St Demetrios 2024
Walking Saints Pilgrimage

Bon voyage! You will be departing the United States on an overnight flight to Greece. Let us know the flight schedule.

Airfare not included.

• Arrive in Athens, Greece
• Transfer to Hotel
• Rest up quick…
• Foothills of the Acropolis Tour and welcome dinner in the heart of the city
• Sleep in Athens

• Explore the Acropolis, the Ancient Agora, and the Acropolis Museum with a Licensed Archeological Guide.
• Then let’s enjoy a favorite local taverna for the evening.
• Sleep in Athens.

• Board private coach and travel to Kalambaka and the Monasteries of Meteora.
• Along the way, visit the spot where King Leonidas of Sparta and his 300 warriors battled and sacrificed themselves to hold off a massive Persian army ten times the size of the then Greek army. At Thermopylae, the heroic “300” blocking the way for Persian advancement for over a month and allowed the Greek forces to regroup for a successful defeat of the Persian army. 
• As the bus makes its way to Kalambaka, revel in the magnificence of the UNESCO Heritage Site of the monasteries suspended in the air. We will visit one of the monasteries according to the group ability to access.
• Dinner at a most delicious smelling and fabulous local psistaria. The area is known for its delectable kontosouvli and local village sausage.
• Sleep in Kalambaka

• Visit two monasteries according to the group’s physical ability with a licensed guide.
• Dinner in Kastraki, beneath St George Cave… be sure to ask Manoli about the annual celebration there.
• Sleep in Kalambaka.

• Depart with private coach to Igoumenitsa for an afternoon ferry to Kerkyra. 
• Check in to hotel.
• In the early evening we will visit the chapel at the former Holy Monastery of Panagia Vlaherna. 
• Dinner with a view, then stroll a few minutes to a neighboring cafe for dessert or drinks perched atop a hill with a view of the small monastery, featured on so many Corfu postcards, and Pontikonisi  which is the green island created from the mythical ship of Homer’s Odysseus.
• Sleep in Kerkyra.

• Walking Tour of Old  Town
• Walk beneath the impressive gate of the Venetian Old Fortress of Corfu , which with the protection of the island’s  Patron Saint, withstood three major Ottoman sieges. While this fortress has served the residents with numerous good causes, it also has history of repressive and devastating time. However, today it houses the public library, serves as a beautiful cultural center of the Ionian University and feels like a living museum walking through the ages.
• Visit Agio Spyridon Church.
• Free time in Old Town
• Meet at a predesignated spot for dinner at one of the most historic restaurants near fanciful lit Liston Street.
• Sleep in Kerkyra.

• Ferry to the mainland and drive to the port of Astako for yet another ferry to Kefalonia.
• Settle in to your room and take some time at leisure. Stroll through Argostoli and window shop along the pretty streets.
• Dinner at a favorite taverna.
• Sleep in Kefalonia.

• During a full day coach tour of the island, with a licenced guide for added local flavor:

• Experience the peaceful hospitality of the sisters at Agios Gerasimos Monastery.
• Then we will visit Orealios Winery for a tour and tasting of the island’s  Rompola winery.
• Short row boat excursion on the crystalline turquoise waters of Melissa Lake inside the cave.
• Late lunch and visit to the charming village of Agia Efimia.
• Sleep in Kefalonia

• Quick ferry from Kefalonia to Zakynthos, the birthplace of Greece’s national poet and author of the Greek National Anthem, Dionysios Solomos.
• Check in to hotel.
• Visit Agios Dionysios Church*
• Dinner in Town of Zakynthos.
• Sleep in Zakynthos. 

• Day Tour of Zakynthos.
• Sail to the Blue Caves and the Navagio.
• Dinner at predesignated location.
• Sleep in Zakynthos.

• This is a free day on one of the most beautiful beaches on the island!
• Enjoy, reflect, relax, and savor the brotherhood you have solidified with fellow travelers on this spiritual journey. 
• Sleep in Zakynthos.  

• Private Coach Transfer along Northern Peloponnese’s  scenic drive across the Corinth Canal
• **Possible drop-off in Patra & Corinth…must arrange in advance
• Sleep in Athens

• Morning at Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport
  *Some flights depart in the afternoon. An Insiders Tours leader will be available for a morning frappe, shopping, last minute sightseeing (there is no way to see everything on a single visit…trust us).
• Please be sure to advise us of your flight information and your tour leader will arrange for transfers.
• Have a great flight home!