Cruise description

12 Night Cruise and Land package including a 8 Night Cruise sailing from Athens roundtrip aboard Aegean Odyssey.

12 Night Cruise and Land package including a 8 Night Cruise sailing from Athens roundtrip aboard Aegean Odyssey.

AEGEAN ODYSSEY is apremium class ship that is being especially rebuilt to cater for cruising in the coastal waters of the central and southern Mediterranean. The vessel provides the best features of a mid-size ship such as passenger space, a choice of restaurants and stability in inclement weather. It also has the personal service and intimate surroundings of a small ship. Other advantages of the ship’s size are that it is able visit ports that are too small for larger vessels, navigate around the scenic islands of the Adriatic and Mediterranean and can also pass through the Corinth Canal.

Originally a mid-size vessel carrying up to 570 passengers, Aegean Odyssey’s new configuration includes generously sized suites, junior suites and staterooms with and without balconies. This means she now accommodates fewer than 380. By creating these new staterooms we will add a dimension of luxury to the vessel and this has enabled us to create a special level of accommodation entitled “Concierge Class”. These guests will benefit from a few extra features to those enjoyed by all passengers on the ship. Classically elegant but far from stuffy and formal, Aegean Odyssey has been designed to offer the sophisticated traveller every comfort at sea.

LIFE ON BOARD: FROM BOOKS TO YOGA
Aegean Odyssey has a beautifully appointed and well-stocked library. As well as a selection of books covering classical history and literature, the library also has range of modern fiction, magazines and newspapers. For those passengers who want to keep in touch with friends, check the markets or find out what’s happening in the world, there is also an internet centre on board. To attend to the body as well as the mind, you can relax on the sweeping sun decks and cool off in the outdoor pool. There is also a fully equipped gym with lockers and showers, a spa with his and hers saunas, massage and beauty treatment rooms and early morning yoga on the Lido Deck. The hairdressers and beauty centre are located on the Belvedere Deck adjacent to the reception area.

Highlights of this cruise:

Athens
The port of Piraeus is one of the last old-style Mediterranean ports from where you can catch ferries to all of the Greek islands and travel a short distance to Greece's capital city Athens.

In the heart of the city lies the ancient Plaka district, with its honeycomb of streets, little shops - and tavernas that come alive at night. Situated on the north and east slopes of the Acropolis, it is rich with historic sites, such as ancient monuments and churches. Within Athens there are eight large hills, including the Acropolis, and on the outskirts, Mount Parnitha, Mount Pendeli and Mount Hymettos surround the city. A trip to Athens' most famous tourist attraction, the impressive Parthenon built on the Acropolis around 2,500 years ago, will be memorable to say the least.

There are an extraordinary number of historic tourist sights in Athens and many of these are known world-wide. Some of the top Athens attractions include the Agora - a grand, ruined Roman building, Hadrian's Arch - originally the city gate linking the Roman quarters with original town of Athens and the stunning Dionysos Theatre - the world's oldest theatre where many great plays have been performed over the years.

Heraklion
Heraklion or Iraklion, is the largest city and the capital of Crete, Greece. It is one of the two main ports on the island and was once the harbor for Knossos, the largest palace and most powerful Minoan center on the island.The ruins of Knossos, which were excavated and restored by Arthur Evans, are nearby.

Attractions include central square which is surrounded by cafes, stores and restaurants and dominated by the fountain of the Lions. The central market coffee house, the Archaelogical Museum of Iraklion and the Historical museum of Iraklion are also worth visiting.

Visitors to the old part of the city can walk following the old Venetian walls that meet at a bastion, called "Koules", which dominates the old harbour of the city . Amoundara, the city’s beach area, is also a popular place for tourists.

Delos
Delos is a small, isolated, rocky island in the centre of the Cyclades, near Mykonos, Greece. According to Greek mythology, Delos is the birthplace of Apollo and Artemis and the hub of Aegean culture for over a millennium.

Today Delos is an uninhabited open air museum, boasting the most extensive ruin sites anywhere in the world. The entire island is strewn with sections of walls and marble fragments.

Visitors to Delos are only permitted to explore for four hours before returning by boat to Mykonos.