Le Boreal sailing on July 17th, 2026

About Athens (Piraeus)

Piraeus is the port of Athens. Serving as the gateway to the past and civilization as we know it, Athens is far more than the Acropolis. Nowhere on earth are mans past accomplishments more dramatically displayed as a backdrop to a modern metropolis. Spend time exploring ancient ruins, viewing incalculable treasures or just relax as another day evolves in the cradle of civilization.

Athens (Piraeus) Attractions

No visit to Athens would be complete without a visit to the Acropolis. There you'll find the Parthenon, the largest building in the Acropolis and one of the world's most awe-inspiring sights. It was built as a temple to Athena and is still a remarkable structure today.

Athens (Piraeus) Activities

Visit Plaka, the old neighborhood of Athens. Explore the narrow streets and alleys, single-story houses, neoclassical villas, taverns and many tourist shops. Experience the traditional flea market of Monastiraki, the neighborhood next to Plaka. Explore the National Archaeological Museum, home to a formidable collection of the world's antiquities. Pay a visit to ancient Agora, ancient site of the religious and political heart of Athens. The Archaeological Museum is known to have the finest collection of Greek art in the world. Exhibits include the sensational finds from the excavations at Mycenae and the remarkably well preserved frescoes from a 3,000-year-old civilization discovered at Akrotiri on the island of Santorini. There are also classical statuary, pottery, stone carvings and jewelry from excavations throughout Greece. The Benaki Museum has recently undergone thorough modernization. Its three floors house more than 30,000 items, all illustrating the character of the Greek world. Located near Kolonaki, the Goulandris Museum features a fantastic collection of Cycladic and ancient art spanning 5,000 years. The exhibits were assembled by ship owner Nikolaos P. Goulandris. Its treasures include many of the slim marble figurines that fascinated artists like Picasso and Modigliani. Mount Lycabettus, Athens' highest hill, is only a 10-minute walk from Syntagma Square. It borders the fashionable Kolonaki residential area. A steeply inclined funicular climbs to the summit, which is crowned by a small, white chapel. Pollution permitting, the view from Mount Lycabettus is the finest in Athens. Plaka stretches east from the Agora, this lovely quarter, with winding alleys, neo-classical buildings, whitewashed, bougainvillea-framed houses and tiny churches, is worth your exploration. Agios Eleftherios is a 12th-century Byzantine church and Athens' former cathedral is known for the fanciful figures and zodiac signs that adorn its walls.

About Patmos

The Holy Isle of Patmos, one of the smaller Dodecanese Islands, occupies a narrow strip of land with numerous rocky hills and scant vegetation. The interior is sparsely populated with mostly shepherds and fishermen. In contrast, the waterfront areas see plenty of tourists during the summer months. There are only two main villages, Chora and Scala; whitewashed houses face Scala harbor or are scattered over the hillsides. The island's mild, healthy climate, year-round sunshine, delightful coves and numerous chapels combine to form a picture of unique beauty.

Patmos Attractions

Exploration of the island should include a trip from the port town of Scala to the island’s tiny capital, Chora, a visit to the Cave of St. John and to the stunning fortress-monastery that dominates the town of Chora. Scala, built around the harbor, is where most of the island's social and economic life is concentrated.

Patmos Activities

Chora, the island's historic capital, boasts more than 20 churches and monasteries. Its most notable attraction is the fortress-like Monastery of St. John. Chora can be reached via a 20-minute drive on a winding, uphill road. Although an adventurous climb, the sunsets from atop Mt Profitis Ilias cast a spectacular glow worth the effort. The island's best beaches include Psili Ammos, Kambos, Lambi and Cribos. To reach them requires taxi transportation.

About Delos

A religious center as early as the third millennium BC, Delos is the legendary birthplace of Apollo and Artemis, children of Zeus. The archaeological pearl of the Aegean and sacred to ancient Greeks, the ruins found here are among the best preserved and most interesting in Greece. They include a town of the Hellenistic period comparable to Pompeii, sacred caves, Panhellenic shrines and the temples of Apollo.

