Exclusive Athens with Free Time in the Plaka

For guests wanting a general orientation, a little history, time for shopping and exploring on their own, or even an optional visit to the Acropolis, this is the perfect exclusive Athens tour for you or your group, offering more time in the city than cruise line tours.

During your time in Athens, you will drive approximately 30 minutes from the pier. Upon arrival, your professionally trained guide will narrate during a city orientation, viewing such sights as the Temple of Zeus, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and the former Royal Palace, which is now the Greek House of Parliament. You will pass by the University of Athens, the Academy of Athens, and the National Library.

You will also see the Panathenaic Olympic Stadium, where the first modern Olympic Games were held in 1896. From here, you will continue on to the Plaka, one of the oldest parts of the city.

Upon arrival at the Plaka, your guide will give you a time and specific location to meet for your transfer back to the pier.

Your guide will then begin an optional tour for those guests wishing to climb the famous Acropolis. As this is an option, admission to the Acropolis site is not included in the price of your tour. The entrance fee is approximately 30 EUR, and they do not accept credit cards. Admission to the Acropolis must be purchased directly from the guide, as all guests must have tickets for the same time assignment.

The Acropolis of Athens is recognized as the culmination of Greek architecture, art, and sculpture. During your visit to the Acropolis (from Greek meaning above the city), you will view The Parthenon, constructed between 447-432 B.C. as a temple dedicated to the goddess Athena. Its main function was to shelter the monumental statue of Athena which was made out of gold and ivory. You will see the Erechtheon, started in 420 B.C. as a temple for religious rituals; the Propylaea, the monumental entrance to the Acropolis which blends Doric and Ionic building principles; and the small temple Athena Nike, which stands on a protruding mass of rock, protecting the gate to the citadel.

From the Acropolis, you can also look down on the Ancient Agora, Tower of the Winds, Herodes Atticus Theater, and the Theater of Dionysus from your lofty perch. The guide will lead you up, narrating as you climb. The guided portion of the tour ends upon reaching the Parthenon, allowing you free time to browse on your own. Those guests taking the Acropolis option will have approximately one hour of free time after you descend. Your guide will depart after the Acropolis tour.

For those guests not climbing, you will have approximately three hours of free time to explore.

Bordered by the Acropolis to the south and the Ancient Agora to the west, the Plaka is the historic heart of Athens. Blending with the adjacent Monastiraki district, the Plaka area seems to have a little of everything, from the ancient ruins of a Roman forum, the Greek Agora, and Byzantine-influenced churches, to restored 19th-century neoclassical homes and modern-day stores, boutiques, and cafes sprinkled throughout.

The Plaka area is home to several nearby museums including the Benaki, Kanellopoulos, the new Acropolis, and the Greek Folk Art Museum, to name a few. For shopping, you will find Greek souvenirs and clothing, as well as jewelry shops. Greek gold jewelry is often better priced than in other European countries as the labor cost is lower.

For a quick, inexpensive taste of traditional Greece, order a pita-souvlaki or gyro from a walk-up window and eat it standing up. Be aware that any time you sit at a cafe in the Plaka, you pay for the experience, and outside seating carries a higher charge than inside seating. If you want to sit down and enjoy a leisurely meal, look for where the locals are dining, which is almost never on the major streets, but usually on smaller side streets. At the designated time and location, your guide will be waiting to take you to the transportation for the drive back to the pier.

Guests wishing to stay longer in the Plaka should let their driver know, and will need to arrange their own transportation back to the port.

Due to crowds, traffic, or other conditions out of our control, the order of the tour itinerary may be changed but will still cover the mentioned sights.

Please Note: Admission to the Acropolis must be purchased directly from the guide on the day of the tour (30 EUR in cash per guest), and reservations are required. Please indicate how many tickets you wish to reserve for your group using the drop-down menu. Acropolis tickets are NON-REFUNDABLE after they have been reserved. Please do not purchase Acropolis tickets online on your own.

Exclusive Ancient Olympia

Begin your approximately 40 minute journey to the birthplace of the Olympic Games with a drive through scenic villages. The Olympic Games, during classical times, were the most famous games in the known world at that time. They were held every four years from the 8th century BC to the 4th century AD.

Before the site of Olympia was built, a hidden Sanctuary of Zeus sat on this spot. The sanctuary was known as an Altis. It is here where you begin your approximately 90 minute Ancient Olympia Tour.

Perhaps the most impressive ruin is the Temple of Zeus, which still reveals some of its elegance and scale. It once housed an oversized gold-ivory statue of Zeus, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The sculptor Phidias who made the statue had his workshop in Olympia. A Byzantine church was erected on top of the workshop and its remnants can be seen today.

The Altis also encompasses the Prytaneion, magistrates' residence, the Philippeion, an offering of Philip of Macedonia after his victory at Chaeronia and Hera's temple which served as a perfect setting for the famous statue of Praxiteles' Hermes perfectly preserved and now housed in the nearby museum.

