Our Greece tour explores Athens and Istanbul and cruises through the Aegean on a motor-sailing yacht. Cruise aboard Wind Star / Wind Spirit, with just 148 guests as you experience a Greece tour that is highlighted by a 7-day Greek Island cruise. See the best of the ancient world, from the Parthenon to the Blue Mosque, plus museums that entice with art and other treasures. Explore UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the Acropolis, Mycenae, Delos, the medieval city of Rhodes, and the historic district in Istanbul. Examine ancient ruins in Epidaurus and legendary Ephesus, and stroll the atmospheric towns of Mykonos, Fira, and Nafplion. In Istanbul, meander through shops of the Bazaar and go inside ornate palaces and mosques. This Turkey and Greece tour, featuring a memorable small-ship Greek Island cruise, is one of our traditional best sellers!
Day 1: Arrive in Istanbul
Tour begins: 6:00 p.m. Ceylan InterContinental Istanbul, Turkey. Your Turkey and Greece tour includes a transfer from Istanbul’s Ataturk International Airport to the Ceylan InterContinental Istanbul. Your hotel boasts beautiful views of the Bosphorus. Meet fellow travelers at the welcome reception and dinner.
Meals: Dinner
Day 2: The imperial Ottomans
Istanbul is truly the crossroads of Europe and Asia; visit the imperial seat of the Ottoman Empire, Topkapi Palace, including the living quarters for the Sultan’s harem. Drive to Süleymaniye Mosque and mausoleums, a glorious tribute to Ottoman artistry.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 3: Exotic Istanbul
Explore beautiful Hagia Sophia, a 1,400-year-old Byzantine church with lovely figurative mosaics. View the Basilica Cistern, an underground Byzantine structure. Then see Turkish carpets and colorful kilims in the Covered Bazaar.
Meals: Breakfast
• Day 4: Blue Mosque
Tour the Blue Mosque, one of Istanbul’s landmark sites featuring six minarets, a host of domes, and intricate blue tilework. Lunch includes Turkish favorites and is followed by a boat ride on the historic Bosphorus. Board your luxury motor-sailing ship, Wind Star / Wind Spirit for your Greek Island cruise exploring the treasures of the Aegean on a Greece tour.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Day 5: Cruising the Aegean Sea
Your Greece tour entices with non-stop views, beginning with your Greek Island cruise in the Aegean Sea. Take advantage of the ship’s swimming pool, hot tub, fitness center, and sauna. In the evening, try your luck in the casino, or check out a movie or novel from the library.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Day 6: Antiquities of Ephesus
Dock in Kusadasi, Turkey today. Drive to Ephesus, once the chief port on the Aegean, now known for its spectacular antiquities and ruins. See the Library of Celsus, the Temple of Hadrian, Gate of Hercules, Greek Theater, and other temples, baths, and colonnaded streets. See artifacts in the Selçuk Museum, one of Turkey’s best museums. Your Greece tour takes you to Rhodes tomorrow.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Day 7: Discover Rhodes
Arrive at the island of Rhodes, Greece, with a wealth of monuments. Take a guided tour of the walled medieval city of Rhodes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and visit the Gothic Palace of the Grand Masters.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Day 8: Turkish coast wonders
Your Greece tour and cruise charts a course to Bodrum, where you will see the remains of revered Greek sites including one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World – Halicarnassus Mausoleum. Visit the Castle of St. Peter and the castle’s Museum of Underwater Archaeology before heading back to your ship for a swim off the boat – one of the many exclusive experiences that await on this Greece tour.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Day 9: Spectacular Santorini
Rise early to catch spectacular water views of Santorini as the ship pulls into port. Your Greece tour takes you today to the town of Fira with its white washed, blue-domed buildings set on high, steep slopes above the sea. Meander around Fira on your own in the afternoon, and return to the ship by traditional means, the donkey.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Day 10: Mykonos & Delos Islands
Our Greece tour calls on glamorous Mykonos, weather permitting. A choice of activities includes a tour of the island or a boat ride to the tiny island of Delos, the mythological birthplace of Apollo and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This religious pilgrimage destination features sacred temples, sanctuaries, theaters, and shrines to the Gods, and is one of the most important archaeological sites in Greece. Spend the afternoon in Mykonos, known for leather goods and jewelry.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 11: Epidaurus and charming Nafplion
Your Greek Island cruise ends today when you disembark from the ship in Piraeus. Travel to Epidaurus and check out the well-preserved theatre built in the 4th century BC to seat 15,000 people. Enjoy a guided walk in Nafplion with fine neoclassical architecture crowned by hilltop fortresses, then poke around on your own and find a seaside taverna for dinner.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch
Day 12: Mycenae to Athens
Continue to Mycenae where you’ll see the imposing Lion Gate and interesting tombs at this UNESCO World Heritage Site. Arrive in Athens, the birthplace of western culture, where your Greece tour continues at one of the world’s favorite hotels.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch
Day 13: The Acropolis
In the quiet early morning, visit the Acropolis; this is the site of four of the greatest masterpieces of classical Greek art – the Parthenon, the Propylaea, the Erechtheum, and the Temple of Athena Nike – a highlight of any Greece tour. See one of the world’s best collections of ancient Greek art and artifacts at the National Archaeological Museum of Athens. In the afternoon, pursue your own interests in Athens. Share favorite moments of your Greece tour during our farewell dinner this evening.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Day 14: Journey home
Tour ends in Athens. A transfer is included to the Athens International Airport (Eleftherios Venizelos). Allow a minimum of 2 1/2 hours before the departure of your flight.
Meals: Breakfast
*****All itineraries are subject to change without notice
This tour is also offered Northbound
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