WHAT: Family vacation to see one of the world's most beautiful and historic countries!

WHO: Mom, Dad, little sister Emily and I

WHEN: August 15 - 26, 2011

WHY: I chose Greece as my Dream Vacation for several reasons.  My parents, who are both avid travelers, backpacked around Europe and both say without a doubt that Greece is their favourite place they have ever been to.  They also got engaged on the trip so it has a great sentimental value to them. For these reasons, my parents have been keen to take Emily and I back there so we can all experience it together.  We decided that this summer would be a great time to go because we can spend 12 days together before we go back to school and we can celebrate my Dad's 50th Birthday!

WHERE: Ancient Greece and the Islands

Budget: Budgeted about $4000 per person for the trip and Air Canada flight fair of $1457 from Toronto to Athens = total budget of about $5500

Map of Our Adventure

Day 1 - Arrival in Athens

Today our amazing, dream vacation will commence!  We will depart from Pearson Airport and land in Athens International Aiport in the late afternoon.  We will check into our hotel and then have our first Greek dinner.  We'll be off to bed early afterwards because we will be tired from traveling and need to rest up for the amazing next 11 days!

Day 2 - Delphi

We leave Athens in the morning and drive through the mountains until we reach the small town of Delphi.  Here, we will visit the site of Ancient Delphi where we will take a tour of the Sanctuary of Apollo, which is one of the most historic places in the site.  

Day 3 - Olympia

In the morning we leave Delphi and head to the birthplace of the Olympic Games that were held in 776BC.  We will tour Ancient Olympia for the day.  There are many amazing and historical sights to be seen here.  The Temple of Zeus, Temple of Hera, the Pelepion and the Olympia museum are just to name a few. 

Day 4 - Sparta

We leave for Sparta in the morning of Day 4 and when we arrive we will go to the Byzantine site of Mystras.  We will go for a tour of the summit fortress, as well as the upper and lower towns.  We will climb to the top of the hill and visit all the amazing churches - the site is rich with history! 

Day 5-6 - Nafplio

View from Paladimi Fortress

On our way to Nafplio we'll make a stop to visit Epidavros, which is "one of the most renowned Greek ancient sites".  Here we will visit  the famous ancient theatre of Epidaurus which has been well preserved and now a popular tourist site.


During the first day we will visit the Acronafplia and Palamidi Fortresses and look out at the amazing views it has to offer of the bay to Argos and Saronic Gulf.  Afterwards we will walk some of the many walking trails along the coastline.

The next day we will visit the ancient archaeological site of Mycenae and discover all of the ancient history it has to offer.  For example - The Lion Gate, which is the entrance, is Europe's oldest monument.