Brief History of Greece.

Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic is a country located in the southeast edge of Europe, at the point where Europe, Asia & Africa meet each other. Greece has land borders with Albania FYROM & Bulgaria to the north & Turkey to the east. Greece encompassed by the Aegean sea in the south, by the Lybean Sea in the south & by the Ionia Sea in the west, which lies up to Italy.

The first evidence of human life in Greece dates back to the Paleolithic period between 120.000 - 10.000 B.C. However, it was not until the Neolithic period dated approximately 7.000 - 3.000 B.C. that Greek civilization grew & flourished. Many remains of settlements & burial chambers of this period have been discovered in Thessaly, Macedonia & the Peloponnese. Ancient Greek authors claim that Pelasgians are the ancestors of Greek. At any case, the immigrant movements, which took place the second millennium B.C, the invasion of the Dorians from the north & the invasion of the Aeolians & Ionians, formed the Greek civilization. The first urban centers appeared during the Bronze Age (3.000 - 1.100 B.C.). Evidence of these has been found all over modern day Greece, in North Eastern Aegean islands, the Cycladic islands, Crete & the Greek mainland.

Classic ancient Greece is considered to be the birthplace, of Democracy, Western philosophy, the Olympic Games, Western literature & historiography, political science, major scientific & mathematical principles, Geography, Biology, university education & Western drama, including both tragedy & comedy. It widely admitted that most of the principles that impregnate current Western societies derive from that culture.

The aftermath of mixing Greek & Roman culture created the Byzantine civilization.

Regarding as starting point the year 330 AC, when Constantine the first transferred the capital of Roman Empire to Byzantium, which later renamed as Constantinople, the Byzantine Empire. Byzantine Empire consolidated its strength for approximately 1000 years, until the Ottomans invasion at 1453.

After 400 years under the ottoman enslavement, the Modern Greek state was established in 1829, following the Greek War of Independence. Nafplion became the first capital of modern Greece from 1829 to 1834 by John Kapodistrias.

Since 1834 Athens is the capital of Greece. Nowadays, being member of all the great alliances, like NATO & EU. Greece is considered to be one of the most important pedestals of stability & safety in the Mediterranean region.

Is there both a driver & a guide?
In Greece like most of the European countries only professional licensed tour guides have the right by law to accompany visitors into the sites.
Your English speaking driver will explain about the ancient monuments that you are about to visit, the ancient history of Greece & interesting facts about historical & modern-day Greece but is not allowed by law to accompany you into the sites.
H.P.Tours cooperates with professional licensed tour guides all over Greece who have the right by law to accompany visitors into the sites.
If you wish to have a professional licensed tour guide, we will help you arrange a professional licensed tour guide to be with you, at an extra cost.

What would be the pickup time?
Our suggestion if possible is to start your tour either at 07:30 am or at 08:00 am.
You will have the added benefit of visiting archaeological sites at different times from the large tour buses & groups of visitors, thus enabling you to experience the wonderful monuments & learn their history at a time of the day when they are not overcrowded.

Do you pick us up & drop us off at our hotel, airport & port?
We pick you up & drop you off wherever requested.

How do we meet our driver?
If you arrive by airplane your driver will meet you upon your arrival at Athens airport at the customs exit holding an H.P.Tours sign with your name on.
If you arrive by a cruise ship or ferry your driver will be waiting you at Piraeus Port at the customs exit holding an H.P.Tours sign with your name on.
If you are staying at a hotel in Athens your driver will meet you at the lobby of your hotel.

How many people can you accommodate?
H.P.Tours business fleet consists of the latest Mercedes Benz vehicles (taxis, minivans, minibuses & buses), that can accommodate from one to fifty passengers.
As comfort & safety are top priorities for H.P.Tours all vehicles are air-conditioned, non-smoking, fully insured, licensed & certified for tourist use by the state authorities.

What is the cost of a private tour or transfer in Athens - Greece?
Our private transfers & tours are flexible, can be adjusted to the customers’ needs & are priced per vehicle used & not per person. Therefore, the cost of a transfer or a tour depends on the type of the vehicle that is going to be used according to the participants of the tour, the pickup & drop off place, the duration of the tour & distance that is required to be covered.

Are the entrance fees & meals costs included in the price?
Entrance fees & meals costs are not included in the price of the chosen tour.

How do we finalize our reservation?
In order to finalize your reservation no deposit is required, you just need to fill in the reservation form, which will be sent to you upon your request. Your credit card details will be used strictly for your reservation.
We will confirm your tour(s) or transfer(s) as soon as we will receive it by sending you a confirmation form & your booking will be finalized.

Full Day Athens Tour

The full day Athens tour starts with a visit to the Acropolis where you will see the Parthenon, the temple on the top of the sacred rock devoted to Goddess Athena...

More Information

Full Day Athens & Sounion Tour

The full day Athens & Sounion tour, gives you the opportunity to visit among others the Temple of Poseidon at Sounion built on top of the hill, exactly at the meeting point of the Saronic Sea with the Aegean Sea...

Two Days Argolis & Olympia Tour

The two days Argolis and Olympia tour starts with a 45-mile drive along the National highway to Peloponnese. We will reach the well-known Corinthian canal or else Isthmus canal...

Three Days Argolis, Olympia & Delphi Tour

The three days Argolis, Olympia & Delphi tour gives you the opportunity to visit among others the Sanctuary of Asclepius and the ancient Theatre of Epidaurus with its unique acoustics....

Four Days Argolis, Olympia, Delphi & Meteora Tour

The four days Argolis, Olympia, Delphi & Meteora tour gives you the opportunity to visit among others the six suspended in the air Monasteries, built on natural sand stone rock pillars....

Six Days Delphi, Meteora, Ioannina, Kastoria, Veroia, Vergina & Dion Tour

The six days Delphi, Meteora, Ioannina, Kastoria, Veroia, Vergina & Dion tour gives you the opportunity to visit among others Dispilio where a settlement of Neolithic period was found and the excavation brought to the surface very important findings....