European autumn in the Aegean Sea

Travel with peace of mind as PONANT organises your transfer between the airport and your port of embarkation.

Athens

Meet at Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos - Arrival Hall. Look for PONANT sign. You will be greeted by our local representative off the flight selected by PONANT.

You will depart the airport by coach for a scenic tour of Athens en route to the port of Piraeus.

When you will reach Athens, you will make your first stop at the Panathenaic Stadium, a 19th-century reconstruction on Roman foundations, in which the first modern Olympic Games took place. This stadium is also known as the Kallimármaro which means “the beautiful marbled” because it is the only major stadium in the world built entirely of white marble. It was also restored to host some competitions during the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.

You will enjoy a photo stop at the bottom of the Acropolis Hill with its spectacular view of the Parthenon before being transferred to the port of Piraeus where you will embark on your ship.

Your programme includes:

·        Transfer by air-conditioned coach.

·        Services of a local English-speaking guide.

Your programme does not include:

·        Tips for the driver and local guide.

·        Personal expenses.

·        Other services not mentioned in the programme.

Note:

·        Optional photo stops depending on embarkation time and traffic conditions.

Duration and order of the visits may vary. To know your PONANT flight schedule, please contact your travel agent; it is also indicated on your electronic ticket included in your travel documents.

Enhance your cruise and extend your trip with a carefully designed programme.

Day 1 - Athens

Meet at Athens Airport in the Arrival hall. Look for PONANT sign. You will be greeted by our local representative off the flight selected by PONANT or any other flight (provided that you have previously communicated your flight schedule to your travel agent).

You will be transferred to the hotel Athens Capital Centre – Collection Mgallery 5*, perfectly located at Syntagma Square in the heart of Athens.

Official check-in at 15 :00.

Afternoon at leisure.

Dinner at leisure.

Overnight at the hotel.

Day 2 - Athens

After breakfast, your walking guided visit will be first focus on Anafiotika district. 

This picturesque old quarter is located under the Acropolis. This very typical architecture looks like to the Cycladic islands, with narrow streets and white-washed houses with colorful shutters.
You will learn more about its history with your guide. And you will have the perfect opportunity to take the most beautiful photos, through the lens of a professional photograph at your disposal to give you tips and help you..

Later, you will walk until a local tavern in the Plaka district and you will enjoy a traditional Greek lunch followed by a short time at leisure in Plaka.

During the afternoon, you will visit the Acropolis Museum, which is an archaeological museum focused on the findings of the archaeological site of the Acropolis of Athens. The museum was built in order to house every artifact found on the rock and at its foot, covering a large period of time from the Greek Bronze Age to Roman and Byzantine Greece. Nearly 4,000 objects are exhibited over an area of 14,000 square metres.

After the Museum visit, time at leisure to strool around the Museum area (about 1 hour), or to visit on your own, the Acropolis site (this visit is not accessible to disabled people). Then short drive back to your hotel (about 15 minutes).

Evening and dinner at leisure.

Overnight at the hotel.

Day 3 - Athens

Breakfast followed by hotel check-out procedures.

You will walk with your guide until Benaki Museum located in Kolonaki Square (about 10 minutes).

The Benaki Museum ranks among the great benefactions which have enriched the material assets of the Greek State. It is also the oldest museum in Greece. The Museum houses a set of collections comprising many distinct categories and totalling more than 30,000 items that illustrate the Greek world through a spectacular historical panorama: from Antiquity and the age of Roman domination to the medieval Byzantine period, from the fall of Constantinople (1453) and the centuries of Frankish and Ottoman occupation to the outbreak of the struggle for independence in 1821, and from the formation of the modern state of Greece (1830) to 1922, the year in which the Asia Minor disaster took place. Board your vehicle again for a short drive to your hotel.

Following your visit, board your vehicle for a short drive to the meeting point where your local chef will await for you.
Combine the best flavors of Athens has to offer, in a master class that involves putting together a menu, shopping for the ingredients in the vibrant central markets of Athens, and actually preparing it, all under the care of a professional chef and expert on Mediterranean cuisine.
After collecting everything, you will head to a venue with all the necessary equipment to turn the fresh ingredients into delicious delicacies. With the guidance of the chef, you will enjoy the best meal prepared by yourselves.

You will then be transferred to the pier of Athens to embark on board your ship.

