7 nights. Turkey, Greece

Day 1

heraklion (iraklion), crete

Departure: 22:00

Heraklion is the capital of Crete and usually the starting point for holiday visitors wishing to explore the island. With about 130 000 inhabitants, it is the fifth largest town in Greece. The city is marked by different influences of Venetians, Saracens and Greeks. History is very much alive in Heraklion just like in most Greek cities. All around the old part of the city, a visitor can walk following the old Venetian walls that meet at a bastion, called Koules Fortress that dominates the old harbour of the city. The Venetians began the construction of the city walls in 1462 and they took more than a century to complete. The walls are about 4km in length and of a triangular shape with seven bastions and is now one of the icons of the city. The central square, surrounded by stores, cafes, and restaurants, is dominated by the fountain of the Lions, built by a Venetian governor in the 17th century. The Archaeological Museum at Heraklion is impressive and it is the pride and joy of the city. The displays are satisfyingly thorough and well laid out, all aspects of life in Crete from prehistory through to the Roman period is covered in a series of spacious galleries. The Palace at Knossos is the second most popular tourist site in all of Greece, second only to the Acropolis, the site is in incredible shape and there is much to see. It is also in a beautiful setting with great views over the countryside. Heraklion offers a vast array of historic and archaeological holiday attractions, including its world-famous museum and the nearby site of Knossos, heart of the ancient Minoan civilisation. The shoreline in the city, Amoudara, is a three kilometre strip of sandy beach, lots of cafes, bars and hotels and the site of Technopolis, a modern multiplex cinema and open-air theatre. The most beautiful beaches outside the city are found in Kartero and Malia.

Read more

Read less

1

Day 3

istanbul, turkey

Arrival: 08:00 - Departure: 23:30

Istanbul owes its historic importance and its amazing cultural and architectural heritage to its perfect strategic location, straddling the Bosphorus straits which separate Europe and Asia Minor. Through most of its 2,500-year-long history, the city (first known as Byzantium, then as Constantinople and since 1930 as Istanbul) was a cultural melting pot. Today, its population of more than 13 million is almost exclusively Turkish, and many of its people are recent migrants from provincial Turkey, lured by the promise of jobs and careers in this vibrant, fast-growing city. Istanbul is no longer the nation's capital, but is Turkey's economic and cultural powerhouse - a status underlined by its role as a European City of Culture in 2010 and the award of UNESCO World Heritage listing to many of its most important landmarks, which range from stunning Ottoman mosques and Byzantine churches and catacombs to the columns of Hellenistic temples and the remains of massive medieval city walls. But there's more to Istanbul than Byzantine and Ottoman heritage. A fast-growing economy contributed to a flourishing arts and music scene, with a plethora of new bars, clubs, private art galleries, restaurants and designer fashion outlets.

Read more

Read less

2

Day 5

mykonos, greece

Arrival: 07:00 - Departure: 19:00

Mykonos is a popular tourist destination in the Greek islands of the Cyclades group, situated in the middle of the Aegean Sea. In the 1960s, Mykonos became a bohemian mecca and is now one of the glitziest holiday resorts in the country that happily flaunts its sizzling style and reputation. This central Cyclade was for years the premier Mediterranean resort for gay travellers, though recently Mykonos has tried to reinvent itself for a more varied clientele, though nightlife is still very gay-friendly, it is a paradise for any reveller with loud and long nights. Chora or Mykonos town is the main town on the island. It is filled with narrow, winding streets, whitewashed buildings with blue trim, nice restaurants, clothing and jewellery shops, a fish market and a vegetable market. It is one of the most cosmopolitan and crowded towns of the Aegean. Besides Chora, there is only one other town on the island, Ano Mera. Ano Mera is quiter and less touristy. While you are here, visit the Monastery of Panagia Tourliani, a traditional Greek Orthodox Church which has a beautiful iconostas. The island is dry and barren, but there are some fine, sandy beaches, the two most well-known being Paradise and Super Paradise, but there are many other beaches you can seek out around the island. From the charming port, catch a boat out to the beaches or out to Delos, and you will be travelling from the present into the ancient past, from one set of myths to another.

