Athens is the current day capital of Greece and was also at the heart of Ancient Greece, a powerful civilization and empire. The city is still dominated by 5th-century BC landmarks, including the Acropolis, a hilltop citadel topped with ancient buildings like the colonnaded Parthenon temple. The Acropolis Museum, along with the National Archaeological Museum, preserves sculptures, vases, jewelry and more from Ancient Greece. 

Wander in the footsteps of history: wander the shopping street, dine in the shadow of the Acropolis, take a walking tour while you begin to adjust to the new time zone.

Alt Esc will offer an Athens package option: one night in a hotel, walking tour & shuttle to port the next morning. Stay tuned for details.

 Overnight:  TBD

Make the most of your morning in Athens before you take a shuttle out to the port of Piraeus. We embark our floating home-away-from-home, settle into our cabins and begin to explore the ship.

Join your fellow adventurers for our first dinner on board!
Note: must be onboard by 4:00 PM for a 6:00 departure. 

Overnight: Royal Clipper

Each Star Clipper ship offers a traditional and elegant way to see the world. Feel the wind fill the sails and gently carry you from one gorgeous destination to the next. During your time on board, you can choose to relax on a sun lounger or cool off in one of the pools on the top deck, while more adventurous passengers may enjoy the opportunity to climb the rigging or even have a go at steering the ship. Alternatively, you can wander the interior areas of the ship and discover relaxing lounges, a revitalizing spa and a peaceful library. 

 Overnight: Royal Clipper 

Kastellorizo is the tiny outpost of Greece that’s so close to Turkish shores locals joke that on a good day when the winds are right, you can smell the kebabs being grilled on the other side. The island was one of the last to join an independent Greece, being signed over to the nation in 1947. The 2011 census recorded its population at under 500 individuals, and it takes a long ferry journey to get to the island. But those willing to come this far will find a tranquil gem of an island unspoiled by tourism where you can live a truly authentic experience of Greece. Here are five reasons why you should visit this little island.

GO TRULY FAR FROM THE CROWDS

Kastellorizo has a subtle, unique atmosphere. There is nothing specific that causes it, it’s a spontaneous occurrence stemming the knowledge shared by all those on this small remote island of the distance that separates them from the rest of the country. Notions of calmness and tranquility acquire new meaning on this far-flung island, located on the easternmost tip of Greece, away from everyone and everything. There’s no better place to head to if you want to avoid the crowds and see Greece without the glossy coating of mass tourism.

ADMIRE THE MANSIONS

The colorful mansions are the dominant image in Kordoni, as locals call the coast in front of the port. The settlement is listed and strict rules govern any new construction or house restoration.

Many of the neoclassical mansions are specimens of the island’s heyday in the early 20th century, such as Sandrapeia Urban School, whose architecture inspired the University of Athens building.

Built in 1903, it now houses the school of the island. Other buildings, such as New Market and City Hall were built during the Italian occupation and have a different and impressive architecture.

CLIMB THE HILLS TO SEE TURKEY FROM GREECE

Visiting St. George of the Mountain, high on the hills of Kastellorizo may require climbing some 401 steps, but the view from above the village and across to Turkey is well worth the extra effort. Inside the monastery there is a small catacomb, the church of Aghios Charalambos. Before setting off, ask the locals for the keys as the church is usually locked.

SWIM IN THE BLUE CAVE

Also known as Cave Parasta or Fokiali, the Blue Cave is a unique monument of nature. It is 75-meters-long, 40-meters-wide, and has a height of 35 meters. It is richly adorned with stalactites and when the sun hits the water at the right angle, the entire cave is lit up in an astonishing shade of blue. Dive into the cold waters to literally bathe yourself in shades of blue. Access is by boat or speedboat while good sea conditions are required to enter and exit without any problems.

VISIT THE HISTORIC ISLET OF RO

Located southwest of Kastellorizo, the Lady of Ro, Despina Achladioti, was for many years the islet’s only inhabitant. Until 1982, when she died, the Lady would raise the Greek flag every day, in a symbolic, but also important, gesture for the residents of Kastellorizo.

