overview

VIEW THE JOURNEY

Athens, Greece to Athens, Greece

Savor the enticing islands and historic wonders of Greece and Turkey on this roundtrip voyage from Athens. Watch the Aegean sun shift shadows on the white columns of the Parthenon, let your imagination soar at the Palace of Knossos with its legendary Minotaur and labyrinth, and experience a once-in-a-lifetime event as you dine under the stars at the ruins of Ephesus during Windstar’s exclusive and complimentary Destination Discovery event. Your overnight in Rhodes offers even more, giving you time to drive through quaint villages and lemon groves to the ancient Acropolis of Lindos, and wander the pedestrian-only Venetian Old Town with its Palace of the Grand Master, one of the best-preserved medieval cities in Europe. In between, relish postcard-like scenes of white windmills and sugar cube houses against the blue Aegean, and sample delicious mezethes, Greek music, and ouzo.

VIEW THE JOURNEY

Day 1: Athens, Greece

With 3,000 years of history, you can’t turn around in Athens without encountering the past. The Acropolis, a UNESCO site, the Plaka, and the Acropolis Museum are must-sees. But leave time if you can to climb Pnyx Hill for photos of the Parthenon at sunset, to buy your own set of Greek komboloi (worry beads), and to explore the metro stations that serve as mini-museums for the relics that are constantly being unearthed.

VIEW THE JOURNEY

Day 2: Patmos

This UNESCO World Heritage Site is known worldwide as the sacred island where St. John wrote the Book of Revelation, Patmos is the ideal place for nature lovers with its coastline of sheer cliffs and its volcanic soil. Highlights of Patmos include the Cave of the Apocalypse and the Holy Monastery of the Apocalypse.

VIEW THE JOURNEY

Day 3: Kusadasi

Few places offer such a rich combination of history and scenic beauty. In Ephesus, one of the greatest outdoor museums in the world, you’ll explore legendary sites steeped in history. Also visit the houses of Bulbul Mountain, where the roof of one forms the terrace of the next. This evening we present our Destination Discovery Event -- dinner in the moonlight and a concert near the Celsus Library or on Harbour Street in ancient Ephesus.

VIEW THE JOURNEY

Day 4: Bodrum

The 15th century Castle of St. Peter, built by the Crusaders, presides over the city’s dual harbors. Colorful peacocks strut their stuff trying to claim your attention, but they have nothing on the white sugar cube houses, palm-lined boulevards, and shockingly blue Aegean below. For a picture-perfect seaside playground, Bodrum offers a surprisingly rich history, or maybe it’s the other way around. Visit the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, one of the original Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Surrender to the captivating magic of bathtub-warm waters and the Marina. Shop the bazaar for Milas cloth scarves and silver jewelry. Stroll the marina to see the other private yachts in port. (None as grand as yours, of course.)

VIEW THE JOURNEY

Day 5: Rhodes

This gracious oasis, known as the “Island of Roses,” was home to the legendary Colossus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Today it is a yachting paradise, whose shores are lined with sparkling beaches and lush green mountainsides. A scenic drive leads you through quaint villages and lemon groves to the ancient Acropolis of Lindos, standing guard over the picturesque town or to the Old City of Rhodes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

VIEW THE JOURNEY

Day 6: Rhodes

VIEW THE JOURNEY

Day 7: Heraklion

Heraklion is the birthplace of El Greco, Nobel Prize winning poet Odysseas Elytis, and Nikos Kazantzakis. The major site of Crete’s biggest city is Knossos Palace, the Minoan-era castle unearthed by British archaeologist Arthur Evans. But the first site you will see is the Koules Venetian Fortress built in the early 1500s on the harbor walls, it houses restored interior and exterior reliefs of the Lion of St. Mark. A typical feature of Heraklion’s city center is the number of Venetian and Turkish fountains, the most notable being the Morosini Fountain, built to supply Heraklion with 1,000 barrels of water a day.

VIEW THE JOURNEY

Day 8: Mykonos

Wake this morning to the postcard-like scene of Mykonos, the classic Greek isle dotted with hundreds of whitewashed churches and thatch-roofed windmills, in a harbor bobbing with fishing boats and luxurious private yachts. An optional tour including a scenic ferry ride takes you back to the 6th century B.C. to the tiny island of Delos, a UNESCO site and the mythical birthplace of Apollo.

VIEW THE JOURNEY

Day 9: Athens, Greece

A Complimentary Destination Discovery Event