Booking Deadline - 15 December 2008
Reserve a Space on this Tour

3 Spaces Left

$3223
includes Outside Cabin Category "A" on a shared basis, meals onboard, port charges, fuel surcharges, 1 night Istanbul, and 2 nights Athens.
(non-member: $3323)
Cabin-sharing arranged by WTT for solo travelers.
Single Room–hotel nights only: Add $506.00

Activity Level:
  80% Easy;
   10% Moderate
   10% Strenuous
 

TOUR INCLUDES:

 __________________

Air Information
Travelers will make their own air reservations and are requested to arrive and depart as follows:

Arrival Airport:
Istanbul, Turkey (IST)

Arrive:
Istanbul Friday, 1 May no later than 4:00pm

Departure Airport:
Athens, Greece (ATH)

Depart:
Athens Sunday, 10 May at your convenience. (there will be 1 group transfer to the airport)

Early Arrival:
To avoid jet lag and possible flight delays, consider arriving a day early. The room cost plus airport transfer will be:
   $247dbl  / $391sgl

 

- A valid passport is required for this trip.  Passports must be valid for at least 6 months after the last date of travel.

- Visa(s) are required for this trip and are the responsibility of the traveler to acquire

- Many of the islands we will be visiting have hilly terrain requiring walking.

- Air from your home to Istanbul, Turkey or to your home from Athens, Greece.

- Meals or activities not specified on the itinerary.

- Shore Excursions while on the cruise.

- Items of personal nature, tips to guides, drivers, cruise staff or any services not specifically mentioned above.

- You will be responsible for your own airport transfer(s) if you arrive or depart at times or dates other than specified above when transfers are provided.

Friday, 1 May: Arrive Istanbul

Today you will arrive in Istanbul where you will be met at the airport and transferred to the hotel.  The remainder of the day is at leisure to rest or to enjoy the city. Our hotel is in walking distance of many Istanbul landmarks. We will meet for an early dinner this evening. (D)

Saturday, 2 May: Istanbul City Tour and Ship Embarkation

Straddling the continents of Europe and Asia, divided by the winding strait of the Bosphorus, Istanbul is often referred to as a bridge between East and West. Under the names of Constantinople and Byzantium, the city was the capital of the Byzantine Empire for 1,100 years. Captured by the Ottoman Turks in 1453, it became the seat of the Turkish sultans for a further five centuries. It is no longer a capital city, but with a population approaching 12 million it remains Turkey's largest metropolis and the centre of the country's economic and cultural life. The great monuments—such as the Hagia Sophia, the Sultan Ahmet Mosque (Blue Mosque), and TopkapÍ Palace—fill all parts of the city. We will tour the city today. Later we will transfer to the ship. (L, D)

Sunday, 3 May: Istanbul

Today is yours to further explore the city. Your WTT tour leader will have suggestions as to how to best spend your day, and also suggest some other tours that you could take today.  We will depart Istanbul this afternoon/early evening. (B,L,D)

Monday, 4 May: Mykonos

Our first port of Call is Mykonos. The most popular daytime activities are upscale shopping and near-nude sunbathing, but don't forget that the sacred island of Delos lies just 30 minutes by boat from town. One of the most important archaeological sites in Greece, Delos is the mythical birthplace of Apollo and Artemis and was once the religious and commercial center of the eastern Mediterranean. Mykonos' own museums are well worth a break from the beach too.

Mykonos town, with its labyrinth of winding alleyways lined with whitewashed buildings, was built to disorient pirates and other unwanted visitors. Today, it's an eclectic and captivating mix of upscale shops and cafes, basket-laden donkeys, cascading geraniums. (B,L,D)

Tuesday, 5 May: Patmos and Kusadasi (Ephesus)

Patmos is part of the Dodekanese islands in the Aegean sea. The island was formerly covered with luxuriant palm groves, which won it the name of Palmosa; of these groves there remains but a clump in the valley called "The Saint's Garden". The ancient capital occupied the northern (Ruvali) isthmus. The modern town of Patmos lies in the middle part of the island. Above it towers the battlements of St. John's Monastery, founded in 1088 by St. Christobulus. The Island of Patmos is famous in history as the place of St. John's exile.

Our second stop for the day is Kusadasi where you can visit the bazaar or take an optional tour of Ephesus, Turkey. Ephesus is about 10 km inland from the Aegean coast and approx 700 km south of Istanbul. If you look at a modern map of the Mediterranean and follow the line south east from Samos in the Greek islands to the Turkish coastline you will find the city of Kusadasi.

