Le Dumont-D'urville sailing on October 12th, 2025

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 Rhodes

Rhodes, the largest of the Dodecanese Islands, is truly a vacation destination with something for everyone: sunshine, spectacular beaches on the Aegean Sea, a medieval walled city, an ancient acropolis, and much more. In ancient times, the people of Rhodes chose Helios, the Sun, as their divine patron. With an average of three hundred plus days of sunshine a year, it's safe to say that Helios continues to smile upon Rhodes today.

Rhodes Attractions

On the north end of the island, overlooking the sea, stand the ancient remains of the Acropolis of Rhodes. The buildings of the Rhodes Acropolis date back to the 3rd-2nd century BC. Though the entire Acropolis has yet to be excavated, some amazing sections have been restored: the stadium; a marble odeion - a concert hall or theatre; four columns of the Temple of Pythian Apollo; and a few remains of the Temple of Athena Polias and Zeus Polieus.

Rhodes Activities

Storm the Street of the Knights in the Old Town. This medieval, cobble-paved street lies over an ancient pathway from the Rhodes Acropolis to the port. In the early 16th century, the street was lined with inns housing the Knights of the Order of St. John, who once ruled the island. The inns that remain today are a study in history and architecture, definitely worth seeing. For a cleansing experience like no other, visit the Municipal Baths (Turkish baths) located in a 7th-century Byzantine structure in the old town. Discover the large collection of tombstones of the Knights of the Order of St. John at the Archeological Museum of Rhodes.

About Santorini

Perched at the very top of precipitous cliffs, Santorini towers above its original harbor and was once reached only by foot or mule. Today a cable car is the best route. The island scenery is unique in all the world with jagged outcroppings of red and black lava and stairways cut deep in the cliffsides. Buried under volcanic ash in a cataclysmic explosion during the 16th century BC, the ruins of ancient Thera are a great "find" for archaeologists.

Santorini Attractions

Santorini's spectacular caldera is a vestige of what was probably the biggest volcanic eruption in recorded history, believed by some to have caused the disappearance of Atlantis. The island's violent volcanic history is visible everywhere you look - in black-sand beaches, earthquake-damaged dwellings and raw cliffs of lava plunging into the sea.

Santorini Activities

Visit the architectural site of Akrotiri, a once-powerful Minoan kingdom. See the amazing ruins that have been excavated there, buried some thirty feet below the earth's surface after the eruption of the island's volcano. Discover the ancient city's squares and cobblestone streets and peer into some of the houses and shops. Stop at a Santorini wine producer to enjoy a glass and explore the important role wine has served in the island's growth. Stroll through the scenic village Oia, a haven for artists and artisans, and explore their shops, enjoy a drink or a traditional dinner while watching the sun sink into the caldera.

About Amorgos

Amorgos is the easternmost island of the Greek Cyclades island group, and that lying closest to the neighboring Dodecanese island group. Due to the position of Amorgos across from ancient beaches of Ionian towns, such as Militos, Alikarnassos and Ephesos, it became one of the first places from which the Ionians passed through to the Cyclades Islands and onto mainland Greece. The existence of three independent cities with autonomous constitution and the same currency, which have been preserved to this day, the size and artistic works of the walls surrounding the city of Arkesini, the ancient towers to which skeletons were raised to this day all over the island, the ancient tombs, the stone tools, the inscriptions, the vases and other antiquities are all powerful proof of the size of the ancient civilisation of Amorgos.

About Mykonos

Beautifully reflected in a golden light, the white-washed fishing lodges, charming chapels and windmills of Mykonos present visitors with a picture-perfect enchanted island. Spend private time on one of many beaches or wander through the Venice Quarter where tiny cottages perch precariously on cliffs above the sea.

Mykonos Attractions

Mykonos is famous for its sand and sea. Get lost looking out at the endless waters of the Aegean Sea as you grab a little sun on one of its beautiful beaches.

Mykonos Activities

Visit the birthplace of Apollo on the historic island of Delos. Dating back to the third millennium B.C., Delos is one of the most significant archaeological sites in the world. Marvel at the ancient ruins from famed architectural sights. Visit the Archaeological Museum on Mykonos, featuring important finds from the ruins on neighboring Delos. Spend an enchanting afternoon exploring the charming cobblestone streets and two-story, whitewashed shops and homes of these beautiful islands. The best beaches are Aghios Stephanos, Psarou, Kalafatis, Onros, Panormos and Elia.

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 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 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.