Marathon and Athens memorials 8-h tour

DESCRIPTION

The capital of Greece is a cosmopolitan metropolis, modern Athens is central to economic, financial, industrial, political, and cultural life in Greece and it is rated as an alpha world city. Classical Athens was one of the most powerful city-states in the ancient world; a center for arts, learning and philosophy, home of Plato’s Academy, Aristotle’s Lyceum, and wisest of men Socrates. It is widely referred to as the cradle of Western civilization and the birthplace of democracy, largely due to the impact of its cultural and political achievements during the 4th and 5th centuries BC on the rest of the then-known European continent.

Enjoy this private tour in Athens, combining many of the city’s principal modern and classical sights. Your Athens tour includes an overview of the modern city and striking contrasts to the remains of its glorious past. See the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in front of the Parliament House on Constitution Square, the Panathenaic Stadium (site of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896). Admire the Presidential Palace (ex Royal Palace), government buildings, and elegant homes.

Your Athens private chauffeur will then drive you along Panepistimiou Avenue and view the Catholic Cathedral, the “Neoclassical Trilogy,” (Academy, University, National Library), and Omonia Square. The private tour will take you to the Temple of Olympian Zeus and Adrian’s arch, the Acropolis with its many monuments including the Mars Hill, the Parthenon, the Propylaea, the Temple of Athena Nike, and the Erechtheion with its Porch of Maidens.

ITINERARY (break-down)

Start:  Pick up from your hotel in Athens, address in Athens, or cruise ship pier at Piraeus port. Pass by several areas on the way to the Acropolis depending on where you’ll start!

• Duration: 20 Minutes average

Stop At The Acropolis

One of the best Greece tours starts with the hill of Acropolis of Athens which will make your day. On the historical hill at the Acropolis, you will have the chance to see the monumental gateway (Propylaea); The Propylaea is the monumental entrances to the sacred area dedicated to Athena, the patron goddess of the city. Built by the architect Mnesicles with Pentelic marble, their design was avant-garde.

To the south-west of the Propylaea, on a rampart protecting the main entrance to the Acropolis is the Ionian temple of Apteros Nike, which is recently being restored dedicated to the goddess Athena Nike, the Erechtheion Temple of Poseidon & Athina and of course the famous Parthenon, the main temple dedicated to the virgin goddess Athena. Also, you will have the chance to admire from the top of the Acropolis the Theater of Dionysus and the Odeon of Herodes Atticus.

The theater of Dionysus Eleuthereus is a major theater in Athens, considered to be the world’s first theater, built at the foot of the Athenian Acropolis.  The Odeon of Herodes Atticus is a stone Roman theater structure located on the southwest slope of the Acropolis of Athens, Greece. The building was completed in 161 AD and then renovated in 1950.

• Duration: 80 Minutes
• Admission Ticket Not Included

Pass By: After the Acropolis, we will head towards the Melina’s Mercury statue, the famous Herodou Attikou street that leads you to the Acropolis museum and the Acropolis, the Temple of Olympian Zeus and Hadrians Arch or else the Athens Gate, The Zappeion Megaron is a part of the national heritage of Greek civilization and it is a donation from Zappas to the state!

• Duration: 15 Minutes

Stop At Panathenaic Stadium

We will stop for pictures at the Panathenaic Stadium where the first modern Olympic Games were held in 1896. The Panathenaic (Kalimarmaro) Stadium is one of the main historic attractions of Athens and the only stadium in the world built entirely of marble. A stadium was built on the site of a simple racecourse by the Athenian statesman Lykourgos (Lycurgus) c. 330 BC, primarily for the Panathenaic Games. The stadium hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the first modern Olympic games in 1896.

It was used once again as an Olympic venue in 2004. Today is the finishing point for the annual Athens Classic Marathon and it is the last venue in Greece from where the Olympic flame handover ceremony to the host nation takes place. Take some pictures and we’ll continue to our net stop.

