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Greece Experience

Suitable for Family, Group, Senior

OVERVIEW

Explore the complex past of this beautiful and sunny country on a Jewish Greece tour. There’s nothing quite like taking in the warm Mediterranean sunshine and thousands of years of history of Greece.

Walk through ruins of ancient communities on Jewish Greece tours and explore a long history of Jewish presence in Greece. Before the Holocaust, Greece was home to some 75-80,000 Jewish people. By the end of the war, more than 85 percent of the country’s Jews had been killed, but their legacy remains.

Immerse yourself in the history of the Golden Age. Learn about the Romaniote Jews, walk through the old Jewish Quarter and the Square of the Martyred Jews. Not only a site for Jewish travel, Greece gives you the opportunity to explore cultural treasures and cool neighborhoods and see for yourself why the epicenter of antiquity and philosophy is found in the region.

Meet the current Jewish community at a Shabbat dinner, take Jewish tours of Athens, and tour the majestic Acropolis. Take a day cruise to the Island of Poros. Greece is a country bursting with flavor, sunshine, and history, a fascinating mixture combining the richest Jewish heritage tours in Europe with the indisputable natural beauty of Greece.

Highlights*

Take in the panoramic overview of the Jewish Villas on a Jewish heritage walking tour, walk through Liberty Square with its Holocaust Memorial Menorah, and visit the Yad Hazikharon Synagogue.
Tour along the old defensive walls, including the Citadel and the White Tower, to gain an overall impression of this magnificent city of Thessaloniki.
Stop at the quaint village of Lindos with its Acropolis and Temple of Athena Lindia of the 4th century.
Wander through the Jewish Museum, say a collective Kaddish at the Railway Station where many Jews were deported to concentration camps, and visit the active and vibrant Monasteriotes Synagogue.
View Rhodes Ancient Acropolis, Stadium, and Theatre and explore on foot its Medieval city with its massive stone walls and towers, as well as the Grand Masters Palace and the Street of Knights.
Walk through the old Jewish Quarter, the Square of the Martyred Jews, the Kahal Synagogue, and the Rhodes Jewish Museum.
Visit Athens and stop at the Beit Shalom Synagogue and pay tribute at the Holocaust Memorial to those who died in the Shoah.
Meet the students, faculty and parents of the dynamic Jewish Day School followed by a private tour of the impressive Jewish Museum.
Experience Shabbat Services and a festive Shabbat dinner with members of the Jewish Community of Athens

*Some experiences are subject to minimum group size

Day by Day Suggested Program

Day 1

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Individual Arrivals.

Welcome Dinner at a local typical Greek taverna with live music, folklore and a floorshow.

Overnight in Athens

Day 2

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Breakfast at the hotel.

Depart for a city tour to the modern city of Athens including Syntagma Square, the Academy, the University, the National Library, Iliou Melathron, the Panathenaic stadium and a private tour of the Greek House of Parliament.

Visit the Acropolis and the Acropolis Museum.

Private tour of the Jewish Museum of Athens

Holocaust Memorial and Jewish Cultural Center with members of the community.

Dinner at a local Kosher restaurant

Overnight in Athens

Day 3

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Breakfast at the hotel.

Early morning transfer to the port for embarkation on the cruise vessel for a one day cruise to the three (3) beautiful islands of the Saronic Gulf: Hydra, Poros and Aegina.

Afternoon at leisure.

Overnight in Athens

Day 4

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Breakfast at the hotel

We visit the Jewish School in Athens

Cooking workshop for lunch with a Grecian Chef, then take a guided tour at the ancient Agora, where the ancient Synagogue once was.

Refresh back at the hotel and get ready for dinner at a local restaurant

Overnight in Athens

Day 5

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Breakfast at the hotel

Transfer to Athens Airport for boarding on the domestic flight to Thessaloniki. Upon arrival, we transfer to the center of Thessaloniki, Greece’s second largest city.

Meet with our Jewish specialist guide and start your Jewish interest tour where you will visit the Jewish Museum, learning about the city’s Jewish community, its synagogues and commercial involvement, its educational and other public institutions.

Visit the Yad Hazikharon Synagogue, walk through Liberty Square with its Holocaust Memorial Menorah, view the Jewish Hamam, the once colorful Modiano Market and the vibrant Monasterios Synagogue

After lunch, we will drive to the old train station, from where all the deportations to Auschwitz Birkenau have started, the old city walls along the old defensive walls, including the Citadel and the White Tower with an amazing view and of course the University campus with the recently inaugurated monument for the destroyed ancient Jewish cemetery where there used to be more than 350.000 tombs .

Proceed to the hotel to check in and freshen up before Shabbat services and dinner with members of the community

Overnight in Thessaloniki

Day 6

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Breakfast at the hotel.

There are optional tours

Meet at the hotel and proceed to dinner

Overnight in Thessaloniki

Day 7

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Breakfast at leisure and hotel check out.

Tour the the Thessaloniki Archeological Museum, with its display of Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic sculptures, as well as its famous Macedonian Gold Collection.

Visit a couple of wineries with an opportunity to have a light lunch before boarding our flight to Rhodes.

Depart for the airport

Upon arrival in Rhodes, you are met and transferred to your hotel with time to enjoy the beach and hotel facilities.

Cocktail Reception with members of the Rhodes Jewish Community followed by dinner.

Overnight in Rhodes

Day 8

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Breakfast at leisure

Visit to the quaint village of Lindos with its Acropolis and Temple of Athena Lindia of the 4th century
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See the Rhodes ancient Acropolis, Stadium and Theatre and explore on foot its Medieval City with its massive stone walls and towers, as well as the Grand Masters Palace and the Street of Knights.

Tour the old Jewish Quarter, the Square of the Martyred Jews, the Kahal Synagogue and the Rhodes Jewish Museum.

Farewell Dinner on a high-end yacht – something special for your last night in Greece.

Overnight in Rhodes

Day 9

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Breakfast at leisure and hotel check out
Transfer to the airport for short flight to Athens

Accommodation

Grand Bretagne Athens

With breathtaking views of the fabled Acropolis, regal Syntagma Square and the Parliament, lush Lycabettus Hill or the original Olympic Stadium, our multi-awarded 5-star Hotel Grande Bretagne offers an unrivaled perspective of Athens’ mythical history. Located right in the heart of the city since 1874, our multi-awarded landmark luxury hotel is within walking distance of exclusive shopping areas, museums and the business district. With meticulous attention to detail, the 320 rooms and suites marry charming old-world elegance with state-of-the-art facilities, whereas the 58 suites enjoy additional benefits including personalized Butler Service. Visit the picturesque GB Roof Garden Restaurant for the finest Mediterranean cuisine or the Winter Garden for an afternoon tea and do not miss the GB Spa for a signature massage, beauty treatment or an indulgent respite in the thermal Suite. Meet our Concierge team members, who stand ready to unlock the secret treasures of Athens.

*Star rating standards vary from country to country.

This experience is fully customizable. We will create your personal dream experience!

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Greece Experience

Day by Day Suggested Program

Grand Bretagne Athens

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