Enter the Cave of the Apocalypse on an optional Patmos excursion and visit the Monastery of St John above the island. The cave’s rough interior offers a quiet contrast to the monastery’s commanding hilltop position.

Christian tradition associates the cave with St John and the visions recorded in the Book of Revelation. Together, the cave and monastery explain why Patmos became an important place of pilgrimage. Additional cost applies; bookable on tour.

• 8 Breakfast (B)
• 4 Dinner (D)
• 3 Lunch (L)

• Enjoy a hands-on experience at the Axion Esti, a family-run organic beekeeping facility
• Sightseeing tour with a Local Specialist, walk the Sacred Way to the Temple of Apollo
• Enjoy a sightseeing tour with a Local Specialist to visit one of its sky-high monasteries
• Spend the evening exploring this lively island
• Enjoy the cliff top town of Fira
• Visit the open-air archaeological wonder of ancient Ephesus, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
• Explore this idyllic island

• Selected hotel dinners, with optional meals to purchase
• 3-star hotel and overnight cruise stays
• Deluxe coach, and cruise travel

• 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.
• 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.
• Nafplion: Visit Axion Esti, a family-run organic beekeeping facility in Argos. Meet Sophia and Anthony and learn how their passion for bees has grown into an award-winning operation. Suit up to see the hives up close, explore the museum, and sample local honey while discovering the importance of pollinators to the ecosystem. Your visit directly supports United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 15: Life on Land.
• 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.
• 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.
• Spend three nights cruising the Aegean, crossing deep-blue waters between Greece’s islands with rugged coastlines and whitewashed towns appearing along the way.
• 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.

Costsaver

Meet your Travel Director and fellow travellers in Athens for an introduction to your small-group journey through mainland Greece and the Aegean islands. It is a chance to put faces to names and hear what to expect from the days ahead.

With the Acropolis rising above the city’s rooftops, Athens provides a fitting setting for a journey shaped by classical history, mountain monasteries and island ports.

Climb the Acropolis with a Local Specialist to see the Parthenon above Athens, then discover the city’s classical landmarks, including the Panathenaic Stadium, Temple of Olympian Zeus and Hadrian’s Arch. Pause at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to watch the Evzones’ ceremonial changing of the guard.

The stadium hosted the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, while the Acropolis preserves the architectural legacy of ancient Athens. The visit also includes a stop at Vryssaki Art Cafe, with the hilltop citadel framed above the rooftops.

Look down into the Corinth Canal, where a narrow ribbon of water runs between steep rock walls. The viewpoint reveals the scale of the cut and its striking contrast with the surrounding landscape.

Opened in the late 19th century, the canal separates the Peloponnese from mainland Greece and links the Gulf of Corinth with the Saronic Gulf. Its sheer sides make this a distinctive place to consider a long-imagined shortcut for ships crossing between the two seas.

Explore the archaeological site of Mycenae with a Local Specialist, passing through the monumental Lion Gate into a Bronze Age citadel. See its massive stone walls and royal beehive tombs while hearing stories associated with Agamemnon.

Mycenae gave its name to a civilisation that flourished in Greece more than three thousand years ago. Finds from its tombs, including gold objects uncovered by Heinrich Schliemann, have helped bring its rulers and burial customs into sharper focus.

Meet beekeepers Sophia and Anthony at their family-run Axion Esti facility. Put on protective gear to observe the hives up close, explore the beekeeping museum and taste local honey while learning how it is produced.

This hands-on visit connects a longstanding Greek food tradition with the role of bees as pollinators. Hearing directly from the family gives a close-up view of their organic beekeeping work and why healthy pollinator populations matter to the surrounding ecosystem.

Walk Delphi’s Sacred Way with a Local Specialist, climbing the hillside past the reconstructed Athenian Treasury and the Polygonal Wall towards the Temple of Apollo. Olive groves spread across the valley below the sanctuary.

People travelled here from across the ancient Greek world to consult the Oracle of Delphi. The sanctuary also hosted the Pythian Games, bringing athletes, musicians and poets together in honour of Apollo; its ruins still convey the importance of this mountain setting.

Look across the plain at Thermopylae, beneath the slopes of Mount Kallidromos, and consider the landscape where King Leonidas and his Spartan-led Greek force resisted a Persian army in 480 BCE.

