Day : 1
Arrive Athens (2 Nights)
Number of Days : 1
Welcome to Athens. You are met at the airport and transferred to your hotel. Relax or spend time exploring the wonders of this ancient city. In the evening, enjoy a Welcome Reception, including a light meal and welcome drink with your travelling companions and your Travel Director.
Day : 2
Athens Sightseeing
Number of Days : 1
Classical Athens was a centre for the arts, learning and philosophy, and is widely seen as the cradle of Western Civilisation and the birthplace of democracy. One of the world's oldest cities, discover the rich heritage of Athens during your morning sightseeing tour with your Local Specialist. Explore the Acropolis and view the Parthenon, dedicated to the goddess Athena and one of the world's greatest cultural monuments. Marvel at the Agora, the Royal Palace and the Temple of Zeus. Enjoy an included visit to the spectacular Acropolis Museum containing remarkable antiquities. See Hadrian's Arch, built to celebrate the arrival of the Roman Emperor Hadrian, and the stadium where the first modern Olympics took place in 1896. Spend the rest of your day at leisure and discover Athens. In the evening, perhaps choose to dine in the lively Plaka district, the old quarter of the city.
Day : 3
Athens – Meteora – Kalambaka
Number of Days : 1
Say goodbye to Athens, and enjoy a scenic drive to Meteora, one of the largest and most important complexes of Eastern Orthodox monasteries in Greece. En route we have the chance to pay our respects to the heroic King Leonidas and his brave Spartans who stood their ground against the invading Persians. Cross the fertile Thessaly region, the "bread basket of Greece" Later dine at your hotel in Kalambaka.
Day : 4
Kalambaka – Thermopylae – Delphi
Number of Days : 1
This morning visit two of the six monasteries built on sandstone rocks above the town with your Local Specialist. Travel over the Pourmaraki Pass and the Bralos mountain range to arrive at the foothills of Mt. Parnassos. It was here that every four years athletes competed in the Pythian Games, dedicated to Apollo and the arts.
Day : 5
Delphi – Patras – Olympia
Number of Days : 1
This morning, tour the breathtaking Delphi with your Local Specialist and see the site of the most important oracle in the classical world. Walk the Sacred Way to the Temple of Apollo dating from the 5th century. Cross the Gulf of Corinth and head south to the Peloponnese before continuing to Olympia. This evening enjoy a Be My Guest dinner of authentic local cuisine on an olive farm.
Day : 6
Olympia – Nafplion
Number of Days : 1
Meet your Local Specialist and spend the morning visiting the ancient Olympic site and museum and the Temples of Zeus and Hera − the wife of Zeus and one of the most important deities in Greek mythology. Arrive later in Nafplion where you will dine tonight at your hotel.
Day : 7
Nafplion – Epidarus – Mycenae – Corinth – Athens
Number of Days : 1
Visit the amphitheatre and view the Sanctuary of Aesculapius, the God of Medicine in Epidaurus with your Local Specialist. The rod of Aesculapius, a snake-entwined staff, remains the symbol of medicine to this day. In Mycenae − a mighty kingdom of ancient Greece and a military stronghold − see the Beehive Tombs (the Treasury of Atreus), the Lion Gate and the remains of Agamemnon's Royal Palace with your Local Specialist. Visit the ancient city of Corinth with your Local Specialist before crossing the mighty Corinth Canal en route to Athens. This evening enjoy a wonderful Farewell Dinner with you travelling companions.
Day : 8
Embark – Mykonos Free Time
Number of Days : 1
We depart Athens, boarding our ship to cruise the azure waters of the Aegean, bound for Mykonos. Spend the evening getting lost in its labyrinthine lanes lined by white-washed cottages and tumbling cerise bougainvillea.
Day : 9
Kusadasi – Patmos
Number of Days : 1
Touch the Turkish coastline and visit the port of Kusadasi for a complimentary Shore Experience to the ancient city of Ephesus. We continue to Patmos later, where the Book of Revelations was written by St. John. Here, you could choose to visit the Cave of the Apocalypse on an Optional Experience.
Day : 10
Rhodes Free Time
Number of Days : 1
The enchanting Old Town of Rhodes takes centre stage today as we walk in the footsteps of the medieval knights who conquered this land on our Complimentary Shore Experience.
Day : 11
Heraklion – Santorini
Number of Days : 1
We sail to Heraklion on the island of Crete, where we have the opportunity to delve into the centuries-old culture and heritage of the Minoans at the Palace of Knossos. Our final stop today is the beautiful volcanic island of Santorini with its cliff-top villages, where you might consider an optional Shore Experience to the sun-kissed village of Oia.
Day : 12
Disembark – Athens
Number of Days : 1
This morning, disembark from your cruise ship and board a transfer to your hotel.
Day : 13
Depart Athens
Number of Days : 1
Transfers are provided to the airport for your return flight home. Conditions apply.
