Tour 1:   Thessaloniki-City tour and Monuments

Monday 30^th of May

A full-day coach tour to Thessaloniki, the city of Alexander the Great with a history of over 2300 years.
En route the tour will pass through the uptown where you can see the Venetian castles and walls “securing” the city and traditional neighbourhoods still alive just few hundred meters away from the commercial city centre. Moving down town you can have a panoramic view of the city and Thermaikos bay, you will stop at the church of Saint Dimitrios, the patron of the City, and the church’s undercroft, you will pass by the Galerius Arc, the church of Saint Sophia and you will enter the commercial area of the city. The next stop is at the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki, where the sculptures and all the museum collection allow a recursion over the history of Thessaloniki and Macedonia from prehistoric times to Late Antiquity. The tour ends at the area of the White Tower, the “landmark” of the city, where you can have free time for sightseeing and lunch at the roof garden of the Royal Theatre before departing back to Porto Carras Resort.

Tour time-schedule

09:15 - 11:15

Departure from Meliton hotel - Arrival at Thessaloniki

        Tour 2:   The Holy Mount of Athos-the Cradle of Orthodoxy & Monasticism

Tuesday 31^th of May

A full-day tour that combines a charming cruise in the deep blue sea of Chalkidiki and acquaintance with the “treasure” of the Christian Orthodox Monasticism. Mount Athos, being one of the most gorgeous districts of Greece, with a very varied magnificence of scenery, ranges along the third peninsula of Chalkidiki and it is home to over 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries. During this tour you will have the chance to visit the coastal monasteries and to admire the mountainous landscape on the one hand and the sea on the other. The location of Mount Athos ideally shapes the indispensable frame for the creation of a remote habitat within which its ascetic population chose to build their state and live. Being on board you will learn the history of this self-governed monastic state that has existed for over 1000 years according to the spirit and religion of the Byzantines. Upon your arrival at the port of Ouranoupolis you will pass from the spirit of monasticism back to the mundane life. The picturesque village of Ouranoupolis with its small fishing harbour, the golden beaches, the clear blue sea, the unspoiled natural beauty is the place where heritage and nature are in harmony. In Ouranoupolis you will have some free time to do independent sightseeing, to buy local hand-made products and have a lunch by the sea before heading back to Porto Carras Resort.

Tour time-schedule

09:30 - 10:00

Departure from Meliton hotel - Arrival at Panagia bay and boarding on “Ioanna” boat

Price: 60-70€/person depending on participation, includes coach transfer will luxury bus, cruise to Mount Athos and lunch by the sea in Ouranoupolis.

        Tour 3:   Acquaintance with the Mountainous Chalkidiki

Tuesday 31^th of May

A full-day coach tour to Petralona Cave created 5 million years ago and bejewelled with stalagmites and stalactites, and to the adjacent Anthropological Museum, where thousands of fossils and other findings are deposited. The tour continues with a magnificent wooded route crossing the Holomontas Mount towards the Arnaia village, one of the most picturesque and historic mountainy villages of Chalkidiki, where you can meet the local culture and buy handmade products. There would be free time for shopping, further sightseeing and lunch before departing back to Porto Carras Resort.

Tour time-schedule

09:30 - 10:45

Departure from Meliton hotel - Arrival at Petralona Cave

Price: 30€/person depending on participation, includes coach transfer will luxury bus and ticket for the Petralona Cave and museum.