1st day: Athens - New York
Meeting at the airport, final instructions and flight to New York with the leading airlines that our agency works with. Flight to the dream, the legendary "New York - New York", the city with a thousand faces that we all know from the movies in the cinema, the city that combined its name with "the dream" and the imagination of modern man. Upon arrival, we will transfer to the hotel located in the heart of Manhattan. Time to settle in. Shortly afterwards, depending on arrival time, we will embark on a walking tour with our guide for a first introduction to the most exciting city on the planet.
2nd day: New York - North Manhattan tour - Central Park
We start the day with a guided tour of the sights of North Manhattan for which the city is famous. We will begin our tour at the statue of the most important explorer, Christopher Columbus with his caravels, which today is the measuring point for all distances from New York City. We will then pass by Lincoln Center, home to the Philharmonic and Metropolitan Opera, an ideal venue for classical music lovers. A short stop at Central Park, one of the world's most popular parks, a place where New Yorkers relax and spend their leisure time. A park full of picturesque lakes, magnificent fountains, the Whispering Bench, Shakespeare's Garden and the small but lively zoo. Continue on to the General Grant Memorial and Columbia University, New York's premier theoretical science university, whose entrance makes mention of ancient Greek philosophers. Next is the Harlem neighbourhood, formerly known as the African-American Mecca of New York City, home to the Apollo theatre, which has hosted all the jazz demigods and Michael Jackson. The tour concludes with 5th Avenue with its famous fashion houses and Rockefeller Center, one of the largest private complexes in the world owned by the eponymous family, a city landmark and home to the "Top of the Rock" observatory. We will end up in Times Square, the world's busiest and most photographed square, where millions of visitors are dazzled by the illuminated skyscrapers with colorful "neon" signs that truly make the night a day. Nearby is the wondrous Broadway, an entertainment industry hub where one can enjoy the world's most spectacular shows.
For the evening, we recommend catching one of the famous musicals at the Broadway theatres, the best way to end your day in New York. Don't forget to purchase your tickets from our office in Greece, in order to take advantage of the special low prices and save considerable time in queues!
3rd day: New York City - South Manhattan tour, United Nations, Chelsea Market and the eccentric new Hudson Yards district, cruise to the Statue of Liberty - Grand Central station
Gather in the hotel lobby for the second part of the city tour in which we will head along the East River past the East Manhattan piers with views of the Brooklyn Suspension Bridge. Our first stop will be at the United Nations House, the headquarters of the organization whose purpose is to preserve world peace, study international economic trends, human rights issues, natural resources, etc. Then we will visit the Grand Central Station, gateway and symbol of the city, where at least 750,000 people pass through the magnificent main hall every day.
We then head to the Flatiron Building, a pioneering skyscraper of great architectural significance. We move on to Greenwich Village which was loved by artists and writers, the landmark being Washington Square and New York University (N.Y.U).
Next is Soho, filled with famous fashion houses, Little Italy and Chinatown, two of the city's most vibrant districts where New York's multicultural identity can be felt. We head to Wall Street, the centre of the world's economy with a stop at the Charging Bull bronze sculpture, where we can also see Battery Park. Immediately afterwards we come across Ground Zero, where a memorial has been created reminding everyone of September 11η , and next to it is the new Financial Center called the One Word Trade Center. In the same area, the new much-discussed station, built by Kalatrawa, known as Oculus, a special architectural building with a dominant white color, which impresses both inside and outside and is even considered the most expensive station in the world, with a cost of 4 billion dollars. Afterwards, we will enter the famous Chelsea Market, home of famous New York gourmet restaurants, where there will be free time to buy local produce and taste famous delicacies. At this point there is also the Highline, a wonderful park on the old railway line, where one can walk over the city taking spectacular photos, filled with images of Manhattan neighborhoods.
Our tour continues with a cruise around Manhattan Island, where we can see historic Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty that dominates the entrance to the city, Staten Island and the great Verenzano Bridge. Of course we will pass under the various small and larger old and newer bridges and over the many tunnels that connect Manhattan to the surrounding area and the adjacent State of New Jersey. This will now give us a great opportunity to photograph the impressive Manhattan skyscrapers from afar.
