Walk your way through Orthodox Easter in Chios Island, Greece
12-19 April 2009
Price
780.00 euros per person based on shared occupancy (double room) and a shared car (again by two persons).
Single supplement: 290.00 euros (single room, private car).
What’s included
- 7 nights accommodation in traditional locally owned hotels.
- Local cuisine lunches, dinners, breakfasts and picnics through out the whole programme, starting with dinner on the first day and concluding with lunch on the last day.
- Local expert leaders escorting the group in trekking and flora discovery tours.
- Participation in experiential activities like the mastic tree harvest and traditional folk dancing.
- Participation in traditional Greek Easter feasts.
- Visits to museums and local food and liquor factories
- All tours and applicable entry fees during tour days.
- Car (Cat. B, without driver, full insurance / own risk at 300 euros).
- VAT and other local taxes.
Not included
- Travel insurance (required)
- Driver for the car
- Fuel
- Snacks, refreshments, alcoholic drinks, coffees and beverages unless otherwise stated in the programme
- Personal expenses
- Transport from your hometown to Chios is not included. Each participant is responsible for all travel arrangements, which however can be arranged by us upon request.
Accommodation type
For Avgonyma and Mesta we chose restored medieval houses operating as “Rooms & Apartments to Let”. They are owned and operated by locals that in some cases also live and work in the village all year round. Living in one of those houses is a unique experience. However the guests should be aware that normally those houses have no view and no balconies. There are some exceptions of course, but in general the limited view is provided by windows towards narrow streets or small patios.
For Kampos we chose a family run hotel which is a rennovated old Genoese mansions surrounded by a fertile organic orchard.
Meals
During the Passion Week most of the Greeks are keeping a fast. They don't eat meat and they avoid eating dairy products. They are not offended however with people that don't keep a fast. On Easter Sunday they hold big feasts where the roast lamb or goat on a roasting jack. In general, the Passion Week is the ideal time to eat local traditional specialties.
For this trip we have arranged with local taverns for every lunch and dinner. The hotels will be offering Breakfasts with local home made products. We have also arranged for picnics during long walking days.
Start / end location
This trip starts at the airport of Chios following the Olympic Airlines evening flight OA768 from Athens arriving to Chios currently at 8.10 pm.
The trip ends in Mesta after the Greek Easter Sunday Lunch
For those wishing to arrive earier and/or leave later we can arrange for extra accommodation and car rental. If you arrive earlier on the same day we will arrange to pick your car with no extra charge so you can get to Avgonyma and your hotel earlier that day.
Travel Arrangements & Transportation
We strongly recommend that you plan to arrive in Athens at least one or two days before the program starts. We can recommend hotels in Athens. You can also arrive in Chios or a neighbouring island early. Arriving early avoids delays and allows you to be refreshed and ready to enjoy the trip.
Flights - Ferries to Chios
Charter flights to Chios by most carriers don't start until late April.
Scheduled flights on daily basis to Chios by Olympic Airlines and Aegean Airlines from/to Athens. Less frequent connections by Olympic Airlines from/to Rhodes, Samos, Lesvos, Limnos and Thessaloniki.
Chios is connected by ferry on regular daily schedules to Piraeus, Lesvos Island (Mytilini) and Cesme (Turkey).
There is also regular but not daily ferry connection to Syros, Mykonos, Samos, and Thessaloniki.
Another option is to fly to Izmir (Turkey) International Airport and then get the ferry to Chios from the nearby port of Cesme (daily departures, 50 minutes trip).
Airport codes: JKH for Chios, ATH for Athens, JMK for Mykonos, MJT for Lesvos, SKG forThsessaloniki, ADB for Izmir (Turkey).
Important, before you issue air or ferry tickets
Contact us prior to purchasing your tickets to confirm the trip has the minimum number of participants required to operate.
Weather in Chios
Daytime temperatures usually range between 12o to 22o C but can sometime go a bit higher. Evening temperatures drop into the 8o to 15o or even lower. While rain in general is not very common in April, there is always the possibility of rain, so adequate rain gear is important.
Activity level
To fully participate requires extended periods of walking over even and uneven surfaces and steep terrain. There will be steps, inclines, cobblestone surfaces, and extended periods of standing. Participants with physical limitations should
take this into account.
Other requirements
Participants should obtain travel insurance for this trip. Driver's license is also required for the person driving the car.
Group size
This tour will operate with between 8 and 20 participants.