Overnight: Royal Clipper 

Fethiye is a holiday resort today, and a convenient entry point for the remote ruins of other Lycian cities, the 18-kilometre Saklıkent Canyon and the extraordinary beach and lagoon at Ölüdeniz,. But there’s much to love about the resort itself, from its authentic weekly market to its first-rate museum and the cool, shaded alleys of its old town.

Ölüdeniz Beach

Around the headland, a mere ten kilometers south of Fethiye’s old town is a scene of rare beauty. The Blue Flag Ölüdeniz Beach is a crescent of white pebbles, with clear waters a mesmerizing shade of turquoise that glows in the sunlight. Lots of things combine to make this place so special.

One of these is the sky-scraping mountain-scape on its margins: The peak of Babadağ, a mountain just shy of 2,000 meters, rises only five kilometers in from the coast and faces off against the 1,400-metre Karatepe.

Behind the north end of the beach is a lagoon, a darker shade of blue but just as clear, and protected as a nature reserve. There are beach clubs on the lagoon’s shores, with sun loungers where you can just slip into the warm, shallow water or rent a pedal boat for a little voyage.

Tomb Of Amyntas

You can see captivating traces of ancient Telmessos in the high limestone cliffs that form Fethiye’s southern boundary. There you can follow a steep footpath up along the base of the bluffs to get a better look at the Lycian tombs. These were fashioned from the rock face and can be remarkably grand, with friezes, pediments and Ionic columns. The finest of all is at the highest point, and commands exhilarating views back on Fethieye and its gulf.

This is the Tomb of Amyntas, carved around 350 BCE, which has a scale unmatched in this ensemble and has a sort of narthex in front of its tomb chamber.

An inscription on the side reads “Amyntou tou Ermagiou”, (Amyntas, son of Hermagios).

Lycian Sarcophagi

A quirk of Lycian culture is that, unlike in Ancient Greece, the dead were buried all across the town, rather than in one necropolis. This was the case in Fethiye, and what’s exciting is that these monuments, built from local limestone, were left standing as the modern city grew up around them.  So you can turn down a side street in Fethiye and come face-to-face with a tomb dating back some 1,300 years.

These can be richly decorated with reliefs, and rise to three storys. The most ornate can be found in the garden of the town hall (Belediye), designed like a two-story house and sporting reliefs on its walls, including a depiction of soldiers carrying shields on its roof.

Fethiye Museum

Given Fethiye’s archaeological wealth, a visit to the town’s museum is something that needs to be done.  You can cast your eye over a massive hoard of artefacts, from the Bronze Age through the Archaic, Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods.

There are coins minted across hundreds of years, as well as pieces of jewelry, amphorae, busts, grave stelae, figurines, amulets, pottery, altars and architectural fragments like column capitals and plinths.

You can see a whole tomb, brought here from the ruins at Tlos, but maybe the most important find on show is the “Trilingual Stele”. This has identical inscriptions in Lycian, Greek and Aramaic.

Saklıkent National Park

Deep into Fethiye’s rocky hinterland you can journey to the Saklıkent Canyon, some 40 kilometers east of the resort, in a national park created in 1996. The statistics for this natural wonder are mind-boggling: The canyon is 18 kilometers long, up to 300 meters deep, and narrows to just two meters across. This was all carved out by the, Karaçay a branch of the Eşen River, and which can be violent between November and March. The rest of the year you can walk about four kilometers of the gorge, traversing wooden walkways attached to the wall and exploring waterfalls and a series of caves. The canyon gets almost no sunlight and is fed by cold springs from the Bey Mountains, so this is a prime spot to flee the summer heat.

Bring water shoes if you’ve got them, to navigate the slippery rocks and be ready to get wet up to your waist if you want the full experience.

