20 nights, Piraeus (Athens) to Piraeus (Athens)
Explora's name for it: An Extended Journey of Returning Tides & New Shores
This is a 20-night round-trip out of Piraeus that does something most Greek-island sailings won't: it leaves the Aegean entirely, runs up the Adriatic past Montenegro, Croatia, and the heel of Italy, then comes back down. Seventeen stops across four countries, so the pace is full rather than slow. The hooks are specific. Kotor's hour-long sail-in threads a deep fjord-like bay past Perast before the walled town appears, and that transit is the best view of the day. Volos ties up in the heart of town, where a true tsipouradiko hands you no menu, just rounds of tsipouro with a different small seafood meze each time. Pylos trades the crowds for a shaded square under plane trees on the bay where the 1827 Battle of Navarino was fought. Syros stays a working neoclassical Greek city, not a whitewashed resort, with an opera house modeled on La Scala.
This itinerary rewards walkers who want range over repetition: most ports drop you steps from a compact, walkable old town. It is not for anyone wanting a slow, sun-and-swim week, and a few gateways eat time. Fusina lands you across the lagoon from Venice, so an early water shuttle is the difference between the Basilica empty and queuing behind day-trippers. Santorini and Dubrovnik both reward being first off the ship, before the cable-car crush and the coach tours. If that early-riser discipline sounds like work rather than reward, pick a shorter Cyclades loop instead.
EXPLORA II is all-suite, all-oceanfront.
The itinerary, port by port
17 calls over 20 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
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- 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.
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 →