Scarlet Lady - Greek Island Glow

Where this cruise calls, day by day

7 ports and 1 sea day over 7 Nights.

1. Day 1

   Athens (Piraeus)

   GreeceDepart
   Athens (Piraeus) port guide: where ships dock and what to do ashore

2. Day 2 · At sea

3. Day 3

   Chania (Crete)

   GreecePort

   Chania's Venetian harbour, with its Egyptian-built lighthouse and curved arc of waterfront houses, is the reason to come - but ships do not dock there. The berth is Souda Bay, a deep military and commercial harbour about 7km east, so the day starts with a bus. Western Crete's best beaches are genuine but far: Elafonissi and Balos are both long drives on poor roads.

   • The Venetian harbour, the lighthouse breakwater, and the old Turkish quarter behind it
   • The covered municipal market and the leather workshops on Odos Skrydlof
   • Elafonissi or Falasarna beach on the west coast, or the Balos lagoon by boat
   • The Souda Bay Allied War Cemetery and the Akrotiri monasteries

   Getting ashore

   Docked at Souda Bay, about 7km from Chania; ship shuttles, public buses and taxis all run in, 15-20 minutes.

   Best months

   May-Jun and Sep-Oct (hot and dry Jul-Aug; the Samaria Gorge is too long to attempt on a port day)

4. Day 4

   Bodrum

   TurkeyPort

   Bodrum was ancient Halicarnassus, and the Mausoleum that gave us the word stood here until earthquakes brought it down and the Knights of St John carted the stone off to build their castle. That castle is still on the headland between the two bays, and it now holds one of the best underwater archaeology collections anywhere. The modern town around it is Turkey's yacht and nightlife port.

   • Bodrum Castle and the Museum of Underwater Archaeology, built around the Uluburun wreck
   • The excavated foundations of the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, above the town
   • The ancient theatre cut into the hillside, free to enter and seating about 10,000
   • A gulet day out on the bay, or the bazaar streets behind the marina

   Getting ashore

   Usually docked at Bodrum Cruise Port, with the castle about 1.5km along the waterfront - 20 minutes on foot, or a cheap shuttle boat. Larger ships sometimes anchor and tender instead.

   Best months

   May-Jun and Sep-Oct (Jul-Aug is hot and the town is at capacity)

5. Day 5

   Mykonos

   GreecePort

   Mykonos is the Cyclades at their most commercial - a whitewashed town that has been a fashion and nightlife destination since the 1960s, with prices to match. Most ships berth at Tourlos, about 2km north of Chora, though when the schedule is full some anchor and tender straight into the old harbour. For many passengers the real draw is next door: Delos, the uninhabited sanctuary island, is a 30-minute boat ride.

   • Delos - the ancient sanctuary of Apollo and its Terrace of the Lions, by boat from the old port
   • Little Venice, the Kato Mili windmills, and the church of Panagia Paraportiani
   • Beach time at Psarou or Platis Gialos, or the party beaches at Paradise and Super Paradise
   • Ano Mera and the Panagia Tourliani monastery, away from the crowds

   Getting ashore

   Two options: most large ships dock at Tourlos (New Port) 2km from town, with a paid shuttle bus or water taxi into Chora; when berths are taken, ships anchor and tender into the old harbour, which lands you in town on foot.

   Best months

   May-Jun and Sep-early Oct (Jul-Aug is crowded and expensive, and the meltemi wind can cancel Delos boats)

6. Day 6

   Mykonos

   GreecePort

   Mykonos is the Cyclades at their most commercial - a whitewashed town that has been a fashion and nightlife destination since the 1960s, with prices to match. Most ships berth at Tourlos, about 2km north of Chora, though when the schedule is full some anchor and tender straight into the old harbour. For many passengers the real draw is next door: Delos, the uninhabited sanctuary island, is a 30-minute boat ride.

   • Delos - the ancient sanctuary of Apollo and its Terrace of the Lions, by boat from the old port
   • Little Venice, the Kato Mili windmills, and the church of Panagia Paraportiani
   • Beach time at Psarou or Platis Gialos, or the party beaches at Paradise and Super Paradise
   • Ano Mera and the Panagia Tourliani monastery, away from the crowds

   Getting ashore

   Two options: most large ships dock at Tourlos (New Port) 2km from town, with a paid shuttle bus or water taxi into Chora; when berths are taken, ships anchor and tender into the old harbour, which lands you in town on foot.

   Best months

   May-Jun and Sep-early Oct (Jul-Aug is crowded and expensive, and the meltemi wind can cancel Delos boats)

7. Day 7

   Santorini

   GreecePort

   Santorini is a flooded volcanic caldera, and the towns sit on the rim some 300m above where your ship anchors - which is the whole logistical problem. There is no cruise berth, so you tender to Skala below Fira and then queue for a small cable car, walk up 588 steps, or ride a mule. Arrivals are now capped to thin the crush, but the cable car remains the bottleneck in both directions.

   • Oia on the northern tip, and the caldera-edge path that walks there from Fira
   • Akrotiri - a Bronze Age town buried by the eruption and excavated under a modern roof
   • Assyrtiko tasting at the caldera-facing wineries, Santo Wines and Venetsanos
   • A caldera boat to the crater of Nea Kameni and the warm springs at Palea Kameni

   Getting ashore

   Tender to Skala, the old port below Fira, then the cable car up the cliff - queues of an hour each way are normal on busy days, and the alternative is 588 steps. Excursion tenders often land at Athinios instead, where coaches wait.

   Best months

   May-Jun and Sep-Oct (Jul-Aug is hot, packed, and Oia at sunset is shoulder to shoulder)

8. Day 8

   Athens (Piraeus)

   GreeceArrive
   Athens (Piraeus) port guide: where ships dock and what to do ashore