Welcome to Rome, the 'Eternal City'. Join your Travel Director and fellow travellers for a Welcome Reception and evening orientation drive to view some of this city's magnificent sites.
Visit St. Peter's Basilica and view Michelangelo's Pietà with a Local Specialist. See the Circus Maximus where chariot races were held and visit the impressive Colosseum. There's time afterwards to explore the city on your own or simply relax and watch the world go by.
This morning, head to the Vatican Museums with a Local Specialist. Dive Into Culture as you ascend the Bramante staircase, then admire Michelangelo's frescoed ceiling in the Sistine Chapel. Later, drive north to Renaissance Florence in Tuscany. Tonight, Connect With Locals at a Be My Guest experience in the Chianti countryside.
Your Local Specialist reveals Florence's rich cultural heritage during your walking tour. Visit Piazza della Signoria, with its impressive sculptures, and imposing palazzi. View the marble Duomo and the famous Baptistery, renowned for its bronze doors with relief sculptures and the Ponte Vecchio. Learn about the quality and workmanship of one of this city's historic industries at a demonstration of Florentine leathercraft. Then travel through the Apennines and cross the Veneto plains to Venice. This evening, you may choose to take a gondola ride along the city’s enchanting canals.
Cruise by private launch to St. Mark's Square to see the Bridge of Sighs, St. Mark's Square, St. Mark's Basilica and the ornate Doge's Palace. Later, you’ll enjoy a memorable MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience where you’ll witness the ancient Venetian tradition of glassblowing. You’ll learn how the talented master craftsmen are using the same techniques their forefathers once did and how your visit helps to preserve this delicate art for generations to come. Don’t resist the urge to buy a souvenir to remember the special experience before enjoying the rest of the day to explore Venice your way. You could choose to spend a lazy evening watching the traffic on the busy waterways with a Venetian Spritz, or consider taking an Optional Experience to one of the islands in the lagoon.
Travel south to the ancient port city of Ancona to board your overnight ferry to mainland Greece.
Arrive early at the port of Igoumenitsa and travel along the foothills of the Athamanika mountains before arriving at the UNESCO-listed monasteries of Meteora. These are some of the largest and most important complexes of Eastern Orthodox monasteries in Greece. Your Local Specialist will guide you on a visit to two of the six monasteries built on sandstone rocks that tower above the town. Dine tonight at your hotel.
Drive south towards Mount Parnassos and Delphi, where we will stay overnight. Join a Local Specialist and see the site of the most important oracle in the classical world and walk the Sacred Way to the Temple of Apollo where athletes competed in the Pythian Games.
We depart the 'navel of the earth' this morning and travel to Athens where we'll discover the city's rich heritage during our morning sightseeing tour with a Local Specialist. Marvel at the Agora, the Royal Palace, the Temple of Zeus and the Acropolis. See Hadrian's Arch and the stadium where the first modern Olympics took place in 1896. Indulge in a Farewell Dinner to celebrate the end of your trip.
Say goodbye to your fellow travellers and Travel Director after an unforgettable journey. Find out more about your free airport transfer at trafalgar.com/freetransfers.
Prices shown are per person based on two people sharing a twin room. To request a personalized travel quote, click "Request Quote" and a Travel Specialist will send your custom quote including airfare if requested.
Optional Experiences are subject to change. Your Travel Director will supply you with a final list of Optional Experiences available on your trip. Optional Experiences cannot be booked online; they can be purchased during your trip through your Travel Director.
Available on Day 2
Spend an evening getting to know Rome. We’ll take you via coach where you’ll have the chance to see some of the city’s much-loved sights. Afterward, you’ll enjoy a delicious light dinner of Italian specialties, alongside local music and drinks.
Adult Price: € 50
Discover the most charming areas in the city with a Local Specialist. Wander through the labyrinth of narrow streets and beautiful squares of Rome's historic center, leading to highlights such as the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon, as well as hidden corners of the Eternal City.
Adult Price: € 33
Available on Day 4
Join us today for a visit to the Bargello museum, housed in one of the oldest and most intriguing buildings of Florence. As you'll learn from your Local Specialist, there was rarely a dull moment in this former barracks and prison! Learn how the Bargello has witnessed crucial episodes of history including fires, sieges and political executions. This fascinating building is now home to the National Museum and boasts awe-inspiring works by Donatello, Brunelleschi and Michelangelo to name but a few.
Adult Price: € 42
Enjoy an insight into the world of Michelangelo and his masterpiece, David. We'll visit the Academy of Fine Arts and its Michelangelo collection, where you'll learn all about the life and works of this immortal Renaissance genius through the expert commentary of our Local Specialist.
Adult Price: € 47
Marvel at the legacy of the Medici as you visit Palazzo Vecchio, the symbol of Florence's political power for over seven centuries. With our Local Specialist, we’ll visit the wonderful "Hall of the Five Hundred", dedicated to the Medici popes. We’ll also visit rooms decorated with masterpieces by famous artists of the Renaissance like Michelangelo and Donatello.
