Day 1: Athens - New York
Meeting at the airport, final instructions and flight to New York with the leading airlines our office 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.
Day 2: New York City - North Manhattan Tour - Central Park
We begin our day with a guided tour of the sights of Northern 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. We continue on to Columbia University, New York's premier theoretical science university, whose entrance makes reference to ancient Greek philosophers. Next is the neighborhood of Harlem, formerly known as the mecca of New York's African-Americans, where the Apollo theater is located, on whose stage all the demigods of jazz and Michael Jackson have performed. The tour ends with 5th Avenue with its famous fashion houses and Rockefeller Center, one of the largest private complexes in the world owned by the family of the same name, a city landmark, which is home to the "Top of the Rock" observatory. We'll end up at 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, completing your day in New York in the best possible way. 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!
Day 3: New York City - South Manhattan tour, United Nations, Chelsea Market and the new eccentric Hudson Yards district, cruise to the Statue of Liberty - Grand Central station
Meet in the hotel lobby for the second part of the city tour in which we will head alongside the East River passing 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 beloved by artists and writers, the benchmark being Washington Square and New York University (NYU). Next is Soho which is 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. Next we come across Ground Zero, where a memorial has been created to remind everyone of 9/11, and next to it is the new Financial Center called the One Word Trade Center. In the same area is the new much-discussed station, built by Kalatrava, known as Oculus, a building of particular architecture with a dominant white colour, which impresses both inside and outside and is even considered to be 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 smaller 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 a distance. After the cruise, we will visit Hudson Yards, the newly built neighborhood of Manhattan that came out of a science fiction movie! Spread over 14 acres it includes dozens of shops, gardens, groves, upscale shopping, 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 limitless 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 - stroll 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 outside and inside, dominated by marble, murals, 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 key protagonists of the famous Sex and the City series, Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda. In addition to 5th 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 works of priceless value 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 painters, as well as an extensive collection of American, African, Asian, Asian and contemporary art and much, 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 lJnder 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 190th century brownstone homes 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 need not 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. We then return to the hotel. We suggest spending the evening at one of Manhattan's most authentic Jazz Bars, with live music, food and drink. Due to the fact that the center 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!
Day 5: New York - Woodbury Commons Discount Village
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 mall, the famous Woodbury Commons, is a must. It is worth noting that the shops are spread out in a huge open space that resembles 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, lJgg, 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, where high society lived 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.
Day 6: New York - Washington DC (optional)
Free day. We suggest 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. If there is time, we will pass by the National Aeronautics and Space Museum, 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, lJnion Station, whose interior is stunning with many shops and restaurants to choose from. Late afternoon return to the hotel.
7th - 8th day: Free day - return flight
On our last day, as our flight is in the evening, you can make the most of it and visit once again the neighborhoods that made the biggest impression during your explorations. A last bike ride in Central Park or a tour of Soho are some Ideas for your free time on this day. Maybe also a quick look for any last minute souvenir purchases and gifts for your loved ones! In the afternoon we depart for the airport. After going through the formalities and if there is still time for a short stroll through the duty free shops, we depart for the exit leading to the plane and the return journey. Arrival in the city from which we started, with rich experiences of the most famous megalopolis, the "Big Apple" and which we now know why it was named, the prize everyone wants to get as recognition of success!