The broad ground visible today differs from the ancient setting: changes to the coastline have widened what was once a narrow passage between mountain and sea. That contrast helps explain why the position was chosen and why the battle remains so prominent in accounts of ancient Greece.

Visit one of Meteora’s monasteries with a Local Specialist, travelling among towering rock pillars above Kalambaka. Walk through the monastery’s stone-built spaces and take in views across the Thessalian plain.

Monastic communities established themselves on these heights from the medieval period, seeking seclusion high above the valley. Hearing how monks once raised people and supplies by rope and ladder makes the sheer rock-top setting more than a scenic spectacle.

Spend three nights cruising the Aegean aboard MV Celestyal Discovery, with calls at Mykonos, Kusadasi, Patmos, Crete and Santorini. Watch island coastlines and whitewashed settlements come into view from the water.

The voyage brings together Greek island ports and the Turkish coast in one sailing experience. Time aboard offers a different perspective on the region: open sea between islands, steep volcanic shores near Santorini and the changing light on towns built close to the water.

Wander the lanes of Mykonos Town, also known as Chora, during the cruise’s island call. Explore at your own pace among whitewashed buildings, blue-painted doors, small chapels and courtyards edged with bougainvillea.

The closely packed lanes give the town its intimate feel, while sea breezes are a reminder of why Mykonos is known as the Island of the Winds. This is an opportunity to experience its streets and harbour atmosphere without a set guided route.

Explore ancient Ephesus with a Local Specialist on a complimentary shore experience from Kusadasi. Walk its marble streets, including the Arcadian Way, and see the Library of Celsus and Great Theatre among the city’s extensive ruins.

Once a major city of the Roman world, Ephesus preserves traces of its public life on a remarkable scale. Its streets and monumental buildings offer a close view of urban life in antiquity at this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Enjoy time in cliff-top Fira, Santorini’s main town, where pale buildings look out across the caldera. Take in views of the flooded volcanic basin, the islands within it and the steep slopes dropping towards the sea.

Santorini’s present shape was formed by volcanic activity, giving Fira a setting unlike that of the cruise’s other island ports. The town’s lanes and viewpoints offer a way to appreciate the relationship between its whitewashed architecture and dark volcanic rock at your own pace.

Discover Nafplio’s harbour-side landmarks on an optional experience, looking towards hilltop Palamidi Castle, Bourtzi Fortress in the harbour and the Sleeping Lion carved into the rock. Share dinner at a family-run local restaurant.

Venetian-era fortifications give Nafplio much of its distinctive skyline, while its waterfront reflects the town’s long maritime history. The combination of local views and a shared meal offers a closer feel for this Peloponnesian town. Additional cost applies; bookable on tour.

Gather at an Athens taverna for an evening of traditional Greek dishes and drinks with fellow travellers. Music and the chance to join the dancing make this a hosted night out rather than a standard dinner.

Tavernas are social spaces as much as places to eat, with shared plates encouraging conversation around the table. This optional evening offers a taste of that convivial atmosphere in the Greek capital. Additional cost applies; bookable on tour.

Explore the Palace of Knossos on an optional Crete shore experience, walking among monumental ruins and viewing the site’s vivid wall-painting imagery. Its courts and chambers introduce the scale of Minoan palace life.

Knossos is closely associated with Crete’s Bronze Age Minoan civilisation and with the later Greek legend of the labyrinth. The archaeological remains and reconstructions make it a distinctive choice for travellers drawn to the island’s ancient history. Additional cost applies; bookable on tour.

Travel into the Cretan countryside and taste local food on an optional shore experience. This alternative to an archaeological visit focuses on the island’s rural setting and the flavours of its regional cooking.

Crete’s food traditions draw on ingredients produced across its varied landscape, from olive groves to small farms. Sampling dishes close to their place of origin offers a different way to connect with the island beyond its ports and historic sites. Additional cost applies; bookable on tour.

Travel through Santorini’s villages and vineyards to Oia on an optional shore experience. Look across church domes and whitewashed buildings perched above the caldera, with volcanic islands visible in the distance.

The route shows how settlement and cultivation occupy this steep, volcanic island. Oia’s elevated viewpoints reveal the immense curve of the flooded crater, offering a broader perspective than the view from the water alone. Additional cost applies; bookable on tour.