Adult Price: € 42
Available on Day 4
Join us for a breathtaking cruise by private water taxi along Venice's Grand Canal. You'll admire the magnificent palazzi, as well as catch a glimpse of the Rialto Bridge and St. Mark's Square. Later on, you'll glide gracefully on a gondola along Venice's dreamy, narrow waterways.
Adult Price: € 76
Available on Day 5
This afternoon, discover the Venetian Lagoon by private boat. You'll enjoy a delicious meal, with a selection of drinks, on the fisherman's island of Burano, famous for its multi-colored houses - a photographer's paradise.
Adult Price: € 72
Explore the hidden maze of streets that make up this unique city as your Local Specialist gives you a fascinating insight into Venice's past and present. You’ll visit the majestic Basilica of St Mark, where you'll admire magnificent mosaics in one of the most ornate churches in the world.
Adult Price: € 38
Available on Day 10
Join our Local Specialist as we head south from Chora, stopping at the leeward beach of Ornos, a picturesque fishing harbor and popular anchorage. We'll continue to the small beach of Agia Anna and Kalafatis beach. Then, we'll visit the traditional village of Ano Mera and the monastery of Panagia Tourliani, founded in 1542. The pretty village square is a perfect spot for a short break. Returning to Chora, we'll stop at Paraportiani where we’ll see the Mykonos Folklore Museum, housed in an old two-storied merchant baron's house. Continuing, we'll visit the "Little Venice" of Mykonos, Alefkandra, with its windmills and otherworldly sunsets that are a highlight of the island.
Adult Price: € 67
Available on Day 11
We'll visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Patmos to enjoy a panoramic guided tour of the island, including a magical visit to the Grotto of the Apocalypse, where it is said St John the Apostle wrote the Book of Revelation. We'll then reach the medieval town of Hora to enjoy a leisurely walk, marvel at the views of the Monastery of St John the Evangelist, and finish our tour at Scala, the port of Patmos, where we'll enjoy a welcoming coffee, tea or refreshment.
Adult Price: € 67
Available on Day 13
The ancient city of Knossos, near Crete’s capital Heraklion, was the place that ‘gave birth’ to the very first civilization of Europe, the Minoans. So we can say with some certainty it is Europe’s oldest city. Our excursion will open up the world of the Minoans as we visit one of the continent’s most important archaeological treasures. The first excavations were undertaken in the 1870s by Minos Kalokairinos, a Cretan himself. A few decades later in the early 1900s, more work by Sir Arthur Evans from Britain brought to the world’s attention the full impressive scale of the Palace of Knossos, according to legend the residence of wise King Minos. We will be able to explore the large Central Court, the wonderful Throne Room, the imposing Grand Staircase and see the fresco of the ‘Prince of the Lilies.’ As you stroll through the palace apartments and view the archaeological finds, we think you will be just a little in awe of the rich cultural heritage of the Minoan civilization. You will undoubtedly hear the Cretan legend of the Minotaur, half-man, half-bull who lived in the Labyrinth and was slain by Theseus. But that’s another story. Exploring from room to room we will relive time in the Hall of the Royal Guard and the King’s Chamber, hearing about the extraordinary rule of King Minos.
Adult Price: € 74
Available on Day 13
Marvel at Santorini's towering cliffs, as tender boats convey you to the port at Athinios, where a coach will take you to Santorini's most significant archaeological site, the ancient village of Akrotiri. On the way, we'll stop at the ruins of the island's famous windmill for photos and to enjoy the incredible panoramic view. You’ll then have a chance to go back in time to explore the amazing ruins of Akrotiri. These advanced people grew crops and built two- and three-story homes, shops and workshops surrounding the village square thousands of years ago. Akrotiri was a bustling town, but its inhabitants abandoned it before the Thera eruption, a mystery archaeologists and historians are still trying to solve. The ash from the volcano buried the city, preserving many of its structures and some of its incredible frescoes. Driving on to Fira, the capital of Santorini and its largest town, we'll visit the Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral famed for its elegant construction and its beautiful frescoes painted by Christoforos Assimis. Stay in Fira to shop and enjoy a coffee or a snack or take the Santorini Cable Car to the port below, an incredible descent of more than 200 meters toward the deep blue waters of the caldera. Our tender boats will be ready, once you disembark from the cable car, to bring you back to the ship.
Adult Price: € 74
We'll travel first to Megalochori village, one of the most authentic, unspoiled villages of the island with its distinctive architecture and character. We'll continue East, viewing distant settlements like Kamari and Monolithos, and pass through the island's capital Fira. Then, it's off to the small traditional villages of Firostefani and Imerovigli, with their delicate architecture, before eventually arriving at the settlement of Oia. You'll have plenty of time to stroll through the village's marble-paved alleys, gaze at the adorably cute shops, and take Instagram-worthy pictures of the characteristic buildings carved into the rocks, including the distinctive captains' manors.
Adult Price: € 74