Around the Altis, you will see the twelve Treasuries, small buildings erected as offerings by the city-states of Greece.

Just beyond the treasuries is the world famous Stadium, accessible through a vaulted entrance. It was the largest of its kind seating 20,000 people during the ancient games. More recently, it was used as the stadium for the hammer throwing event in the 2004 Olympics.

Continue on to the Gymnasium, the Bouleuterion and the Leonidaion which served as a kind of hostel for the visitors of the games.

After visiting the Site of Ancient Olympia, you will have the chance to reach the beautiful village of Olympia. You will have approximately 50 minutes to stroll around the village and admire the nature of this place.

From here, you will drive back through the Peloponnese countryside to reach the port of Katakolon.

Exclusive Budva and Kotor

Departing from the port of Kotor, you will enjoy a drive through the impressive landscapes of the valley of Grbalj. Upon reaching the Adriatic coast you will drive to the town of Budva. You will drive through the seaside areas of Becici and Rafailovici, best known for their resorts and small boat marinas. You will also be able to view Sveti Stefan, once a 15th-century fortified town on an island, that was acquired by the Yugoslav government and turned into a hotel during the Tito regime. Today it is an exclusive luxury resort. After the photo stop above this island, you will visit the oldest settlement on our coast, 2,500 year old Budva.

Departing your transportation, you will take a short walk to the old town of Budva, which was first mentioned in the old Greek legend of the grandson of Zeus Cadmus and his wife Harmonia. After entering the city walls, you will walk through the narrow streets and small squares of a fortified medieval town, mostly influenced by the ancient republic of Venice.

The layers of the numerous civilizations that have occupied this area show an interesting view of the history of Budva: Romans, Byzantines, Slaves, etc. The most important buildings and constructions in the Old Town are the churches of St. John, Holy Trinity, Holy Mary in Punta, St. Sava, the citadel fortress, and the town walls.

Returning back to the inland bay where you started, you will depart your transportation and take a stroll through the UNESCO World Heritage site of Kotor. The town was first mentioned in 168 BC, and was settled during Ancient Roman times when it was known as Acruvium. It has been fortified since the early Middle Ages. The city became part of the Venetian Republic in 1420 and except for two periods of Ottoman rule, it remained under Venice until 1797. It is these four centuries of Venetian domination that have given the city the typical Venetian architecture.

It served as a naval base during World War I and luckily avoided any serious damage from either World War. Kotor has one of the best preserved medieval old towns in the Adriatic and is home to several sights of interest, including the Cathedral of Saint Tryphon (1166), and the ancient walls which stretch for 3 miles on the steep hillside directly above the city.

Your tour ends within the ancient city. From here, your guide can make suggestions for further sightseeing, shopping or the gate that leads to the cruise pier across the street from the Old Town.

Exclusive Santorini, Oia and Winery Tour

Departing from the tender pier at Fira port, you will be led to your transportation. From here, you will begin your exploration of this wonderful island.

Your Santorini Winery tour will take you to the major must see sites on the island. Depending on traffic the day of your tour, the order you see the sites may vary from the tour description order. One of your stops will be at the village of Oia, located at the northern tip of the island. As you travel along, you will see the different layers of lava the volcano had produced making a timeline of the island's history. Oia offers magnificent views of the caldera and the rest of the other islands. Depending on the time of day, the sun paints the cliffs with different shades of color and light like an ever-changing landscape painting. Perhaps this is one of the reasons that Oia attracts so many artists. With its cobblestone streets, beautiful old mansions and houses perched on the cliffside, you can admire the traditional Cycladic architecture for which Santorini is so well known.

From Oia, you will travel across the terraced island, through Pyrgos village and make your way up to the highest peak of Santorini, Mt. Profitis Ilias.(883 feet) Here a monastery of the same name was built in 1712. Although you cannot enter the monastery, you can enjoy its magnificent view of the entire island from the south end of Perissa Beach to the north part of the island were Oia village is situated.

After the photo stop, you will drive to one of the local wineries on the island. Here you can learn about how wines were once produced on the island, as well as learning of the unique way in which grapes are grown and harvested on Santorini. You will be able to sample three of the most famous wines of Santorini.

From the winery, you will make your way back to the town of Fira, the picturesque capital town of the island built on the rim of the caldera wall. Your guide will lead you to the major pedestrian street where they will give you a brief orientation of how to navigate the town before you explore on your own. Wander the endless maze of whitewashed streets looking for jewelry, gifts, or the perfect view of the caldera while you enjoy a coffee or wine. The tour ends in Fira, so you can enjoy the atmosphere of this beautiful place and return to your ship at your leisure.

Please Note: The tour duration does not include the time required to tender ashore from your ship. This tour ends in Fira Town.