Delos Attractions

The small Sacred Lake in its circular bowl, now dry, is a topographical feature that determined the placement of later features. The Minoan Fountain was a rectangular public well hewn in the rock, with a central column; it formalized the sacred spring in its present 6th century BC form, reconstructed in 166 BC, according to an inscription. Tightly-laid courses of masonry form the walls; water can still be reached by a flight of steps that fill one side. There are several market squares. The Hellenistic Agora of the Competaliasts by the Sacred Harbour retains the postholes for market awnings in its stone paving. Two powerful Italic merchant guilds dedicated statues and columns there. The Temple of the Delians is a classic example of the Doric order; a pen-and-wash reconstruction of the temple is illustrated at Doric order The Terrace of the Lions dedicated to Apollo by the people of Naxos shortly before 600 BC, had originally nine to twelve squatting, snarling marble guardian lions along the Sacred Way; one is inserted over the main gate to the Venetian Arsenal. The lions create a monumental avenue comparable to Egyptian avenues of sphinxes. (There is a Greek sphinx in the Delos Museum.) The meeting hall of the Poseidoniasts of Beirut housed an association of merchant, warehousemen, shipowners and innkeepers during the early years of Roman hegemony, late 2nd century BC. To their protective triad of Baal/Poseidon, Astarte/Aphrodite and Echmoun/Asklepios, they added Roma. The platform of the Stoibadeion dedicated to Dionysus bears a statue of the god of wine and the life-force. On either side of the platform, a pillar supports a colossal phallus, the symbol of Dionysus. The southern pillar, which is decorated with relief scenes from the Dionysiac circle, was erected ca. 300 BC to celebrate a winning theatrical performance. The statue of Dionysus was originally flanked by those of two actors impersonating Paposilenoi (conserved in the Delos Museum). The marble theatre is a rebuilding of an older one, undertaken shortly after 300 BC. The Doric Temple of Isis was built at the beginning of the Roman period to venerate the familiar trinity of Isis, the Alexandrian Serapis and Anubis. The Temple of Hera, ca 500 BC, is a rebuilding of an earlier Heraion on the site. The House of Dionysus is a luxurious 2nd century private house named for the floor mosaic of Dionysus riding a panther. The House of the Dolphins is similarly named from its atrium mosaic, where erotes ride dolphins; its Phoenician owner commissioned a floor mosaic of Tanit in his vestibule.

About Paros

Unbeknown to many, the island of Paros is a popular summer destination. The charm of the island with its beautiful coastline, sandy beaches, terraced interior hills and several lovely villages and towns keeps attracting more and more visitors each year.

About Milos

About Nafplion

Oraia (beautiful) is the word Greeks use to describe Nafplion. The town's old section, on a peninsula jutting into the gulf of Argos, mixes Greek, Venetian, and Turkish architecture; narrow streets, often just broad flights of stone stairs, climb the slopes beneath the walls of Acronafplia. Tree-shaded plazas surround neoclassic buildings. The Palamidi fortress—an elegant display of Venetian might from the early 1700s—guards the town.

About Ydra

About Corinth Canal

This is perhaps the Mediterranean´s most unique experience: Very few ships are able to navigate this extremely narrow passage that separates mainland Greece and the Peloponnesian peninsula. You can almost reach out and touch the walls of the canal while sailing through it! And where else will you find a drawbridge that does not open but actually sinks into the water to let ships pass over it?

About Galaxhidi (Delphi)

Historic Galaxidi offers a unique experinces to each and every visitor. This ancient ship-building village provides a island atmosphere of laid-back living. Numerous restaurants and tavernas offer both tradional Greek delicasies, as well as unique local dishes and freshly-caught seafood. Lodging is plentiful in Galaxidi. You can choose from small pensions with old-world charm, modern accomodations with swimming pool, and refurbished private homes available by the day, week or month. Galaxidi is a great home base for visiting many of the sights in Mainland Greece such as Ancient Delphi (just 40-minutes away), Meteoria and Thebes.

About Taormina

Neighboring villages of Naxos and Taormina are in such harmony with their surroundings they almost seem carved from the hillside. Blooming jacarandas and bougainvillea grow in profusion over balconies and stone buildings built in medieval times. Palm fringed avenues wind through quiet streets and the view from Castle Mola provides a stunning look at the Ionian Sea, the town and Mt Etna.

Taormina Attractions

From the Greek Amphitheater, Taormina's most visited monument, you can see the active volcano Mount Etna, and beautiful views of the coastline. The amphitheater was built sometime during the third century B.C. by the Greeks and expanded later by the Romans who added their own structural characteristics. It's also the site of the Taormina Film Festival held every summer.