Fethiye Old Town

Directly east of the marina is Fethiye’s old town, or Paspatur. You can duck into this mesh of tight, walkable alleys, and mill around shops selling souvenirs, Turkish carpets, tea sets and the like. The scent of spices floats on the air, and even when the sun is beating down Paspatur stays dark under a mantle of vines on pergolas, or large awnings covering the width of the alleys. In this dim and cool environment there are plentiful cafes and restaurants with terraces. Look out for the 18th-century minaret of Eski Cami (Old Mosque), and for a snapshot of local life the fish market is nearby. Head west, and above the marina you’ll come to the Hellenistic theatre of Telmessos, raised in the 2nd century BCE and heavily restored, although it’s not hard to discern the ancient stones from the modern ones.

Çalis Beach

North of Fethiye’s natural harbor, the coasts opens out onto a long bay. This is Çalis Beach, which goes on for kilometers and has a mixture of dusky sand and pebbles, lapped by low-to-moderate surf. The resort continues on a promenade behind, and you’ll never have to travel far for a bite to eat or supplies for a blissful afternoon in the sun. The length of the beach means there’s space for everyone to relax, which suits the older, more laid-back crowd that comes here. And as you’d expect from Fethiye, the views are a joy, especially when the sun goes down and the gulf and sky take on a gold tone.

Kayaköy

Eight kilometres south of Fethiye is a ghost village, formerly inhabited by a majority Greek Orthodox Christian community but abandoned in the turbulent first decades of the 20th century. Ottoman Greeks had lived within the empire in relative peace for hundreds of years, but that changed after WWI, with the Greco-Turkish War of 1919-1922 followed by a population exchange. 

Kayaköy (Livissi) had a population of 6,000 at the time it was abandoned, and has a history going back at least as far as the 7th century when it was a Christian Bishopric. But most has been left as an open museum. Allow as long as possible to scramble around the steep, winding alleys, and seek out the 17th-century fountain in the heart of the town.

Fethiye Harbor

The waterfront in Fethiye is open to the public, with a promenade that lines the bay for hundreds of meters, as far as the marina on the south side. All along, the views are special, out over the Gulf of Fethiye or west to the little wood-cloaked peninsula that protects the harbor.

As you go south you’ll see boats moored at the quayside, from traditional gulets (schooners) to opulent modern yachts. There’s shade from palms and pine trees, lots of restaurants and cafes and a designated path for cyclists. Just by the marina you can catch a water taxi up to Çalis Beach, soaking up the scenery on the way.

Butterfly Valley

South of Ölüdeniz there’s a beach that is practically inaccessible by land as it sits at the end of a canyon with rocky walls that tower to 350 meters. Butterfly Valley, so called because of the many species (more than 80) that dwell in this habitat, is a popular day trip by boat from Ölüdeniz. You’ll be dropped off at the pristine sandy cove with crystalline waters, all dwarfed by those soaring walls of rock. There’s a little café on the beach , and you can decide if you want to journey up the valley.

Be aware that the butterflies are naturally seasonal and peak in numbers between June and September, but there’s also a pair of waterfalls flowing year-round and that are also worth the hike.

Blue Lagoon Ölüdeniz Tandem Paragliding From Fethiye

For a lifelong memory, you can take to the air from the summit of Babadağ on a flight over Ölüdeniz and its beach and lagoon. You’ll be strapped onto your experienced pilot, so you can just take it easy, savor the views and take as many photos as you can. The flight takes just over half an hour, as you’re lifted on the thermal currents, swooping to a gentle touchdown on the beach.

Overnight: Royal Clipper 

A small island in the Dodecanese, Symi is mostly known for its sea sponge and ship building industry. But behind its seemingly uneventful aspect, this tranquil and charming island is the perfect getaway for those in search of authentic holidays, quiet and beautiful corners and a low-key vibe. Here is what you should see and do in Symi.

Explore the main town

Arriving in Symi never fails to stun visitors. The welcoming and colorful island’s capital, though small, is actually divided into two parts. First the harbor, called Gialos, with its colorful neoclassical mansions welcomes anyone willing to discover it with open arms. Then Chorio, the more town-like part is located uphill. You will love strolling around the small streets and alleys and spotting church domes while sipping on a Greek coffee at the local kafenio.

