from $2,754pp
*Price is land only
Classical Athens and Ageless Egypt
2 nts. Athens, 4 nts. Aegean Cruise, 3 nts.Cairo, 4 nt. Nile Cruise & 1 nt. Cairo | View Itinerary Map
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Includes 2010
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Itinerary 2010
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Itinerary 2010|
Day 1 Fri Depart USA Evening departure. Meals and refreshments are served on board. Day 2 Sat Athens Morning arrival into Athens Airport where you will be met and transferred to your hotel. Tonight experience on your own the Athenian dining scene and the city's exciting nightlife. Day 3 Sun Athens Half-day morning city tour includes highlights of Athens and the Acropolis plus the new Acropolis Museum. Afternoon and balance of day at leisure. (B) Day 4 Mon Athens/Piraeus/Cruise (Mykonos) After breakfast, you transfer to the port of Piraeus and embark on the M/V Aquamarine. Sail to the picturesque isle of Mykonos, known for its windmills and lively harbor. Resume sailing in the evening. (B,L,D) Day 5 Tue Kusadasi/Patmos Morning arrival in Kusadasi, Turkey, located nearby Ephesus, one of the 'Seven Wonders of the Ancient World'. Wander through the famous Turkish bazaar or enjoy an optional tour of Ephesus. This afternoon sail to Patmos, site of the Monastery of St. John the Divine and the Grotto of the Apocalypse. Optional excursion to visit these sites is available. Evening departure for Rhodes. (B,L,D) Day 6 Wed Rhodes A day on the Island of Roses, famed for its Medieval Old Town, great shopping and ancient site of the Colossus of Rhodes. Visit the Temple of Athena on the majestic Acropolis of Lindos, overlooking the Bay of Paul (optional) or visit the Valley of Butterflies on your own. Sail in the evening. (B,L,D) Day 7 Thu Heraklion/Santorini Morning call at Greece's largest island, Crete. Visit Knossos and the Palace of King Minos (optional). Later you sail for the volcanic island of Santorini. Some of the villages are perched on the rim of the volcano and believed by many to be the site of the Lost Continent of Atlantis. View a breathtaking sunset before you sail later this evening. (B,L,D) Day 8 Fri Cruise/Piraeus/Cairo Disembark in Piraeus and transfer to Athens Airport for your flight to Cairo, where you'll be met and taken to your hotel. The balance of the day is at leisure. (B) Day 9 Sat Cairo Full day city tour including the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities with the world's largest collection of pharaonic artifacts and treasures from Tutankhamen's tomb. Next drive to the Citadel to view important Islamic structures, including the Muhammad Ali Mosque. In Old Cairo, we visit Al Moallaka Church (Hanging Church) and Ben Ezra Synagogue. End this city tour at Khan el-Khalili, Cairo's labyrinthine shopping mecca. Best buys: gold, silver, papyrus, galabiyas, perfumes, antiques, and famous Egyptian cotton. Lunch is included during tour. (B,L) Day 10 Sun Cairo (Giza Pyramids, Memphis & Sakkara) Full day tour of the Giza complex, including the Pyramid of Khufu (the Great Pyramid), the only remaining monument of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and the Great Sphinx. After Giza, proceed to Memphis and tour the 'open air museum', site of the Colossus of Ramses the Second and the Alabaster Sphinx. The visit to Sakkara will include the Step Pyramid, the first pyramid ever built. You will subsequently view the Pyramid of Teti. Lunch is included during tour. (B,L) Day 11 Mon Cairo/Luxor/Cruise Short flight to Luxor, where you will board the M/S Sonesta Nile Goddess in time for lunch. Admire the temple complex of Karnak (ancient Thebes) and Luxor. Visit the necropolis on the Nile's West Bank that includes the Valley of the Kings, the funerary temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir El Bahari and the Colossi of Memnon. Overnight on board ship in Luxor. (B,D) Day 12 Tue Cruise (Luxor/Edfu) Cruise through the Esna Lock to the ancient settlement of Edfu, located on the Nile's West Bank. (B,L,D) Day 13 Wed Cruise (Edfu/Aswan) Travel by horse-drawn carriage to the Temple of Horus, the Falcon God, the major Ptolemaic temple. Of all the temples that remain in Egypt, it is the most completely preserved. Sail for Kom Ombo to visit the temples of Sobek and Haroeris. Sail to Aswan and overnight on board ship. (B,L,D) Day 14 Thu Cruise (Aswan) Enjoy a tour of the High Dam, an outstanding water project to prevent the Nile River from flooding. Also stop at the Granite Quarries, which in antiquity furnished the stone for the monolithal, colossal statues, obelisks, and shrines which are found throughout Egypt. See the Unfinished Obelisk and the Temple of Philae, dedicated to Isis, Goddess of Magic. The temple had to be relocated block by block to its current location because of the rising waters caused by the dams built on the Nile. End this day tour with a ride on a felucca, a typical Egyptian sailboat, to view Kitchner's Island botanical garden and the Agha Khan Mausoleum. Overnight in Aswan. (B,L,D) Day 15 Fri Cruise (Aswan/Cairo) After breakfast, disembark and transfer to Aswan Airport for your short flight to Cairo. Balance of the day is at leisure for a last visit to a shopping bazaar and to enjoy Cairo's fun filled nightlife. (B) Day 16 Sat Cairo to USA (or extend your stay) Morning transfer to Cairo International Airport for your return flight home. Meals and refreshments are served aloft. (B) |
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