After the cruise we will visit Hudson Yards, the newly built Manhattan neighborhood that came out of a science fiction movie! Spread over 14 acres it includes dozens of shops, gardens, groves, upscale stores, celebrity chef restaurants and the impressive climbing project The Vessel which resembles a giant beehive. We will then return to our hotel and have time to get ready for our evening out. We have almost unlimited options in the not coincidentally named "the city that never sleeps": at a special cocktail bar or restaurant in the Meatpacking District, at a building-top bar enjoying the illuminated Manhattan or in nearby Soho, Little Italy, Tribecca, West & East Village, all areas with a rich nightlife. Among New Yorkers relaxing with a drink or food after a long day, New York is ready to show you its nightlife face! If we're still lucky and there's a basketball game on, we suggest you experience the spectacular and magical world of the NBA in Madison Square Garden and Barclays Center with tickets secured by us! Of course, those of you who want to get specific and tested suggestions from our guide, feel free to consult him at any time!
4th day: New York City - Visit to the Metropolitan Museum - Public Library - walk through the neighborhoods "Sex & the city'', "Friends'' - tour of the Brooklyn Bridge - Brooklyn Dumbo area - Timeout Market
Today, we begin our tour of the public library, a beautiful building both inside and out, dominated by marble, frescoes, woodwork, quiet spaces for reading and study. Remarkably, the public library is one of the most important research libraries in the United States. We continue in the footsteps of the main protagonists of the famous Sex and the City series, Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda. In addition to 5η Avenue where the four friends spent most of their time shopping, we will specifically visit Magnolia Bakery where the famous group used to enjoy their famous cupcakes, and Carrie's house where the filming of the famous series took place. At the same time we will continue our walk in the West Village, where we will pass by the building where the shooting of the series that was a huge success in Greece, "The Friends", thus completing our special walk !
Then, we visit one of the richest museums in the world, the Metropolitan Museum of Art where priceless works from every culture are collected. It is the third most visited museum in the world, after the Louvre and the British Museum.
Its permanent collections include works of art from classical antiquity, ancient Egypt, Byzantine and Islamic art, paintings and sculptures by leading artists, as well as an extensive collection of American, African, Asian and contemporary art and much more. Surely a single day is not enough to explore it in its entirety. This is a museum with a rich and inexhaustible collection that art lovers will love. Next, we will experience Brooklyn's Dumbo district, an area located in the southeastern end of Brooklyn. This area, whose name comes from the initials Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass, is one of the most historic and photographed areas with unsurpassed views for the best photos of your trip. So, as a souvenir, don't forget to take a picture of the corner of Washington Street yourself. There we'll walk through neighborhoods reminiscent of another era. The famous brownstone houses of the 19thο century are a landmark, the immaculate buildings and manicured trees of Brooklyn Heights lend an air of stateliness to the neighborhood. Although the area caters to classic tastes, one does not have to be an expert to enjoy the neighborhood's rustic architecture. In Brooklyn's most impressive neighborhood is the Timeout Market a multi-faceted market with top chef restaurants featuring specialties from around the world. We will stroll along the river with views of the Manhattan skyscrapers and enjoy food and drink in a unique setting among the majestic bridges of Brooklyn and Manhattan. From there we will have the opportunity to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge with a final destination of Manhattan! The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States (1883) and connects the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by crossing over the East River. Since its opening it has been a symbol of New York City and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964 and a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1972.
Then we return to the hotel. We recommend spending the evening at one of Manhattan's most authentic Jazz Bars, with live music, food and drinks. Due to the fact that the venue is often full, you have the option of booking and purchasing a ticket from us. For the burger and chocolate lovers, our guide will recommend the best spots in town!
