Tired of the long waits and bustling crowds that come with the typical, over-crowded tour groups? If so, then this is the tour for you! With a maximum of 8 guests only, this tour will allow you an intimate and personalized experience as you spend more time touring and less time waiting.

A driver will greet you at the dock and take you on a scenic 80-minute drive through farms and orchards to Rome, one of Europe's most stunning cities. During your visit to the Colosseum (entrance fee not included), you'll have 40 minutes of free time to explore this incredible ancient amphitheater, marveling at its architectural grandeur and imagining the spectacles that took place within its walls. Nearby you will find the imposing triumphal Arch of Titus erected in A.D. 81 by the Emperor Domitian.

Your journey will then take you past iconic landmarks such as the Palatine Hill, Circus Maximus, the Victor Emanuel Monument, and the Capitoline Hill, leading you to the historic heart of Rome. Stroll through the charming narrow streets until you reach the magnificent Trevi Fountain. At 85 feet high and 65 feet wide, this is the largest Baroque fountain in the city with a traditional legend: those visitors who throw a coin over their left shoulder into the fountain are ensured a return trip to Rome. In this area, you'll also marvel at the Pantheon, a majestic structure constructed in A.D. 126 as a temple dedicated to all the gods. Make a stop at the Navona and Farnese Squares if time permits, then enjoy a quick lunch (on your own) before you make your way to Vatican City with views of the Castel Sant'Angelo and Bernini's Bridge of the Angels along the way.

Once in Vatican City, you'll have 45 minutes of free time to explore St. Peter's Square. Book your spot on this unique 9-hour tour of Rome today for a small-group experience that sets you apart from the large cruise tour groups.

Please Note:Tickets to enter the Colosseum are not included in the tour. However, you'll have the opportunity to admire its grandeur from the outside.

Exclusive Ancient Ephesus

Meet your professionally trained guide and drive to Ephesus, approximately 30 minutes from Kusadasi. Famous in antiquity for its Temple of Artemus during the years of the Roman Empire, the Greek port of Ephesus became the greatest city in Asia Minor. You will start your 90 minute Ephesus tour at the upper Magnesia Gate, and work your way down through the city, ending near the ancient Harbor.

Along the way, you will see the Forum, the Odeon, the Library of Celsus, Temple of Artemis, the Thermal Baths of Scolastika, and the Great Theater, built in the Greek era and reconstructed in the Roman period. With your skip-the-line access, you can fully enjoy these sites, which have played host to events as varied as Paul and his sermons to the Ephesians, to concerts by Sting, in part due to their remarkable acoustics.

You will walk along the Arcadian Way, where once Mark Antony and Cleopatra rode in procession. You will hear stories of Alexander the Great, the Virgin Mary, and many other famous visitors who walked the same marble streets that you are walking. As you depart the Ephesus site, you will be able to view the hilltop ruins of the Basilica of St. John in the distance, which was erected over his grave in the 6th century A.D. by Emperor Justinian.

Returning to the town of Kusadasi, guests will have the option to end their Ephesus tour in the shopping area, where they can attend a Turkish carpet explanation and explore the shops filled with jewelry, carpets, leatherware, and copper goods, or both. Turkish salespeople expect you to haggle and quite often you can get 10-15% off the listed price. Treat it as an adventure. The cruise pier is a 5-10 minute walk from the main shopping area.

Guests not wishing to attend the optional carpet shopping should stay on the bus and they will be taken directly back to the pier.

You will be picked up by Mykonian Spiti's vehicle and transferred to Mykonian Spiti where you will be welcomed with a traditional "loukoumi" accompanied by Teta's liqueur before visiting the vegetable garden to learn the way of cultivating seasonal vegetables; used in the kitchen of Mykonian Spiti for food preparation. In the corner of the garden, you will be served Myconian traditional food like rusk with local cheese named "kopanisti," tomato, olives, "louza" (traditional Myconian smoked pork), local sausage accompanied with handmade wine and Cretan raki.

Before serving lunch or dinner, we will start the 45-minute cooking lesson with the responsibility of Teta. You will learn to make spinach pie, stuffed tomatoes, and peppers, and the famous tzatziki (strained yogurt or diluted yogurt mixed with cucumbers, garlic, salt, and olive oil).

Depending on the number of participants, guests will take turns helping the hostess with the preparation of the meal. Immediately after, lunch or dinner will be served consisting of all the dishes of the lesson (spinach pie, stuffed tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, seasonal salad, feta cheese, and kopanisti, and the main dish, orzo with beef).

Seasonal fruit and a handmade dessert will be served and can be washed down by an unlimited quantity of raki (a sweetened, often anise-flavored, alcoholic drink), handcrafted wines, and other fruit juices.

Before leaving, participate in a photo session with guests and staff, before signing the guestbook. Each pair of participants will receive a small gift bag loaded with traditional flavors and drinks. Upon completion of your experience, your escort will transfer you back to your terminal.

This unique Mykonian Spiti hands-on cooking class is sure to deliver an authentic cultural experience.

Ruins of Herculaneum

The ancient city of Herculaneum was one of several cities, including Oplontis and Pompeii, that was destroyed when the then 800-year-old dormant Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 A.D. Herculaneum was a thriving trading port thanks to its proximity to the Gulf of Naples and was more prosperous than its more famous neighbor, Pompeii.

Unlike Pompeii, Herculaneum was buried under 50 - 60 feet of mud and lava from several pyroclastic surges that ended up preserving a major portion of the city, with many buildings and objects completely intact. The wealth of objects includes 2000-year-old doors, windows, partitions, furniture, jewelry and money. Sections of Herculaneum are continuing to be unearthed today and the delicate work of securing the ancient city aims to make this increasingly more accessible for visitors, gradually allowing the opening to the public of the precious collection of artefacts which illustrate daily life in a Roman city in the first century AD.

Here's your chance to wander through one of the world's most famous archeological sites and see such landmarks as the house of the Deer, the house of Aristides, the Central Thermae bath houses and House Number 22 with its colorful mosaics of Neptune and Amphitrite.

Walk along stone paved roads, observe water pipes fashioned out of lead and much more as you imagine what the last few minutes of life were like for the remnant of residents huddled at the boat houses waiting for rescue from sea.

Herculaneum is smaller than Pompeii and can be experienced in 1.5 hours, despite its extensive excavation. Sign up today, bring your camera and get ready to see what life was like for those living in the shadows of Mount Vesuvius.