Central Holidays (tel. 800/539-7098; www.centralholidays.com) is offering a wide variety of packages to Greece, all of which can be found at www.centralholidays.com/greece. The company's honeymoon package includes seven nights' accommodations split between minimum four-star hotels in Athens, Mykonos and Santorini; daily breakfast; a candlelight dinner; welcoming gift basket filled with champagne and flowers; all transfers while in Greece; all ferry rides to and from the islands; and a city tour in Athens. Available departure dates are from now through October 23, 2006. While Central Holidays offers land-only specials, the company can provide you with airfare and include it in the price of any Greek vacation you select; for example, the honeymoon package (before taxes and additional fees) is base-priced from $1,629 per person land-only or $2,373 with airfare for flights out of New York City.
Central Holidays also has a 15-day "Best of Greece Tour" starting from $2,457 that includes round-trip airfare from NYC, all accommodations and a cruise (without airfare, the lowest price is set at $1,653). Covering Athens, Delphi and all the major sites, this trip also takes a cruise to Istanbul stopping in Mykonos and Patmos on the return trip. All accommodations at luxury hotels are included in the price of this trip that departs out of New York. The cruise is for seven nights. Meals included are six buffet breakfasts at the hotels and three full dinners as well as all meals on the boat. During the land section of the tour you will be accompanied by a professional tour guide with all transportation via air-conditioned motor coach. Departure fees and security taxes are not included in the price of the trip and should come to around $190. If you decide to stay any extra days, Central Holidays has excellent rates on hotels all over the Greek mainland and islands.
Cosmos Tours (tel. 800/276-1241; www.cosmos.com) is offering a new package that focuses specifically on the "Treasures of Ancient Greece and Crete." The low-priced 14-day/13-night starts from $1,415 with June, July and September departure dates still available. This land-only offer starts off in Athens and visits Thessalonika, Kalambaka, Delphi, Tolon, Crete and Armoudara among numerous other historical and cultural sites. In all, your travel dollars get you accommodations in centrally-located tourist-class hotels each night, full sightseeing itineraries with professional guides, all ground transportation within Greece between destinations, 11 buffet breakfasts, four full dinners and airport transfers. Airfare is additional and will vary based upon departure point.
Friendly Planet (tel. 800/555-5765; www.friendlyplanet.com) has a money-saving air, land and sea combination that if booked by today, April 28, 2006, will save you $300 per person or $600 per couple. The base price begins at $999. Included in the package is round-trip airfare from the United States, three-nights hotel accommodations in Athens and three nights cruising the Greek Islands, daily buffet breakfast in Athens, all meals on the cruise and all transfers in Greece. Friendly Planet runs extremely efficient and entertaining tours. Recent travelers usually rave about the experience that blends free time and self-exploration with guided tours and interesting cultural experience. This best-selling tour has availability beginning August 2, 2006 with waitlisted spots available for the two July departures. Add-ons for larger or more luxurious cabins are available for an extra cost for the cruise portion of the trip.
For splurgers, Maupin Tour (tel. 800/255-4266, www.maupintour.com) has a ten-day luxury land-only "Legendary Greece" tour starting at $2,749 with departures in July, August and September. Highlights of the trip include a sunset over Cape Sounion, a tour of the Acropolis, Delphi and Olympia, ancient and recent Olympic sites, a folklore show and a visit in Athens to the recently redone National Archeological Museum. The hotels on this trip are all four-star and up with stays at the King George II Palace in Athens, the Amalia Hotels in Delphi and Olympia, and the Amphitryon in Nauplia. Full daily breakfasts, four lunches and six full dinners are included in the price of this fully-guided tour.
