Your guide will point out sites like Hadrian’s Arch and the Temple of Zeus, Constitution square called “Syntagma,” the Greek parliament and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on your way to Panathenaic Stadium. The stadium dates to 329BC and was the location for the first Olympics of the modern era in 1896. Next, visit one of the most recognizable sights in Athens: The Acropolis (Greek: “city at the top”). At the Acropolis visit the Propylaea, the Temple of Athena Nike, the Erechtheion and finally "the harmony between material and spirit", the monument that "puts order in the mind", the Parthenon. 

Continue onward to see The New Acropolis Museum where various statues found their home. Meander through the exhibits as you admire the wonders of the classical era.

Lunch is by individual arrangement this afternoon. 

In the evening transfer to the Kypseli neighborhood for a welcome dinner at Pame Tsipouro Pame Kafenio.

Overnight: Radisson Blu Park Hotel 5* (or similar)

Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Today is set aside for professional activities and will include a bus for transport. Topics today may include local financial planners in a variety of settings who will talk to the group about a wide variety of interests and provide an overview of their roles and to provide an understanding of what financial planning and wealth management looks like in Greece, and the direction the industry is taking into the future.

Lunch and dinner are by individual arrangement today.

Overnight: Radisson Blu Park Hotel 5* (or similar)

Included meals: Breakfast 

Today is also set aside for professional activities and will include a bus for transport. Program participants will learn from Greece's experience and incorporate strategies to build diversified portfolios and resilient financial plans that can withstand economic downturns and unexpected events.

Lunch is by individual arrangement today. 

In the evening transfer to a local’s home for a cooking class and dinner. Transfer back to the hotel and  overnight. 

Overnight: Radisson Blu Park Hotel 5* (or similar)

Included meals: Breakfast & Dinner

After breakfast, check out and say farewell to Athens. Depart for Thessaloniki. Arrival at noon in Kalambaka with lunch at local restaurant included today. 

This afternoon, head out to explore a couple of the hilltop monasteries including St. Stephens Monastery. The monastery of Agios Stefanos or St. Steven is by far the most accessible monastery, where instead of steps you simply cross a small bridge to reach the entrance. Dating back to the early 12th century and the first hermit monks who settled on the cliffs. Next explore the Holy Monastery of Varlaam including the cellar, tower and museum enjoy photo stops at points with panoramic views and historical interest. Dating to 1350 when an ascetic named Varlaam ascended the rock building three churches, a small cell and water tank. **For the visit to monasteries ladies need to wear a skirt and gentlemen long trousers.**

Later you will check into your local hotel in Thessaloniki and have the evening free with dinner on your own.

Porto Palace Hotel & Conference Center is housed in a historical building dating back to 1913 preserving its industrial architecture. The hotel has onsite dining, a bar, meeting space pool, gym and spa. Guest rooms have AC, minibar, work desk, pillow menu, electronic door lock, safe, free Wi-Fi and more.

Overnight: Porto Palace 5* (or similar)

Included meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Today is set aside for professional activities and will include a bus for transport. Continue discussions of mutual interest including understanding the cultural and economic context of Greece can provide. Greece's historical and economic challenges have shaped its approach to financial planning, emphasizing the need for stability and protection against uncertainties.

Lunch and dinner are by individual arrangement today.

Overnight: Porto Palace 5* (or similar)

Included meals: Breakfast

Today is set aside for professional activities and will include a bus for transport. Greece's historical legacy of democracy underscores the importance of empowering individuals in their financial decisions. Program participants will learn how locals adopt a more collaborative and participatory approach with their clients, encouraging active involvement in the planning process. This could involve regular discussions, providing educational resources, and fostering transparency to ensure clients feel empowered and informed about their financial choices.

Lunch is by individual arrangement today. 

Enjoy a farewell dinner over a glass of wine this evening at a local restaurant. 

Overnight: Porto Palace 5* (or similar)

Included meals: Breakfast & Dinner

Your Grecian adventure ends today! Your guide will accompany you to the airport in Athens with lunch on own in route. We hope you have enjoyed your journey.

Included meals: Breakfast

 Your program leader, Hari Maragos is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional and Self-Managed Superannuation Fund (SMSF) Specialist Advisor™, Hari has been a financial services professional for nearly 30 years. He runs/owns a boutique practice in suburban Melbourne (Australia) specializing in inter-generational, multi-generational, family wealth management.

