Program is tentative and subject to change. Connect with our Customer Care Team by calling: (888) 230-6008 Mon.-Thur. from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET).
YOUR journey
J² crafts journeys of inspiration, education, and Jewish connections to Israel and worldwide. We are guided by a simple but powerful concept: No two trips are the same; each experience should be personal, meaningful, and backed by superb service. Travel is not just about the places you visit, but the connections you make along the way.
Archaeology 
Heritage - Special Access
UNESCO Heritage Sites
Program Itinerary
DAY 1
ON OUR WAY
Mon. Oct 27, 2025
- Depart the US.
Overnight: Flight
DAY 2
WELCOME TO GREECE
Tue. Oct 28, 2025
- Arrive at Athens International Airport.
- Meet your J² Expert Educator who will accompany you on this journey of education and inspiration, along with your local guide.
- Group transfer to your Athens hotel.
- This Is Greece: Visit the Acropolis, an ancient citadel located above the city and the most well-known landmark of Greece. Whether you go to the Parthenon, the Temple of Athena Nike, or to any of the other world-famous structures that sit high above the city, this visit will seamlessly bridge what you thought about Greece and what you see with your own eyes.
- Welcome dinner at a local restaurant.
Overnight: Athens, Greece
Meals: Dinner
DAY 3
JEWISH ATHENS
Wed. Oct 29, 2025
- The Jewish Community of Athens—Past, Present, & Future: Opening session with your Expert Educator.
- Integrated, foundational, vibrant, and inspiring—all describe the profound history of Greece's Jewish community. At the Jewish Museum, immerse yourself in this rich heritage and deepen your understanding of its legacy, guided by insights from the museum’s director, Zanet Battinou.
- Visit Beit Shalom Synagogue and the Etz Haim Synagogue.
- Deep Roots Uprooted: The painful loss felt throughout Greece as a result of the attempted destruction of the Jewish community is still acute. Stop at the Holocaust monument and participate in a memorial service.
- Meet the community's leaders: Rabbi Gabriel Negrin, the young, Greek-born Chief Rabbi of Athens, and Taly Mair, the dedicated director of the Jewish community.
- Enjoy a free evening to explore Athens.
Overnight: Athens, Greece
Meals: Breakfast
DAY 4
THE WONDERS OF MOUNT OLYMPUS
Thu. Oct 30, 2025
- Check out of the hotel.
- Visit Chalkida (or Chalkis), possibly the oldest Jewish settlement in Europe, dating back to the destruction of the 1st Temple in the 6th century B.C.E.
- Drive up to the breathtaking rock formations and get our first glimpse of the surreal landscape of Meteora, where towering sandstone cliffs rise dramatically from the valley below, crowned with monasteries perched high on the rocky peaks. Visit one of its most famous monasteries.
- Enter Thessalonki and explore the area by bus before checking into the hotel.
- Enjoy a free evening in Thessaloniki.
Overnight: Thessaloniki, Greece
Meals: Breakfast
DAY 5
IN THE CITY
Fri. Oct 31, 2025
- Painful Memories: Visit the old Thessaloniki railway station, a poignant site that serves as a haunting reminder of the thousands of Jews deported during the Holocaust, many of whom were taken to concentration camps, forever marking the station as a symbol of loss and tragedy in the city’s history.
- Ladino: The Yiddish of the Sephardic Jews—Meet with a local specialist to explore the rich language and culture of Ladino.
- Introductions: Patron Saints, Dragon Slayers, and Victory Arches: All of these will come alive as you travel and gain perspective of the multi-layered and historically rooted city. These sites include the White Tower (the city’s symbol), the long seafront promenade, the Agios Demetrios or Agia Sophia Byzantine churches, the Rotunda, which started out as a Roman temple of Zeus, and the Arch of Triumph of Galerius and the ruins of his palace.
- Kabbalat Shabbat services at Yad Lezicaron Synagogue followed by dinner with the community.
