Seven Seas Splendor - Inspired Greek Isles

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

   Katakolon (Olympia)

   GreecePort

   Katakolon is one street of tavernas and souvenir shops on a small Peloponnese headland, busy on cruise days and dormant otherwise. Nobody calls here for the town. Ancient Olympia is 35km inland, and the honest problem is arithmetic: the sanctuary deserves three or four hours, and a six-hour call with 90 minutes of driving does not leave you them.

   • Ancient Olympia: the Temple of Hera, the ruins of the Temple of Zeus, and the stadium entered through its vaulted tunnel
   • The Archaeological Museum of Olympia - the Hermes of Praxiteles, the Nike of Paionios, and the temple pediments
   • The seasonal tourist train that runs inland from the quay to Olympia
   • Plakes beach, a couple of hundred metres from the pier, if you skip the ruins

   Getting ashore

   Docked alongside at the Port of Katakolo, with the village a five-minute walk from the ship; Ancient Olympia is 35km inland, about 45 minutes each way.

   Best months

   Late Apr-Jun and Sep-Oct (Olympia is barely shaded, and in heatwaves Greek sites now shut from midday to late afternoon)

4. Day 4

   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)

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

   Rhodes

   GreecePort

   Rhodes has the easiest arrival in the Greek islands for anyone who dislikes tenders: ships tie up in the commercial harbour with the medieval walls right there, and you walk in through a gate. The Old Town was built by the Knights of St John and has been lived in ever since, so it is a working town rather than a monument - though the main shopping street is given over almost entirely to cruise trade.

   • The Palace of the Grand Master and the cobbled Street of the Knights
   • The Archaeological Museum, housed in the Knights' Hospital
   • Lindos - the acropolis above the village, and St Paul's Bay below it
   • Mandraki harbour and the Acropolis of Rhodes on Monte Smith

   Getting ashore

   Docked in the commercial harbour; the Old Town gates are a 5-10 minute walk. Lindos is about 50km south, an hour each way by road.

   Best months

   Apr-Jun and Sep-Oct; Rhodes stays warm well into late October

7. Day 7

   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)

8. Day 8

   Athens (Piraeus)

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