Day 1: Athens – New York
Meet at the airport, final instructions, and flight to New York with the top airlines our agency works with. Fly to the dream, the legendary “New York – New York,” the city of a thousand faces that we all know from the movies, the city that has become synonymous with “the dream” and the imagination of modern man. Upon arrival, we will be transferred to our hotel located in the heart of Manhattan. Time to settle in. A little later, depending on the time of arrival, we will set off on a walk with our guide for a first acquaintance with the most exciting city on the planet.
Day 2: New York - Tour of northern Manhattan - Central Park
We will start our day with a tour of the sights of northern Manhattan for which the city is famous. We will start our tour at the statue of the most important explorer, Christopher Columbus, with his caravels, which today is the point of measurement for all distances from New York. Then we will pass by Lincoln Center, home to the Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera, an ideal place for lovers of classical music. We will make a brief stop at Central Park, one of the most popular parks in the world, a place where New Yorkers relax and spend their free time. A park full of picturesque lakes, magnificent fountains, the Whispering Bench, Shakespeare Garden, and a small but lively zoo. We continue with Columbia University, New York's most important university for theoretical sciences, at the entrance of which there is a reference to ancient Greek philosophers. Next is the Harlem neighborhood, formerly known as the Mecca of African Americans in New York, home to the Apollo Theater, where all the jazz demigods and Michael Jackson have performed. The tour ends with Fifth Avenue, with its famous fashion boutiques, and Rockefeller Center, one of the largest private complexes in the world, owned by the family of the same name, a landmark of the city, which houses the “Top of the Rock” observatory. We will end up at Times Square, the busiest and most photographed square in the world, where millions of visitors are dazzled by the illuminated skyscrapers with colorful neon signs that truly turn night into day. Nearby is the amazing Broadway, the center of the entertainment industry, where you can enjoy the most spectacular shows in the world.
For the evening, we recommend watching one of the famous musicals at the Broadway theaters, thus ending your day in New York in the best possible way. Don't forget to purchase your tickets from our office in Greece to take advantage of special low prices and save valuable time waiting in line!
Day 3: New York – Tour of Lower Manhattan, United Nations Headquarters, Chelsea Market, and the new eccentric Hudson Yards neighborhood, cruise to the Statue of Liberty – Grand Central Station
Meet in the hotel lobby for the second part of the city tour, which will take us along the East River, passing the piers of eastern Manhattan with a view of the Brooklyn Bridge. Our first stop will be at the United Nations Headquarters, the seat of the organization whose purpose is to preserve world peace, study international economic trends, issues related to human rights, natural resources, etc. Then we will visit Grand Central Station, the gateway and symbol of the city, where at least 750,000 people pass through the magnificent central hall every day.
Then we head to the Flatiron Building, a pioneering skyscraper of great architectural significance. We will then travel to Greenwich Village, beloved by artists and writers, with Washington Square and New York University (NYU) as landmarks.
Next up is SoHo, which is full of famous fashion houses, Little Italy, and Chinatown, two of the city's liveliest neighborhoods where New York's multicultural identity is most evident. We head to Wall Street, the center of the global economy, stopping at the bronze Charging Bull sculpture, where we can also see Battery Park. Immediately afterwards, we come to Ground Zero, where a memorial has been created to remind everyone of September 11, and next to it is the new Financial Center called One World Trade Center. In the same area is the much-discussed new station, designed by Calatrava and known as the Oculus, a building of unique architecture dominated by the color white, which is impressive both inside and out and is considered the most expensive station in the world, costing $4 billion. Next, we will enter the famous Chelsea Market, home to New York's renowned gourmet restaurants, where you will have free time to purchase local products and sample renowned delicacies. Here we will also find the Highline, a wonderful park on the old railway line, where you can walk above the city, taking impressive photos and filling your memory with images of Manhattan's neighborhoods.
Our tour continues with a cruise around the island of Manhattan, where we can see historic Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty towering over the entrance to the city, Staten Island, and the great Verrazano Bridge. Of course, we will pass under the various small and larger old and newer bridges and over the many tunnels that connect Manhattan with the surrounding area and the neighboring state of New Jersey. This will give us a great opportunity to photograph the impressive Manhattan skyline from afar.
After the cruise, we will visit Hudson Yards, Manhattan's newly built neighborhood, which looks like something out of a science fiction movie! Spread over 14 acres, it includes dozens of shops, gardens, parks, luxury stores, restaurants by famous chefs, and the impressive climbable structure 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 aptly named “city that never sleeps”: At a unique cocktail bar or restaurant in the Meatpacking District, at a rooftop bar enjoying the illuminated Manhattan skyline, or in nearby Soho, Little Italy, Tribecca, West & East Village, all areas with a rich nightlife. Among New Yorkers relaxing with a drink or a meal after a busy day, New York is ready to show you its nighttime side! If we are lucky enough to have a basketball game on, we recommend experiencing the spectacular and magical world of the NBA up close at Madison Square Garden and Barclays Center with tickets secured by us! Of course, if any of you want specific and tried-and-tested recommendations from our tour guide, don't hesitate to ask him at any time!