5th day: New York - Woodbury Commons Outlets (optional)
Free day. For those of you whose very cheap shopping is one of the reasons for visiting New York, a visit to the largest, richest and most impressive, shopping centre, the famous Woodbury Commons, is a must. It's worth noting that the shops are spread out in a huge open space reminiscent of a small village, which makes your shopping even safer. Just an hour or so away from Manhattan, there are all the brand-name items at incredibly low prices. Two hundred and twenty plus fashion names will be at your disposal. It is no coincidence that the largest percentage of Americans, choose this place for their shopping. With stores like Michael Kors, Gucci, Guess, Dolce&Gabbana, Ugg, Nike, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Timberland, Brooks Brothers, Tommy Hilfiger and many more in an incredible variety and at prices up to four times cheaper than in Greece. It will also help you save time, as you won't have to spend extra time shopping in Manhattan. Our guide will give you the necessary advice to see as many shops as possible, making appropriate use of your time according to your shopping interest. Along with your membership, you get a $10 VIP Coupons Book for extra perks and discounts and a map to mark the top stores that interest you. Again, if shopping is not your forte, we suggest a stroll through Soho, Chelsea with its local market and East village, which was home to high society until 1900, then populated by immigrants and from the 1950s onwards the area became a mecca for the Beatles, hippies and punk generation. The East village became a laboratory for experimentation and new trends.
6th day: New York - Washington DC (optional)
Free day. We recommend a full-day excursion to Washington DC, the city chosen to be the capital of the Confederacy. Washington DC is more than just a state capital, it is where the yesterday, today and tomorrow of the United States is summed up. It is a modern imperial Rome where, behind the hermetically sealed doors of the American palace (White House), critical decisions are made about the future of the Planet. Three elements define the identity of the American metropolis today: the multiracial human presence, the exemplary urban organisation and, above all, the open horizons. In Washington, skyscrapers do not predominate since no building is allowed to exceed the height of the Capitol (the only exception being the Obelisk monument). We will see the monuments of the American presidents, Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln, a monument where the Greek element is strong as the Parthenon was used as a model. We will meet the reflection pool with the famous Obelisk, Lafayette Square, and the White House, considered the most famous residence of the entire planet. Here the strong police force is evident everywhere and the images are particularly familiar from Hollywood movies. We will also see the Capitol, the seat of the US federal government which at 88 meters high is the tallest building in the city and is the center of the city. Next we will see the Supreme Court, the Library of Congress which is the largest and richest in the world with several influences from Greek culture, the National Gallery of Art, the National Archives Building (in a special display case the original of the US Constitution and the Declaration of Independence) and the Smithsonian Institute, the largest museum complex in the world. Finally, we will visit the National Museum of Aeronautics and Space, where we will admire modern exhibits of history-making spacecraft. We will also pass by the most important Ministries, Museums, Banks, headquarters of international organizations, as well as hotels, theaters, the FBI headquarters and the bustling train station, Union Station, whose interior is stunning with many shops and restaurants to choose from. Late afternoon return to the hotel.
7th day: New York - Boston (optional)
Today we propose a full day trip to beautiful Boston, home of the famous Universities of Research and Technology. On our Greek-speaking tour we will see sights such as the Old State House, the Old North Church and others associated with early American history. Furthermore, we will see the Government Center, Copley Square and the Prudential Tower, and admire the Victorian-style buildings. We will also pass by Symphony Hall with the renowned Boston Symphony Orchestra. We will then visit world-renowned universities such as Harvard University and MIT. Free time for walking, dining and late afternoon return to the hotel.
If you choose to stay in Manhattan, we recommend a visit to one or more of its museums. First of all, the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) is considered to hold one of the most important collections of works in the world today, of the greatest contemporary artists such as Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Vincent van Gogh, Cézanne, Dalí and Jackson Pollock, among others. The Natural History Museum is also ideal for our little ones. It is the largest museum of its kind in the world, with more than 36 million exhibits and 45 permanent exhibitions, the most notable of which are the Dinosaurs and Fossils exhibition, which is the most famous, the Meteorites room, the Ocean Life room. Even the Guggenheim Museum, the exterior of which is one of the greatest architectural achievements of the 20ου century. An ideal day for shopping too, a visit to Bloomingdales, Saks Fifth Avenue, the famous sportswear store Abercrombie & Fitch and its discount store - which your guide will point out to you - or combine your shopping at Macy's with a visit to the Empire State Building. If you want to see New York from above, there are a total of 5 observatories in Manhattan, the Empire State Building, the Top of the Rock and One World Observatory, The Edge and the brand new Summit-One Vanderbilt. Don't forget to try at least one of the hot dogs that can be found on every corner of the city with the characteristic "NIKAS" umbrellas, or one of the famous Halal Guys canteens with very good quality street food.
