Visit the ancient theatre of Epidaurus, celebrated for its sweeping tiers of seating and remarkable acoustics. Also view the Sanctuary of Asclepius, where people once sought healing under the protection of the Greek god of medicine.

Epidaurus was both a place of performance and an important healing centre. The sanctuary’s history gives context to the snake-entwined staff of Asclepius, a symbol still widely associated with medicine today.

• 8 Dinner (D)
• 11 Breakfast (B)
• 5 Lunch (L)

• Selected hotel dinners plus a locally hosted meal
• 4-star hotel and overnight cruise stays
• Deluxe coach, and cruise travel

• Athens: Visit the Acropolis Museum containing remarkable antiquities giving visitors an insight into the lives of Athenians centuries ago.
• Athens: Delve into Athens with a Local Specialist. See the iconic highlights of this ancient city, from the Acropolis to the site of the first modern Olympics.
• Corinth: Cross the amazing rock-cut channel dividing the Peloponnese from mainland Greece. Join a Local Specialist and gain insight into Corinth’s eventful past.
• Archaeological Site of Mycenae: Walk through the Lion Gate past the royal beehive-tombs where Schliemann uncovered golden treasure, while hearing tales of Agamemnon from your Local Specialist.
• Archaeological Site of Olympia: Join a Local Specialist to view the stadium of Olympia which hosted the ancient Olympic Games and Heraia, the women’s games in honour of Hera. See the Temple of Zeus, athlete’s gymnasium and the stone marker where the sprint began.
• Delphi: With your Local Specialist, walk to The Sacred Way once lined with offertory temples. See the reconstructed Athenian Treasury and pass the superb Polygonal Wall to reach the Temple of Apollo, where people once sought divine wisdom from the mysterious Oracle.
• Thermopylae: See the Leonidas Monument dedicated to the brave warrior and his 300 Spartans.
• Meteora: With a Local Specialist, visit one of the remarkable centuries-old monasteries of Meteora, teetering on towers of rock and arguably the most spectacular place to visit in Greece.
• Mykonos: View the Windmills of Kato Mili and wander the beautiful blue and white streets of Chora.
• Ephesus: Discover one of the world’s finest ancient sites. Led by your Local Specialist, walk the Arcadian Way, see the Library of Celsus and Amphitheatre.

Trafalgar

Meet your Travel Director and fellow travellers over a light evening meal in Athens. This hosted gathering offers a relaxed introduction to the group and a chance to hear more about the experiences ahead.

Set against the backdrop of a capital where ancient monuments sit alongside lively modern neighbourhoods, it is a convivial start to your time in Greece. The meal is included as part of the tour.

Explore Athens with a Local Specialist, visiting the Acropolis to admire the Parthenon, built in honour of Athena. The city tour also takes in the Temple of Olympian Zeus, Hadrian’s Arch and the former Royal Palace, now home to the Greek Parliament.

See the Panathenaic Stadium, where the first modern Olympic Games were held in 1896. Together, these landmarks reveal how classical Athens and the modern Greek capital share the same streets.

Visit the Acropolis Museum in Athens to see antiquities recovered from the ancient citadel and its surrounding slopes. Its galleries display sculpture, architectural fragments and everyday objects that bring the lives and beliefs of ancient Athenians into focus.

The museum’s modern design places the finds in dialogue with the Acropolis itself. Look for the Parthenon Gallery, where surviving elements of the temple’s sculptural decoration are presented in their original architectural sequence.

See the Corinth Canal, the narrow rock-cut waterway that separates the Peloponnese from mainland Greece. In ancient Corinth, explore with a Local Specialist and learn why this strategically placed city attracted the attention of successive powers.

Corinth’s position between two seas made it a centre of trade long before the modern canal opened. The pairing offers a striking view of how geography has shaped travel, commerce and conflict across the centuries.

Walk through Mycenae’s Lion Gate with a Local Specialist and explore the remains of the fortified palace traditionally associated with Agamemnon. See the great beehive tombs, including the monumental Treasury of Atreus.

Mycenae was a powerful centre of Bronze Age Greece, centuries before classical Athens. Its massive stone walls and royal burial monuments lend tangible scale to the world that later inspired stories of kings, warriors and the Trojan War.

Meet the family behind Axion Esti at their organic beekeeping facility near Argos. Suit up for a close look at the hives, explore the on-site museum and taste local honey while learning how it is produced.

Sophia and Anthony share the role bees play in pollinating the surrounding landscape and sustaining biodiversity. This MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® visit supports a family-run enterprise and connects everyday Greek food traditions with the health of the local ecosystem.

Explore ancient Olympia with a Local Specialist, visiting the site of the original Olympic Games and its archaeological museum. See the stadium, the remains of the temples of Zeus and Hera, and spaces once used by athletes preparing to compete.

The sanctuary hosted sporting contests in honour of Zeus for centuries. Standing near the stadium’s starting line offers a direct connection to the competitions whose name and ideals still resonate around the world.

