Athens Pre-Voyage Extension

After arriving in Athens, make your way to the NJV Athens Plaza hotel, located in the shadow of the Acropolis, where you'll have lunch. In the afternoon, visit the new Acropolis Museum, which displays some of the finest sculptures and other art of Ancient Greece, including many items brought in from the Acropolis to protect them from the elements. Take a brief orientation tour of the city, where you will see the former Royal Palace (now the Parliament), along with a number of Athens’ finest neoclassical buildings. There will also be a walk through the Temple of Olympian Zeus, built between the sixth century B.C. and second century A.D. This evening, gather for a brief introduction to Greek history and mythology. Dinner is on your own, allowing you to discover one of Athens’s restaurants or go to bed early. (L)

Your morning is devoted to the Acropolis, the spiritual heart of Athens and much of the Ancient World. This enormously rich site has not only the Parthenon, which was built in 438 B.C., but a host of monuments from both earlier and later in its rich history. Continue to the Agora, the focus of political, commercial, administrative and social activity in ancient Athens, and see its extensive stoas, temples and other remains. The Agora also has an excellent small museum. After lunch at a local restaurant, choose to visit the Cycladic Art Museum or Benaki Museum, or enjoy time on your own relaxing or exploring the lively neighborhood. Dinner tonight will be at the hotel.

This morning, visit the acclaimed National Archaeological Museum, which houses some of the finest artwork, statues and pottery of all antiquity. In the afternoon, travel to the bay of Faliro to visit the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC), a complex which includes the National Library of Greece, the Greek National Opera and the vast Stavros Niarchos Park. Then make your way to the ancient port of Piraeus and embark Sea Cloud.