Sailing Greece with Martin Randall Travel

DAY 1 – ATHENS

The tour begins at 7.00pm with drinks, an introductory talk and dinner. First of two hotel nights in Athens.

Accommodation: Royal Olympic Hotel

DAY 2 – ATHENS

Morning visit to the Acropolis, the foremost 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. A free afternoon is followed by a dinner and a private evening visit to the Acropolis museum with superb Archaic and Classical sculpture.

Accommodation: Royal Olympic Hotel

DAY 3 – ATHENS

This morning take a guided tour of either the National Archaeological Museum (subject to renovation works) or the Cycladic museum. Both hold fine collections of Greek art and artefacts. Alternatively opt for free time – 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. In the afternoon take the coach to Lavrion and board Variety Voyager for the first of 7 nights. Sail in the early evening to Nauplion.

DAY 4 – NAUPLION, TIRYNS, MYCENA

Today’s theme is the Mycenaean civilisation of the Argolid Plain, the Greece of Homer’s heroes (16th–13th centuries BC). Visit Tiryns, a citadel with massive Cyclopean walls of enormous blocks of masonry. Back in Nauplion either visit the archaeological museum with an eclectic collection of artefacts from all over southern Argolis, or enjoy some free time in one of the most attractive towns of mainland Greece. In the afternoon visit Mycenae, reputedly Agamemnon’s capital, with the Treasury of Atreus (finest of beehive tombs) and Acropolis (Lion Gate). Sail overnight to Crete.

DAY 5 – CHANAI, APTERA

Morning visit to Aptera, one of the most powerful Graeco-Roman city states. This is a huge site with Roman ruins, a theatre and a Turkish fort. In the afternoon, visit the excellent Archaeological Museum of Chania, housing around 3,500 archeological objects, including findings from excavations in several areas of the city that have taken place over the last 50 years. Time also to explore Chania’s beautiful harbor and the narrow alleys of its old town, displaying a fascinating mix of architectural styles: Venetian, Ottoman, Neoclassical. Sail overnight to Heraklion.

DAY 6 – HERAKLION

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. Spend the morning in the Mesara, a rich agricultural plain along the south coast. Gortyn was the Roman capital of Crete where a famous, 5th-century bc inscription has details of Greek law. Spectacularly situated on a ridge, Phaestos is the second largest Minoan palace. Some free time in Heraklion this afternoon.

DAY 7 – HERAKLION, KNOSSOS

Morning visit to the Archaeological Museum in Heraklion, which houses the island’s largest collection of Minoan art. Spend the afternoon at Knossos, the capital of Minoan Crete and centre of the Bronze Age Aegean. Shrouded in myth both ancient and modern, it comprised at its peak a magnificent palace with courts, religious buildings and mansions. Excavated by Sir Arthur Evans early in the 20th century, his reconstructions not only protect the excavated remains but illustrate the splendour of palatial civilisation. Visit the Villa Ariadne by special arrangement, a research centre belonging to the British School of Athens (subject to the completion of renovation works).

DAY 8 – SANTORINI

Spend the morning in the island’s capital, Fira, with its iconic white-washed town dotted with blue-domed churches. The new Prehistoric museum here features some fine frescoes. Lunch is included in the town before an afternoon visit to Akrotiri, a Bronze Age site buried by volcanic eruption in 1600 bc, preserving beautifully streets, buildings, household items and fresco fragments. Sail overnight to Delos.

DAY 9 – DELOS, SYROS

Revered as the birthplace of Artemis and Apollo, the small island of Delos was the most important religious sanctuary of ancient 8 Greece. It accumulated great riches, dispersed when Greek power was superseded 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 fi ne views. Sail over lunch to Syros, one of the smallest, the least visited and the prettiest of the Cyclades islands. We moor for the afternoon 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 overnight to Lavrion.

DAY 10 – LAVRION, ATHENS

Disembark by 9.00am. Coaches drop at Athens airport for selected departures.

Variety Voyager is a comfortable, 36-cabin mega-yacht, launched in 2012 and renovated in 2023. With facilities equivalent to a 4-star hotel, the multinational crew is dedicated to the highest standards of service.

All cabins have windows to the outside and are equipped with the facilities such as adjustable air conditioning, television, safe and hairdryer. Bathrooms have showers only.

Cabins on the Upper and Main decks have large windows while those on the Lower deck have portholes. There are no single cabins as such but we are allocating some for single occupancy. Cabin sizes vary across decks.

Public areas are generous with an air-conditioned dining room and lounge, both of which open onto a covered terrace. The sundeck has sunloungers.

The size of the ship means we are, more often than not, able to dock in port rather than anchor outside, avoiding the use of tenders or zodiacs.