Aegean Allure & Ancient Echoes — Luxury Cruise

Istanbul

Check in to your hotel, steps from the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, and settle in at your own pace. Istanbul is all around you — the city is yours.

Accommodation: Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet

Istanbul

A full day at your leisure in one of the world's great cities, where East meets West and five thousand years of history sit side by side with the present.

Accommodation: Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet

Istanbul

Transfer to the cruise dock at Kılıç Ali Paşa Caddesi and embark EXPLORA II. Departure is at 23:55. On deck, the minarets recede behind you, glittering against the night sky until the city is just light on the horizon — and then open water.

Accommodation: EXPLORA II, an Explora Journeys vessel, Istanbul

Marmaris

Pine-clad mountains plunge directly into turquoise water, and the town of Marmaris sits at the foot of a medieval fortress with the bay spread before it like a blue mirror. Sail out to the ancient ruins of Knidos on a wooden gulet, kayak through sea caves along the coast, or walk the castle ramparts at dusk as the masts of a hundred yachts catch the last of the light. Shore excursions include Exploring Knidos by Boat and a Sunset Catamaran Cruise.

Accommodation: EXPLORA II, an Explora Journeys vessel, Marmaris

Bodrum

One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World stood here — the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, now a field of scattered marble. What remains is Bodrum itself: the crusader castle of St Peter reflected in the harbour, the whitewashed houses climbing the hillside, and a waterfront that comes alive in a way that owes nothing to the ancient world and everything to the Mediterranean summer.

Accommodation: EXPLORA II, an Explora Journeys vessel, Bodrum

Patmos

This is where St John wrote the Book of Revelation — in a cave in the hillside above the port, in the late first century, in a state of divine urgency. The Cave of the Apocalypse and the fortress monastery above it are among the most atmospheric sites in Christendom. Below them, the port village of Skala is all bougainvillea and cats sleeping in doorways.

Accommodation: EXPLORA II, an Explora Journeys vessel, Patmos

Milos

The Venus de Milo was found here in 1820, buried in a farmer's field. The island's volcanic geology produces a landscape unlike any other in the Cyclades — the lunar white rock formations of Sarakiniko, the technicolour fishing boats of Klima, the sea caves at Papafragas glowing turquoise in the afternoon light.

Accommodation: EXPLORA II, an Explora Journeys vessel, Milos

Mykonos

The windmills turn slowly above the white cubic houses of Chora, and Little Venice's balconies hang directly over the sea. Mykonos is the most cosmopolitan of the Greek islands — and also, away from the waterfront, one of the most genuinely beautiful.

Accommodation: EXPLORA II, an Explora Journeys vessel, Mykonos

Piraeus (Athens)

The ship arrives at dawn and Athens rises above the port. Disembark and transfer to the One&Only Aesthesis on the Athenian Riviera — a sanctuary of pine and sea thirty minutes south of the Acropolis.

Accommodation: One&Only Aesthesis, Piraeus (Athens)

Athens Riviera

A day entirely at your leisure on the Athenian Riviera. The private beach, the pools, the city — the day is yours to spend as you wish.

Accommodation: One&Only Aesthesis, Athens Riviera

Athens Riviera

Your final morning on the Athenian Riviera. Transfer to Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos for your onward journey.

Accommodation: One&Only Aesthesis, Athens Riviera