day 01    Athens Arrival

Upon arrival in Arrival you will be transferred to your hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure.

day 02      Athens                                                                                                

After breakfast, you will be picked up for a half day Athens tour. This tour gives you the opportunity to observe the striking contrasts that make Athens such a fascinating city. Our expert guide will take you to the centre of the city: Constitution Square, the House of Parliament and the Memorial to the Unknown Soldier. Driving down Herod Atticus Street you will see the Evzones (National Guard) in their picturesque costume and the Presidential Palace. On your way to the Acropolis you will see the Panathenaic Stadium (where the first Olympic Games of the modern era were held in 1896) and the Athens of the 2nd century A.D., the Temple of Olympian Zeus and the Adrian’s Arch. On the Acropolis you will visit the museum and the architectural masterpieces of the Golden Age of Athens: the Propylaea, the temple of Athena Nike, the Erechteion and finally, the “harmony between matter and spirit”, the monument that “puts order in the mind”, the Parthenon. Return to hotel. The afternoon is at leisure.

day 03       Athens- Piraeus-Mykonos-Kusadasi                                                             

After breakfast, you will be transferred to the port of Piraeus to embark on the 4-day cruise to the Greek islands and Turkey.  At 11h30, you will sail to Mykonos, the jewel of the Cyclades. Lunch on board. In the afternoon, you will arrive in Mykonos where you will some time at leisure for shopping and strolling through the typical whitewashed narrow streets of the picturesque town. In the evening, you will sail to Kusadasi (Turkey). Dinner and overnight on board.

day 04    Kusadasi-Patmos-Rhodes                                                                  

Breakfast on board and early morning arrival in Kusadasi. This seaside resort has undergone vigorous development in recent years and is an excellent place to shop for Turkish goods. The optional tour to nearby Ephesus is not to be missed, for here the history truly comes to life. Walking towards the ancient harbor, down a marble road rutted by the wheels of countless chariots, you pass such architectural masterpieces as the Magnesian Gate and the Library of Celsus before arriving at the great amphitheatre where Saint Paul was arrested and cast out of the city. Later in the morning, we sail to Patmos. Lunch on board. In the afternoon, you will arrive in Patmos. This serene island is known as the site of the apocalyptic revelations of Saint John the Divine, written here during his exile from the Roman Empire. The cave where he is said to have lived is now the site of the monastery of the Apocalypse founded in the 11^th century by the abbot Christodoulos. It houses priceless icons and manuscripts in its treasury. In the evening, you will sail to Rhodes. Dinner and overnight on board.

day 05    Rhodes-Heraklion                                                                                               

Breakfast on board and early morning arrival in Rhodes, the capital of the Dodecanese islands. You will have some free time or you can join optional excursion to Lindos and the medieval town. Drive along the picturesque Eastern coastline, scattered with white washed villages, to Lindos. The most important of the three great cities of ancient times is guarded by the medieval walls constructed by the Knights of Saint John in the 13th century. Within, stands the ancient Acropolis of Lindos on the brink of a precipice 400 feet above the sea. From the Acropolis there are breathtaking views to the great expanse of the Aegean Sea and Saint Paul’s Bay where the apostle cast anchors during his historic voyage to Ephesus. You will proceed on foot uphill to the Great Staircase leading from the Hellenistic portico to the temple of Athena. Return to Rhodes city. Enjoy a stroll through the medieval town and view the Palace of the Grand Master, the medieval houses and the Hospital of the Knights of Saint John housing now the archeological museum. In the evening, we sail to Heraklion. Lunch/dinner and overnight on board.

day 06    Heraklion-Santorini-Piraeus                                                                             

Breakfast on board and early morning arrival in Heraklion. Enjoy some free time or join an optional excursion to the Palace of Knossos situated few kilometres from Heraklion. Discovered in 1899 by Sir Arthur Evans and partially reconstructed, the elaborate palace is believed to be the mythical labyrinth of King Minos and the seat of the ancient Minoan culture. The archeological museum in Heraklion displays many of the treasures found during the excavations. In the late morning, we sail to Santorini. Lunch on board and we arrive in Santorini in the afternoon. This island is perhaps the most breathtaking of all the Greek Islands. Around 1500 B.C., a volcanic eruption destroyed the centre of the island, leaving a crescent shaped rim of cliffs around a harbor formed in the volcano’s caldera. The town of Fira is accessible by donkeys or by cable car. Free time or optional excursion to Akrotiri located on the Southern point of the island. The excavation site has been roofed over to fashion a unique museum. Everything is in place as it was before the gigantic earthquake, including the narrow “streets” which wind through the area which has been cleared of the ash that filled the houses and engulfed the town. Akrotiri is often compared to Pompeii but the ruins here date back to the prehistoric times, around 1500 B.C. In the evening sailing to Piraeus. Dinner and overnight on board.

day 07  Piraeus-Athens

Early morning arrival in Piraeus and transfer to Athens airport for your departure flight. B

Inclusions: 2 night accommodation in twin share in Athens, 4 nights in a cabin for double occupancy, breakfast daily, lunch & dinner as per itinerary, arrival and departure transfers with porterage in a deluxe air conditioned  vehicle, official licensed guide, entrance fees as per itinerary, transportation by deluxe air conditioned motorcoach, port taxes.