Sailing the Aegean - Voyage to spectacular sites in Greece & Turkey

An introductory lecture is followed by guided visits. The Acropolis is the pre-eminent site of Classical Greece. Built during the apogee of Athenian power 447–438 bc and dedicated to Athena, the Parthenon temple is unequalled for sophistication of design, quality of craftsmanship and beauty of sculpture. Other architectural masterpieces here are the Propylaia (monumental gateways) and the exquisitely wrought Erechtheion with the Karyatid (‘maidens’) porch. The Acropolis Museum has outstanding Archaic and Classical sculpture. 

Today you have a choice of excursions within Athens, or you can opt for free time. The refurbished National Archaeological Museum displays the finest collection of Greek art and artefacts to be found anywhere. Plaka and Anafiotika are charming old quarters on the slopes of the Acropolis with a scattering of ancient remains including the Library of Hadrian and the Tower of the Winds. Board the ship in the afternoon and sail early evening.

Anchor off Nauplion, a little port which is among the most attractive towns on mainland Greece. Today’s theme is the Mycenaean civilisation of the Argolid Plain, the Greece of Homer’s heroes. Tiryns is a citadel with massive Cyclopean walls. Mycenae, reputedly Agamemnon’s capital, has the so-called Treasury of Atreus, actually a ‘beehive’ tomb, and an Acropolis whose portal is the famous Lion Gate. Sail away from the mainland to the island of Syros in the Cyclades.

Syros is one of the smallest, the least visited and the prettiest of the Cyclades islands. The morning is spent moored in Ermoúpoli, an elegant port town with evidence of its former Venetian and Ottoman occupation above the bustling seafront. Free time here to stroll, shop, swim. Sail south through the afternoon and evening to Crete.

Moor in Heraklion, centre of the Bronze Age Aegean. Blessed with a rich variety of landscapes, natural resources were abundant and farming flourished in Protohistoric Crete. Knossos is shrouded in myth both ancient and modern. At its peak it comprised a magnificent palace with courts, religious buildings and mansions. Optional visit in the afternoon to the Archaeological Museum housing an exceptional collection of Minoan art and artefacts, flamboyant wall paintings among them. Alternatively, free time in the old town – massive Venetian walls, old harbour and fortress, attractive squares, churches and Historical Museum. Sail overnight to western Anatolia, now Turkey, and moor at Kusadasi.  

Founded by Ionians, under the Romans Ephesus became capital of the province of Asia and the wealthiest city in the eastern Aegean. It was also a major centre of early Christianity. Of the Temple of Artemis, one of the seven Wonders of the World, there are few remains, but the rest of the site is the most extensive of the Classical world. Visit also the 6th-century basilica, built over the tomb of St John, and the excellent Archaeological Museum. 

An all-day excursion to Aphrodisias is offered as an alternative. Situated in the interior of Anatolia on an undulating plateau ringed by hills, the city enjoys one of the most beautiful and unspoilt settings of any ancient site. A theatre, bouleuterion, stadium, monumental gateway and agora are among the excellently preserved buildings. It was a major centre of sculpture production and an abundance remains. It is 100 miles from Kusadasi but this disadvantage is offset by fewer visitors than Ephesus receives.

Sail south along the coast in the early evening to Didim. 

The lovely site of Priene is situated on the slopes of Mount Mykale beneath high limestone cliffs and overlooking the fertile Maeander plain. Sheltered by pines, the marble remains date largely from the late Classical and early Hellenistic periods. It exhibits one of the earliest of grid street plans and both theatre and bouleuterion are well preserved. The Temple of Athena came to be esteemed by Vitruvius and others as a model of temple architecture. 

The oracle of Apollo at Didyma for a time rivalled in popularity that at Delphi. Perhaps Turkey’s most impressive classical ruin, the Hellenistic Temple was the second largest in Asia and its unique inner court is well preserved.

Miletus was a leader city of the Ionian League and the centre of Greek philosophy and science in the Archaic era. The most prominent survival is the theatre, but across a largely unexcavated site are strewn colonnades, baths, churches and harbour structures (the sea has receded many miles). 

Leave Turkey and sail back to the Cyclades.  

Revered as the birthplace of Artemis and Apollo, the small island of Delos was the most important religious sanctuary of ancient Greece. It accumulated great riches, dispersed when Greek power was superceded by Roman. Today uninhabited and visited entirely on foot, it is one of the most atmospheric and alluring of ancient sites with remains of several temples and assorted structures and the famous lions sculpted in the 7th century bc. The energetic can climb Mt Kynthos for fine views.

Evening sail to Athens.

Leave the ship after breakfast. There may be some free time in Athens before the transfer to the airport. The flights to London arrive Heathrow mid- to late-afternoon.