Sunvil Holidays applauds decision to extend opening hours for Greek museums and cultural sites

Thirty-three of Greece’s most popular museums and archaeological sites are set to extend their opening hours, says the Greek Culture Ministry. From 1 April until the end of October, visitors will be able to visit from 8am until 8pm, seven days a week.

Expert tour operator to Greece, Sunvil Holidays welcomes this long-awaited move, which will allow visitors greater flexibility and opportunity to experience the country’s top cultural sites, in a year when the region is expected to draw more than 18.5 million tourists, topping record arrivals in 2013.

Dudley der Parthog, Programme Director at Sunvil Holidays, comments: “It’s excellent news that the authorities have decided to extend museum and site opening times in spring and autumn, as well as during the peak summer season. Sightseeing is far more appealing when temperatures are lower and attractions less crowded, and the move will bolster our efforts to encourage shoulder season holidays.”

Last year, according to official figures, Greece welcomed 17.8 million holidaymakers, of whom 12 million visited its museums and archaeological sites. The 33 sites that have been selected to offer extended hours this season account for 95 percent of those visits and include the Acropolis in Athens, Ancient Olympia in the Peloponnese, Knossos in Crete, the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki, the Royal Tombs of Aigai (Vergina) and Akrotiri in Santorini.

Culture vultures can take full advantage of this new opportunity to explore the treasures of the region with Sunvil Holidays’ vast array of Greek options.

Vibrant Athens, with the Acropolis and its splendid new museum, makes an ideal stand-alone destination or an add-on to a longer Greek holiday. Three nights’ B&B in May, staying at the comfortable Pan Hotel, right next to Syntagma Square, cost from £503 pp (two sharing) including EasyJet flights (Gatwick) and private transfers.

Tolon, in the north-eastern Peloponnese, is a charming, small seaside resort, exceptionally well-placed for exploring the Argolid, with its turbulent and fascinating history. Departing in May, seven nights’ self-catering at the spacious, newly-refurbished Lido Apartments, with large freshwater swimming pool, cost from £630 pp based on two sharing a studio, including flights (Gatwick) and transfers. The historic sites of the region can be visited by hire car, local bus or organized excursion. Sunvil Holidays offers an escorted coach trip to the amphitheatre of Epidavros, the elegant town of Nafplion and Ancient Mycenae for €50 pp.

A fly-drive holiday is the ideal way to discover the ancient treasures of mainland Greece, such as Thessaloniki, with its city-centre sites, monuments and fascinating Archaeological Museum, which combines perfectly with a visit to the Royal Tombs of Aigai at Vergina. Sunvil’s fly-drive itineraries are completely flexible; a seven-night trip costs from £699 pp in May, including flights, car hire and B&B hotel accommodation.

For further information or to make a booking, please call Sunvil Holidays on 020 8758 4758 or visit www.sunvil.co.uk.

Ends / 20 March 2014

Press: For high-res photography, more information on Sunvil’s real Greece programme or to discuss commissioned press trips, please contact Sarah Belcher at Travel PR on 020 8891 4440 or email s.belcher@travelpr.co.uk.

Note to Editors: Sunvil has pioneered many specialist destinations in its 44-year history, and has been at the forefront of environmental initiatives and good practice for over 20 years. To order a hard copy of any of Sunvil’s holiday brochures (the Azores, Cyprus, Greece, Italy & Sicily, Latin America, Portugal & Madeira, Sailing and Scandinavia, including the Faroes), please call 020 8758 4747. Sunvil’s sister companies include Expert Africa, Wild About Africa, and GIC The Villa Collection, plus Planet Holidays, the overseas wedding experts.