convenience, we offer travel protection through Travelex Insurance Services. For more information on the available plans or to enroll, click on the link below or contact Travelex Insurance Services at 800-228-9792 and reference location number 43-0656 “Travel Insurance is underwritten by, Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Company, NAIC #22276. 55Y”
https://www.travelexinsurance.com/quote/?nc=1
Group Trip Cancellations.
If YCSMH has to cancel a group trip because a country has closed its borders, everyone will have a choice of receiving a refund or being rolled over to another group trip. The decision to cancel a group trip will be determined by myself and our local guides.
DEPOSITS PAID- CANCEL WITH NO REPLACEMENT
If you cancel a booking and cannot find a replacement the FULL deposit amount will be lost from the original person making the reservation.
DEPOSITS PAID- CANCEL WITH A REPLACEMENT - $100 Penalty
If YOU cancel and find your own replacement that “helps” but it doesn’t alleviate the time and effort I must spend to get your replacement up to speed (answer questions and send previous emails). A $100 fee will be charged if you cancel and find your own replacement.
FULL PAYMENTS PAID- CANCEL WITH NO REPLACEMENT- 90 DAYS BEFORE TRIP DEPARTURE
Full payments for all Happy trips are due 90 days before departure. If you cancel the trip you will not be eligible to receive a refund. You will need to file a claim with your insurance provider. As a rule most tour vendors, charter companies and hotels require full payment 60 days before arrival. Once we have made reservations MOST resorts, Charter companies, rental shops, etc hold YCSMH financially responsible (i.e. we have to pay them, hence we expect YOU to pay us).
FULL PAYMENTS PAID- CANCEL WITH A REPLACEMENT- 60 DAYS BEFORE TRIP DEPARTURE
In the event of a cancellation, YCSMH will gladly help find a replacement but the responsibility to find the replacement is that of the person canceling. If you find a replacement to fill your spot you will be eligible for a full refund minus a $100 fee.
If YCSMH finds you a replacement you will receive a refund minus the trip deposit. As I mentioned there is a considerable amount of time and effort spent to send out emails to your replacement to get them up to speed.
I hope this helps clarify our terms as we all navigate through this post pandemic world. For those of us who are passionate travelers the small inconveniences of testing, insurance and entry requirements are well worth it.
Getting to Thessaloniki
You can fly into Athens and connect or fly directly in Thessaloniki through almost every major European gateway. See all airlines and gateways by clicking on this link. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thessaloniki_Airport
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