Board your international flight from the U.S. to
Europe and get a good night's sleep on board.
Your adventure is about to begin!

You and your classmates arrive in Athens throughout the day. The official trip starts at 7 pm, so that everyone gets a chance to come in from all over the world and comfortably settle in the Divani Palace Acropolis hotel, which is conveniently located in the center of the city. As the name suggests, the hotel is right under the Acropolis, a beautiful area that provides ample hangout options, so don't worry about not having anything to do until the nightly activities: directions and tips on what to do will be provided for those who arrive early in the day. At 7, you'll take a walking tour in one of the nicest parts of the center of Athens, have a traditional Greek "taverna" dinner, and later head over to a bar for drinks.

An early rising to catch the classy high-speed (three-hour) ferry to Mykonos! After arriving in St. John Hotel right in the town of Mykonos, you'll spend the afternoon feeling lazy on beautiful Psarou beach, sipping a cocktail or having a salad. Getting back to the town of Mykonos, you'll have some free time to rest, walk around, or do some shopping. After a magnificent dinner by the hotel's pool, you will head over for drinks in some of the most hip club/bars in all of Greece; I have the feeling you'll like them.

Visit the legendary Super Paradise Beach, eat and drink at a funky setup under the sound of music, and head back to the hotel to recover, have dinner, and get ready to go out again at night. This schedule might seem repetitive on paper, but trust me, you can do the same thing for ten days in a row and still want more!

You will depart from Mykonos for Athens with the morning high-speed ferry, then catch a charter bus to the Athens airport for the one-hour flight to Samos. After settling in at Doryssa Bay Hotel, you will have a few hours of free time to spend as you wish: you can go swimming at the beach or the hotel pool, drink some Greek coffee in one of the harbor-side cafes, nap, have a snack, check the web, or simply walk around the sea-side town of Pithagorio. You will all regroup for a quiet dinner at the hotel and then get some needed rest, or head back out to the town.

You'll catch an hour-long hydrofoil ride to Patmos in the morning. At the harbor, the designated drivers among you - yes, some of you will get to drive a Fiat Ceicento on a Greek island - will pick up the rented cars and drive their classmates to Petra Hotel. After taking some time to get used to the breathtaking view and relax at Petra's magnificent veranda, you will depart for Skala, the island's main settlement, where you'll walk around and get a feel for the town. Continuing to Kampos beach, you'll have more time for sun bed leisure by the seaside and food and drinks at the beach bar. In the evening, you will get to walk around the scenic Chora, a beautiful village with narrow paths in between white-washed houses. The day finishes with a terrific Greek-recipe meal at the hotel, and a visit to a bar formed inside a traditional Patmos house for a quiet drink.

After breakfast, you will depart in a traditional Greek boat, or "caique," for the highlight of the trip: a day cruise to the nearby islets of Aspronisi, Tiganakia, and Marathi, the meeting place of the international jet-set. If you had a look at the slide show you probably already understand why this is so. The Marathi lunch will feature not only a variety of Greek appetizers and desserts but also fresh fish caught in the Aegean that same day! Upon the return to Patmos and some time of resting, you will dine while the local dance troupe entertains you on stage. You will end this special day with a night of Greek live music and dancing, both by you and the performers.

In the morning, a professional tour guide will escort you to the cave of the Apocalypse and the Monastery of St. John. This morning provides a unique experience, as you will get to hear the story and visit the site where St. John had the vision that inspired the Book of Revelation. In the Monastery of St. John, a nearby site, you will see treasures that belong to the most important monastic collection in all of Greece outside Mt. Athos: manuscripts as old as the 5th century, miniature mosaic icons, El Greco's original portrait of Jesus, saints' remains, and many other items that Christianity greatly values.

After a stopover at Skala, you will spend a few hours on Kampos beach - its amenities justify another visit. Just for a change from all the great Greek food, you will have a French/Italian dinner at Petra Hotel, and those who are up to it may head back to Skala late that evening for a drink at yet another bar.

For a day at the amazing Psili Ammos beach, since there is no car access you will take a 30-minute hike that ends with the sight of a beautiful oasis of thin sand, or, in Greek, "Psili Ammos." Even at this isolated beach, a "taverna" exists for those who get hungry or simply want something to drink.

Upon return, you check out from the hotel early in the evening and have an original souvlaki and gyro dinner in Skala: anything you will have ever tasted in the US doesn't come close to the sandwich you will have there! The overnight ferry will depart for Athens around midnight. During the 9-hour trip long trip, you'll sleep comfortably in a two-person cabin and wake up fresh in Piraeus in the morning, ready to be transported by bus to Athens.

Arriving in Athens, you'll take a bus tour of the city, visit the greatest masterwork of ancient Greece, the Acropolis, with the Parthenon and the Acropolis museum, and get to hear all the important history from a professional tour guide. After checking in at the Divani Acropolis, you can have some lunch and walk around the city on your own. In the evening, you'll head over to beautiful Kifissia in the northern suburbs, a part of the city that no tourist ever visits, and will have one of the most memorable dinners of your lifetime!

Departure from Athens throughout the day. Since each of you will most likely have a different flight out, you will be making your own arrangements for transportation to the airport (but will be aided by the hotel staff). I hope that you depart Athens filled with fond memories that will stay with you forever and always remember the Greece trip you once took with your classmates. This feeling is what I have worked hard for and what makes me love what I do; come take the trip and experience what I am talking about!