• Duration: 10 Minutes
• Admission Ticket Not Included

Pass By: The statue of Truman (the USA president), the Runner statue made all of it of glass, the Megaron the music hall and conversion center of Athens, a tour through Kolonaki the high end of Athens center.

• Duration: 15 Minutes

Stop At Mount Lycabettus,

also known as Lycabettus, Lykabettos or Lykavittos, is a Cretaceous limestone hill in Athens, Greece at 277 meters (909 feet) above sea level, a bit less than twice as high as the Acropolis. . Pine trees cover its base, and at its two peaks are the 19th century Chapel of St. George, a theatre, a cafeteria, and a restaurant. The tallest of Athens’ seven hills rises abruptly out of the middle of the city and like the Acropolis, which it towers above, it is visible from almost everywhere.

There is no way you can miss Mount Lycabettus. It almost begs to be climbed and sooner or later, if you have a spare afternoon in Athens and you are even moderately fit, you are going to be tempted to have a go. The main reason people climb Lycabettus is to enjoy the astonishing 360° views from Athens’ highest and most central point.

• Duration: 15 Minutes

Pass By: After Lycabettus will drive again through Kolonaki and the historical site of the city passing by the war museum, the Byzantine museum, the museum of ancient archaeological Cyclades civilization, the national garden (ex-royal garden), the Plateia Syntagmatos Syntagma Square, the central square of Athens. The square is named after the Constitution that Otto, the first King of Greece, was obliged to grant after a popular and military uprising on 3 September 1843.

• Duration: 20 Minutes

Stop At Hellenic Parliament

The Hellenic Parliament, in Greek known as Voulí ton Ellínon, is the parliament of Greece, located in the Old Royal Palace, overlooking Syntagma Square in Athens. The Parliament is the supreme democratic institution that represents the citizens through an elected body of Members of Parliament. See the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Watch the changing of the guard (Euzones) in front of the ex-royal palace, today the Parliament House of Greece, above the central square of Athens.

• Duration: 15 Minutes
• Admission Ticket Free

Pass By: Numismatic Museum of Athens, Attica shopping mall, the Catholic cathedral of Athens, The Academy of Athens. The Building constitutes one of three parts in an “architectural trilogy”. It was founded with the Constitutional Decree of March 18th, 1926, as an Academy of Sciences, Humanities and Fine Arts, The Kapodistrian University of Athens,  The National Library of Greece was built at the end of the nineteenth century, as the last of the Architectural of Athens, a group of three neoclassical buildings which also includes the Academy and the University.

The building was designed by Theophil Hansen, Council of State, Kolokotronis statue (Theodoros Kolokotronis; The ultimate Symbol of the Greek Revolution of 1821 against the Ottomans!), The National Historical Museum (old parliament house of Athens), the constitutions square, Ermou str. ( the Athens central shopping street) and Plaka the old part of Athens with it picturesque neighborhoods and pedestrian streets full of cafes, restaurants and all kind of shops!

• Duration: 30 Minutes

Stop For Lunch

Time for lunch at a traditional Greek restaurant to try delicious home-cooked food, like the Greeks cook at home! (not included).

• Duration: 60 minutes

Pass by: After lunch, we’ll drive through Athens and its suburbs passing by the runner, the statue made of glass, the Megaron (the modern music hall of Athens), by Cholargos, Agia Paraskevi, Gerakas, Palini, Mati, Nea Makri and finally reach Marathon.

• Duration: 50 Minutes

Marathon, History

The battle of Marathon was a pivotal moment in the history of Greece. The Battle of Marathon (Greek: Μάχη τοῡ Μαραθῶνος, Machē tou Marathōnos) during the Greco-Persian Wars took place in 490 BC and was the culmination of the first attempt by the Achaemenid Empire of Persia, under King Darius I, to subjugate Greece. On these grounds, the outnumbered Athenians defeated the first invasion by the Persian army led by King Darius in 490 BCE and set the stage for a century of splendor and Greek innovation in politics, philosophy, art, theater, and culture. Marathon, the place where every year the Marathon run starts.