Join the Karabelas family at their olive and wine estate near Olympia for a hosted Greek lunch. Share a home-cooked meal, hear about the family’s history on the land and take part in traditional dancing.

This Be My Guest experience places regional food and hospitality at its heart. Rather than simply tasting local produce, you spend time with the people who grow it and see how farming, family stories and celebration come together.

Walk Delphi’s Sacred Way with a Local Specialist, passing monuments such as the reconstructed Athenian Treasury on the approach to the Temple of Apollo. Discover where visitors from across the ancient Greek world came to consult the oracle.

Set on the slopes of Mount Parnassus, Delphi combined religious authority with athletic and artistic contests held in Apollo’s honour. Its surviving walls, statues and mountain setting evoke the sanctuary’s influence across the classical world.

Visit the battlefield area at Thermopylae and see the monument honouring Leonidas, the Spartan king associated with the defence of the pass against Persian forces in 480 BCE.

The ancient route through this landscape made it a strategic point between northern and southern Greece. Hearing the story in its geographical setting adds perspective to an episode remembered for the stand of Leonidas and his men, while acknowledging its place in a much larger conflict.

Visit two of Meteora’s monasteries with a Local Specialist, entering religious communities perched atop immense sandstone pillars above Kalambaka. Take in the views across the Thessalian plain and see how monastic buildings were fitted to the narrow rock summits.

Founded as places of Orthodox worship and retreat, the monasteries form part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Their elevated position makes the encounter as much about the dramatic landscape as the centuries of spiritual life preserved within it.

Share a final dinner with your travel companions in Athens, bringing the land-based journey through Greece to a close. The group gathering provides time to exchange stories and reflect on the places explored together.

From ancient sanctuaries to the rock-top monasteries of Meteora, the conversation has plenty of ground to cover. This included meal is a social experience rather than a formal sightseeing visit, offering a warm setting for the group to reconnect.

Cruise the Aegean for four days aboard MV Celestyal Discovery, travelling between island and coastal ports in Greece and Turkey. Time on board offers views of the sea and the shifting outlines of the islands.

The cruise brings Mykonos, Patmos, Rhodes, Crete and Santorini into reach, alongside a call at Kusadasi for Ephesus. Shore experiences vary by port: the Ephesus excursion is complimentary, while some other visits are offered at additional cost.

Wander the lanes of Mykonos Town, also known as Chora, and view the Kato Mili windmills overlooking the waterfront. Whitewashed houses, bright shutters and bougainvillea give the compact old town its distinctive Cycladic character.

The windmills recall an era when island winds powered the milling of grain. This is an opportunity to explore independently rather than a guided tour, with the pleasure lying in the town’s small streets and changing views towards the Aegean.

Explore ancient Ephesus with a Local Specialist on a complimentary shore experience from Kusadasi. Walk among the city’s surviving streets and see the Library of Celsus and its vast theatre.

Once a major city of the Roman world, Ephesus retains an unusually vivid sense of urban life through its public buildings and stone thoroughfares. This visit is included with the cruise; it is not one of the additional-cost shore excursions.

Explore Rhodes’ medieval Old Town independently, following cobbled lanes past fortified gates and thick stone walls. The walled centre offers time to take in the architecture at your own pace during the cruise call.

Rhodes was a stronghold of the Knights of St John, and its preserved medieval town is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This self-guided opportunity is distinct from the separately offered optional shore experience.

Try your hand at preparing local Greek dishes during an interactive cooking lesson offered in Delphi. Working with familiar regional ingredients offers a practical way to engage with the food traditions encountered throughout the journey.

The emphasis is on participation rather than simply sitting down to a meal: learn preparation techniques and discover how everyday cooking reflects local tastes. This optional experience is at additional cost and is bookable on tour.

Visit the Cave of the Apocalypse and the Monastery of St John on an optional shore experience in Patmos. The cave is traditionally associated with the visions recorded by St John in the Book of Revelation.

High above the island’s harbour, the monastery reflects Patmos’s long-standing importance as a place of Christian pilgrimage. Together, these sites offer a closer look at the island’s religious heritage. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Explore Rhodes on an optional shore experience focused on the island’s layered ancient and medieval past. The tour offers a more structured way to discover its heritage than the independent time available in the Old Town.

Rhodes was once home to the Colossus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, although the statue no longer survives. Specific stops depend on the shore experience offered locally. This excursion is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Discover the Palace of Knossos during the cruise call at Heraklion, if you choose to visit this major Minoan archaeological site. Explore a palace complex associated with ceremonial spaces, storage rooms and vivid images of Bronze Age Crete.

Knossos is closely linked to the legends of King Minos and the labyrinth, though its surviving remains tell a broader story of Minoan society. A shore visit is an optional experience at additional cost, bookable on tour.

Visit the cliff-top village of Oia on an optional shore experience in Santorini. Explore its narrow lanes and viewpoints, where white buildings step down towards the caldera and the volcanic islands beyond.

Oia’s setting reveals the scale of the ancient volcanic landscape that shaped Santorini. Its outlook over the Aegean is especially prized in the evening, though the views depend on the timing of the port call. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.