New York - West USA, 13 days

Meet at the airport and fly to New York. Welcome to the "Big Apple"!

Our first acquaintance with the city begins with the route from the airport to Manhattan. New York consists of five boroughs: Manhattan, Staten Island, Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx. The islands are connected by bridges, tunnels and ferries. We will cross some of them to reach our destination - the city where each skyscraper is also a unique piece of architecture. Most avenues are numbered from east to west (so First Avenue is east of Second Avenue). Building numbering on boulevards begins at the south end of the avenue and increases northward, while street numbering begins at Fifth Avenue and increases both eastward and westward. This fact means that you can very easily find your way. Streets are numbered - except in midtown Manhattan - and the numbering increases as you go north.

Check in at our hotel, located in the "heart" of Manhattan. Those who wish (depending on the time) can go for a first walk in the city, accompanied by our guide.

Today we start our tour from the United Nations (UN). The main objectives of the Organization are the maintenance of international peace and security, development, as well as cooperation between Nations to resolve international crises and promote the protection of human rights. The Great Court is decorated with exhibits donated by various countries. We continue to the circular square with the statue of Christopher Columbus and Lincoln Center, a complex of buildings that house artistic organizations such as the New York Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera and the famous Julliard School of the Arts, where countless world-renowned artists have appeared, among including the Greek Maria Kallas. Right next door is Fordham University Law School, where the biggest names in modern history have studied. We continue to Central Park, the most important green lung of the American metropolis, which will give you the opportunity to escape to a small natural paradise with artificial lakes, manicured picnic areas, playgrounds, sports fields and a zoo. On the west side of the park we see the imposing Renaissance Victorian-style Dakota building, in whose expensive apartments live artists, shipowners, etc. - the late "Beetle", John Lennon, also lived here. Next we see Columbia University - in short, the world's grandest "temple" of humanities. What has been produced by human thought over the centuries about how a society should live, behave, be educated, rule and be governed, exists in this historic institution as science and research. All undergraduate departments, especially those of history, political science, psychology and sociology, are particularly valuable. In the history of art especially, nowhere in the world can a more complete education be given. We continue with the monument of the Northern general Ulysses Grant, who in 1868 was elected President of the USA. with a percentage of 52.7%, the Hudson River and Harlem with the famous Apollo Theater. The physiognomy of the area, which for decades was the largest black ghetto in New York, has undoubtedly begun to change. The dilapidated buildings in which large families were crammed have in recent years begun to be replaced by modern constructions, while the burning garbage bins around which the needy gathered for warmth have long since disappeared. Harlem is now a destination for many gourmet foodies in the American metropolis, as restaurants and cafes have started to spring up everywhere. We continue towards the famous 5th Avenue with the Guggenheim Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Trump Tower, the multi-millionaire and former US President Donald Trump, all the European fashion houses and many shiny jewelry stores, such as Cartier, Bulgari, etc. We proceed to Rockefeller Center, a complex of 19 buildings. It is one of the largest private complexes of its kind in the world, with shops, restaurants and in the center, in one of the skyscrapers, the Observatory with an amazing view, called Top of the Rock. We conclude our tour of Broadway, the "heart" of theaters. Broadway is a major boulevard that runs all the way through Manhattan and has lent its name to many spectacular musical productions. For the evening follow the suggestions of your guide.

Today's tour begins with a Cruise, where from the boat we will admire and photograph the restored piers, the historic Ellis Island - a place of reception for immigrants in the past - the Statue of Liberty, as well as Staten Island and New Jersey. From every point of the cruise we will enjoy a unique view of Manhattan. We will then pass by Governor's Island and Brooklyn. Next we will visit the wonderful Chelsea Market. Red bricks dominate and embrace the entire huge space of the covered market, industrial details such as pipes, chimneys etc. make their presence evident - in general prepare for a labyrinthine space with dozens of different options, entrances, exits etc. quite simply, it is the "mecca" of New York gourmands. Chelsea Market has established itself as the "Food Mall", but there are also several additional options for shopping and artistic activities. we will see the High Line (The High Line), a long and narrow park installed on abandoned elevated train tracks. Continuing towards the southern end of Manhattan (Lower Manhattan), we will see the famous Wall Street, which acts as the heart of big business and is home to the New York Stock Exchange and Federal Hall. Even further south is Battery Park. The "One World Trade Center" skyscraper, the tallest building in New York, stands today at "Ground Zero". The "National September 11th Memorial and Museum" complex has also been erected on the site, which includes an underground museum and two memorial pools. The underground museum houses exhibits of the victims of September 11, while at the site where the Twin Towers were located, two pools-reservoirs have been built, with the names of the 2,983 victims who were killed that day. The famous Greek Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas of New York, which was destroyed by the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001, and rebuilt with marble from Penteli and designs by the famous Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava and with a truly impressive iconography by the equally famous saint hagiographer Fr Loukas and then again after 21 years opens its doors. We continue with the new neighborhood, Hudson Yards. Hudson Yards is the largest private real estate development in US history and the largest real estate development in New York after Rockefeller Center. In the center the "Vessel" dominates. Spread across 14 acres, Hudson Yards includes gardens, groves, dozens of commercial and ultra-luxury stores, celebrity chef restaurants, etc.

