Greece Travelogue 1
In February 2025, I went on an H.I.S. Greece tour ● Escorted Tour ● Enchanting 7-Day Tour of Greece.
The food was delicious, the people were kind, the climate was pleasant, and there were so many sights to see!
Greece is the best! I want to recommend it to everyone!!
I am putting together this travel record in the hope that it will be helpful for those considering a trip to Greece.
The places visited were Meteora (World Heritage Site), Thermopylae, Delphi (World Heritage Site), Hosios Loukas Monastery (World Heritage Site), Acropolis (World Heritage Site)
Greece Tourist Spots
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Tour Overview
I'll summarize the general details of the tour here. The tour title was "Enchanting Greece 7-Day Tour," but because the flights are long, we only stayed in hotels in Greece for four nights.
The cost was 323,450 yen. The fuel surcharge is expensive!
(Tour price 179,000 yen, single room supplement 55,000 yen, fuel surcharge 74,980 yen, plus other taxes, etc.)
Meals were included for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, except for the half-day of free time on the last day. For drinks during meals, we had to order individually and pay in cash on the spot.
Before departure, I exchanged 15,000 yen for euros at Kansai Airport, and I used it all up exactly on drinks, tips, and small purchases.
For my flight, I flew with the Chinese (technically) full-service carrier Juneyao Air, with a transit in Shanghai. In-flight meals were provided.
There were 17 participants this time. Five were traveling solo, and the others were couples, friends, or colleagues.
I was worried about what I would do if it were all newlyweds, but there were no newlyweds.
The tour conductor was with us the whole way from Kansai Airport, and they were a wonderful, experienced person.
HIS provided earphone guides, which were great because they allowed me to hear explanations clearly even in crowded places.
As for my overall impressions of the tour...
"I'm so glad I joined! Tours are great!!"
You don't have to check times or transportation methods yourself, so it's not mentally exhausting.
You don't have to make restaurant reservations.
When traveling alone, you can't order many dishes at a restaurant, but on a tour, they serve you things like four types of appetizers.
Since you don't have to use your brain, you can drink alcohol from lunch.
A dedicated guide gives detailed explanations (separate from the tour conductor, there is a guide at each destination).
With a single room, you don't have to worry about a travel companion.
If you get lonely, you can talk to the tour conductor or other participants.
It was fun to hear stories about various travel destinations from other tour participants (many of whom were experienced travelers).
Traveling alone can be nerve-wracking, and traveling with friends can sometimes be tiring because you have to be considerate, so joining a tour solo might be all pros?
If I had to mention a downside, it's that you can't fulfill wishes like "I want to stay here a bit longer" or "I want to go here too!"
I wanted to see the museums more thoroughly, and I also wanted to go to the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion in Athens, but I couldn't.
But maybe it's just right to feel like "I want to come back again!"
I'm already excited about going to Greece alone next time to visit the Temple of Poseidon and the Aegean islands I couldn't visit this time.
Travel is wonderful because you get excited researching it, have a blast while you're actually there, and then smile when you look back on it after you return, enjoying it for years.
As long as you're thinking "I'm going on another trip!", you can keep a positive mindset.
Greece is a country I definitely want to visit again!
It's a bit of a niche destination, and even the "Chikyu no Arukikata" (Earth Walker) guidebook hasn't been updated in years, but I highly recommend it!!