ITALY & GREECE WITH ICONIC AEGEAN ISLANDS CRUISE

Visit Turkey

1 ARRIVE IN VENICE AREA, ITALY

Welcome to Italy! Check into your hotel. The rest of the day is free for you to explore Italy's romantic city using your CosmosGO app. This evening, meet your Tour Director and travel companions at the welcome dinner at the hotel. (D)

2 VENICE

Venice is a place of unmatched beauty and a feast of fantastic sights. View the delightful crisscrossing canals, the gondolas, arched bridges, palaces, and piazzas. Your included orientation features a boat ride to St. Mark's Square and a visit to a Venetian glassblowing workshop. You'll have time to explore at leisure on your own, perhaps sipping a cappuccino or the typical Venetian drink called "spritz" at one of the many bars or cafes. Do you believe in magic? An optional evening boat ride on Giudecca Canal, dinner in a local restaurant, and St. Mark's square at night will remove all doubt! (B)

3 VENICE AREA-VERONA-MONTECATINI

Travel to Verona, setting for Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet. Marvel at the ancient Roman Arena, built for gladiator fights but now still used as a popular venue for festivals and concerts; shop in Via Mazzini, or just wander the cobblestone streets of the city centre. Tonight, experience the harmony of rural life in Tuscany with an optional farmhouse dinner in the Tuscan countryside. On the menu? Good food, better wine, and the best company! Overnight in the Tuscan spa town of Montecatini. Today's Distance: 224 mi/ 360 km (B)

4 MONTECATINI-FLORENCE-MONTECATINI

Today, enjoy a full day discovering the wonders of Florence, starting with a guided walking tour, featuring some of the city's greatest attractions. See Piazza Santa Croce; world-famous Signoria Square; 13th-century Palazzo Vecchio with its collection of artistic masterpieces; Loggia dei Lanzi; the unique Duomo with Giotto's Gothic Bell Tower and the Baptistry's ornate bronze door known as the "Gate of Paradise." Return to Montecatini. Today's distance: 79 mi /127km (B)

5 MONTECATINI-PISA-ROME

Vistas of rolling hills, cypress trees, vineyards, olive groves, and rural villages form the backdrop of your journey through beautiful Tuscany. Stop in Pisa and enjoy a mini-train ride to the Square of Miracles and the amazing Leaning Tower, then on to Rome. Today's Distance: 255 mi/ 410 km (B)

6 ROME

The "Eternal City" is steeped in history, vibrantly alive and exciting, and absolutely unique! Start the included introduction to Rome's landmarks from St. Peter's Square with a Local Guide. Enjoy a drive along the iconic landmarks of the city: the Tiber River, the Caius Cestius Pyramid, the Aurelian Walls, and the Caracalla Baths. Complete the experience with a walk back in time from the Circus Maximus to the Arch of Constantine and to the fascinating Colosseum, symbol of the Roman Empire. (B)* * For operational reasons, changes to the Rome program cannot be excluded.

7 ROME-ATHENS, GREECE

Transfer to the airport for your included flight to Athens. From the capital of Italy to the capital of Greece, absorb the Mediterranean flair and discover the influence of ancient Roman and Greek civilizations on modern life and arts. (B)

8 ATHENS-MYCENAE-NAUPLIA AREA

Join the included sightseeing tour of Athens, featuring the highlights of the city and a visit to the Acropolis. Travel to the Corinth Canal, built between 1881 and 1893 and stop here for a picture. Continue to visit the Mycenae archaeological site with a Local Guide to learn about the ancient city of Homer's epics. Enjoy views of the rugged Peloponnese scenery on the way to Nauplia. This evening, enjoy an included dinner at a local restaurant. Today's Distance: 90 mi/ 145 km (B,D)

9 NAUPLIA AREA-OLYMPIA

Drive south through the Peloponnese to Olympia. Take advantage of some time at leisure or score the perfect 10 with a guided optional tour of ancient Olympia, site of the first Olympic Games, featuring the ruins of the Temple of Zeus. Today's Distance: 118 mi/ 190 km (B)

10 OLYMPIA-DELPHI

Cross the Rion-Antirion bridge and skirt the Gulf or Corinth to continue inland to Delphi. Built at the foot of Mt. Parnassus, Delphi was considered by ancient Greeks to be the centre of the world where the oracles of Apollo predicted the fate of many a man. We see your future on an optional visit with a Local Guide sharing history and mythology of the past as well. Today's distance: 150 mi/ 240 km (B,D)

11 DELPHI-ATHENS

Enjoy free time in Athens to explore with the help of the CosmosGO app, visit the museums or take the tram to the coast. In the evening, enjoy the lively atmosphere of the tavernas in the old Plaka district with its narrow streets and sound of bouzouki music. (B)

12 ATHENS-EMBARKATION PORT-MYKONOS

Board your Celestyal cruise ship. Cruise the Aegean Sea to Mykonos, with its white houses, chapels, and windmills. Late-evening departure for Kusadasi, Turkey. (B,L,D)

13 KUSADASI, TURKEY-PATMOS, GREECE

Two ports of call today. First, Kusadasi on the Turkish coast. An included excursion is available to the fascinating Greek, Roman, and Byzantine excavations of Ephesus. Next, discover the tiny Greek island of Patmos, where St. John the Divine wrote the Book of Revelation. The 11th-century monastery with its valuable manuscript collection is well worth a visit. (B,L,D)

14 HERAKLION-SANTORINI

The first port of call today is Heraklion on Crete. Join the included excursion to Knossos, the hub of the 3000-BC Minoan civilization. Afternoon call (weather permitting) at Santorini, the "Black Pearl of the Aegean." If blue is your colour, join an optional shore excursion to visit the cliff-top village of Oia, home to the most photographed blue-domed buildings in Santorini-not to mention the magnificent blue views of the Mediterranean. (B,L,D)

15 DISEMBARKATION PORT-ATHENS

Early morning arrival. Drive to Athens and relax, visit a museum, or go shopping. (B)

16 ATHENS

Your holiday ends with breakfast this morning. (B)

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