This extraordinary collection lets you follow the sweep of Greek art history from 7000 BC to 300 AD. These days Leonidas and Panagiota feed guests as if they're family. Rick Steves The words "Greek Isles" evoke visions of sun-bleached houses shoulder-to-shoulder against a hillside with a mesmerizing view of glittering blue water. Rick Steves (www.ricksteves.com) writes European travel guidebooks and hosts travel shows on public television and public radio. While there are lots of Greek islands to visit, we're dropping in on just three classics. Local guides demonstrate still-working wells. Rick: This is a healthy diet. Ippocratus Square is the busy heart of the old town. We'll enjoy the magnificence of ancient Athens — marvel at the wonders of the Acropolis, savor some tasty Greek street food, and check out the premier collection of ancient Greek art. And today, in the midst of all this rich heritage, the vibrant capital of Greece still thrives. Prices are high, and, in season, the island is crammed full of vacationers. ​Dimitris: This is the Mediterranean diet. Allow 1.5–2 hours for the site (hiking to the stadium alone is nearly a half-hour round-trip), and another 45–60 minutes for the museum. Antonis is an excellent local guide who enjoys introducing visitors to the hidden nooks and crannies of Mykonos. Two hundred years ago, Athens was just a humble town of about 8,000 huddled at the base of the Acropolis. Colorfully costumed evzone guards stand at attention at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and periodically do a ceremonial changing of the guard to the delight of tourists (guards change five minutes before the top of each hour, less elaborate crossing of the guard around :25 after, full ceremony with marching band Sundays at 11:00—get there early as they may start a bit before 11:00). The Parthenon was perhaps the finest temple in the ancient world. Late in the day, as the sun goes down, the white Parthenon stone gleams a creamy golden brown, and what had been a tourist war zone is suddenly peaceful. With each port you've got sightseeing options: You can take the organized tour and be on their time table, or, you can hire a private guide. Ermou Street, leading away from Syntagma, is a thriving pedestrian mall. Descend into Athens' sleek and cool underground and you'll enjoy a transit system as efficient as anything in Europe. The worst lines are caused by the bottleneck of people trying to squeeze into the site through the Propylaea gate. Lindos' beach is a broad and sandy strip, great for families. Thanks for joining us. I enjoy the scenic arrivals and departures by cruise ship. Observe the peaceful rhythm of daily life. With the help of tour guide Rick Steves, you can marvel the wonders of ancient Greece without a hitch. Culture thrived here, enough to keep this theater — which could seat 6,000 — busy. The island's oldest and most traditional taverna was the hangout of the sponge divers a century ago. Ancient Delphi, perched high on the slopes of Mt. One of the island's greatest attractions is its total absence of cars and motorbikes. As we enter the historic harbor, the walls of the fortified town seem to tell a story. An hour's drive south takes us to the island's other popular attraction. We'll tour the must-sees of ancient Athens: the Parthenon, Agora, and amazing National Archaeological Museum. And at the quiet end of town, the old windmill reminds all of a more rustic age gone by. But when the Greeks won their independence from the Ottoman Turks in the early 1800s, they chose little-but-historic Athens to be their capital. Fira is the island's commercial and transportation hub. Click here for more information on how to enable cookies. Read "Rick Steves Greece: Athens & the Peloponnese" by Rick Steves available from Rakuten Kobo. The harbor, with twin forts and plenty of cannon, housed and protected the fleet of 130 ships as the Greeks battled the Turks in their early 19th-century War of Independence. We'll start up there, at the historic, cultural, and literal high point of any trip to Athens — the Acropolis. Then we'll poke around the Plaka before escaping the big city to consult an ancient oracle and relax on a classic Greek isle. I'm glad I'm packing light as I hike up to my hotel. They're clad in the traditional pleated kilt and pom-pom shoes made famous by the evzones. Survey the remains of the ancient harbor: foundations of shops and homes, and hillsides littered with temple remains. The Golden Mean and everything. So we've got the theater, we've got the stadium…. Sure, there's nothing culturally broadening about this — in fact, the only thing broadening about all this lazy time on ship with unlimited food and drink is the effect it might have on your waistline. The 80-year period from about 480 to 400 BC is known as the Golden Age of Greece — the age of Socrates and Pericles — and Athens was the center. While pricey, if two couples split the cost, enjoying the services of a private guide can cost about the same as the cruise line's bus tour. The pope recognized the Knights of St. John as a religious order, and they eventually became "soldiers of the cross" — with an economic agenda and a mighty navy. And, for many, it's their Greek isle dream come true. We're catching one for a windy survey of the island and to be dropped off for a scenic hike back into town. Antonis: You can still drink if you want. Seeing it today is awe-inspiring but imagine how striking it must have looked when it was completed nearly 2,500 years ago — in all its carved and brilliantly painted splendor. In the 14th century the knights built the Palace of the Grand Master — an imposing residence and capital for their leader. Because the priests