Les Journées Athéniennes

The gilded age of the Grand European Tour may be over, but the siren call of Classical Athens will never wane. 

Who can honestly say they’ve never felt the pull to tread the sacred temples of the ancient world? To listen for the eternal echoes of Plato, Pericles, Socrates - and all those like them - who were the well-spring of Western Civilization?

The French broadsheet Le Figaro is clearly on the same page. The august publication has chosen our legendary city to host an exclusive six-day tour in late May, to mark the 10th anniversary of its flagship magazine, Le Figaro Histoire.  So, if you’re one of this website’s many French-speaking friends, do read on to learn more about this once in a lifetime experience!

Billed as Les Journées Athéniennes (The Athenian Days), the premium travel experience offers participants a whirlwind exposure to the best culture, art, history and fine dining that Athens has to offer - while bedding down at the city’s most historic (naturally) hotel, the Grande Bretagne. 

The prestige trip has been curated for Le Figaro in partnership with the City of Athens (with the support of the Greek National Tourism Organisation) and will feature a rota of impressive speakers to enrich the cultural learnings of the tour. Alexis Brézet, Editorial Director of Le Figaro; Jean-Luc Martinez, former President of the Louvre Museum; and Marina Lambraki-Plaka, Director of the National Gallery of Greece, to name a few.  

“At a time when Greece, mother of philosophy and history, has just celebrated two centuries of its independence, Le Figaro Histoire has chosen to celebrate its ten years of existence in the city that witnessed the birth of democracy in the shadow of the Acropolis,” says Le Figaro. 

Many of the participants are arriving straight from Paris. If you're already in Athens, you can join the experience in Athens for €249. 

Have your eyes have grown wide at the sound of a culture-soaked, springtime adventure in sunny Athens? Here are some highlights: 

• A two-day conference diving into the Philhellenes with academics and philosophers on the origins of democracy at the prestigious 19th century Academy of Athens;
• An open-air performance of Sophocles’ Antigone in the beating heart of ancient Athens, the Pnyx;
• A show about Lord Byron by the notable writer Sylvain Tesson at a landmark open-air cinema in Thissio; 
• Contemporary Greek lunches at the hidden gem Black Duck Garden and the acclaimed Vassilenas Restaurant.

Sold? Jump on the link below to book your slot!