Having recently completed his Master of Financial Planning (Estate Planning specialization), he’s also completed his double degree in Accounting/Banking & Finance (amongst many other qualifications), he’s a guest lecturer at several universities, as well as running ‘Introduction to SMSF’ courses at Holmesglen TAFE. Hari has been a longtime friend of Nanda’s and has been integral in helping to facilitate our previous international delegations to Australia and South Africa.

Review and download Booking Terms & Conditions HERE

Tentative schedule. To be confirmed soon

DAY 1: Saturday, September 13, 2025

After breakfast, check out and make the drive back from Thessaloniki to Athens to the airport for your late afternoon flight to Crete. Arrive in Heraklion and transfer to the hotel to drop your bags before dinner.

Capsis Astoria Hotel Heraklion is at the city’s main square, in the historic center of Crete’s capital city. The hotel has onsite dining including a rooftop bar, gym, outdoor pool, free Wi-Fi, business center and more. Guest rooms feature high-speed internet, individually controlled air-conditioning, direct dial telephone, safe and pillow menu. The bathroom includes a hairdryer, bathrobes, slippers, and personal care products.

This evening you will head to the traditional village of Archanes for dinner. This lovely historic village is like stepping back in time! One of the most fascinating and beautiful historic villages in all Crete. In the center of Archanes, at a place called “Turkogeitonia” (“Turkish neighborhood”), are the remains of a group of buildings thought to have been a Minoan palace.

Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

DAY 2: Sunday, September 14, 2025

After breakfast, head out for a 2-hour walking tour of landmarks of Heraklion, the capital of Crete Island. Sites you will see with a local guide will include Platia Eleftherias (Freedom Square), St. George’s Gate, used from Venetian times as a passage between the city and its port, the statue of Eleftherios Venizelos who was Crete's greatest statesman who played a prominent role in the history of Crete and Greece and the Venetian Walls, one of the best-designed examples of fortification in the entire Mediterranean. Onward you will visit Lions Square, with the famous fountain composed of 8 cisterns and decorated with stone, pass by the Venetian Loggia (city hall), St. Marc’s Basilica -now hosting the Municipal Art Gallery, Agios Minas Cathedral, and the Koules Venetian Fortress harbor walls built in the early 16th century serving as a prison during Ottoman rule. 

Arrangements can be made to visit a Women’s Cooperative (pending availability and interest from the group). 

Lunch will be provided this afternoon before you are returned to the hotel. Dinner is on your own this evening. 

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

DAY 3: Monday, September 15, 2025

Today you will head out to visit Knossos. Knossos is the largest Bronze Age archaeological site on Crete, said to be the ceremonial and political center of the Minoan civilization. The site has been substantially "rebuilt", making it very accessible to explore. The Palace was first erected around 4,000 years ago but abandoned circa 1380-1100 BC. Your local guide will bring it to life and share information on the people that used to live there and their lives. 

Next stop will be to visit Peskesi Organic Farm before you head to their restaurant in Heraklion for lunch. Their 30-acre organic farm supplies the delightful fresh ingredients.

Return to the hotel with the remainder of the afternoon free for independent exploration. 

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Day 4: Tuesday, September 16, 2025

This morning head out to Elounda, a beautiful small town in order to take a boat to visit Spinalonga Island via boat to learn about its unique history as a former leper colony housing people with Hansen’s disease. In 2005, Victoria Hislop’s novel titled ‘The Island’ told the story of Spinaloga, bringing light to the life the people with leprosy built for themselves against all odds. Visit Agios Nikolaos as well, an international cosmopolitan seaside resort, attracting thousands of visitors every year. The lake is the crown jewel of the city, which dominates its center with its imposing beauty.

Lunch will be provided this afternoon before returning to town. 

Enjoy a farewell dinner at a local restaurant this evening.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 5: Wednesday, September 17, 2025

Check out and head for the airport today. Individual arrangements for your flights home.  

Meals: Breakfast 

Hotel: Capsis Astoria Heraklion

11 Eleftherias Sq., 712 01

Heraklion, Greece

Telephone: +30-2810-22 90 78

https://capsishotels.gr/astoria/en/