debriefed those seeking advice on the state of their homelands, Delphi became the data base of the ancient world. We'll island-hop through the Aegean, sampling three classic Greek getaways — Santorini, Mykonos, and Rhodes — and basking in their dramatic beauty. Penny: Exactly. Mykonos is small — any point on the island is within a 20-minute drive. For islands not covered by this book I simply looked on YouTube to get a great idea of the feel and look of those places. Plumbing ran under the streets, and water was plentiful. It's especially worth visiting if you're traveling beyond Athens, because it displays artifacts found all around Greece, including Mycenae, Epidavros, Santorini, and Olympia — and the treasures displayed here are generally better than those remaining at the sites themselves. already booked 2022 tour Greece with Viking and need to combine with Rick Steves Greece tour. The island of Rhodes, while arid, is fun to explore. Penny: There was a priestess inside the Temple and right underneath it there was this room where she was inhaling vapors evaporating from the ground. It's Athens. see our FAQ. The iconic row of sphinx-like lions still heralds the importance of the place. Greece, like all of the other Rick Steves tours, I have taken, was an excellent venture with a conscientious tour guide and congenial travel mates. It's the perfect companion to the Rick Steves Greece: Athens & the Peloponnese guidebook! Santorini is a dramatic island — the rim of a volcanic crater with spectacular vistas. While the beach becomes a raging dance floor after dark, the DJ is busy all day as the cruise set joins backpackers from around the world to enjoy the scene. Dimitris: Well, we have here a Greek salad and a Santorini salad. And with Dimitris, I know exactly what I'm eating. A delightful way to cap the day is to follow the coastal path to the village of Kaminia. And tonight the place is all ours, as our enthusiastic cook welcomes us into his kitchen. During the Archaic period, all the parts were there, but if it decided to walk, it would walk like a monster, stiffly with no understanding of the subtle interplay between hips and shoulders. It's an exciting springboard for the Greek Isles. Rick: So tell me why this place was chosen for the oracle. Oblivious to the rich historic heritage surrounding them, vacationers here are expert at relaxing under the steady Greek sun. And recently, the city has curbed pollution, cleaned up and pedestrianized the streets, spiffed up the museums, and invested in one of Europe's better public transit systems. As it was in ancient times, Piraeus is still the port of Athens. For 2,500 years, a hill-capping acropolis has overlooked the town. Of its hundreds of islands, we'll visit three: Santorini, Mykonos, and Rhodes. The whitewash, while scenic today, was originally practical: White reflects the powerful heat of the sun. Just a few years ago, this street was a car-clogged mess. Shady trees make it a breezy and restful spot. So for more than 2,000 years, water has come out of this well. Terms of Service | Privacy, Athens, Greece: Ancient Acropolis and Agora, Athens, Greece: National Archaeological Museum, Athens, Greece: The Tranquil Anafiotika Neighborhood. This is where, for 3,000 years, Athenians gathered. The original square was essentially a big front yard for the new royal palace. And it's hard to imagine having had more Greek island fun in a few days than what we just experienced. Dana Morris. Walk in the steps of Socrates, test the acoustics of the amphitheater of Epidavros, and set … From there we side-trip to the oracle of Delphi and then cruise from Athens' port of Piraeus to the island of Hydra. Rick: So what are we cooking? Until next time, keep on travelin'. One of the Mediterranean's great king-of-the-mountain thrills. These Mycenaean soldiers — with their yellow-ribbon moms — are a timeless off-to-war scene, repeated every generation in the 3,000 years since. This time it's all Greek to me…and that's exactly why we're here. Walk once around fast for a time-lapse effect, then go around again for a closer look. A two-hour drive northwest of Athens takes us to Delphi, one of the most important sights in the ancient world. I've left our bus tour early for a rendezvous with a private local guide. How to remember all these? These mansions survive today as grand old hotels, embassies, and museums. With Rick Steves. They taste good. The Temple of Hephaestus, one of the best-preserved and most typical of all Greek temples, dates from about 400 BC. The palace and the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior are guarded by the much-photographed evzones. A tidy embankment is so pretty they call it "Little Venice." Five mills still stand, perfectly positioned to catch the prevailing breeze. Statues from this age — around 600 BC — all had the same standard features: weight spread evenly on two feet, arms rigid at the side, stiff braided hair, almond-shape eyes, high eyebrows, and the same quirky little grins. Gyro means "turning" — referring to the slowly spinning round of meat — roasted pork or chicken — shaved as needed. The two main attractions — the archaeological site (officially called the "Sanctuary of Apollo") and the Archaeological Museum — are about a half-mile east of the modern town of Delphi. In the 14th century, the Knights of St. John added on to an existing Byzantine fortress here to create a residence and political headquarters for their leader, the grand master. Use the Rick Steves travel Store Delphi and then faded lions still the... Very well-preserved temple and a Santorini salad Knights of St. John in the middle of all this rich,... 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