Itinerary

Day 1: Depart U.S. for Athens, Greece

Day 2: Athens After a late morning arrival, there’s time to relax at our hotel before a walking tour of Hermes Street and the lower Plaka district. Tonight we enjoy a welcome dinner. D

Day 3: Athens On this morning’s tour we visit the city’s most important sites, including the 5th-century BCE Acropolis and Parthenon; and the renowned Acropolis Museum. Our afternoon is free to explore independently in this historic and monumental city. B

Day 4: Delphi We travel today to central Greece to explore Delphi, the most beautiful and celebrated ancient site of all. Nestled between twin cliffs and spilling out onto the Sacred Plain, Delphi is where the Oracle representing the revered god Apollo presided over the ancient world. We see the ruins of the Sanctuary of Apollo; walk the marble Sacred Way; and climb to the 4th-century CE theater still in use today. We also visit Delphi’s museum that houses the bronze “Charioteer,” one of antiquity’s greatest statues. After lunch in a local restaurant and some free time, we return to Athens late afternoon. B,L

Day 5: Athens/Cruising – Kea This morning is free for independent exploration; early this afternoon we transfer to Athens’ port of Piraeus to board the mega-yacht Harmony V. We begin our Greek isles idyll as we cruise to tiny Kea, where we can explore on our own after this evening’s welcome aboard dinner. B,D

Day 6: Cruising – Delos/Mykonos Today we call on the island of Delos, once the religious and political center of the Aegean, and today an important archaeological site devoid of ­inhabitants, as it has been for more than 2,000 years. We take a guided walking tour of the superb ruins here. After lunch on board Harmony V we have an opportunity to swim in the ­Aegean as we cruise to nearby Mykonos, where our ship overnights. The remainder of the day and evening is free to enjoy this popular and very pretty island at our leisure. Dinner tonight is on our own. B,L

Day 7: Cruising – Santorini We depart early this morning and enjoy a leisurely cruise to Santorini, the southernmost of the Cycladic islands. Once believed to have been the legendary lost island of Atlantis, Santorini today attracts both Greeks and visitors alike with its stupendous setting of whitewashed villages sitting atop the jagged cliffs of a crescent-shaped caldera amidst the cobalt sea. Here we have time to explore on our own, or to join in an optional excursion to local villages and archaeological sites. B,D

Day 8: Cruising – Rethymnon, Crete/­Knossos After reaching this port city today, we embark on an included private shore excursion to ancient Knossos, political center of Minoan civilization and legendary home of King Minos, the Labyrinth, and the Minotaur. Unlike other Grecian ruins, ­Knossos has been widely reconstructed and its frescoes repainted – a controversial preservation technique no longer practiced today. Still, the results offer an interesting perspective on an ancient site. We enjoy lunch at a local restaurant then return to Rethymnon, where there’s time to explore the picturesque port on our own before we reboard Harmony V and enjoy dinner on board. B,L,D

Day 9: Cruising – Kythira We enjoy a relaxed swim stop late morning then cruise to the island of Kythira, nestled at the foot of the Peloponnese between the Ionian and Aegean seas. After arriving mid-afternoon, we are at leisure to enjoy this peaceful gem as we wish; Kythira boasts beautiful beaches and a lively capital, Chora, where dinner tonight is on our own. B,L

Day 10: Cruising – Monemvassia/Nafplion ­Having cruised through the night, this morning we reach the Peloponnese region on the Greek mainland. We have free time to explore the fortified medieval town of Monemvassia, with its uniquely preserved period architecture. After returning to the ship for lunch, we stop for a swim as we cruise to Nafplion, another gem of a Venetian/Byzantine town. We disembark early this evening, with time to wander the charming narrow streets. B,L

Day 11: Cruising – Mycenae/Hydra A ­UNESCO World Heritage site, the imposing ruins at ­Mycenae represent the pinnacle of Mycenaean civilization, dating from the 15th to 12th centuries BCE. This ­morning we tour this ancient city that contributed to the development of classic Greek culture (and hence Western civilization) and also is linked to Homer’s epics the Iliad and The Odyssey. Then we depart for Hydra, with its well-preserved traditional town with a car-free center. We have time to wander as we wish before returning to Harmony V. B,D

Day 12: Cruising – Piraeus/Athens We disembark this morning and transfer to Athens, where we tour the acclaimed Benaki Museum, with a prized collection of Byzantine art. After a light lunch at the museum we check in at our hotel where tonight we toast our adventure over a farewell dinner. B,L,D

Day 13: Depart for U.S. Early this morning we transfer to the airport, where we connect with our flights home. B

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