Highlights of the Aegean: A Family Greece Vacation

Athens captures the family’s imaginations with images of ancient architecture and Byzantine churches, sophisticated philosophers, and charming cafes brimming with life. The Ancient Panathenaic Stadium rises out of the historical heart of the city with a capacity for holding 60,000 spectators. Runners competed in races around the 669-foot long track during Olympics dating back to the 4th century BC. The current iteration was erected to celebrate the remarkable history of the games in Greece after the reinstatement of the international tournament in 1896. Your flight lands at Athens International Airport, where your private transfer greets the family upon arrival.

The neighborhood of Anafiotika reflects the migration of peoples from the Cycladic Islands to Greece’s capital city. The whitewashed 19th-century homes climb up the northern slope of the Acropolis. Bougainvillea adds bursts of bright color to the bleached walls. The Parthenon stands atop the ancient hill like a jewel in the crowning summit visible from the narrow cobblestone walkways of the Plaka, the city’s oldest neighborhood. The village ambiance creates a charming welcome for the family amid the pastel-painted houses tucked behind peaceful corners near historical churches. The aroma of grilling meat and vegetables emanates from the boisterous restaurants with the quieter cafes hidden on the hillside.

The Acropolis acts as the shining symbol of prestige reminding residents of Greece and visitors from around the world of Athens’s former glory. The emblematic steps leading up the hillside carry the impressions of Socrates, Sophocles, and Pericles, who helped lay the foundations of Western Civilization. After breakfast, your private guide leads the family along the winding trail to the top of Acropolis Hill. You walk through the marble columns of the Propylaea where a collection of temples adorns the rocky plateau. The Parthenon has an unmistakable draw as one of the most iconic temples of still standing in the ancient world.

The edifice was erected in honor of Athena between the 5th and 4th centuries BC. The pillars and metopes embody the classical style featuring Doric columns designed with symmetry and harmony in mind. Your guide points to the masterful friezes on the west end of the temple depicting the conflict between Athena and Poseidon. It is hard to compete with the breathtaking beauty and preservation of the marbled temples atop the Acropolis but your guide leads you to the Temple of Poseidon on Cape Sounion, located less than 45 miles from Athens. The remarkable 5th-century BC temple rises out of the craggy bluff plunging 213 feet into the Aegean Sea. At sunset, the colorful sky turns the whitewashed marble impressive shades of pink and orange.

In the morning, the strong aroma of Greek coffee fills the dining room accompanied by the sweet scent pastry dough drifting through the kitchen. Your guide greets the family in the lobby for an immersive tour into the mythology of ancient Greece at Delphi. The city spreads across the slopes of Mount Parnassus at 1,837 feet above sea level offering exceptional views over the Gulf of Corinth. The remnants of the city clinging to the bluff add to the majestic ambiance emanating from the tangible history. The kids marvel at the pillars framing the Sacred Way, the main route leading from the gateway to the Temple of Apollo. Votive monuments and treasuries lined the street connecting pilgrims to their home cities across the country highlighting the diversity of politics in the ancient world.

The remains of the Temple of Apollo consist mainly of the foundations dating back to the 4th-century BC. The remaining pillars symbolize the architectural style of the Classical period surrounding the inner shrine. The kids take turns acting as the priestess Pythia who would interpret the words of the Oracle for pilgrims, politicians, athletes, warriors, and kings. The Archeological Museum is located between the ancient ruins and the modern town of Delphi. The galleries spread across 14 rooms arranged in chronological order. The frieze from the Siphnian Treasury depicts the battle between gods and giants for a thrilling look at the ancient artistry and captivating storytelling.

The palace guards stand at attention in front of the rosy Neoclassical architecture of the House of Parliament in Syntagma Square. The soldiers dress in the traditional Evzone style reflecting the elite military unit serving as the Presidential Guard. They step with choreographed precision enhanced by their pristine uniform of white skirts, leggings, red berets, and heavy shoes during the changing of the guard. After breakfast, your private transfer escorts the family to the airport for your brief flight to Santorini, the famous crescent-shaped island surrounding a caldera of crystal-clear azure water in the Aegean Sea. The famous whitewashed walls of the houses shimmer beneath bright blue rooftops and window shutters.

Donkeys carry luggage up the switchback trails leading to the main city of Fira. Your private transfer takes you to a family-owned vineyard producing wine on the island since the 17th century. The roots thrive in the volcanic soil, which absorbs abundant minerals in the ground producing a more intense flavor inside the grapes. Your guide explains the history of the winery as you search for the specific aromas of the wine. While you sample four different wines from the winery with vines across the island landscape, the kids take off their shoes and socks before stepping barefoot into the barrel full of grapes. They squish the ripe, juicy peels between their toes in the tradition of macerating grapes before mechanized wine presses.

