Greek Odyssey 14-nights
Seabourn Odyssey

Athens exudes a unique charm; its lively character wins over tens of thousands of visitors every year. Street markets, vine-covered tavernas, souvenir stalls and ancient monuments are dotted among high-rise buildings in this capital city, which one out of four Greeks calls home. For tourists the greatest advantage is that most attractions are accessible on foot in the central area around the landmark Acropolis.

Athens was named after Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, who according to mythology won the city as prize after a duel against Poseidon. The city can chart its history back thousands of years and is regarded as the cradle of western civilisation; the place where democracy was invented and philosophy, art and architecture were refined. After a classical golden age when it was home to Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, the city declined in the Middle Ages, dwindling to nothing but a town with a few thousand residents gathered in the colourful area that is now known as the Plaka, until its rebirth as capital of an independent Greece in 1834.

Nowadays the city is busy and bustling. While the pollution, frantic gridlock and dingy buildings are a striking contrast to the open beauty of Greece’s coast and islands, Athens is truly the heartbeat of the country, and ancient wonders like the Acropolis, the Parthenon, and the Temples of Zeus and Hephaesus ensure that Athens will always lure travellers.

Skopelos is situated just east of Skiathos and is the largest island of the Sporades group, at 12 miles (19km) long and six miles (10km) across. The fertile island is dominated by lush hills, thick pine forests and olive groves, which in many places descend down to the shoreline and make Skopelos an excellent island for exploring on foot. Skopelos Town is a collection of charming, whitewashed houses that cling to a steep hill behind the harbour, crowned by an old fort. The town is home to more than 100 of the island’s 380 churches.

There are many beaches to choose from on Skopelos; most can be reached by public bus, but some only by boat. Skopelos is quieter and less well known than its neighbour Skiathos, offering a more laid-back, relaxing, and romantic atmosphere, which is ideal for those looking to get away from it all. Despite this the island also has a decent nightlife and a rather famous music scene, with a fun carnival in February. There are great bars along the waterfront and up on the hill, and a good selection of nightclubs, discos and music halls where visitors can dance the night away. It is also delightfully easy to find peace and quiet, however. Equally, the island offers a decent variety of shops for local souvenirs and crafts, but is not a sophisticated shopping destination for the jet set.

One of the best ways to explore this paradise island is to hire a boat so that you can discover the hidden coves and beaches on your own steam. There are many viable excursions from Skopelos which connects to a number of islands by ferry service.

This upmarket Greek island is a sophisticated, fashionable favourite, particularly for the gay traveller, and probably because of its popularity it has become reputedly the most expensive of all the islands. Its designer shops, colourful tavernas and throbbing dance clubs are doing a roaring trade, but despite the trendy crowds and a couple of well-attended nudist beaches, the island retains its traditional flavour with its trademark thatched windmills turning slowly on the hill. Tourists to Mykonos who would like to do some serious sightseeing can visit the archaeological museum on the island, which displays some finds from the necropolis on nearby Rhenia. It is also possible to take a trip across to the uninhabited island of Delos (just six nautical miles away), which is an important UNESCO World Heritage archaeological site, having been the religious centre of the Aegean in ancient times, and associated with some captivating ancient myths and a history almost as interesting. Explore the temples and the Avenue of the Lions, and see some stunning archaic sculptures in the museum.

Mykonos has really lovely beaches, the most famous of which is the aptly named Paradise Beach. Super Paradise next door is also very popular, as are Platis Gialos, Paraga and Agios Ioannis (which is a good option if you prefer to avoid crowds).

Shaking off its reputation for package-tour karaoke evenings and touristy clubs, this resort is rapidly transforming into a charming getaway for couples and families. Ágios Nikólaos (or Áyios Nikólaos), about 43 miles (69km) east of Heraklion on the island of Crete, is now a cosmopolitan resort with high standards of harbour-side café-bars and top quality restaurants.

Ideal for couples of all ages, Ágios Nikólaos is an excellent base from which to explore the eastern part of the island while on holiday. The town itself does not boast any major historical or archaeological sites, but it does have one major curiosity: the deep pool in the environs of the harbour, called Lake Voulismeni, has many tales and legends attached to it, and was once believed to be bottomless. The lake is very beautiful and attracts visitors from all over the world with its dramatic red cliffs. Look out for the bright plumage of the kingfishers who frequent the lakeside.

Ágios Nikólaos also has a fine Archaeological Museum, worth visiting while on holiday for its growing collection of Minoan artefacts. The museum houses finds from the cemetery of Aghia Photia, dating back to 2300 BC, including more than 1,500 vases. Besides all the Minoan finds the museum also exhibits the skull of a young Roman athlete wearing a gold olive-leaf wreath, dated to the 1st century AD.