Start with New York's Grand Central train station. The impressive station is 111 meters long, that is, it will be thirty meters longer than the original one, while to walk it with a normal step from one side to the other you will need about a minute and a half. The architect of the project, the famous Spaniard Santiago Calatrava, tried to build something that would remind Gaudí and the Sagrada Familia temple in Barcelona. The cost of the project would reach 3.4 billion dollars. A little further down we see the Flatiron Building or Fuller Building, as it was originally called, located between Fifth Avenue and Broadway, it is a pioneering skyscraper built in a triangular block, which after its completion in 1902, was one of the tallest buildings in the city. The Flatiron has been designated as a landmark of New York and every year it gathers thousands of visitors from all over the world. Next New York University (NYU) Founded in 1831, New York University is a private institution with a total undergraduate enrollment of 27,444. While the university has several New York City campuses, its main hub is the Washington Square campus, near Greenwich Village. The school has attracted a diverse mix of writers, musicians, artists and intellectuals to study in New York over the years. Tour famous Manhattan neighborhoods that have their own color and culture, such as Greenwich Village - between Houston Street and Broadway - and Soho, the 19th-century neighborhood full of galleries, boutiques and restaurants. We arrive in "Little Italy", with many Italian restaurants and shops, which will remind you of scenes from the movie "The Godfather". We proceed to Chinatown, one of the largest areas of Asians living outside of Asia, famous for affordable restaurants, grocery stores and ethnic gift shops. We continue to the magical Brooklyn Bridge. It is the first suspension bridge with steel cables in the world and has been connecting Manhattan with Brooklyn since 1883 (the journey on foot takes about 20 minutes). An emblematic element of the image, but also of everyday life in New York. Walking, we gaze at the view and countless images from movies and TV series with skyscrapers in the background come to mind. For the end of the tour, Hudson Yards which we passed but will see up close today. Hudson Yards is the largest private investment of 25 billion dollars in reconstruction in the history of the USA and especially in New York, after Rockefeller Center and it intends to change life in the city, forming another city within New York. This brand new neighborhood in New York officially opened its doors welcoming citizens and visitors for the first time - over 1,000 people rushed. Hudson Yards extends over 14 acres and includes huge sidewalks, gardens, groves, dozens of shops and restaurants, ultra-luxurious apartments, while in its center is the Vessel, the impressive building-sculpture, which looks like a huge beehive and consists of 154 stairs with a total of 2,500 steps, offering a unique view. Among these… beasts is The Shops & Restaurants at Hudson Yards building, which gathers in its well-polished corridors some of the biggest retail and catering brands in the world. The first store of Neiman Marcus in New York, a concept store of the Zara chain but also the first physical stores of several online retailers, restaurant proposals from celebrity chefs, such as the eclectic "Mercado Little Spain" by José Andrés and the brothers Albert and Ferran Adrià in the basement, or 'Wild Ink', the first restaurant of the London catering company Rhurhab. There, the new "Estiatorio Milos", which opened its doors, exclusively occupies the top communal floor of the building. Kostas Spiliadis The leading representative of Greek gastronomy in America but also one of its most important ambassadors around the world, the chef, restaurateur and founder of a restaurant empire, is at the heart of this new project.

