Hidden Greece Land Tour - itinerary, hotels, & prices posted

We have found that quite a few Tauck tours begin and end in challenging places where getting flights and choice of flights is a pain.

Lotusgirl

Very nice itinerary. I did a quick search of air options, and did find some with only one connection each way.

I’m finding the same thing. I can handle the price of the tour and the single supplement, but airfare from DFW is almost as expensive as the trip. I do travel business class and am having to re-think this trip. A big factor for me is not leaving from Athens as I’d add on and see Athens on my own. I’ve nor been to Athens and that is a big draw to this trip. 🥲

I checked flights from my city and getting there isn't too bad - the usual 2 stops for us. Getting back is 3. Also it's Star Alliance so lots of Lufthansa. The sights look amazing though. Not sure if my hip is up to a 3/3 tour

lisajanetx

I just checked flights as well. Getting back appears to be a bit of a challenge as I'd like to take American Airlines nonstop from
Athens to Chicago, which departs at 11 am. Perhaps do an overnight at Athens airport at end of tour? Last year took Aegean Airlines from Crete (Heraklion) to Athens and it was super easy, but worried about connecting with the 11 AM flight out of Athens. Don't want to leave hotel in Crete at 2 or 3 am simply to make connection :-(

Really, really, really wish this tour ended in Athens. What was the tour planner thinking???

The tour ending in Athens is what I was hoping for too. I’m still holding a reservation for the May 1st trip, but I’m wondering that too. I doubt Id make another trip to see Athens-those days are sadly over.

Has anyone had experience with Turkish Air? They have one flight a day out of DFW to Thessaloniki.

Marla526

Turkish Air is wonderful! We have traveled Business with them three different times. The new Istanbul airport is beautiful as well.

AlanS

Ditto on Turkish.

It’s funny, because when we were watching the Amazing Race finale this week, the finalists were heading to Miami on Turkish Air on business class and it showed them in their seats. They just looked like a US domestic business class. We both exclaimed surprising because we know people love the airline.

Franlovestravel, do you mind losing your deposits if you cancel, or does Tauck transfer it to another tour. We have only had to cancel once due to a health problem but were able to put it on another already booked tour. I hate wasting money.,
Pre pandemic when tours used to sell out way in advance, which I don’t believe they do these days, I have not been on a full tour for years apart from the Bridges Red Rocks tour that was supposed to be capped at 45 and had 46! ….we met people on several tours who would book a good number of tours, never intending to take all of them.

Hi British. As this is a new tour, for which there was no pricing or itinerary I gave Tauck a deposit and paid for the insurance with the agreement I could get a refund for both for 2 weeks after receiving all the details. That was the 22nd. So, should I decide not to go within that time frame, I’ll get all my money back.

It’s my understanding that with a medical issue they still will move funds to another tour. I may have to cancel a trip in August for medical reasons and that one is fully paid for. I’m not sure if Tauck holds one’s money for the other tour (sees like a lot of money to park with them for a year) or refunds the cost of the tour and moves the insurance and deposit to a re-booked tour.

That’s crazy to book tours you never have intention to go on and disrespectful to other travelers and Tauck. Takes all kinds.

Thanks for the recommendations for Turkish Air. I’m not crazy about Lufthansa. As a solo traveler, I don’t like the 2-2-2 seating. Then there’s the Frankfurt airport……🙃😩

When we cancelled in early October, we had paid for the entire tour, a lot of money. We still haven’t taken the tour we had to put it towards. We have taken as many as six tours a year with Tauck, so in the past we would not have to wait so long to reap the benefit. but now have just three up until July 2026. I hope you don’t have to cancel.

MikeHenderson

I've had mixed experiences with Turkish Airlines. Some aircraft are very well appointed in Business, and others (older) are not so good. One older 777 had three seats across in Business (center, between the two aisles). They were lie flat seats but think about the person in the middle who has to crawl over someone during the night. Luckily, we had no one in the middle for our seats.

But overall, I would not hesitate to travel with them.

Smiling Sam

Lots of airlines have different levels of business class decor, depending on the age of the plane. For our Singapore and Bali tour we flew Singapore airlines. On our trans-Pacific flights we had lie flight seats, but they were manual, not via push button. Whereas on our short flight from Bali back to Singapore prior to the return flight to the states we had lie flight seats that were the newer push button variety. Go figure, the two hour flight had a newer configuration that the 16 hour flight across the Pacific.