Panormitis Monastery

One of the island’s most iconic landmarks is undeniably the monastery of the Archangel Michael Panormitis, located on the southwest coast. Built in the 18th century, the imposing monastery with its impressive bell tower, is dedicated to the island’s patron saint, none other than the archangel Michael. Home to two small museums, the monastery is open for visits and monks sometimes even rent out cells for a small fee for those in search of alternative accommodation.

Enjoy the view from the Kastro

Built in 1407 by the Knights of the Order of Saint John, who were also present on the island, just like in Rhodes, the Kastro overlooks Chorio and Gialos. Erected on the former acropolis, the castle’s original purpose was to be an expansion of a Byzantine fortress which was located on the same site and is partially still visible. Perfect to protect locals against potential invasions, the kastro fell at the hands of the Turks when they invaded the island in 1522.

Go back in time at the Symi Archaeological Museum

Located in Chorio, the Symi Archaeological Museum was founded in 1961. Housed in a traditional Symian house in the district of Agios Athanasios, known as the old part of the town, it features an archaeological collection of artefacts dating from the Classical, Hellenistic and Roman eras, a Byzantine collection, as well as a small collection of folklore, which includes traditional clothing, utensils, tools and even furniture.

Symi Festival

Every year, Symi hosts the Symi Festival, a cultural event held from July to September. The event includes musical and dance performances, theatrical plays and events, as well as the Symi International Film Festival, where anyone can watch movies screened outdoors for free for the duration of the event. Don’t let the size of Symi fool you, the event is quite huge and attracts a lot of visitors from Greece and beyond.

Sunbathe on the beach

You will quickly discover that despite being a mountainous island, Symi doesn’t lack fantastic beaches. However, several are off-the beaten track and can only be accessed via taxi boat. The island features sandy and pebbly beaches, as well as secluded coves. For example, Nimporio, Lapathos, Agia Marina, Agios Nikolaos, Nanou or Marathounta are definitely worth visiting for a fun beach session. If exploration is what you’re after, then you’ll also find many beaches on the neighboring islets of Nimos, Agia Marina or Agios Emilios.

Hike your way across the island

If you want to really see the island but don’t feel like hiring a moped, hiking is your best bet but a word of caution is necessary as there are hardly any hiking maps or proper markings on the roads. Some roads are actually pilgrim routes or simply old donkey trails. Just remember to pack some sunscreen, plenty of water and wear proper shoes. Some hikes may be demanding, but remember you will always be rewarded by spectacular views and/or a beautiful beach to rest at.

Overnight: Royal Clipper 

As the island is small and quiet it is ideal for total relaxation at the beach or in the countryside. Swimming in the wonderfully secluded beaches of Halki is a delight. Enjoy a day under the hot sun and in the afternoon have lunch in the seaside taverns. In the evenings, have a drink in a lounge cafe-bar under the stars.

Another enjoyable activity in Halki island is hiking. Many old footpaths cross the island and lead to tiny chapels, small settlements, secluded beaches and hilltops with breathtaking view to the sea.

Overnight: Royal Clipper 

The luminous Greek island of Milos has the best beaches in the Aegean, a fascinating history and superb seafood - and yet it is so often overlooked. All the better for the few who do go there, entirely alone in its turquoise bays. Milos is one of the volcanic Greek islands, sitting at the southernmost part of the Cyclades island complex. Thanks to its volcanic origin, Milos boasts a magnificent colorful landscape and a coastline that counts more than 40 exotic beaches.

As the sea bottom around Milos island is rich in reefs and old wrecks, some interesting activities on the island are scuba diving, snorkeling and sea kayaking. In fact, there are few diving centers in Milos that offer courses and organize diving trips in close uninhabited islets.

As a part of the island of Milos is unexplored, another popular activity is jeep touring. The dirt roads will lead you to secluded beaches for a swim, old mines, abandoned churches and mountaintops with breathtaking view to the Aegean Sea. Take a geological tour or full day tour that combines it all for the best of Milos.

Overnight: Royal Clipper