Free Morning. You can visit shops and Museums. Market Street diagonally divides the center in two. In its southern part extends the SoMa (South of Market) area with the Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA). To the north, Union Square is a destination for shopping lovers – in its boutiques you will find clothes and accessories from famous houses. You can also see the large natural history museum, aquarium, planetarium, and a whole colony of penguins, this place is full of interesting surprises. Around noon transfer to the airport and flight to Las Vegas. Arrival and check-in at our hotel, which also has a casino. In Las Vegas now all the top chefs of the world have at least one restaurant. A unique experience, the Picasso restaurant at the Bellagio Hotel - in addition to the dining experience it offers, you will see on its walls some of Picasso's works, worth more than 100 million dollars. While your gaze will wander over these precious works, executive chef Julian Serrano will prepare for you dishes inspired by French and Spanish cuisine. In fact, the dinner scene of Julia Roberts and George Clooney in the movie "Oceans 11" was filmed here.

Meet the city that never sleeps. We will walk with our guide along the famous Strip and visit the major attractions from the hotel-casinos, each of which organize impressive themed shows to attract and entertain their audiences. The Atlantis show is presented at Caesars's Palace. The flamingos steal the show in front of the homonymous hotel. At the Bellagio, the spectacle of the fountains "dancing" to music. At the Venetian, the gondolas are reminiscent of the Italian city of the same name. The atmosphere of Egypt is brought by the Sphinx and the pyramid outside Luxor. Likewise, you will be impressed by Paris Las Vegas with the Eiffel tower, New York with "lady Liberty", Excalibur, etc. Another option in this amazing city of gambling and entertainment is ...an Express wedding!!!

In your free time you can visit one of the two Outlets - discount villages, while in the evening you will want to watch some performance of famous artists who parade on the huge - as befits the whole extravaganza - music stages of the city.

Today we have a road trip to the Grand Canyon. Its duration is approximately 12 hours. Grand Canyon National Park is one of the first US national parks and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is 446 kilometers long, between 6.5 and 29 kilometers wide and 1.83 kilometers deep. Since the end of the Cretaceous period, the Colorado River and its tributaries have carved away the layers of the Colorado Plateau, which are up to 2 billion years old, one by one, forming the Grand Canyon. Recent research has shown that the Colorado River took its current form 17 million years ago. The lack of moisture and therefore vegetation and periods of rapid erosion, followed by periods of widening of the canyon, as well as the existence of layers with different resistance to erosion, gave the Grand Canyon its current shape. Before the colonization of America by Europeans, tribes of Native Americans lived in this area, mainly the "Pueblos" who from 1,200 BC. they considered the gorge sacred and made their accommodations inside its caves. Descendants of these ancient tribes are the Navajo Indians. The first European to see the Grand Canyon was the Spaniard García López de Cárdenas (American Spanish) or García López de Cárdenas (Castilian Spanish) in 1540. How would it feel to walk in the void? Of being so close to heaven you think you can touch it? This is how we feel on the Grand Canyon Skywalk. A horseshoe-shaped bridge, located at an altitude of 1,450 meters on the west edge of the Grand Canyon in the state of Arizona, United States of America.

Alternatively, this excursion can be done by helicopter (ask for the difference in cost with your registration).

6-hour route with stops through landscapes reminiscent of the Wild West of the movies. We cross the Nevada desert, where Mojave Indians lived next to the warmest region of the USA, Death Valley, etc. We are greeted by the California desert and then the San Bernardino Valley. Coffee stop at Barstow, with the station and commercial train. A little further down is the historic Route 66, where scenes from the "road movies" were filmed, i.e. the road movies and motorcycle chases of the 60s. We are approaching Los Angeles and the landscape changes: there is greenery all around, the roads widen by 10-12 lanes and skyscrapers can be seen in the distance.

We continue for a visit-ride to Santa Monica (about 1:30 hours), known from countless movies, with a unique view of the beach on the Pacific coast. In its center, the bustling Third Street Promenade, where wonderful shops, cafes and ethnic restaurants await you, two antichrist bushes-dinosaurs, the music of street musicians, but also the impressive numbers of street performers, who dance break dance better and from professionals. Free time at the Santa Monica Pier, which is an amusement zone and amusement park, with the famous "Ferris wheel" and the end sign of "Route 66". Late in the afternoon we depart for our hotel.