This archaeological site ranks right up there with the Pyramids of Giza in being one of the wonders of the world. Let your imagination run wild as you tread the paths of the Roman debauchers on their way to the brothel or to take a bath. Marvel at the culture that must have flourished when you visit the library and the amphitheater! This place represents so many different facets of Ancient Greek and Roman culture that one wonders how the Dark Ages ever came upon Europe.

Here stands the breathtaking Library of Celsus which dates from 135 AD. 9 steps take you up to the salon of the library where you will see the niches in the walls where books were kept and the remains of low Ionian pillars that supported the reading tables. (B,L,D)

Wednesday, 6 May: Rhodes

With whitewashed houses clustered beneath a soaring castle-capped acropolis, Lindos is Rhodes' most picturesque village. Tourists flock here by the hundreds of thousands each summer to visit this ancient city, the island's most important Doric settlement because of its natural harbor and vantage point (it's built on a rock 125 meters above sea level).

In the heart of the island's biggest city (also named Rhodes) is the largest inhabited medieval town in Europe. The "old town" is a fascinating web of Byzantine, Turkish and Latin ruins. Its mighty fortifications provide the finest surviving examples of defensive architecture of the time. After you've had your fill of history, don't miss the Municipal Art Gallery at Symi Square in the old town for intriguing examples of contemporary Greek art. (B,L,D)

Thursday, 7 May: Heraklion (Crete) and Santorini

Within Heraklion's thick Venetian walls the city carries on a frenetic pace, its neon lights illuminating remnants of Arab, Byzantine, Venetian and Turkish rule. Heraklion is Crete's largest city and Greece's fifth. It spreads for miles, but most of its cultural and tourist attractions can be found within reach of the city center.

Heraklion serves as the main thoroughfare for destinations throughout Crete, but there are plenty of reasons to stay a while. The ruins of Knossos - the capital of Minoan Crete and today the island's major tourist attraction - are just five kilometers from the city center. Heraklion's Archaeological Museum, one of the finest in Greece, houses exquisite findings from Knossos and other Minoan ruins. Other points of interest include numerous Venetian fortresses, fountains and loggias scattered throughout the city and the Historical Museum of Crete, with its Byzantine and folklore collections.

Santorini. You've seen it on postcards. The island's just as stunning in real life, where picture-perfect whitewashed villages cling to the lip of a huge sunken volcano. It's a strange place where beaches are black and rocks float and crumble at a touch.

Santorini's first inhabitants, the Minoans, lived here until around 1450 B.C. when a colossal volcanic eruption caused the middle of the island to sink, leaving the caldera of high cliffs you see today. Theorists have it that this eruption destroyed the entire Minoan civilization. Others think the island is part of the lost continent of Atlantis. Major earthquakes have since occurred, causing the two adjacent islands, Palia Kameni and Nea Kameni to appear.

Sights include the Folk Museum at the monastery atop Santorini's highest peak, Mt. Profitis Ilias; the Archaeological Museum; Ancient Thera and Ancient Akrotiri. Ancient Thera dates from the 9th century B.C. and includes temples, houses with mosaics, the Agora, a theater, a gymnasium and a stunning view. Akrotiri was rediscovered in 1967 when excavations revealed the ancient city buried beneath volcanic ash. Complete with paved streets and a sophisticated central drainage system, Akrotiri's the best preserved prehistoric settlement in the Aegean. (B,L,D)

Friday, 8 May: Arrive Athens; City tour, afternoon free

Today we end our cruise in the early morning and step off the ship into Athens. We will take a sightseeing tour of the city with the balance of the day and evening free.

With thousands of years of history and mythology under its belt, Athens - named for the olive-tree-loving Athena (goddess of wisdom) - is more than a concrete jungle. It's an affable city enlivened by outdoor cafes, pedestrian streets, parks, gardens and characters aplenty. (B)

Saturday, 9 May: Free Day Athens or Optional Delphi Tour

Today you can choose to spend you day in Athens of take and optional tour to Delphi, center of the ancient worlds. See the Sanctuary of Apollo Pythias and visit the Treasury of the Athenians and the Museum before returning to Athens. (B)

Sunday, 10 May: Return Home

Schedule your return flight at your convenience. There will be only 1 group transfer. Should the scheduled group transfer not be convenient for your flight, you may elect to remain at the hotel and transfer at your own expense.  (B)

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