Classical Highlights of Greece

A full-day walking tour takes in the ancient wonders on our doorstep, as a local expert introduces the sublime collection of temples – most famously the Parthenon – that comprise the Acropolis, and the extraordinary antiquities now on display in the state-of-the-art Acropolis Museum. 

This morning we head on foot to Agora – once the city’s market centre, seat of government, mint, trial courts, and site of the best-preserved temple of Hephaistus, as well as the beautifully reconstructed Stoa Attalos, which is now the Agora Museum.

After a light lunch, we proceed to the port of Piraeus to be welcomed aboard MY Galileo. There is time to settle in and get acquainted with our new surroundings before a welcome dinner is served. The ship sails onwards for Nafplion (Epidaurus) arriving late evening to overnight in the port.

Today is our included Epidaurus excursion. Early this morning, we drive to this ancient site, renowned throughout the Greek world as a healing sanctuary. It was reputed to be the birthplace of Apollo’s son Asclepius and for its theatre, which is once again in use today. The sanctuary was looted by the Roman general Sulla by pirates and later by Goths and very little remains of it today. The prosperity brought by the Asclepieion enabled the residents of Epidaurus to construct civic monuments, including a 4th century BCE theatre is breath-taking and acoustically so perfect that even today 13,000 spectators can view performances without any amplification.

After lunch on board, we sail onwards to Nafplion.

An optional Mycenae excursion awaits or you can spend the morning as you wish.

After lunch on board we sail to Gythion via Monemvasia, with the chance to admire this Byzantine fortress town.

Optional Nafplion/Mycenae Excursion - £85pp, can be pre-booked. After a walking tour of Nafplion, you will see the remains of the Bronze Age city of Mycenae, by legend the city of Agamemnon.

In the morning MS Galileo arrives in Gythion. Ancient Gythion was inhabited during prehistoric times and later the Spartans used as a port, enlarging the natural harbour they made Gythion their naval base.

There is an included Mani excursion today. Mani is Greece at its wildest and most beguiling. Few land tours can access this peninsula, immortalised by Patrick Leigh Fermor (and where the writer set up home), but small ships can. Our excursion takes in the natural splendour of Cape Tenaro and the Dirou Caves, along with the charming town of Areopolis.

After lunch on board, we sail onwards to Pylos this evening.

Pylos is a picture-perfect seaside town on the southwest corner of the Peloponnese. In 1827 a fleet of Venetians and other city states defeated an Ottoman fleet in one of the most important naval battles in history. This defeat led to the independence of Greece, which occurred in 1829. 

After lunch on board, we sail overnight to Katakolon.

Optional Pylos Excursion - £88pp, can be pre-booked. After stopping en route to admire the scenery, this excursion continues up o Nestor’s Palace. The remains of the prehistoric Palace occupy a scenic hilltop setting north of Pylos. Nestor’s Palace was discovered in 1939 by the American archaeologist Carl Blegen. Highlights include the well-preserved royal apartments and a bathtub that archaeologists have speculated belonged to the old king himself. The palace, with its central courtyard, was originally two stories high and richly decorated with frescoes. Following a visit to the remains, its a short trip to the town of Hora where a superb archaeological museum holds thousands of artefacts recovered from the site.

An optional excursion awaits today and we drive to Olympia, the legendary site of the original pan-Hellenic Olympic Games. Visit the ancient stadium, the temples of Zeus and Hera, and the museum dedicated to the Olympic Games of antiquity. Guests on this excursion will rejoin the boat at Patras and then we sail on to Itea. If you choose not to add this excursion to your tour the day is yours to spend as you wish.

Optional Olympia Excursion (with lunch) - £129pp, can be pre-booked. We will disembark the ship and an optional excursion takes us by bus to Olympia, one of the most famous and important sites in the ancient world. Olympia is revered as the birthplace of the Olympic Games. In the ancient Greek world, it was also the greatest Pan-Hellenic sanctuary for the worship of Zeus. Olympia persisted well into Roman times until its demise in the 3rd century AD when fires, earthquakes and invading tribes from the north left the site in ruins. From 1875 onward excavation work, spearheaded primarily by the German government, revealed the fantastic treasures from antiquity that sit today in the marvellous archaeological museum. The most thrilling site at Olympia is the stadium, which looks much like it did more than 2,000 years ago. You will also explore the Temple of Hera, the magnificent temple of Zeus the Philippeion – lodging place for the athletes who participated in the games. Later we visit the Olympia Museum, one of the most beautiful museums in the world. Following lunch in the town of Olympia, we’ll visit the museum of the History of the Olympic Games of Antiquity. Unlike the main archaeological museum, this building houses statuary and a host of artifacts specifically related to the ancient Olympic Games. 

Today’s included excursion takes us to Delphi, one of the most sacred sites of the ancient world. Unlike other archaeological sites in Greece, Delphi is built on the side of a mountain. First time visitors are awed as much for the stunning natural beauty that surround the ruins as for the ancient buildings themselves. In its prime, Delphi was revered for its wealth and reputation, attributes which grew from the site’s location as hosting the most important oracle in the classical world. Indeed, because everything in Greece is connected to mythology, Delphi became the premier site for the worship of the god Apollo. The oracle had the ability to prophecy the future and give advice. Visitors from across the Greek world travelled here to consult with the oracle and responded by offering thanks to Apollo in the form of treasure. 

We return to the boat for lunch and afterwards our boat negotiates the Corinth Canal as it sails back to Piraeus. This evening we enjoy a farewell dinner.

We disembark MS Galileo after breakfast and transfer from the port of Athens to the international airport for our return flight to London.