Athens, Istanbul & the Aegean

You’re never more than a few steps away from the past in Athens. Accompany your Tour Director to the Plaka, the historic district that borders the Acropolis. In its twisting narrow streets you’ll catch glimpses of an older city, from wrought-iron balconies bursting with geraniums to traditional Greek dancing in basement tavernas. Continue on to the Temple of Olympian Zeus, begun in the 6th century B.C. and finished in A.D. 132 by the emperor Hadrian. Its enormous columns provide a sense of the scale of the original temple. Nearby, the elaborate Hadrian’s Arch separated the ancient and imperial sections of the city.

Not just another crowded dusty city, Athens has developed from the birthplace of democracy to a bustling modern metropolis. With a local licensed guide, start your time travel at the ancient hot spots of the first Olympic site and the sprawling Acropolis, classical Athens’ religious and civic center. The awe-inspiring Parthenon -- a temple dedicated to Athens’ patron saint Athena -- is the obvious centerpiece, but take time to examine the building next door, where sculpted women hold up the roof with their heads, and the amazing view of modern Athens below. Jump back to the present in Syntagma Square, the center of the modern city, to see the Parliament building and the British-style changing of the guards ceremony. (There’s a rather un-British flair to it, however -- the Greek guards wear white skirts, head scarves, and shoes and knee bands adorned with pom-poms.) Continue to Omonia Square, Athens' other main meeting point, to relax by the splashing central fountain ringed with palm trees.

Head to an incomparable world capital and eight of the most beautiful coastal destinations in the world. Your first stop is Istanbul, where the west mingles with the east to create a city immensely rich in beauty, history, and culture. Continue on to Kusadasi, an ancient Turkish town that’s one of the Mediterranean’s most popular resort destinations, and then hit Ephesus for a taste of Turkey’s classical past. Patmos offers up gold-leafed Byzantine icons at the Monastery of St. John, and in Mykonos bright white houses contrast with Crayola-coloured boats and the international jet set relaxes all day long on the beach. Rhodes is next, its whitewashed medieval buildings and spectacular views rivaled only by those at your next stop, Lindos. Continue to Heraklion, the capital of Crete and a former Minoan seaport, for an unparalleled collection of Minoan archaeological artifacts. End your cruise at Santorini, where villages cling to the edge of a volcano and exotic black sand beaches stretch into the sea. Cruise excursions are provided by the liner and can be purchased during the voyage.

The dynamic gateway between Europe and Asia, Istanbul straddles the two continents with grace. Open-air markets, little changed since the Ottoman Empire, offer silks, carpets, and spices, while cars speed past the modern hotels, cafés, and skyscrapers catering to the city’s newfound popularity as a tourist destination. Domes and minarets still dot the skyline, however, from the immense church of Hagia Sophia -- the absolute masterpiece of Byzantine architecture and the fourth-largest church in the world, with a dome 180 feet high -- to the beautiful Blue Mosque, designed for the 19-year-old Sultan Ahmet in 1609. Please note that planned shore excursions range between $75 and $125 and will be sold through the cruise ship in Greece.

When he was exiled here for a year, Saint John the Evangelist was inspired to write the Book of Revelation by Patmos’s barren, haunting landscape. The monastery built to commemorate his stay still dominates the island. Inside the church are spectacular Byzantine icons and art, and from the hill on which it stands are incomparable views of the sparkling Aegean.

Blindingly white sugar cube houses scattered among traditional fishing villages. Appealing beaches and a lively nightlife. Mykonos, one of the smallest Cyclades, is nevertheless one of the most popular. Backpacking students mingle with tourists just off luxury yachts on its sunny beaches. Need a break from the crowds? Head into the medieval quarter, whose labyrinthine streets were designed to confuse the pirates that repeatedly raided the island.

Once a political and religious centre of the ancient world (and home of one of the seven wonders of the ancient world), Rhodes now lures visitors with sunny beaches, well-preserved medieval fortifications, and a castle on a hill. A league of Christian knights built the beautiful palace in the 1300s on the highest point of the island. Though partially destroyed by an explosion in 1856, the palace was rebuilt by the Italians to serve as one of Mussolini’s summer homes. Please note that planned shore excursions range between $75 and $125 and will be sold through the cruise ship in Greece.

Rising steeply from the Aegean, crescent-shaped Santorini marks the rim of a volcanic crater that exploded in 1625 B.C., destroying and fragmenting a much larger island. The sea flooded into the crater, and now white towns gleam from the tops of the rocky cliffs, streaked black, brown, pink, and pale green. Rumours claim that this island may actually be the not-so-lost Atlantis. Please note that planned shore excursions range between $75 and $125 and will be sold through the cruise ship in Greece.

Contemplate the sea god Poseidon from his temple perched high atop the hill of Cape Sounion, the southern-most tip of Central Greece. Stand among the tall, marble pillars rising up from the slippery slabs of rock and look out over the calm blue Aegean Sea. The Temple of Poseidon, built around the same time as the Parthenon (between 450-440 BC), is a refreshing point of calm after the chaos of modern Athens.