Crystal Esprit, Adriatic & Ionian Reflections ex Dubrovnik to Athens – 10 Oct 2021

7 Night Cruise departing from Dubrovnik to Athens onboard Crystal Esprit.

From Itea’s towering Mount Parnassus and the UNESCO site of Delphi to the inviting waters and coves of Parga, you’ll find outdoor bliss here. Avenues abuzz with modern culture and cuisine are explored within the storied walls of Kotor and Dubrovnik.

Highlights of this Cruise:

DUBROVNIK
Dubrovnik is one of the most recognizable cities in Europe. Behind the walls, find sleek Venetian-style buildings and a rich Slavic culture. Home to lavender, olive oil, and gorgeous beaches, Dubrovnik will leave a lasting impression on all your senses.

KOTOR
Few places in the world boast such clear architectural accounts of their full histories as does UNESCO-listed Kotor and its bay. Roam the city squares and enjoy sweeping ocean views as you follow footsteps through time, including fortifications dating from the 9th century, significant churches and cathedrals from the 12th-15th centuries, the 17th-century Prince’s Palace and the 19th-century Napoleon’s Theatre.

CORFU
Immerse yourself in this immaculately preserved island covered in cypress and olive trees. Corfu is considered one of the Mediterranean’s best kept secrets and its elegant downtown area, serene beaches and warm breezes will keep leave you truly captivated.

PARGA
The sight of Parga as you sail into its sapphire bay will make you feel as if you’ve stepped into a picture postcard or a travelogue from the 1960s. Colorful, terracotta-roofed houses sitting along the sloping hillside look frozen in time. But indeed, time moves on during your visit, and you surely will want to set aside an hour or so for a stroll through Parga’s tiny avenues that yield simple discoveries like family-run stores and cafes, old churches and ancient ruins. When it comes time for the sun to set, the locals welcome you to pull up a chair at the waterfront tavernas and kafenios, or coffeehouses, to toast your happy travels.

CORINTH CANAL
Rulers of ancient times wanted to construct a canal connecting the Gulf of Corinth to the Saronic Gulf, but lack of engineering expertise and a fear of Poseidon’s wrath kept the project stalled. It wasn’t until 1893 that a deep cut through the narrow isthmus was finally completed. Today, the four-mile-long canal only ignites wonder, with steep rock walls rising 300 feet above sea level at a near-vertical angle, and a width of a mere 70 feet allowing ships of only a limited size to pass through.

HYDRA
If there is a holiday retreat where rustic meets chic, it is Hydra, one of Greece’s Saronic Islands. Put on the map in the 1950s and by artists, celebrities and musicians and a perennial favorite for locals, the island is a place to see and be seen, with the harbor putting on a veritable show of taste and fashion with each catamaran’s arrival from Piraeus. People-watching has become an unofficial pastime, along with sipping cappuccino at the cafes centered on the crescent-shaped port. Energized by your brew and ready to explore, head out by foot and in fact, by foot is the only way to conduct your discovery. Other than a few city-operated vehicles, no cars, scooters or motorcycles are allowed on the island. Walking along the steep, stone streets, some of the best-preserved anywhere, you will surely appreciate a sense of stepping back in time and an intimate look at the 18th- and 19th-century mansions, or archontika. Be sure to yield to the primary mode of transportation, the donkey, and any temptation you may have to wander into a gallery or quiet back lane.

NAFPLION
When in Greece, do as the Grecians do: Go to the Peloponnese. Connected by a narrow isthmus (it’s less than four miles across at its narrowest) off the southern end of central Greece, the Peloponnese is a large peninsula with many things going for it. Not only are there fewer crowds than on the Aegean islands, it has just as many-if not more-ancient sites, including the temples at Nemea and Olympia. On the sunny east coast of the Peloponnese, tucked away in a deep bay, is the city of Navplion.

ATHENS
Venture through Greece’s largest port city, Piraeus, as you make your way to the cradle of Western culture. Athens has long since been the location of myth and muse, and its ancient heritage is still an incredible source of inspiration.