A Greek-speaking tour leader
Every group sets off with one of our tour leaders, who speaks your language, knows the country and solves problems before they become problems.
About us
The journey is already the destination
Ithaka was born in Athens in 1998 out of a belief as old as the Odyssey: what matters is not arriving, but the journey.
Our story
A long voyage, as in the poem
For Greeks, Ithaka is far more than an island: it is the home you return to after seeing the world. The poet Cavafy turned it into a wish for those setting out: may the road be long, full of discoveries, and may you be in no hurry to arrive. It is the idea we started from.
In 1998 we opened a small office in Athens with a simple idea: to organise group tours accompanied by a Greek-speaking tour leader, so that anyone setting off for a faraway country never feels alone or far from home. Since then we have accompanied more than 42,000 travellers on every continent, and 68% of them have travelled with us again.
Today we work from Athens and Thessaloniki and offer tours in 27 destinations. Our philosophy has not changed: small groups, programmes planned without rushing, local partners chosen one by one, and support that always answers.
- travellers accompanied
- 42,000
- years of experience
- 28
- average rating
- 4.8/5
- customers who travel with us again
- 68%
Our values
How we work
Four commitments you will find on every trip, from first contact to your return home.
Groups on a human scale
From 10 to 20 people, with a few small-group tours: enough to make friends, few enough to really see the places.
Clear prices
What is included and what is not is stated on each tour’s page, before you book. No surprises when you come to pay.
Travelling with respect
We choose local partners, carefully run hotels and itineraries that give something back to the places and people we meet.
The team
The people behind the trips
A small, close-knit team: when you write or call, you speak to people who really know the trips.
Eleni Papadopoulou
Director and founder
She founded Ithaka in 1998 and still designs the best-loved itineraries herself, the ones where culture meets the dinner table.
Nikos Georgiou
Head of tour leaders
He selects and trains the tour leaders who accompany the groups: he knows each one personally and has led many of our trips himself.
Maria Karagianni
Bookings and payments
She handles every booking from confirmation to final payment: if you have a question about payments, documents or instalments, she is the one who will answer.
Dimitris Alexiou
Tailor-made trips and groups, Thessaloniki branch
He builds private trips, as well as trips for schools, companies and associations, starting from your idea and a blank sheet of paper.
Licences and guarantees
Licensed travel, with protection for you
Before you trust a travel agency, it is only right to know who is behind it and what it guarantees you.
Greek National Tourism Organisation licence
We are a travel agency licensed by the Greek National Tourism Organisation (GNTO), no. 0000 Ε60 0000000.
Insolvency protection
For every package holiday we hold a guarantee that protects payments and the travellers’ return home if the organiser becomes insolvent, as required by EU Directive 2015/2302, which has been transposed into Greek law.
Secure payments
We never store your card number or security code: we only keep the card network and the last four digits.
Liability cover and assistance
The agency has professional liability insurance. You can add travel insurance to any booking, with medical assistance, cancellation and baggage cover.
If something goes wrong, write to us straight away: we reply to every complaint in writing. If we cannot find a solution together, you can turn to the Greek Consumer Ombudsman (Συνήγορος του Καταναλωτή), the independent authority that handles disputes between consumers and businesses. You will find all the rules in our general travel terms.
Tell us where you want to go
Pick a departure from the calendar or describe the trip you have in mind: we usually reply within one working day.