13-Day European Cruises: Complete Greece and the Beautiful Aegean Ext Cruise Tour from Athens: Kastraki, Meteora, Kalambaka, Osios Loukas, Poros, Nafplio, Olympia, Patras, Mykonos, Patmos | Ticket Admission Included |

Welcome to Athens!

Transfer to the hotel and free time. You will be provided with the information required for the beginning of the trip in the afternoon; otherwise, the information will appear on the information panels at the hotel reception area.

Note:

- Remember that hotels check-in time is usually at 14:00 hrs. If you require more hours of room availability, consider booking an additional night at the beginning of your trip.

- The schedules that you will find in this itinerary are indicative. The guide, depending on the situation and in order to improve the development of the trip, may adjust the schedules.

- All the following hotels are for your reference only, you may check-in other similar hotels.

 

We will enjoy the city tour with a local guide which includes the Presidential Palace, the Panathinaikos stadium where the first modern Olympic games were held, the national library, the bustling squares of the center; the new neighborhoods that emerged after the 2004 Olympic games. The tour will finish at the Acropolis site (entry not included).

In the evening we include a transfer to the PLAKA area, which is full of small Greek bars and where you will be able to enjoy the rich folklore of this country.

 

Scenery: Views over the sea. Fantastic landscapes in the region of Meteora, orthodox monasteries.

Notes: Wear appropriate clothing (women will have to wear the skirts that will be given at arrival to the monastery). Also foresee comfortable footwear... you will have to climb many steps in the Meteora area!

08:00 hrs. Athens –departure-. We leave for the north of Greece. Pleasant Mediterranean landscapes.

10.15 hrs. - Kamena Vourla – Arrival.- Charming tourist centre by the sea amidst magnificent scenery. Time for a stroll and a coffee.

11.15 hrs. - Kamena Vourla –departure-. Continuation northbound. We make a brief stop at the gorge where the battle of Thermopylae took place.

13.45 hrs. Kastraki- stop for lunch in this picturesque town located at the foot of the Meteora. The views here are magnificent!. After lunch we will visit Meteora, an impressive place declared UNESCO World Heritage, an area that covers a few square kilometers and where an ancient monastic community and a rare geological phenomenon of huge rock pillars coexist in absolute harmony. We will see the whole valley and have the chance to go into one of the most famous monasteries (entrance included).

Accommodation in Kalambaka, a small town in the center of the Meteora region. Dinner included.

Scenery: Pleasant Mediterranean. Very beautiful landscapes in the Delphi region.

Note: the order of the program of the day may vary, with the Osios Loukas Monastery taking place first and then Delphi.

08.00 hrs.- Kalambaka –departure-. We travel through Thessaly towards Central Greece. Spectacular landscapes over the sea, arriving in Delphi.

11.30 hrs.- Delphi –Arrival-. We include admission to the beautiful archaeological complex that overlooks the Gulf of Corinth, a place full of magic. Time for lunch.

14:30 hrs.- Delphi –departure-. We travel amidst mountains; Mount Parnassus dominates the landscape.

15:15 hrs.- Osios Loukas Monastery. Arrival at one of the most beautiful Byzantine monasteries in Greece, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its magnificent 11th century mosaics are incredible.

16.30 hrs.- Osios Loukas – departure.

19:15 hrs. – Athens –Arrival.

Scenery: Most of today's traveling will be by boat. Welcome to the Aegean.

Note: Please, bring some warm clothes with you if you want to enjoy the ride on the ferry’s deck.

Note: the bus will not travel with us on the ferry (we will reencounter it at our arrival at Galatas). Please, do not forget to carry your documents with you, as well as everything you may need during the day.Note: Although the departure of the scheduled ferries that are taken during this day is usually as planned, the definitive information on the schedules of these is only confirmed by the ferry company less than a week in advance. In case of variation, the program of this stage, schedules and services must be adapted to the existing ferries. Sometimes, it is even possible to change one of the planned islands for another with very similar characteristics.

Our journey is very special today. Greece has almost 6.000 islands, of which more than 100 are inhabited. Several ships connect the islands with the continent.

07:00 hrs. - Athens. We leave early in the morning to take the ferry, whose expected departure time is at 8:00 h from the Port of Piraeus and which will take us to one of the Saronic islands.

08:40 hrs. - Aegyna. We will arrive in less than an hour to this island which has been inhabited for more than 4.000 years, being one of the first maritime cities of ancient Greece and a notable rival to Athens. You will be able to walk around its picturesque port, its typical quarters of little houses and old churches, or go to the Temple of Apollo.

10:15 hrs. - Aegyna, departure. We board another ferry to sail to a second island.

11:30 hrs. - Arrival at the mountainous island of Poros. Free time in this charming place, full of life; its old houses climb to the clock tower. Free time for walking around and lunch.

14:30 hrs. - Poros, departure. After lunch time, we will make a 15-minutes way to Galatas, a small harbor in the Peloponnese. We then continue by road across beautiful landscapes of hills.