Our experience on Turkish Air was tremendous. We flew Turkish to/from the Israel/Jordan tour. We had suites(a closing door) on our trans-Atlantic flights.

In addition, the business class lounge in Istanbul has been our best experience of any lounge, anywhere in the world.

The model and age of planes issue happens on all airlines. Even if you book a flight thinking it's a specific model they can change it out at the last minute. Happened to us on a KLM transatlantic with a mad scramble to reassign seating since the replacement had a completely different layout.

I really like the sights on this tour so I'm looking at ways to break up the flights home. Maybe a non-stop from Heraklion to Rome or Paris for a couple of days then home.

That photo of Turkish airlines looks nothing special at all. Our best experience has been with Qatar….but then we haven’t flown Emirates.

MikeHenderson

To be fair, my travel agent pointed out the seat situation before she made the reservation. We decided to accept it because it was the best flight available.

And it was an old aircraft. I never encountered that seating arrangement again. I'll bet Turkish Airlines was not proud of that offering. All my other flights on Turkish have been modern.

The Turkish Airlines lounge at the Istanbul airport is very nice. But so is the Emirates (or maybe it's Qatar) lounge at Doha.

I've flown Qatar and Emirates and both were nice. But a flight is just a flight - a few hours in the air and then you're gone. My main concern is that the flight departs on time and it's a safe flight. I like the advantage of lie-flat seats and I've found that some are more comfortable than others. But the airlines are always improving so I can't really complain about an airline when I get one of their old planes. Next time I may get their latest and greatest.

[Side note: I encountered a pilot for one of the airlines on a trip. We talked airplanes for a bit and along the way, I thanked him for always giving us a safe ride. He replied, "Well, I'm also in the plane." ]

Noreen

We loved Qatar airlines and the lounge in Doha. The attention to details and the meals are just outstanding!! Emirates are also wonderful but the lounge in Dubai wasn't as good as Qatar.

Claudia, have you thought about flying from Heraklion to Athens and seeing more of Athens? I have not been to Athens at all and may look into that possibility. However, I love your idea of a couple of days in Paris. Always tons of things to do there! Then I can fly non stop from Paris to Dallas. I think I’ll talk to Tauck this next week. Are you holding reservations on this trip?

Hike, how long ago did you take that picture on Turkish Air?

Yes I did think of Athens but as you said, connections from somewhere like Paris would be easier. From Athens I'd still have 3 flights home. The joy of not living near a major hub.

terrilynn

For those who have done GREECE before, I'd love to hear thoughts on this new land tour VS a Greek cruise (like on Windstar/Windsurf - either with or without Tauck). We love both land tours and river cruises and we do both, but I've always heard Greece is best on a cruise. Would love pros and cons of both as we hope to book Greece in the next 3 yrs (we are pretty booked till 2028). Sorry to jump on this post with this question, I can repost separately if needed.

Good question terrilynn.

Hidden Greece is a new trip beginning in 2026. The itinerary is now posted on the website. It is totally a land journey. Starts in the north and moves down to the south ending in Crete. It’s totally different from The Treasures of the Agean trip. It looks amazing. I’ve not been to Greece before and wanted Greek history. I’m planning on confirming my reservations for next May. Then perhaps I’ll go the following year on the small cruise ship that begins in Athens, island hops and ends in Istanbul. It looks incredible too, but the single supplement is almost the same as double occupancy. Windstar is definitely not encouraging solo travelers!

lisajanetx

Franlovestravel - thank you so much for pointing out the Turkish Air flight from DFW to Thessaloniki. Our airport of choice is also DFW so I'll have to look into this. BTW - I fell in love with Athens. Yes, it is a bit ragged around the edges but stunning nonetheless. History absolutely everywhere. Tons of rooftop bars with amazing views and I absolutely loved my walk up to Mount Lycabettus. You can also take a cable car up to reach the top. Several cafes/restaurants (yes, overpriced and touristy but still great views).