The entire family basks in the beauty of Santorini at breakfast by enjoying orange juice or coffee on the rooftop with a view over the staggering cliffs. The breeze carries the aromas of briny water mixed with the arid soil along the gray and black lava bluffs. You venture to the marina and board a sailboat bound for the caldera. The captain explains to the kids about how the island formed and that a caldera means the seawater filled in the active volcanic crater. The boat weighs anchor at the uninhabited island of Nea Kameni. Repeated eruptions have caused the islands to grow around the caldera, including Nea Kameni which was first referenced by a Roman historian in the year 47 AD.

You traverse the trails leading to the summit of the island with an area of less than one and a half square miles searching for the active sulfur vents and sporadic patches of red succulent tufts. The volcanic crater is located at nearly 427 feet above sea level providing sensational views over the shimmering caldera. You board the boat and stop drifting on the water a few hundred feet from the shores of the volcanic soil. The kids quickly jump into the clear jade water finding pockets of warmth created by the underwater steam vents resulting in natural hot springs.

The wind whips across the cliff-tops in the morning but quickly fades to a comfortable breeze carrying the scent of the water up from the caldera. After breakfast, your guide greets the family at the hotel and leads you to the uncovered ancient city of Akrotiri. The kids marvel at the mythology of the historical site thought by some historians to be the legendary city of Atlantis. Like a Greek Pompeii, the city was covered with ash and pumice stone during the 17th century BC volcanic eruption, the same explosion that caused the caldera.

Archeological discoveries have shown life on the island before the eruption to be one of prosperity derived from shipping and trading industries. Continued excavation brings an air of excitement pulsing along the walkways passing through the city. Buildings range between single-story and three-story structures with bits of pottery still containing wine, olive oil, and fish. Nearly all the homes showcase the affluence of the city’s residence through frescoes decorating the walls. Your guide points out the Lilies fresco decorating three walls from Building Delta depicting papyrus or lilies growing out of volcanic rock amid fluttering swallows.

The small waves break against rocky shoals of the harbor at Elounda. The breeze carries the mist over the lush coastline and through the streets of the idyllic fishing village. After breakfast, your family ventures across the water to Spinalonga Island. The clear turquoise and azure sea have an alluring crystal quality glimmering in the sunlight. The radiant hues contrast the golden color of the stones creating Spinalonga Fortress towering above the Aegean. You arrive at Dante’s gate leading into a 65-foot long tunnel. A half-mile trail leads to the ruins of a church, the disinfection room, and the hospital connoting a time the island acted as a leper colony in the early 20th century.

Venetians erected the defensive walls in the 16th century creating an impenetrable fortress protecting the main Cretan harbor. The uninhabited island has an eerie but captivating ambiance deriving from its long history of battles in addition to its past as a leper colony. Small pebbled beaches surround the island leading into shallow, warm waters. After returning to your grand accommodations in Elounda, you can relax on comfortable lounge chairs at the edge of the lapping waters or venture inland for a delicious tour of a traditional Cretan farm crafting fantastic olive oil and sensational cheese.

The Island of Crete takes the family back in time thousands of years to the thriving Minoan civilization personified in the ruins at the Palace of Knossos. The island’s most famous historical attraction gave rise to the legend of the minotaur. Columns glow with a red glint, gold trim, and black capitals. Frescoes bring added dimension to the intricate complex encompassing nearly four square miles. King Minos erected the palace with a series of vast courtyards used for “Bull Leaping,” when a participant would run toward a bull, grab the charging animal by the horns, and attempt to leap over their back. Giant clay jars known as pithoi once held culinary staples like oil, wine, and fish.

Alabaster decorates the walls of the Throne Room surrounding a chair also made of alabaster. Frescoes depicting griffins add mythical layers to walls. Archeologists believe the tank in the room once acted as an aquarium. You continue to a small farm where sheep and goats graze on the hillside. Your instructor welcomes the family with a friendly, wide grin. You snack on olives before learning the easy steps to making homemade tzatziki. You use grated cucumber drained of water, let the garlic rest in the yogurt, and add dill, salt, and pepper for a tangy spiced flavor. The easy recipe allows the family to nibble as you begin making more intricate meze, traditional small Greek dishes.

The town of Chania overlooks the quiet waters of the Aegean Sea lapping against the breakwater at the harbor while nestled into the mountains. Venetian sophistication emanates from the colorful, elegant homes along the waterfront leading into a warren of romantic narrow lanes painted with bright pastels. The isolated eastern shores boast Palm Beach, a stretch of sand shaded by towering palm trees. The pebbled coast offers a gorgeous escape from the dry summer of the Mediterranean climate. After breakfast, your private transfer greets you at the hotel and escorts you to the international airport at Heraklion where you board your flight home.