Taormina Activities

Explore the Roman Odeon, a small theatre next to the Church of St. Catherine. The theatre was built around 21 A.D., however, it was discovered by accident in 1892, by a local blacksmith Stroll along the city's main street, Corso Umberto I, and through the Piazza del Duomo, where you'll find Taormina's main cathedral, which was built in the 1400s Visit the most famous palace in Taormina, the Palazzo Corvaja, and the Museum of Art and Popular Traditions, located in the Piazza Santa Catarina. The palace also houses the tourist office Spend the day relaxing in Villa Comunale, a small park built by Lady Florence Trevelyan in the late 19th century. Another favorite garden in the city is the Public Garden, which overlooks the Mediterranean Sea

About Gaeta

A fishing port and seaside resort in a picturesque location. The old town is dominated by a castle (7th century). The cathedral (1279) is notable for its admirable sculptures and paintings as well as its Arab-Norman bell tower. The mausoleum of Lucius Munatius Plancus, an impressive Roman monument, is cylindrical in shape and 13 meters high. The sanctuary of Montagna Spaccata is at Punta della Trinità, where you can see a chasm which is traditionally said to have opened up on the death of Jesus.

About Porto Santo Stefano

About Calvi

There´s a good bit of Italy in this French resort, which remain tained its ties to Genoa long after the rest of Corsica declared independence. The Genoese Citadel dominates the coastline; you can visit it by crossing a drawbridge. The nearby Oratoire, a Renaissance chapel containing religious art, is also worth exploring. However, the main attractions of Calvi are the gorgeous beaches and lively marina.

Calvi Activities

A 50-minute train ride from Calvi to L'Ile Rousse takes you right along the coast. You can see the quaint old town and the main square, and watch (or even join) locals playing boules under the plane trees. About an hour's drive from Calvi is the Forest of Bonifatu, where there are secluded rock pools for swimming and great picnic spots.

About Nice

Synonymous for decades with the words opulence, a sophistication and wealth, the French Riviera is the jewel of the Mediterranean Sea. Walk the Promenade des Anglais which borders the sea, and rub shoulders with royalty and film stars on golden beaches. Take a trip to Monte Carlo to see million dollar yachts in the most picturesque setting of Monte Carlo´s bay.

Nice Attractions

The Old Town is a must to be explored. Its look has changed little since the 1700s. Narrow streets and winding alleys are lined with faded 17th- and 18th-century buildings. The famous flower market never ceases to delight visitors as well as residents. The Italian façades of modern Nice and early 20th-century residences, which made the city one of Europe’s most fashionable winter retreats, remain largely intact. Although not blessed with excellent beaches, its pebbled sands continue to attract scores of sun worshippers every year.

Nice Activities

Musée National - Marc Chagall Established by the artist himself, the collection features the most important permanent exhibit of his work. The main focus is a series of 17 canvases comprising his colorful “Biblical Message.” The excellent use of space and light further enhances the featured paintings, sculptures and mosaics. Musée Matisse - Housed in a 17th-century Italian villa, the museum features exquisite paintings and bronzes by the great master. These works of art illustrate the different stages of Henri Matisse’s career and his development from the late 19th century to his death in 1954. Especially interesting are the sketches he made for his paintings in the Chapelle de Rosaire in Vence. This project was done by Matisse to thank resident nuns who nursed him back to health. Parc du Château - This large, shady public park is located on a 300-foot hill and offers beautiful views of the city and the sea. The château, after which the hill and park are named, was established in the 12th century, but razed in 1706 by Louis XIV. Russian Orthodox Cathedral of Saint Nicholas - Located in the western part of the city, the multicolored cathedral crowned by six onion domes was built in the early 1900s in 17th-century style. It is one of the most elaborate and exotic structures in Nice. Museum of Modern & Contemporary Art - The museum specializes in French and American avant-garde artwork from the 1960s to the present. Its collection includes the work of Cesar,Warhol and Christo, to name a few. Anatole Jakovsky International Naïve Art MuseumDonated to the city by Mr. and Mrs. Anatole Jakovsky in 1982, the museum traces the progression of naïve art since the 18th century.