5-Star The Best of Greece Cruise

The island of Rhodes is just waiting for you when your cruise takes you to the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its northernmost headland is straddled by Rhodes Town, by far the largest town on the island, in full view of Turkey less than 20km north.

The ancient city that occupied this site, laid out during the fifth century BC by Hippodamos of Miletos, was almost twice the size of its modern counterpart, and at over 100,000 held more than double its population. While the fortified enclave now known as the Old Town is of more recent construction, created by the Knights Hospitaller in the fourteenth century, it’s one of the finest medieval walled cities you could ever hope to see.

A Mediterranean cruise excursion to Rhodes will recall one of the lost Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: the Colossus, an ancient statue of Apollo erected to commemorate the 305 BC siege, which supposedly straddled the entrance to Mandhráki harbour.

Tucked into the northeastern coast of mainland Greece, just below the Bulgarian border, the hillside city of Kavala overlooks the Aegean Sea and is the main seaport of eastern Macedonia. Kavala will offer you a surprising mix of history, culture, and architecture—archeological sites, monuments, cobblestone streets, wooden balconies lined with flowers, colorful palaces, and hilltop fortresses—as well as diverse landscapes like lush wetlands, lagoons, inland lakes, beaches, and diverse flora and fauna.

On a cruise to Greece, you will enjoy Kavala’s welcoming climate, which stays warm and temperate throughout the year. And with a culinary scene that joins East and West, you will experience traditional and modern food with ingredients that small local producers source from the nearby mountains, sea, and wineries. With all that Kavala offers, you will see why people quickly fall in love with this seaside city.

Thessaloniki is a Greek port city on the Thermaic Gulf of the Aegean Sea. Evidence of Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman history remains, especially around Ano Poli, the upper town. The ruins of Roman Emperor Galerius’ 4th-century palace include the Rotunda that has been both a church and a mosque. Much of the city center was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1917. The rebuilt 20th-century city has a modern European layout.

From the port of Kusadasi on Turkey’s Anatolian Coast, one travels into the past. Nearby stand the ruins of ancient Ephesus, a major site of archeological excavation. The city was once a Roman provincial capital and trading center. Ephesus is also home to several of Christendom’s holiest sites. St. Paul preached at the Great Theater and the ruins of Ephesus’ Basilica cover the tomb of Christ’s most beloved disciple, St. John the Apostle.

In Kusadasi, whitewashed stone houses rise in tiers behind the market district. The palm-lined esplanade is the center of town life, with thousands of merchants offering wares to rival the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul.

Enjoy an overnight stay onboard in Athens. Following your departure from the Infinity, you will be transferred to the airport to catch your flight home to Dublin.

As the capital of Greece and one of Europe’s most bustling cities, Athens is powered by 5,000 years of history. At night, the city glows from afar, light reflecting off the ancient ruins. Today travelers flock from around the world to experience its history while on cruises from Athens. After all, the art, theatre, architecture, and philosophy of Athens had ripple effects through the fabric of entire civilizations.

Take in thousands of years of history through timeless excursions while on a cruise from Athens. The departure port of Piraeus is one of the busiest commercial ports in the world, servicing many Mediterranean cruises, and sits on a natural, sandy bay where local Athenians often relax on summer weekends. Piraeus offers travelers stopping through on their Greek island cruises from Athens opportunity to explore, shop, and eat traditional Greek dishes.

A Greek island cruise from Athens wouldn’t be complete without seeing the metropolis’ major sites—the unforgettable Acropolis, the Parthenon, a hike up Mount Lycabettus, or tours of museums containing antiquity’s greatest treasures dating back to the 5th century BC. Though Athens is a city of ruins, it’s the very essence of modern Greece.