Great day, full of pictures, information and activity. We start with the historic center of the "City of Angels"... We see the building of the mission of the Spanish priest Junipero Serra, from the 17th century, which today functions as a church and recalls the history of the founding of the cities and local communities of California. Next to it, another part of the historic center, Olvera street. Next is the Walt Disney Concert Hall with its dazzling stainless surfaces and quirky curves, designed by Frank Gehry, which hosts classical music concerts, operas and theater performances. Passing through the center, we see the Court House, City Hall, Police Station, Union Square. Via Sunset Boulevard we proceed to Rodeo Drive, the famous street with luxury shops, one next to the other, ready to welcome their - mostly - famous (and well-to-do) clientele. Beverly Hills in opulence, West Hollywood and a stop to admire the famous "Boulevard of Stars" (Hollywood Boulevard), with the famous stars taking their legendary place on the sidewalk. Dolby Theater and red carpet remind us of moments from the Oscars and give us the opportunity to photograph from some point the "Hollywood" sign on the opposite hill. We continue with the Man's Chinese Theater with its ornate Chinese gate and concrete enclosure, which houses the footprints of the stars. Malls (like Hollywood & Higland), restaurants, spectacularly lit movie theaters (like the art deco El Capitan Theater) and historic hotels (like the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel) complete the scene. In the evening, one must visit the Farmers Market. Two areas, one more Cyrillic and the other more simplistic, both of which have something to offer you, tastes, souvenirs and pictures to take with you. In the most simplistic one, you walk between shops from the 60s-70s with a more traditional and simple setup. As you pass a vertical street through the Farmers Market, you are transported to our time. Everything is more impressive and more expensive. Return to the hotel in the late afternoon.

One of the first things that comes to mind when we hear the word America is definitely Hollywood! All of us have more or less seen and loved Hollywood productions, series and shows! A huge movie production industry, countless stars, exorbitant amounts of money, glitz and glamour, abuses, scandals and awards, are just some of the elements that make up what we call the Hollywood industry! And where exactly are all these productions being filmed? In huge filming facilities, such as Universal Studios! A basic rule, unbreakable and now known to everyone! Start early!!! Today, therefore, our day is dedicated to the Universal Studios, which are located on the outskirts of Hollywood and occupy an entire "city" in area. Guided by our guide, we will visit the various sights of the park. With special trains we will tour the area of the studios, which have been operating since the 1930s and where many films have been shot. We will see sets of famous films ("Jurassic Park", "Transformers", "The Mummy", etc.), the studios of "Water World", the different effects and the way the movies are made. Free time to buy souvenirs and return to the hotel.(not included in Departure 14/4)

(Optional Excursion to San Diego, San Pedro, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Dana Point, Coronado Island) For today we recommend a full day optional "roundtrip" excursion. We start from an important international port, San Pedro. San Pedro Bay was used by Spanish ships as early as the 1540s. Cargo entering this port represents about 23% of all cargo arriving in the United States. A little further down is Long Beach, a seaside city of the United States of great importance in the country's economy. It is the second largest port in the US based on the number of containers, after the neighboring port of Los Angeles, and one of the largest in the world. Also, in this area there is a significant oil industry, as oil exists both offshore and underground. The manufacturing sector includes manufacturing of aircraft, automotive parts, electrical and audio-visual equipment. We continue our route with the Pacific Ocean on our right and some of the most beautiful beaches of Southern California, such as Huntington Beach, the "surf capital", the surf capital of the country. The International Surfing Museum is also located here. The beach is wide, flat and continues for nearly 10 unbroken miles on either side of the town's large pier. In Hollywood's golden age, this southern California coastal town was a magnet for big screen stars. They loved its grand ballrooms and smoky bars. Above all, however, they loved its waters and particularly its beautiful marina, where they moored their yachts and sailboats. "These people were protecting their privacy." Further down Laguna Beach with surfers, marinas, luxury mansions, oil wells and expensive cars. From Dana Point we take the highway to San Diego. Arrival and stop for lunch. Visit to the city center, where we will see the Gas Lamp District, where the streets are lit with gas. Through the impressive, 3,000-meter-long Coronado Bridge, we arrive at Del Coronado Island, where we will visit the 5-star hotel of the same name. A little further away is one of the bases of the 6th Fleet. After the Japanese air attack on Pearl Harbor, the Sixth Fleet was redesigned. The US Sixth Fleet has more than 40 ships, 175 aircraft and 21,000 personnel. It is the largest in the United States. Return to our hotel.(not included in Departure 14/4)

Sunny and glamorous, Los Angeles is a city of discovery for all, a bustling mix of cultures and nationalities, business and resort districts, beaches and museums, glittering alleyways and endless streams of luxury cars. The city simply impresses its visitors. It is worth noting that Los Angeles is a completely decentralized city, without a clear geographical center, and in fact consists of 88 small towns and districts, each of which has its own unique characteristic. Transfer to the airport and flight to Athens with a stopover. Arrival the next day.