Day 1: Arrive in Athens, Greece.
Check into your hotel. The rest of the day is free for you to start exploring the Greek capital with the help of your CosmosGO app. Later, meet your Tour Director.
Day 2: Athens.
A day to relax and do just as you please. For instance, join an optional day cruise to the islands of Aegina, Hydra, and Poros. In the evening, free time to enjoy the lively atmosphere of the tavernas and nightclubs in the old Plaka district with its narrow streets and sound of bouzouki music. Meals included: Breakfast
Day 3: Athens - Corinth - Nauplia.
Join the included guided tour of Athens, featuring the highlights of this ancient capital and a visit to the Acropolis. Cross the Corinth canal, a project conceived in ancient Greece but only completed in 1893, then head for the coast to Nauplia. Meals included: Breakfast
Day 4: Nauplia - Epidaurus - Mycenae - Sparta.
This morning, stop in Epidaurus. Visit the the open-air theater, which can still seat 14,000 spectators, then enjoy the included guided excursion to the archaeological site and museum of Mycenae, a city fortress cursed by the gods but rich in gold and warrior kings. Travel into the Peloponnese to Sparta. Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 5: Sparta - Mystra - Olympia.
Enjoy the included sightseeing of the medieval Byzantine citadel of Mystra, at one time known as the “Florence of the East.” Stop to visit an olive oil museum, then continue to Olympia.Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 6: Olympia - Patras - Delphi.
Explore Olympia, where the athletes of antiquity performed in honor of the king of deities. Spend free time in this pretty town, or learn more about the history of the Olympic Games on the optional sightseeing tour. Later, drive north to Patras, the capital of the Peloponnese and the west coast’s largest port. Then, head through picturesque fishing villages along the south coast of the mainland to legendary Delphi, crossing the spectacular Rion-Antirion bridge. Meals included: Breakfast
Day 7: Delphi - Kalambaka.
Enjoy free time in town or the optional morning sightseeing of the archaeological site of Delphi, where the oracle of Apollo spoke. It was the site of the omphalos, the 'navel of the world. Blending harmoniously with the superb landscape and charged with sacred meaning, Delphi in the 6th century B.C. was indeed the religious centre and symbol of unity of the ancient Greek world. On to Kalambaka. Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 8: Kalambaka - Meteora - Athens.
Discover Meteora, a cluster of Christian-Orthodox monasteries perched in an unforgettable manner on a set of rising rock formations. They were originally built by hermit monks living in caves carved into the rocks. Your included visit is certainly the day’s highlight. Continue south to Athens. Meals included: Breakfast
Day 9: Athens.
Spend a full day at leisure to explore the unseen parts of the city, or join an optional excursion. Meals included: Breakfast
Day 10: Athens - Lavrion/Piraeus (Embarkation) - Mykonos.
Early morning embarkation and afternoon cruising in the Aegean. Arrive this evening in Mykonos, a granite island and the most typical of the Cyclades. Its white and blue houses, windmills, and chapels seem to make the island’s light even more translucent. Spend some time visiting a taverna or just wandering around the town, enjoying its timeless beauty. Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 11: Kusadasi, Turkey and Patmos, Greece.
Two ports of call await today. First, Kusadasi on the Turkish coast for an included morning excursion to the fascinating Greek, Roman, and Byzantine excavations of Ephesus. Next, discover the tiny Greek island of Patmos, where St. John the Divine wrote Revelation. The 11th-century monastery with its valuable manuscript collection is well worth a visit. Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 12: Rhodes.
Dock in Rhodes, largest of the Dodecanese Islands and site of the Colossus of Rhodes, a 105-foot statue destroyed by an earthquake in 224 BC. Explore the sites in the historic Old City with its ramparts and palaces built by the Knights of St. John during the Crusades. Another possibility: join an optional excursion to Lindos and the fabulous Temple of Athena. And if sightseeing is not your preference, Rhodes’ sun-drenched beaches and colourful shopping districts are within easy walking distance of the port. Depart from Rhodes around dinner time. Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 13: Crete and Santorini.
Spend the morning at Heraklion on the island of Crete. A few miles away is Knossos, the centre of the 3000 BC Minoan civilisation; an optional excursion can be booked. Next port of call (weather permitting) is Santorini, the “Black Pearl of the Aegean.” The included shore excursion here takes you up to the cliff-top village of Oia for one of the world’s most breathtaking panoramas. Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 14: Lavrion/Piraeus (Disembarkation) - Athens.
Early morning arrival in Lavrion/Piraeus; drive to Athens. Time to relax, visit a museum, or to do some last-minute shopping. Meals included: Breakfast
Day 15: Athens.
Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning.
Please ask your Travel Consultant for cruise ship details. The ship scheduled to depart for the cruise portion of your vacation is the Celestyal Olympia, operated by Celestyal Cruises.
