Aegean Hellenic – Athens & 4Day/3Night Cruise

Day 1: Arrival in Athens – Transfer to hotel. Overnight.

Day 2: Breakfast at the hotel. Then pick up for a half day Athens tour. This tour gives you the opportunity to observe the striking contrasts that make Athens such a fascinating city. Our expert guide will take you to the center of the city: Constitution Square(Syntagma), the House of Parliament, the Memorial to the Unknown Soldier. Driving down Herod Atticus Street you will see the EVZONES (National Guard) in their picturesque costume and the Presidential Palace.
On your way to the Acropolis you will see the Panathenaic Stadium, where the first Olympic Games of the modern era were held in 1896, and the Athens of the 2nd century A.D., the Temple of Olympian Zeus and the Adrian’s Arch. On the Acropolis, you will visit the museum and the architectural masterpieces of the Golden Age of Athens: the Propylea, the temple of Athena Nike, the Erechtheion and finally, the “harmony between matter and spirit”, the monument that “puts order in the mind”, the Parthenon. Return to hotel. Afternoon at leisure. Overnight.

Day 3: Breakfast at the hotel. In the morning transfer to the port of Piraeus and embarkation for the 4-day cruise to the Greek islands and Turkey. At 11:30 sailing to Mykonos, the jewel of the Cyclades. Lunch on board. In the afternoon arrival in Mykonos. Time at leisure for shopping and strolling through the typical white-washed narrow streets of the picturesque town. In the evening sailing to Kusadasi. Dinner and overnight on board.

Day 4: Breakfast on board. Early morning arrival in Kusadasi. This seaside resort has undergone vigorous development in recent years and is an excellent place to shop for Turkish goods. The optional tour to nearby Ephesus is not to be missed, for here the history truly comes to life. Walking towards the ancient harbor, down a marble road rutted by the wheels of countless chariots, you pass such architectural masterpieces as the Magnesian Gate and the Library of Celsus before arriving at the great amphitheater where Saint Paul was arrested and cast out of the city. Later in the morning sailing to Patmos. Lunch on board.
In the afternoon arrival in Patmos. This serene island is known as the site of the apocalyptic revelations of Saint John the Divine, written here during his exile from the Roman Empire. The cave where he is said to have lived is now the site of the monastery of the Apocalypse founded in the 11th century by the abbot Christodoulos. It houses priceless icons and manuscripts in its treasury. In the evening sailing to Crete. Dinner and overnight on board.

Day 5: Breakfast on board. Early morning arrival in Heraklion. Free time or optional excursion to the Palace of Knossos situated few kilometers from Heraklion. Discovered in 1899 by Sir Arthur Evans and partially reconstructed, the elaborate palace is believed to be the mythical labyrinth of King Minos and the seat of the ancient Minoan culture. The archaeological museum in Heraklion displays many of the treasures found during the excavations. In the late morning sailing to Santorini. Lunch on board. In the afternoon arrival in Santorini.
This island is perhaps the most breathtaking of all the Greek islands. Around 1500 B.C., a volcanic eruption destroyed the center of the island, leaving a crescent shaped rim of cliffs around a harbor formed in the volcano’s caldera. The town of Fira is accessible by donkeys or by cable car. Free time or optional excursion to Akrotiri located on the Southern point of the island. The excavation site has been roofed over to fashion a unique museum. Everything is in place as it was before the gigantic earthquake, including the narrow “streets” which wind through the area which has been cleared of the ash that filled the houses and engulfed the town.
Akrotiri is often compared to Pompeii but the ruins here date back to the prehistoric times, around 1500 B.C. In the evening sailing to Piraeus. Dinner and overnight on board.

Day 6: Breakfast on board. Early morning arrival in Piraeus. Transfer to the airport for your departure flight.

4 Day/3 Night Cruise to the Greek Islands and Turkey  Day Port Arrival Departure Friday  Lavrion – Greece – 13:00 Friday Mykonos * – Greece 18:00 23:00 Saturday Kusadasi – Turkey 07:00 13:00 Saturday Patmos * – Greece 16:30 21:30 Sunday Crete(Heraklion) – Greece 07:00 12:00 Sunday Santorini * – Greece 16:30 21:30 Monday  Lavrion – Greece 07:00 – * Disembarkation by tender boats, weather permitting Cruise Departure Dates: MARCH    15, 22, 29   APRIL 05, 12, 19, 26 MAY 03, 10, 17, 24,31 JUNE 07, 14,21,28 JULY 05,12,19,26 AUGUST 02, 09, 16, 23 ,30 SEPTEMBER 06, 13, 20, 27 OCTOBER 04, 11, 18, 25 NOVEMBER 01,08,15,22 Rates start from EURO 1064.00 per person, in Double occupancy room in 3* hotel in Athens & in Inside Cabin in low season. The cruise is All Inclusive (accommodation on board in the booked category, all meals, an extensive choice of alcoholic & non-alcoholic beverages, 2 shore excursions, all port & service charges & entertainment on board). Please contact us for more details.