8th day: New York - Niagara Falls (636 km)
Departure by coach, which will take us through a beautiful route to the famous Niagara Falls. This route allows us to discover the beauty of all of America and Canada. We give special attention to the routes, with frequent stops at the most beautiful spots, as our experienced guide explains and narrates about each area individually. Through this beautiful tour, we learn about America's world-renowned campuses, ranching and primary production facilities. All while traveling along the Susquehanna River through lush landscapes. This is a region that captivates travelers, full of wildlife refuges, sparkling lakes, waterfalls and world-renowned wineries. After checking into the hotel, located on the Canada side, we will take a guided walk with our guide to the nearby waterfalls, which are illuminated each night, a sight that will leave you with one of the most powerful and vivid images you have ever seen in your life. We recommend the Seneca Casino, which can give a different aspect to the end of your day.
9th day: Niagara Falls - Guided tour, cruise - Niagara on the Lake
The tour today begins with the waterfalls formed by the Niagara River. Here we can have a panoramic view of the "horseshoe" of the falls. This wonder of nature operates within the first park created in the United States. For the past 200 years, they have been fascinating and captivating visitors with their unique scenery, evoking awe and wonder at the majesty of nature. It is a symbol of dream vacations, with honeymooners from all over the world arriving to enjoy their honeymoon. The film 'Niagara Falls', starring Marilyn Monroe, was shot here. Immediately after the tour we will live one of the most "powerful" experiences of our trip, the Cruise through the Falls. We will feel the incredible energy of the water as drops from the falls caress our faces and take stunning, postcard-like photos. Then, we depart for Canada's first capital city, beautiful British Niagara on the Lake. We'll pass by breathtaking scenery and historic forts on a riverside drive. The area is full of vineyards, after all, it is famous for its wine. The quaint little town of Niagara on the Lake sits on the shores of Lake Ontario and looks like it hasn't been touched by time since the mid-19ου century. A romantic, colourful, quaint and utterly captivating town, it is the perfect place to enjoy our walk. Horses pull carriages alongside low houses out of the British countryside. Colourful flowers adorn gardens and balconies, while tourists and locals alike gather in parks under the shade of trees for picnics. Quirky cafes and small shops adorn the city's sidewalks, while the Prince of Wales Hotel, the hotel where then Prince Charles and his wife Diana stayed on their honeymoon, sits on the main street. In the late afternoon we return to the hotel, where we will have another unique experience. Each evening, fireworks make the night a day, while colorful lights caress the waters of the waterfalls. Then, the options for nightly entertainment are endless. Climb the Minolta or Skylon towers to see the illuminated waterfalls from above. Head to Clifton Hill, an area full of tourists and themed attractions. Kids will love the Fun House, with its hall of mirrors, and you'll find plenty of shops with souvenirs and gifts for your loved ones. Here you'll find the Movieland Wax Museum, the Niagara Speedway and many restaurants and bars. If you're feeling lucky, don't miss a visit to one of the many casinos in the area.
10th -11th day: Niagara Falls, excursion to Toronto - Athens
Departure for Toronto, the "New York of Canada", as it is often called. The last tour of our excursion begins at the CN Tower, the city's most iconic building. At its base is the Roger Center, a stadium-hotel complex. The tour continues to the Old and New City Hall, the famous Eaton Center shopping mall, the harbor and the large Greek Quarter of Danforth (Greek Town). After the tour we transfer to the Toronto airport for our flight back to Greece. At the end of the tour, we have enriched the tour with incredible images and performances, comparing provincial life with the world's financial capital. Our return to Athens finds us flooded with so many images that are capable of staying with us for a lifetime.
