WELCOME TO THE CYCLADIC ISLANDS
What? A Greek Isles tour that’s not a cruise??? On this very special trip, we travel by scheduled ferry through the beautiful Cycladic Island group and spend our nights on each unique island, with a perfect balance of organized activities and free time to soak it all up. Feel the strength of history and the warmth of being in the southernmost part of Europe, and discover an evolutionary process of thought, influence and experience. Find a landscape that has given us thousands of postcard images but whose essence remains intriguingly impossible to capture. Greece is a country of beautiful contradictions, a constant journey in time from the present to the past and back again.
ITINERARY IN BRIEF
For detailed itinerary (PDF), click here
For hotel samples, click here.
Day 1 • Arrival in Athens, Greece’s venerable capital.
Day 2 • Our guided tour of Athens takes us to the National Archaeological Museum and the Acropolis.
Day 3 • Fly to Santorini, island of churches, wine, and donkeys!
Day 4 • Coach tour of Santorini's highlights: Archaeological Museum, villages of Pyrgos and Oia, built along the rim of the caldera wall.
Day 5 • Today is free; optional hike to Oia or boat trip to the volcano's centre.
Day 6 • Local ferry to the quiet and salubrious island of Amorgos—an mysterious monastery, scattered churches, olive groves, gorgeous beaches—respite from tourists and a taste of traditional Greece.
Day 7 • Journey to the cliff-side Chozoviotissa Monastery, built in AD 1099.
Day 8 • A day at leisure, or join your Tour Leader on a hike through three charming villages—Langada, Tholaria, and Potamos, built above a deep valley and the harbour of Aegiali.
Day 9 • Local ferry to the island of Mykonos. In the distance stand a string of windmills that once harnessed the breezes of days gone by. Orientation walking tour of the pirate-proof streets of Chora, legendary for its shopping and nightlife. Dinner in town.
Day 10 • Boat trip to the tiny sacred island of Delos, for nearly years the political and religious centre of the Aegean.
Day 11 • Day at leisure on Mykonos, charming island of Shirley Valentine.
Day 12 • Fast ferry back to Athens and farewell dinner.
Day 13 • Departure from Athens.
INCLUSIONS
- Accommodation
- Internal transportation
- Breakfasts and most dinners
- Sightseeing and entrance fees
- Tips for hotel, porters, drivers
- Transfers (Land/Air)
- Services of a Tour Leader
|
EXCLUSIONS
- Lunches and some dinners
- Drinks
- Items of a personal nature
- Air departure taxes/fuel surcharges
- Visa fees (if applicable)
- Transfers (if early/late)
- Transfers (if Land Only)
- Tour Leader gratuities
|
OUT FACTOR
Though still a traditional and relatively devoutly religious country, Greece is one of the more tolerant societies in the Western world. Gay culture, though not as organized and obvious (ie ghettoized) as in other European countries, is met with tolerance, or at least indifference, by the vast majority of the population. As long as you are respectful of local sensitivities, ie discrete, the locals will be almost invariably charming and welcoming. Of course, in places like Mykonos and, increasingly, Santorini, practically anything goes.
PLEASE NOTE
This itinerary is correct at time of publishing. For a more detailed itinerary, download a PDF here. We reserve the right to make changes as necessary due to reasons beyond our control. For booking terms and conditions, please refer to our Booking Terms.