Day 4: New York – Visit to the Metropolitan Museum – Public Library – Walk around the “Sex & the City” neighborhoods, Friends – tour of the Brooklyn Bridge – Dumbo neighborhood in Brooklyn – Timeout Market
Today, we begin our tour at the public library, a beautiful building both inside and out, dominated by marble, murals, wooden works, and quiet spaces for reading and studying. It is noteworthy that the public library is one of the most important research libraries in the United States. We continue in the footsteps of the main characters of the famous series Sex and the City, Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda. Beyond Fifth Avenue, where the four friends spent most of their time shopping, we will visit Magnolia Bakery, where the famous group used to enjoy their famous cupcakes, as well as Carrie's house where the famous series was filmed. At the same time, continuing our walk in the West Village, we will pass by the building where the series, which was also hugely successful in Greece, was filmed, “Friends,” thus completing our special tour!
Then, we visit one of the richest museums in the world, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where priceless works from every culture are gathered. 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. One day is certainly not enough to explore it all. It is a museum with a rich and inexhaustible collection that art lovers will adore. Next, we will visit the Dumbo neighborhood of Brooklyn, an area located on its southeastern tip. This area, whose name comes from the initials Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass, is one of the most historic and photographed areas with unbeatable views for the best photos of your trip. Don't forget to take a photo at the corner of Washington Street as a souvenir. There, we will walk through neighborhoods that are reminiscent of another era. The famous 19th-century brownstone houses are a landmark, and the
impeccable buildings and well-tended trees of Brooklyn Heights lend an air of elegance to the neighborhood. Although the area caters to classic tastes, you don't need to be an expert to enjoy the rustic architecture of the area. In Brooklyn's most impressive neighborhood is Timeout Market, a multi-purpose market with restaurants run by top chefs offering specialties from around the world. We will take a walk along the river with a view of the Manhattan skyline and enjoy food and drinks in a unique setting between the magnificent Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges. From there, we will have the opportunity to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge with Manhattan as our final destination! The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States (1883) and connects the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn, crossing the East River. Since its inauguration, it has become 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 your evening at one of Manhattan's most authentic jazz bars, with live music, food, and drinks. Since the center is often full, you can reserve and purchase tickets from us. For burger and chocolate lovers, our guide will recommend the best spots in town!
Day 5: New York – Woodbury Commons Outlets (optional)
Free day. For those of you who visit New York for the bargain shopping, a visit to the largest, richest, and most impressive shopping center, the famous Woodbury Commons, is a must. It is worth noting that the stores 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, you will find all the brand names at incredibly low prices. More than 220 fashion brands are at your disposal. It is no coincidence that the majority of Americans choose this particular place for their shopping. With stores such as Michael Kors, Gucci, Guess, Dolce&Gabbana, Ugg, Nike, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Timberland, Brooks Brothers, Tommy Hilfiger, and many more, offering an incredible variety and prices up to four times cheaper than in Greece. It will also help you save time, as you won't need to spend extra time shopping in Manhattan. Our guide will give you the necessary advice so that you can see as many stores as possible, making the most of your time according to your shopping interests. With your participation, you will also receive a VIP Coupons Book worth $10 for additional privileges and discounts, as well as a map to mark the shops you are interested in. If shopping is not your forte, we recommend a stroll through Soho, Chelsea with its local market, and the East Village, where high society resided until 1900, then became home to immigrants, and from the 1950s onwards became a mecca for the Beatniks, hippies, and punks. The East Village was transformed into a laboratory for experimentation and new trends.
Day 6: New York - Washington DC (optional)
Free day. We recommend a full-day excursion to Washington, D.C., the city chosen to be the capital of the Federation. Washington is more than just a state capital; it is where the past, present, and future of the United States come together. It is a modern imperial Rome where, behind the tightly closed doors of the American palace (the White House), critical decisions are made about the future of the planet. Three elements define the identity of the American metropolis today: its multiracial population, its exemplary urban organization, and, above all, its open horizons. Skyscrapers do not dominate Washington, as no building is allowed to exceed the height of the Capitol (the only exception being the Obelisk monument). We will see the monuments of American presidents Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln, a monument with a strong Greek influence, as the Parthenon was used as a model. We will see the reflecting pool with the famous Obelisk, Lafayette Square, and the White House, considered the most famous residence on the planet. Here, the strong police presence is evident everywhere, and the images are particularly familiar from Hollywood films. We will also see the Capitol, the seat of the US federal government, which at 88 meters is the tallest building in the city and its center. Next, we will visit 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, the National Archives Building (with a special display case containing the original US Constitution and Declaration of Independence), and the Smithsonian Institution, the largest museum complex in the world. If time permits, we will visit the National Air and Space Museum, where we will admire contemporary exhibits of historic 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 Union Station, whose interior is stunning, with many shops and restaurants to choose from. Late afternoon return to the hotel.
Day 7: Free day - return flight
On our last day, as our flight is in the evening, you can make the most of it and once again visit 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. Once we have gone 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.
Day 8: Arrival in Athens
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 that everyone wants to get as recognition of success!