Many visitors on holiday in Ágios Nikólaos take the excursions to the fortified islet of Spinalónga to see the ruins of, and hear the fascinating story of what became the last leper colony in Europe. The island of Crete is full of epic historical attractions and it is not difficult to find exciting excursions and day-trips when staying in Ágios Nikólaos. However, many happy hours can be spent wandering the quaint waterways of the resort itself, taking photographs of the various pleasure boats and fishing craft, or relaxing in a taverna.

On the East coast of Sicily is the city of Syracuse. Some people says that it has the best natural harbour of Italy. Once a great rival to ancient Athens, the old city is based in a small island next to the coast and contains many historical buildings. Archimedes lived and died here. Catania is a city that dates from the 18th century, reconstructed after a series of earthquakes. Mount Etna, the greater active volcano of Europe, is close and its continuous eruption attracts many tourists.

Visit the archaeological museum Paolo Orsi. Break for lunch in a noble villa in the gulf in front of the island of Ortigia. Explore the city and its monuments, such as the Greek theather and the Dyonisus’s Ear. Tour Ortigia, historical centre of the city and visit Palazzo Bellomo to see paintings by Caravaggio and Antonello da Messina.

The capital city of Valleta is an historic walled city, dating from the Renaissance. Its current population is less than 10,000 inhabitants, and it is built on a rocky peninsula that separates Grand Harbor from Marsamxett Harbor.

Not only is Santorini one of the most beautiful islands in the world, it is also geologically and archaeologically one of the most dramatic. The island, which is also called Thira, is shaped like an enormous pair of jaws encircling a lake filled with pure blue water. This is the core of an ancient volcano, which according to legend destroyed the lost continent of Atlantis when it blew its top about 3,600 years ago, burying the ancient city of Akrotiri (now being excavated) under tons of ash and sending out tidal waves that inundated other landmasses.

The island’s two towns, Fira and Ia, are perched on the cliff tops of the highest part of the island. Ferries arrive and depart in the harbour below, and visitors walk or ride donkeys up the steep winding path to the towns. The towns are equipped with hotels, good restaurants, bars and plenty of nightlife to keep tourists happy while they relax between visiting the archaeological remains of ancient Thira, dating back to the 9th century BC, on the east side of the island. Other attractions include the excavations at Akrotiri, an archaeological museum, and an 18th-century monastery. Santorini has two swimming beaches, Perissa and Kamari, both characterised by their volcanic black sand.

In the days of old, knights found the island of Rhodes, close to the Turkish shore at the merging of the Mediterranean and Aegean seas, and set it up as a fortress to protect the Christian west from the invasion of the ‘heathens’ from the east. Today the island, the main one of the 12 making up the Dodecanese group, is still subject to invasion but now the intruders are tourists; they come to revel in what is reputedly the sunniest Greek island, and to have fun in the medieval city the knights left behind.

The town of Rhodes, on the northern point of the island, has preserved its picturesque walled old city as a playground for visitors. In ancient times the harbour here was guarded by the legendary Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, but now some statues of deer have taken its place. Nevertheless the old part of the city has plenty of wonders still to offer and the modern part of the town is just as vibrant.

The rest of the relatively large island offers miles of beaches, interesting archaeological sites and natural beauty spots. The best beaches are on the east coast, between Faliraki and Lindos. Lindos is renowned as a particularly picturesque town that has been designated a protected historic settlement; Faliraki, on the other hand, is a developed resort area bustling with young visitors.

This lovely island of the Dodecanese group has been taken over almost completely by tourism, catering especially for family holidays. Aside from the draw of beautiful beaches, Kos has an abundance of interesting ruins to explore, and is easily reached from Rhodes or Bodrum (Turkey) by ferry. Kos was prominent in antiquity because of its healing temple of Asclepius, founded after the death of the famed physician Hippocrates, who allegedly taught students on the island.

Kos also features the remains of temples for other healing deities, including Isis and Sarapis, and appears to have historically been an island healing retreat. The island boasts a tree that is reputedly the oldest in Europe and Hippocrates is said to have held lecture sessions in its shade. It also has several archaeological remains of Persian, Turkish, Roman and Byzantine conquerors that all added their bit of splendour (and turmoil) during the island’s long history. Kos has busy bars and an entertaining nightlife, and there are some pleasant towns and beaches outside the capital, but those looking for empty beaches should head for quieter islands. The main beach in Kos Town is narrow and pebbled, but nearby Tigaki is six miles (10km) of pure white sand. Lambi, Psalidi, and Agios Fokas are all popular beaches a short distance away.