Visit the birthplace of democracy and beyond with these selections of bargain-basement priced packages to Athens and Greece.
The best deal going is from--no surprise--Go-Today, with it's weeklong "Athens Winter Special" starting from just $599 for departures out of New York, Newark and Boston with daily departures from February 4 through March 14. That price includes roundtrip airfare, six-night's accommodations in the 395-room Stanley Hotel, morning meals and ground transportation. Add $50 for flights out of Atlanta, Philadelphia, or Washington/Dulles; $100 out of Chicago, Detroit or Miami; more for other gateways. Taxes will run around $120 and expect to pay a $25 surcharge for Thursday through Monday flights (i.e., pick a flight on Tuesday or Wednesday to get the best price). After March 14, the price jumps to a still affordable $849 per person, based on double occupancy. Book online to avoid a $20 surcharge for phone reservations. You can reach a Go-Today rep at 425/487-9632 or via the Web at www.gotoday.com.
The "Athens Winter Escape" package from Homeric Tours costs as little as $699, valid through March 16, 2003. This includes roundtrip airfare from New York or Boston to Athens, five nights in an Athens hotel, buffet breakfast daily, and airport/hotel roundtrip transfers. You can reach Homeric at 800/223-5570 or at www.homerictours.com.
Cosmos, part of the world's largest travel organization, has a Greek Odyssey program with prices starting from $1,065, that takes you on an eight-day (six-night) trip around the country. Starting on March 7, 2003 and continuing throughout the year, the package includes roundtrip air from New York, your hotel, daily breakfast and some lunches and dinners, as well as sightseeing, transfers and bus transport. Note that the $1,065 is for the March 7 departure only, the price then rising a few dollars for the rest of March, then jumping some $300 from April through early June, and finally to a hefty $1,625 during high season in late June. The price declines gradually from then through early September, when it gets back into the $1,300 range, reaching $1031 again next November. You can add on a seven-day cruise extension if you wish for about $850 to $1000 more. The land tour takes you from Athens to Arahova (on Mount Parnassus), Delphi, Olympia, Nauplia (home of the original Olympic Games in 776 BC), Mycenae (where the Golden Mask of Agamemnon was discovered), Epidaurus, the Corinth Canal, and back to Athens. On the cruise, you call at Thessalonica (Saloniki), Istanbul (Turkey), Mykonos, Kusadasi, Patmos, Rhodes, Crete and Santorini. Contact the Cosmos people at 866/729-5220 or at www.cosmosvacations.com.