Make a pilgrimage to the Holy Mountain of Mount Athos.

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Meditations on Mount Athos
A hike through history

Our Signature Tour to Greece offers a rare opportunity to visit the monasteries of Mount Athos. An unforgettable chance to experience life untouched for centuries, this pilgrimage is a special and limited offering for a small group of discerning travelers. The tour starts in Athens, and visits Mount Athos and Thessaloniki, with a chance to tour other parts of Greece on our optional extensions.

The theocratic republic of Mount Athos, in Northern Greece, is celebrated for its breathtaking scenery and its ancient monasteries, in which the life of the Middle Ages is still enacted; the manners, customs, dress and modes of thought and belief are virtually unchanged from their original forms. Here we will be received with kindness and courtesy and lodged in the guest quarters of four unique monasteries. We will inspect superb Byzantine frescoes, paintings and icons, and browse treasure rooms and libraries containing magnificent crowns, ceremonial robes, early books and illuminated manuscripts.

The tour is limited to just five or six participants and will be accompanied throughout by one of our experienced tour leaders. For our visit to Mount Athos, we will be joined by an erudite Byzantine expert who has established friendly contacts with the monks and officials. In accordance with the edict of the Emperor Constantine Monomachus in 1046 AD, access to Mount Athos is forbidden to women.

Highlights of this trip include:

• Sail to Mount Athos to see its ancient monasteries and Byzantine wonders.
  
• Hike on spectacular mountain paths high above the Aegean Sea.
  
• Join the monks for meals, services, lodging and a glimpse at life as it was 1000 years ago.
  
• Experience the Greek Orthodox life of faith and monasticism amidst natural beauty.
  
• Meditate on the Holy Mountain as monks have done for centuries.
  
• Climb up to the Acropolis for an incredible view of Athens.
  
• Tour the port city of Thessaloniki.
  
• Enjoy a half-day excursion to Pella, the hometown of Alexander the Great.
  
• Explore other areas of Greece including the beautiful islands, on our optional extension.
  

Dates:
We don't offer every trip every year, and no departures are currently scheduled for this trip. Our home page will make it easy to locate forthcoming departures of interest.

Travelling Alone?
So are most of the people who travel with us. You do not need to pay extra to travel by yourself. Prices are per-person, and the single supplement applies only if you'd like a room by yourself. For selected trips, especially if the trip includes a cruise, we charge half the single supplement if you request a roommate, but we are not able to match you with someone.

Location: Starts in Athens and ends in Thessaloniki

Price includes: Land and water transportation within Greece; Accommodations each night in accordance with the tour itinerary; Breakfast each day, and most meals including wine at Welcome and Farewell dinners; Airport-hotel transfers on first and last tour days, or one day before or after the tour; All hotel service charges, government taxes, porterage, and meal gratuities.

Not included: Transportation between home and Athens; Athens-Thessaloniki-Athens airfare; Personal items including: alcoholic beverages, snacks, laundry, and telephone calls; Gratuities for guides.

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