Greece

September 8–17, 2022

Piraeus station, approximately 5.6 miles southwest of Athens and the present terminus of Athens Metro Line 1. Mispahn photo (Wikimedia, Aug 2008)

The Electric Railroaders Association is proud to announce our next international tour, Transit and Tourism in Greece. We will visit the cities of Athens and Thessaloniki, covering electrified transit operations such as trams, metros and trolley buses. This extensive nine-day tour will include luxury coach travel from Athens to Thessolaniki, and a return trip via first-class travel on the new Greek high-speed rail line. Sightseeing opportunities will be provided to cover the two cities’ many beautiful and historic places, and a day trip from Thessolaniki will include historic rail travel in northern Greece.

Our tour starts in Athens on Thursday, September 8 as participants arrive and settle into our luxury hotel. Activities start the following day with an Athens sightseeing tour and our welcome dinner. The final tour activity on Friday, September 16 will be a choice of either an escorted tour on Metro service trains, or a sightseeing tour with entrance to various museums. Both activities will be followed by our farewell dinner. All breakfasts, two group lunches and four group dinners will be provided.

We will stay two nights in Athens, three nights in Thessaloniki, and return for four more nights in Athens. Four- and five-star hotels will be our homes during the tour. Baggage handling will be at a minimum as our baggage will travel with us on our own private coach.

The ERA plans on chartering historic trolleybus equipment (if available), visiting depots and railway museums, utilizing service trams, trolley coach lines, metros, a high-speed railway and a steam-operated narrow-gauge railway, and experiencing escorted sightseeing. Athens local passes will enhance your local riding experience.

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Itinerary

Day 1 / Thursday, September 8

Arrive in Athens on your own. If you have any time available for sightseeing, the Athens Railway Museum is open from 9:00 AM and 1:00 PM.

Day 2 / Friday, September 9

There will be a morning sightseeing tour of Athens including entrance to the Acropolis, with an afternoon trolley coach charter requested. The day will end with a welcome dinner.

Day 3 / Saturday, September 10

We will travel via private coach from Athens to Thessolaniki.. There will be a group dinner in the evening after we check into our hotel.

Day 4 / Sunday, September 11

We will take a roundtrip day visit to the Pelion Railway narrow-gauge steam train. There will be a group lunch in Milea. After returning to the initial station on the steam train our coach will bring us back to our Thessolaniki hotel.

Day 5 / Monday, September 12

The day will begin with a local sightseeing tour of Thessolaniki, followed by a requested tour of metro construction and the new maintenance facility.

Day 6 / Tuesday, September 13

We will travel by the new (opened May 2019) high-speed rail line from Thessolaniki to Athens. Our baggage will be transferred by our coach to our Athens hotel. There will be lunch on the train. We will use public transportation from the Athens railway station to our hotel. The afternoon will be free and there will be a group dinner in the evening.

Day 7 / Wednesday, September 14

There will be a requested morning Athens trolleybus charter.
The afternoon and evening will be free.

Day 8 / Thursday, September 15

The group will travel via public transportation to visit the transport museum in Piraeus. There will a group lunch in Piraeus. After lunch the group will travel via public transportation for a requested tour of the Athens Metro maintenance facility. The evening will be free.

Day 9 / Friday, September 16

The group splits into a transit or sightseeing activities. The transit group will travel via escorted tour of the Athens metro system. The sightseeing group will board a tour coach for a sightseeing and museum entrances. There will be a farewell dinner in the evening.

Day 10 / Saturday, September 17

Final day of tour. Depart from Athens for onward travel or stay for additional nights on own. 

Tour and Accommodation Information

Air travel is at your own expense. First arrival is in Athens on September 8. The Hotel Titania Athens is centrally located. Transportation from the airport (about an hour away) is available by metro, suburban rail and metro, or express bus. Taxi fare is about €40 (approximately $45). Local transit passes will be distributed as needed for most travel from September 8 onward. Departure will be from Athens on September 17. Accommodations are available for three days before and three days after the formal tour period. Air arrangements, especially if you are using frequent flyer miles, are best made as soon as possible.

Ticket Price: $2,350 per person

The tour costs $2,350 per person double occupancy ($910 single supplement) and includes:

Extra Nights

Extra nights are available up to three days before the tour and three days after the tour in Athens. If you choose to arrive before the trip, from September 5-6 onward you may stay at the Hotel Titania for an additional $115 per person per day, double occupancy or $205 single occupancy. If you stay after the trip on September 17-18 to September 19-20 you may stay at the Hotel Titania for an additional $115 per person per day, double occupancy or $205 single occupancy. Note this on the order form below when sending in your reservation.

Reservations

To reserve your Greece tour, please complete the online order form below. Printed order forms may be sent to:

Electric Railroaders Association
c/o Michael Glikin, Treasurer
8440 South Dixie Highway #1402, Miami, Fla. 33143-7825

Travel Insurance

We urge you to purchase cancellation insurance and supplemental medical coverage (which covers pre-existing conditions). This is a smart way to safeguard against life’s surprises.

Please note that in order to receive maximum coverage, most insurance policies require purchase within 21 days of your initial payment.

We have made arrangements with Travel Insurance Center, a division of SMS in Omaha, Nebraska. SMS (Senior Market Sales) has over 25 years of experience as worldwide insurance brokers and can help you choose the policy that best meets your needs. International insurance includes coverage to all destinations.

Our contact person is Jonah Engel. Mention promo code: ERA USA
Email: [email protected]
U.S. Phone: 402-404-5205

We cannot accept responsibility for any losses or expenses which you or any member of your party may incur as a result of failure to secure adequate coverage.

Cancellation Policy

The Electric Railroaders Association works with third-party travel agents and local transportation providers in planning and implementing its tour program. These agents have cancellation policies which we must follow as they may not refund the full payment amount by certain deadlines. Our policy is that we may have to deduct certain amounts and percentages from refunds if our agents do not reimburse us after their stated deadlines. Our policy is as follows:

It is important that all participants purchase travel insurance to allow reimbursement for cancellation fees for covered reasons or, preferably, Cancel for any Reason insurance.

Full Payment Must Be Received by April 30, 2022

We accept Visa, MasterCard and Discover. We also accept American Express but prefer an alternative if you have a choice. You may also pay by check or money order payable to: Electric Railroaders Association, Inc. For questions, call 917-714-7087, or use our Contact Us page.

 

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