Overnight: Thessaloniki, Greece
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
DAY 6
SHABBAT IN THESSALONIKI
Sat. Nov 1, 2025
- Optional morning services at Yad Lezicaron Synagogue.
- Late morning choice from two optional walking tours:
A walking tour in the archeological museum
OR
A tour of the Upper City, Ano Poli. - Shabbat Lunch.
- Mark the end of Shabbat with a communal Havdalah ceremony.
- Free time to enjoy dinner and experience live Greek music!
Overnight: Thessaloniki, Greece
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
DAY 7
METEORA: A ROAD TO SPIRTUALITY
Sun. Nov 2, 2025
- Check out of the hotel.
- Understanding Modern Greece: Gain insight into contemporary Greece from a local journalist who will discuss the country's key issues and dynamics.
- Continue driving north and stop for lunch in Thermopylae (on own) followed by a visit at Mount Olympus.
- Continue to Ioannina, once the largest Romaniote Jewish community in Greece, and check into the hotel.
- Have a lakeside dinner in a local restaurant.
Overnight: Ioannina, Greece
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
DAY 8
THE MOSAIC OF IOANNINA
Mon. Nov 3, 2025
- Journey through the gates of Ioannina Castro, home to half of the city's Jewish population at the beginning of the 20th century.
- Explore the historic Jewish quarter of Ioannina and delve into the rich heritage of the Romaniote Jewish community, established 300-400 years after the destruction of the Second Temple. Here, you'll discover a unique cultural legacy, where residents spoke Greek and Hebrew (not Ladino) and were known as Romaniotes.
- Meet llegra Matsa, the life force behind the dwindling Jewish community in Ioannina.
- Explore Ioannina during your free evening.
Overnight: Ioannina, Greece
Meals: Breakfast
DAY 9
DISCOVERING DELPHI
Tue. Nov 4, 2025
- Check out of the hotel.
- Journey to Delphi, once revered by the ancient Greeks as the very center of the world, where you'll tour the remarkable site anchored by the Omphalos—a sacred stone monument symbolizing the navel of the earth.
- Drive through Greece’s mainland, passing through the fertile plain of Boeotia and the historic towns of Thebes and Levadia.
- Return to Athens and enjoy a farewell dinner.
- Check into the hotel.
Overnight: Athens, Greece
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
DAY 10
HOME AGAIN
Wed. Nov 5, 2025
- Check out of the hotel and transfer to Athens International Airport.
- Depart Athens and return to the US.
Overnight: Flight
Meals: Breakfast
RATES & LODGING
Protect yourself from fraud by being cautious and vigilant when it comes to online theft. It is crucial to note that J² adventures will never send an email requesting you to transfer funds to a new account or to redirect a payment. We will never alter our account number or issue additional payment requests without first personally speaking to you and properly identifying ourselves. If you feel uncertain about any communication (scammers often impersonate legitimate companies via e-mail or by calling), halt and contact us directly through our toll-free number listed on our website to discuss any necessary payments. Refrain from responding to suspicious emails or clicking on links or attachments unless you are completely certain of their legitimacy. By following these guidelines and staying vigilant, you can significantly reduce your risk of becoming a victim of fraud.
participants
15+
Cost p/p in double room
$6,530
Cost p/p in single room
$7,690
Hotels are subject to change. Registration open
Athens: Royal Olympic
- Nights: 2
- Room Category: Deluxe
- Hotel Website
Thessaloniki: Monasty, Autogeaph Collection
- Nights: 3
- Room Category: Classic
- Hotel Website
Ioannina: Grand Serai
- Nights: 2
- Room Category: Standard
- Hotel Website
Athens: Royal Olympic
- Nights: 1
- Room Category: Deluxe
- Hotel Website
What to expect
- 8 nights' accommodations.
- 7 days of touring with a J² Expert Educator and local guides, 7 days of touring in a luxury, air-conditioned bus.
- Daily breakfast, 1 lunch & 4 dinners.