Read more

Read less

3

Day 6

athens (piraeus), greece

Arrival: 05:30 - Departure: 19:00

Piraeus is a port city in the region of Attica, Greece. Piraeus is located within the Athens urban area, 8 kilometres southwest from its city centre (municipality of Athens), and lies along the east coast of the Saronic Gulf. According to the 2011 census, Piraeus had a population of 163,688 people within its administrative limits, making it the fifth largest municipality in Greece and the second largest within the urban area of the Greek capital, following the municipality of Athens. The municipality of Piraeus and four other suburban municipalities form the regional unit of Piraeus which sometimes called Greater Piraeus area, with a total population of 448,997, and is part οf Athens urban area. Piraeus has a long recorded history, dating to ancient Greece. The city was founded in the early 5th century BC, when this area was selected to become the new port of classical Athens and was built as a prototype harbour, concentrating all the import and transit trade of Athens. During the Golden Age of Athens the Long Walls were constructed to fortify Athens and its port (Piraeus). Consequently, it became the chief harbour of ancient Greece, but declined gradually after the 3rd century B.C., growing once more in the 19th century, after Athens' declaration as the capital of Greece. In the modern era, Piraeus is a large city, bustling with activity and an integral part of Athens, acting as home to the country's biggest harbour and bearing all the characteristics of a huge marine and commercial-industrial center. The port of Piraeus is the chief port in Greece, the largest passenger port in Europe and the second largest in the world, servicing about 20 million passengers annually. With a throughput of 1.4 million TEUs, Piraeus is placed among the top ten ports in container traffic in Europe and the top container port in the Eastern Mediterranean. The municipality hosted events in both the 1896 and 2004 Summer Olympics held in Athens. The University of Piraeus is one of the largest Greek universities and has the country's second-oldest business school, as well as the oldest academic department in the area of finance.

Read more

Read less

4

Day 7

chania (souda) -crete - greece

Arrival: 08:00 - Departure: 19:00

Chania is the second largest city of Crete and the capital of the Chania regional unit. It lies along the north coast of the island, about 70 km (43 mi) west of Rethymno and 145 km (90 mi) west of Heraklion.

Read more

Read less

Day 8

heraklion (iraklion), crete

Arrival: 04:00

Heraklion is the capital of Crete and usually the starting point for holiday visitors wishing to explore the island. With about 130 000 inhabitants, it is the fifth largest town in Greece. The city is marked by different influences of Venetians, Saracens and Greeks. History is very much alive in Heraklion just like in most Greek cities. All around the old part of the city, a visitor can walk following the old Venetian walls that meet at a bastion, called Koules Fortress that dominates the old harbour of the city. The Venetians began the construction of the city walls in 1462 and they took more than a century to complete. The walls are about 4km in length and of a triangular shape with seven bastions and is now one of the icons of the city. The central square, surrounded by stores, cafes, and restaurants, is dominated by the fountain of the Lions, built by a Venetian governor in the 17th century. The Archaeological Museum at Heraklion is impressive and it is the pride and joy of the city. The displays are satisfyingly thorough and well laid out, all aspects of life in Crete from prehistory through to the Roman period is covered in a series of spacious galleries. The Palace at Knossos is the second most popular tourist site in all of Greece, second only to the Acropolis, the site is in incredible shape and there is much to see. It is also in a beautiful setting with great views over the countryside. Heraklion offers a vast array of historic and archaeological holiday attractions, including its world-famous museum and the nearby site of Knossos, heart of the ancient Minoan civilisation. The shoreline in the city, Amoudara, is a three kilometre strip of sandy beach, lots of cafes, bars and hotels and the site of Technopolis, a modern multiplex cinema and open-air theatre. The most beautiful beaches outside the city are found in Kartero and Malia.

Read more

Read less