MONTREAL, May 27, 2019 /CNW Telbec/ - Whitewashed villages, temples with Doric columns, blue-green seas and stands of cypress trees: That's just a glimpse of what awaits travellers heading to Greece and its islands this summer. Transat encourages Canadian families looking for adventure, leisure and history to take advantage of its various travel options for discovering Greece and shares tips for a successful summer holiday in this mythical land.

Preparing kids and stimulating into their imaginations
In her Experience Transat blog titled Découvrir la Grèce en famille, Nathalie Richard proposes a couple of ways for parents to get their children into the right spirit before a trip to Greece. She suggests gathering around a map of the Aegean Sea and making a game out of naming the Cyclades, an archipelago with no fewer than 250 islands, only 24 of which are inhabited. Come nightfall, parents can draw on Homer's Odyssey for story time—it's full of gripping tales, like how Odysseus escaped the cyclops.

Stimulating kids' imaginations gives them a greater sense of wonder when they finally see the remnants of Ancient Greece in person. Other ways of building anticipation include counting down the days to takeoff on an official calendar and adding a Hellenic theme to the family menu. 

Setting aside some time to admire Athens
Athens is a lively city where tradition and modernity live side by side. It's well worth exploring for a few days before heading off to other popular destinations, such as the Cyclades. 

Younger visitors will feel like adventurers when they climb the hill to the Acropolis and behold historic monuments such as the Parthenon, Temple of Athena Nike and Erechtheion. What's more, the capital boasts eye-catching street art; kids will be captivated by the more than 2,000 artists' murals that grace some of the city's neighbourhoods.

For its part, the Hellenic Children's Museum in Athens delights with an amusing array of immersive experiences, interactive exhibits, games and arts and crafts.

Savouring easy gastronomy
For foodies, Greece offers the virtues of Mediterranean cooking, which has fresh, healthy options for everyone. Local delicacies younger palates might enjoy include tzatziki, Greek salad, stuffed vine leaves, gyros, moussaka and grilled fish, not to mention a number of honey‑sweetened desserts.

Booking packages, tours and cruises to simplify travel planning
Transat has options that let visitors enjoy Greece to the fullest without having to worry about the minutiae of travel. The company sells packages, tours and cruises where families can follow tried and true itineraries that come with a number of inclusions. 

For example, families can book a stay at an all-inclusive hotel such as Kinetta Beach Resort & Spa, about 60 km from Athens, and combine it with a 3- or 4-night cruise on board the Celestyal Olympia. A Greece Your Way package allows families to tour the islands at leisure and mingle with locals. There are several hotels where guests can relax as well as use as a pied-à-terre to go and explore, like the Creta Maris Beach Resort in Crete.

Avoiding peak season to save money and beat the crowds
Most tourists flock to Greece in July and August. This makes May, June, September and, even, October a great time to go to avoid crowds and the higher rates that come with peak season. The temperatures are milder yet still pleasant; in other words, child-friendly conditions for exploring cultural and historical sites.

Air Transat's benefits for families
Air Transat makes travel easier for families, with direct flights, attentive staff, exclusive check-in counters and priority boarding for families with young children. Meanwhile, the Kids Club welcomes mini-globetrotters aged 2 to 11 for free and gives them a membership kit filled with travel goodies, on-board surprises, and more. Families should also keep an eye out for the airline's special planes adorned with the Kids Club smile and googlie eyes.

With Air Transat, families automatically get free standard seat selection. This way, children 12 and under and their parents (or legal guardians) on the same booking sit together on board. On its transatlantic flights, the airline offers its Kids Meal: mac and cheese served with apple sauce, cookies and juice.

About Air Transat
Air Transat is Canada's number one holiday airline. It flies to some 60 destinations in more than 25 countries in the Americas and Europe, offers domestic and feeder flights within Canada, and carries some 5 million passengers every year. Based in Montreal, the company employs 3,000 people. Air Transat is a business unit of Transat A.T. Inc., a leading integrated international tourism company specializing in holiday travel and offering vacation packages, hotel stays and air travel. Transat was awarded Travelife certification in 2018 in recognition of its commitment to sustainable development.

Recent distinctions and awards (2018)

• Named World's Best Leisure Airline at the Skytrax World Airline Awards
• Voted Best Leisure/Charter Airline at the Agents' Choice Awards presented by Baxter Travel Media
• Voted Best Airline at the Trophées Uni-Vers awards organized by the Association des Agents de Voyages du Québec
• Ranked among Canada's Best Employers and first among airlines on Forbes magazine's list

SOURCE Transat A.T. Inc.