- The J² adventures App available on the App Store & on Google Play (active 30 days before your departure and throughout your trip).
- Water on the bus.
- Porterage at the hotels.
- All site entrance fees & program fees as per your final program.
- Credit card fees.
- Flights to & from Greece.
- COVID related expenses, including tests.
- Late check out on the day of departure.
- Gratuities: Recommend guidelines for tipping are provided in the terms section.
- Evening transportation when dinner is not included.
- Amendments to the program: In the event that any sites, programs or meals etc. are added to the program, an additional fee may be required.
- Personal extras: Items of personal nature such as laundry, wines, mineral water, beverages, coffee, tea, food other than the table d’hotel menu, passport and visa fees, insurance, and foreign port taxes, unless otherwise specified.
- US and foreign airport taxes, Q fuel surcharge and border taxes when applicable.
- Please review our terms & conditions (T&C’s) or request that we send you our full T&C’s. Until you do that, here is the small print, and other stuff you may want to know:
- Validity | All prices quoted are based on exchange rates as of the proposal date and are subject to change without notice. Rates are per person and are based on shared twin room occupancy.
- How to Make a Reservation | The quickest way to make a reservation is to register online or contact us by email. We accept VISA, MasterCard, and American Express credit cards. A non-refundable deposit of $1000 is required in order to complete the registration process.
- For any assistance with this registration process or other trip-related queries, please email Customer Care: [email protected].
- Payments | The balance of your payment is due 120 days before your trip begins, or as specified in your invoice. You will receive an email reminder 2 weeks before this date. Various payment options are available as follows:
- Credit card | We accept Visa, Mastercard and American Express. Please check with your credit card provider regarding international processing fees. We are unable to process payments of over $1,000 over the phone. Please submit payment online via a credit card or by wiring funds via your bank.
- Domestic bank wire transfer | Payment should be wired in the same currency that is listed on your invoice. Please add the name of your group or invoice number as a reference and forward a copy of the transfer receipt by email. The bank transfer should clearly state the beneficiary’s name on the wire transfer.
- J² Adventures reserves the right to automatically cancel your reservation on that date and it may be subject to reconfirmation should the final payment not be received.
- Cancelation Policy | All cancelations need to be made in writing. The cancelation fee depends on the date when we receive written notification of your request to cancel your booking. Please note that the deposit is non-refundable.
- Cancelation fees | Cancelations made 120 or more days prior to departure incur the loss of the deposit. Cancelations made 119 to 46 days prior to departure incur the loss of 50% of the full trip cost. Cancelations made 45 days or less prior to the departure incur the loss of 100% of the full trip cost.
- Cancelation fees may also include: Hotel or supplier cancelation fees. J² Adventures reserves the right to adjust its terms of payment, including cancelation policies and initial deposits.
- Protect yourself from fraud by being cautious and vigilant when it comes to online theft. It is crucial to note that J² adventures will never send an email requesting you to transfer funds to a new account or to redirect a payment. We will never alter our account number or issue additional payment requests without first personally speaking to you and properly identifying ourselves. If you feel uncertain about any communication (scammers often impersonate legitimate companies via e-mail or by calling), halt and contact us directly through our toll-free number listed on our website to discuss any necessary payments. Refrain from responding to suspicious emails or clicking on links or attachments unless you are completely certain of their legitimacy. By following these guidelines and staying vigilant, you can significantly reduce your risk of becoming a victim of fraud.
- Please click here to view our full terms (T&C’s). These T&C’s apply to all reservations created within J2 Adventures.
DISCOVER NEW WORLDS.
JOURNEYS.
A family vacation to Israel. An adventure of a lifetime traveling with friends to Morocco. A trip to Poland or Portugal with your community. What do these trips have in common? No matter where you go, you will come back with a fresh perspective and appreciation of the place you visited as well as a heightened awareness of your identity as part of the global Jewish community.
Stuff.
We have everything you need to know before you go. Check out our Instagram my_j2adventures for cool updates and interesting tidbits.
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