Your hotel:

The Athens Capital Center Hotel - MGallery Collection is a boutique hotel ideally located in the heart of Athens, in the upscale Kolonaki neighbourhood, two minutes from Syntagma Square. Its contemporary interior houses works of art celebrating Greek culture. The fully-appointed Deluxe rooms offer a tranquil haven with an elegant atmosphere. From the rooftop terrace with swimming pool, the view of the Acropolis is uninterrupted and cloaked in magic at nightfall. Greek and Mediterranean specialities are served at MFlavours, the first of the hotel’s restaurants, while creative cuisine awaits guests at the second, Mappemonde.

Upgraded rooms are also available depending on availability and on a supplement basis. Contact your travel professional for further detail.

Your programme includes:

·        2-nights accommodation in Deluxe room at Athens Capital Centre – Collection Mgallery 5* (local standard) or similar, breakfast included.

·        Meals as mentioned in the programme.

·        Beverage package during meals (bottled water + 1 soft drink or 1 glass of wine or 1 local beer and 1 coffee or tea).

·        Welcome drink voucher of 20 € to enjoy a cocktail at the rooftop Mappemonde during open hours (non refundable)

·        Transfers, visits, and entrance fees as mentioned in the programme.

·        The services of a local English-speaking escort on the day of arrival.

·        The services of a local English-speaking guide during visits.

Your programme does not include:

·        Dinner on days 1 & 2.

·        Personal expenses.

·        Visa if necessary.

·        Tips for the driver and local guide.

·        Early check-in and late check-out.

·        Other services not mentioned in the programme.

·        Entry fees and guided visit of the Acropolis.

Please note:

·        It is imperative that the details of your departure flight are provided to your travel agent, no later than 30 days before the start date of your cruise, to secure the proper private transfer.

·        On day 2, the photo tour of the Anafiotika district requires about 2 hours of walking on flat and uneven ground with uneven level.

·        The visit of the Acropolis Museum (day 2), the Benaki Museum and the walk at Central Market (day 3) require moderate walking on flat or uneven ground (paved terrain and a few steps).

·        The Acropolis visit site is not included to the program and is not recomanded for disabled people.You can visit it on your own during leisure time.

·        The Benaki Museum is closed on Tuesday.

·        The Central Market is closed on Sunday.

·        The official check-in in room at 15:00.

Contact of your hotel:

Athens Capital Centre – Collection Mgallery
4 Eleftheriou Venizelou Avenue and 2 Kriezotou street Syntagma Square,
Athens 105 64,
Greece
Telephone number: +30 21 4444 2000

Duration and order of the visits may vary. To know your PONANT flight schedule, please contact your travel agent; it is also indicated on your electronic ticket included in your travel documents.

Travel with peace of mind as PONANT organises your day time between your port of disembarkation and the airport.

Athens

After disembarkation procedures are completed, you will be greeted at the port by our local English-speaking representative. Then, you will depart the port of Piraeus by coach for an exploration of one of the oldest city in Europe, Athens.

On your way to Athens centre, you will pass by the Zea and Microlimano marinas, two of the most attractive spots in Piraeus.

Your next visit will be at the Byzantine Museum & Christian Museum, one of Greece's national museums. Its areas of competences are centred on - but not limited to - religious artefacts of the Early Christian, Byzantine, Medieval, post-Byzantine and later periods which it exhibits, but also acquires, receives, preserves, conserves, records, documents, researches, studies, publishes and raises awareness of. The museum has over 25,000 artefacts in its possession. The artefacts date from between the 3rd and 20th century AD, and their provenance encompasses the entire Greek world, as well as regions in which Hellenism flourished. The size and range of the collections and value of the exhibits makes the museum a veritable treasury of Byzantine and post-Byzantine art and culture.

At the end of the morning, you will be taken to the Plaka Old District located at the bottom of the Acropolis, in the historic heart of Athens. You will have some free time (about 45 minutes) to explore on foot Plaka's pedestrian shopping streets where you will find jewellery stores, souvenir shops, cafes and restaurants.

You will then be transferred to the airport in time for check-in for the PONANT selected flight.

Your programme includes:

·        Transfers, visits and entrance fees as mentioned in the programme.

·        Services of a local English-speaking guide.

Your programme does not include:

·        Lunch.

·        Tips for the driver and local guide.

·        Personal expenses and other services not mentioned in the programme.

Duration and order of the visits may vary. To know your PONANT flight schedule, please contact your travel advisor; they are also shown on your electronic ticket included in your travel documents.

In the event of schedule changes of PONANT's selected flight, your programme will be adapted to ensure the most seamless and enriching experience. The content of your revised programme will be updated on the PONANT website, in My Ponant space and on the PONANT app. The final programme will also be sent to you along with your cruise documents.