15:15 hrs. - Epidaurus; free time to discover its old theater (admission included), which was built 2.400 years ago and has been perfectly preserved. It still holds performances nowadays and has capacity for 14.000 people.

16:45 hrs. - Epidaurus, departure.

17:30 hrs. - Nauplia. Arrival at this charming coastal city dominated by the citadel and the Venetian fortress. Free time to walk around. Dinner included.

Note: the schedules of the ferries are subject to change. During the low season, the ferries between Aegyna and Poros may not operate. In this case, Aegyna island will be replaced by the island of Hydra.

 

Scenery: Strong presence of the sea and the Mediterranean landscapes. Mountains and hills in the hinterland of the Peloponnese.

Note: We recommend that you use sunscreen and take a small bottle of water during the hottest months of the summer.

08.30h- Nafplio, departure. We travel through the mountains across the Peloponnese hinterland.

09.45h- Tripoli. Stop in the lively capital of the Arcadia region. There will be free time to walk around the Areos Square, its cafes and restaurants.

10.45h- Tripoli, departure.

12.45h- Olympia. Free time for lunch and exploring the archeological site (admission and visit with a local guide included). This is the place where the first Olympic Games were held in the year 776 BC. Athletes from all over Greece and its colonies participated. The Temple of Zeus, the stadium, the gymnasium, and the arena are outstanding landmarks. There will be free time during the visit; if you wish, you will be able to visit the museum on your own.

16.00h.- Olympia –departure-. Mountainous landscapes, some picturesque villages in our way.

18.00h- Patras. Arrival at the third city of Greece in terms of population. It is a port city with an active city life, a medieval fortress which overlooks the city, and the biggest cathedral in Greece. Both the cathedral and the small Saint Andrew’s church are pilgrimage destinations. Dinner included.

 

08.30h - Patras- After breakfast, we will cross the Rio-Antirrio bridge, a spectacular cable-stayed bridge which connects the Peloponnese with the Greek continent.

09.15h - Nafpaktos- Free time to walk around Nafpaktos, a town in the Gulf of Corinth. Its Venetian fortress dominates the city and reminds us that we are in Lepanto, the city which saw the battle between the Christian and Turkish fleets in which Cervantes lost his arm.

10.30h- Nafpaktos, departure. We resume our journey along the Gulf of Corinth.

13.00h - Mycenae. Arrival and free time to explore the colossal citadel from the 18th century BC, cradle of the European civilization (admission included).

15.30h- Mycenae, departure after lunch.

16.15 r - Acrocorinth. Admission to the immense fortress of Acrocorinth included. The foundations of an old temple of Aphrodite rest on the highest part of the settlement.

18.00h- Acrocorinth. Departure. We resume our journey towards Athens. We will make a short stop in the Corinth Canal, an amazing work from the 19th century. It connects the Isthmus of Corinth to the Aegean Sea, thereby facilitating naval transportation.

19.30h - Athens, arrival.

Enjoy you free day!

After breakfast we include a transfer to the port of Lavrio. We embark on the ship "Celestial Olympia" to start a beautiful cruise in the Aegean; the price includes full board on the cruise as well as the fees.

11:00 hrs. - Departure.- Enjoy the landscapes from the sea.

18:00 hrs. - Expected arrival in Mykonos. Free time on the island of windmills and white houses by the sea.-

23:00 hrs. - Mykonos, departure. Overnight on board.

 

Kusadasi- Patmos Cruise

Arrival in Turkey, Kusadasi, a beautiful seaside resort on the Aegean coast. We recommend visiting the imposing classical ruins of Ephesus.

13:00 hrs. -departure towards Patmos.

16:00 hrs. - Patmos.-Arrival. This is the island where the apostle St. John wrote the Apocalypse, you can visit the cave where he lived, near the Monastery of the Apocalypse.

21:00 hrs. -Departure. Overnight on board.

Full day Mediterranean Cruise.

07:00 hrs. - Expected arrival in Rhodes. Stunning walled city full of life. It´s the island of roses. During your stay, you will visit Medieval Rhodes (Acropolis of Lindos and Citadel of the Knights)

18:00 hrs. - Our cruise ship sails to the sea again, night on board. Enjoy the party on board!

Full day Mediterranean Cruise.

07.00 Hrs.-Heraklion.- Arrival in the capital of the Greek island of Crete next to the archaeological remains of Knossos.

11.30 a.m.- Departure.

16.30 Hrs.- Santorini.- Probably the most impressive of the Mediterranean islands, its ravines, its white villages full of light, the breathtaking views over the sea.

At 21.00 hrs our cruise ship sails the sea again, night on board - enjoy the party on board-.

06.30 hrs.- Port of Lavrio. Arrival at the Port and end of our services.

Note: If you arrive by ferry from Rhodes Island, your arrival port will be Piraeus.

Note: If you request additional nights in Athens, a transfer from the port to the hotel is not included and will be invoiced.