19 nights, Piraeus (Athens) to Piraeus (Athens)
Explora's name for it: An Extended Journey of Past Echoes & Open Water
This is a long, round-trip arc out of Athens that loops the Cyclades, the Ionian, the Adriatic, and the heel of Italy before swinging back through mainland Greece. Nineteen nights against thirteen calls means a genuinely unhurried pace, with sea time built between port days rather than a daily scramble. The hooks are specific: in Syros, the neoclassical city of Ermoupoli stays a working Greek town because the Cyclades crowds chase Santorini and Mykonos instead. Kotor turns the approach itself into the event, an hour threading the deep fjord-like bay past Perast before the walled town appears, so the sail-in is best watched from the deck, not over breakfast. In Bari, the Strada delle Orecchiette is where grandmothers shape pasta by hand. Volos ties up in the heart of town, where a true tsipouradiko hands you no menu and brings a different small seafood meze with each round.
This itinerary rewards the traveler who wants depth over checklists and isn't fazed by the ports that eat a day: Bari, Dubrovnik, and Brindisi all dock well outside their old towns and need a shuttle or taxi. If you want only the postcard Cyclades, this is too much of everything else. And anyone wanting fast, headline-only stops should pick a shorter loop, because the value here is in the quiet ports between the famous ones.
Explora II is all-suite and all-oceanfront.
The itinerary, port by port
13 calls over 19 nights, round-trip from Piraeus (Athens). Open any port for my full day-ashore guide, what to see, when to go, and how the day actually runs.
Getting there: Flights to Piraeus (Athens) (ATH) are already bookable for these dates. I watch the fare for booked clients so you book at the right moment. When to book your flights →
- Embark
- 2
- 3
- 4 Argostoli (Kefalonia)
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- Disembark
Fares on this departure, decoded
Reading the fare fine print is the job. Here's what this sailing currently carries:
- Invitation to Discover More
- Explora's discovery fare, available across most of the calendar. Onboard credit where the offer applies.
- Founders Fare
- A founding-era fare on a selected set of sailings. Onboard credit where the offer applies.
- Air-Inclusive Fare
- A fare that folds airfare into the voyage price on a smaller set of sailings.
The ship and your suite
This sailing is aboard EXPLORA II, all-suite, every suite with a private ocean-front terrace. Suites run from the entry Ocean Terrace to the Owner's Residence; the right tier depends on how you travel. Compare suites → · What's included →