Cruising The Greek Islands Of The Southern Aegean – With Smithsonian Journeys

HIGHLIGHTS

• A voyage specially-tailored for English-speaking travelers including discussions with experts, transfers before and after your cruise, and an included excursion or activity in each port of call.
• Engaging discussions onboard with two Smithsonian Journeys Experts.
• Delve into the Homeric age of heroes at Mycenae, and the even earlier Bronze Age civilization preserved on Santorini.
• See the cave on Patmos where John the Evangelist had visions of the Apocalypse.
• Stroll the medieval streets of the UNESCO World Heritage site of Rhodes Town.
• Marvel at the sheer number and variety of temples and shrines on tiny Delos, another UNESCO World Heritage site.
• Discover an earlier, simpler way of life as it is still lived on Amorgos.
• Relax and refresh in the cafés and shops for which Mykonos is famous.

ITINERARY

3 OCTOBER 2024 - ATHENS

Embarkation 03/10/2024 from 16:00 to 17:00
Departure 03/10/2024 at 19:00

The Greek capital city is located on the edge of the Saronic gulf, in the east of the country. It bears a plural name in reference to the first villages that surround the Acropolis. You will be enchanted by the rocky plateau presided by its monuments listed as UNESCO World Heritage. In the city below, you can visit some of the liveliest districts in Athens: Plaka, with its maze of colourful streets, and where, in the evenings the drifting aroma of moussaka and garlic prawns will tickle your taste buds. The National Archaeological museum and the Cycladic Art Museum are also some of the city’s key attractions and allow visitors to discover Athens’ cultural past.

4 OCTOBER 2024 - PATMOS

Arrival 04/10/2024 midday
Departure 04/10/2024 early evening

Patmos is one of the legendary must-see islands in the Dodecanese. This is where Saint John resided, presumed author of the last book in the Bible. The cave of the Apocalypse and the Saint John Monastery are dedicated to him. These sites, which are listed by UNESCO as World Heritage, are located at the top of a hillside planted with vines and orchards. On the shore, the crystalline coves of Kambos and Lampi offer absolutely gorgeous swimming areas.

5 OCTOBER 2024 - RHODES

Arrival 05/10/2024 early morning
Departure 05/10/2024 late afternoon

With its particularly agreeable climate, the island of Rhodes invites you to walk its pathways and discover its immaculate villages and sumptuous medieval city, a UNESCO World Heritage site. At the centre of the island the mountains are covered in forest and on the western slopes we find vineyards and crops. Rhodes also owes much of its charm and its character to the Knights of St John who reigned over the island from 1310 to 1522 and built impressive defensive walls punctuated with majestic gateways. Do not miss this delightful island with its peaceful beaches and its large walkways, perpetuating the myth of the famous Colossus, the legendary statue that is one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

6 OCTOBER 2024 - SANTORINI

Arrival 06/10/2024 early morning
Departure 06/10/2024 late evening

The spectacular volcanic island of Santorini stands out proud in the Cyclades. Its basalt cliffs offer particularly expansive views of the Aegean. To enjoy these views, you can head for the capital, Fira. Its floral belvederes of bougainvillea provide a bird’s-eye view of several thousand metres of coastline. Further away, the gorgeous village of Oia looks like a stairway of blue and white houses on the slopes of the volcano. In the south of the island, you will be able to visit the stunning ruins of Akrotiri, an ancient city destroyed by an eruption and covered with a thick layer of lava stone.

7 OCTOBER 2024 - AMORGOS

Arrival 07/10/2024 early morning
Departure 07/10/2024 late afternoon

It’s no accident that the island of Amorgos was chosen as a shooting location for Luc Besson’s film, The Big Blue. You too will fall under the charm of this island as your ship edges closer. Amorgos is the most easterly island in the Cyclades and stands out for its rocky inlets with crystal-clear water and its small, picturesque villages. This port of call will be your chance to visit one of the prettiest villages in the Cyclades, Chora, and discover its cobbled streets and whitewashed houses overlooked by a castle. Byzantine churches, windmills and courtyards brimming with flowers complete this typical tableau of timeless Greece.

8 OCTOBER 2024 - DELOS

Arrival 08/10/2024 early morning
Departure 08/10/2024 midday

This legendary Cyclades island of Delos stands just a few miles southwest of Mykonos. The ceremonial solemnity of this ancient holy sanctuary will not leave you indifferent. The sheer size and importance of this UNESCO World Heritage site which covers over half of the island is thrilling in itself. From the Stoa of Antigonos, the Terrace of the Lions, to the carved marble animal statues, you will make discovery after discovery, against a backdrop of the Aegean stretching to the horizon. The theatre steps on the hillside are a particularly good place from which to enjoy the expansive view.

8 OCTOBER 2024 - MYKONOS

Arrival 08/10/2024 early afternoon
Departure 08/10/2024 late evening

Nicknamed “little Venice”, Mykonos is famous for its Alefkandra district where houses are built right on the water’s edge. Their multi-coloured loggias are emblematic of this Cyclades island, as are the pelicans and windmills. You can get close up to the birds on the quaysides of the old port. Up on the hillside, you can see the windmill sails turning. In the cobbled streets of the pedestrian centre, bougainvillea bedeck immaculate facades. As you weave in and out of the little streets, snatches of coastline will undoubtedly call you to the island’s beaches, the quietest of which can be found on the northern coast.

9 OCTOBER 2024 - NAFPLION

Arrival 09/10/2024 midday
Departure 09/10/2024 early evening

The engaging town of Nafplion is staggered up green hillsides of the Argolic Gulf, to the east of the Peloponnese. Do not be surprised by its extremely varied cultural heritage. Some of the must-see visits are the ancient agora on the plateau of Akronafplia, Italianate arcades in Syntagma square as well as the baroque fortress of Palamidi on a hillside of the same name. At the top of the hill, views of the gulf and the surrounding mountains are simply awesome. If you want to chill out by the water’s edge, walk along the Arvanitia promenade to a beautiful creek in the shade of cedars and cypresses.

10 OCTOBER 2024 - ATHENS

Arrival 10/10/2024 early morning
Disembarkation 10/10/2024 at 08:00

The Greek capital city is located on the edge of the Saronic gulf, in the east of the country. It bears a plural name in reference to the first villages that surround the Acropolis. You will be enchanted by the rocky plateau presided by its monuments listed as UNESCO World Heritage. In the city below, you can visit some of the liveliest districts in Athens: Plaka, with its maze of colourful streets, and where, in the evenings the drifting aroma of moussaka and garlic prawns will tickle your taste buds. The National Archaeological museum and the Cycladic Art Museum are also some of the city’s key attractions and allow visitors to discover Athens’ cultural past.

WHAT'S INCLUDED