It is a long-distance foot race with an official distance of 42,195 kilometers (26 miles 385 yards) that is usually run as a road race. The event is named after the fabled run of the Greek soldier Pheidippides, a messenger from the Battle of Marathon to Athens. The historical accuracy of this legend is in doubt, contradicted by accounts given by Herodotus, in particular.

The marathon was one of the original modern Olympic events in 1896, though the distance did not become standardized until 1921. More than 800 marathons are contested throughout the world each year, with the vast majority of competitors being recreational athletes. Larger marathons can have tens of thousands of participants.

Stop At Marathon

1. The Middle-Helladic Tumuli are protected in a large building outside the Marathon Museum. 2. The Tumulus of the Athenians shelters the bodies of some two-hundred Athenians who fell in the battle of Marathon. 3. The trophy of Marathon. This replica of the original trophy is located a little to the north of the Athenian Tumulus. It was erected by the Athenians to commemorate their win in the battle of Marathon.4. The three-dimensional plan of the Marathon is found in the vicinity of the Tumulus of the Athenians. It conveys a good general idea of the topography and marks the important archaeological spots in the area.

5. The Marathon Run Museum. The permanent exhibition of the “Olympic Marathon” presents for the first time in public the history of the Olympic Marathons from 1896 to 2000. Over 4000 exhibits that record the history of the Marathon race from 1896 until today. A unique historical sporting collection that could not be found elsewhere than in the birthplace of the Marathon road race. 6. Archaeological Museum of Marathon. The museum mainly houses findings originating from the Battle of Marathon and from the Egyptian temple

built nearby.

7.  The start point of the Marathon run

The start point of the 42 km race-course is the Marathon Start Venue in the city of Marathónas, and its finishing point the Panathenaic Stadium; over 25 thousand Greek and foreign runners, retracing the steps of Pheidippides himself, will follow the classic marathon route invoking the memory of a great victory that determined Greek and world destiny alike.

A victory that has come to represent over the centuries a powerful symbol of uneven battle; the thirst for freedom against despotism; justice against injustice; civilization and democracy against barbarianism; the battle of spiritual values against materialism. Greeks have a sacred duty to fulfill: to safeguard the values and ideals that were born in the Marathon battlefield -ideals that humanity needs now more than ever- and to spread the message of hope all over the world.

• Duration: 100 Minutes
• Admission Ticket: Not Included

Pass By:  After the end of our visit, we’ll take the same way back to Athens.

• Duration: 50 Minutes

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What is Included

• Professional driver with good knowledge of history and culture in Greece
• Transport by air-conditioned vehicle appropriate for the size of your group
• Accommodation is based according to availability (for multiple day tours only)
• Flexible pick up time on request (proposed 08:00AM)
• Free Pick-up from and return to your hotel
• Free Pick-up & drop off from Piraeus cruise port
• Athens Airport transfers or pickup locations outside Athens: arranged on request with surcharge
• First class transport: By Mercedes E-Class or similar; Mercedes minivan or Mercedes minibus according to the size of your party. All new models come with full leather and A/C.
• Road tolls and local taxes
• Our terminal: Leof. Andrea Siggrou 37, 117 43 Athina, Greece.
• Official licensed tour guide for guiding in archeological sites. Available on request with surcharge
• The private tour is 100% exclusive for your party

What is Excluded

• Entrance fees to the archaeological sites and museum
• Wine tasting fee (wine tours)
• Athens Airport transfer: arranged on request with a surcharge
• Gratuities (optional)
• Food and beverage
• Your private chauffeur/guide will discuss a program best suited to your interest and mobile abilities. Option for a professional tour guide with a state license at an extra cost.

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