terrilynn - I need to disclose upfront that I don't really do cruises and prefer land tours so I am a bit biased. I took the A&K Greece land tour as a solo traveller in October 2024 and really thought it had a lot of pros. Unfortunately, that same tour has increased quite a lot in price and A&K doesn't do triples so I'm excited about the Tauck tour and the possibility of traveling with the entire family. The biggest pro I can see with a Greek land tour vs. cruise/sail is that you're not a 'daytripper.' This is a particular advantage in crowded places such as Santorini. Too many cruises during central hours means too many people - a huge issue in Santorini and other popular spots! You almost can't walk along the walkways in Santorini when the cruises arrive. Once the passengers get back on the boat, a much calmer vibe falls over the small island. On a land tour you also have the advantage of an authentic dinner with a view ---- and it seems everywhere in Greece has amazing views (and food). We stayed at some amazing hotels all over Greece and I can't imagine having missed that opportunity. So many rooftop bars with great views! You also get the advantage of getting to see the sunrises and sunsets while staying at a lovely hotel along the coast. Hope this is helpful.

Folsomdoc

To address terrilyns post: we took the Rick Steves tour Best of Greece a number of years ago bringing along our then 20 year old daughter. Any tour’s success is the sum of many parts: the destination, the group, the guide, the food, the weather etc. I say that only to point out that this tour was our favorite of the many we have taken-it hit all cylinders. It starts and ends in Athens . It is not a Greek island tour, but does overnight in Hydra. Hydra is the closest island to Athens, a short hydrofoil ride away, and can be swamped with day tripper. At night, we owned it, and it was a delight. We also visited Delphi, Napflion, Olympia, Kalamata and several small seaside and inland villages. A special time was in the mountains where one afternoon we dined on trout which had just been swimming in the waters below our feet (the restaurant was on stilts). Athens was amazing- we were there the week the Acropolis Museum opened and toured it on our own. We also visited several smaller museums as well as the Acropolis and other ruins. This September we are taking the Tauck Aegean: Athens to Istanbul. The new Greece Tauck tour (this original post) is intriguing as it covers the north, especially Meteora which is a bucket list destination. I would bet at some point the sequence will be changed to end in Athens but I could be wrong. So, how best to see Greece? Well, here is the worst, IMHO: a large cruise ship. Now we love to cruise but spend most time aboard. I see pictures of Santorini when several ships are in port and shudder (hope we avoid that, but who knows). And you’ll miss most of the flavor of Greece by not doing a land tour. I failed to mention the people-they are delightful. English is widely spoken (after all, who else speaks Greek) and we were warmly welcomed everywhere. I can’t tell you how many times someone would say this or similar: “You’re from America!! I have a cousin in America! He lives in Chicago his name is Dimitri, do you know him!!?” Good luck deciding!

terrilynn

Folsomdoc - we too have traveled a few times with Rick Steves and have found the excursions & guides equal to, if not better than Tauck's. I've been looking at that RS Greece tour for a few years - and may end up on it one day. While we LOVE Tauck, they are pricing us out on some tours, unfortunately. Thanks for reminding me about RS again. .

Lisajanetx- I spoke to Tauck air today, just to get an idea of airline pricing for next year. It’s too early for the trip I’m holding space on, but I wanted to at least get an idea. So, while I can fly from DFW to Thessaloniki via Istanbul on Turkish Air, I can’t get home as hardly any airline code shares with Agean Air! So, I can get to Athens on Agean but getting back to the U.S. could be a nightmare because of the code sharing. While they came up with a routing it was with Air Canada to Toronto then Dallas. To FOLSOMDOC’s point, not ending this trip in Athens may make it impossible for this itinerary to work for anyone! . I’ll hold my reservations until I see what I can really reserve, but from my conversation with Tauck, it looks like there could be major problems. Also while Turkish Air has a contact with Tauck, I have to pay for the reservations when they’re made.

The gal I spoke to today did send an email asking how they could design a trip for which there were no options to get home.

Stay tuned.

henrypoon_66

What kind of 3 years old trust the Tauck Air Department? They have done so many nasty things to me on the A Week In Portugal trip in order to put me on the $3000 business class airfare as part of the deal. Should have never taken it. They literally told me I cannot take this one particular flight no matter what or you will forefeit the benefit.

Went with A& K last year just like Lisajanetx, love flying with Aegean. This itiniterary is very similar to A&K Crusing the Greek Isle Pre and Post Extension. Had a blast with A&K and arranged all the flights on business class myself with the blessings and guidance of A&K. A&K is so helpful over the phone, letting you pick your own flight and still pick you up at the airport.