Explora Journeys · 20-Night Cruise
An Extended Journey through Storied Marble Streets & Ancient Echoes
20 nights aboard EXPLORA II, Piraeus (Athens) to Fusina (Venice).
Journey Overview
20 nights, 13 ports, 5 countries.
This twenty-night arc opens in Athens before Volos draws you toward myth and the mountains of Pelion, then Mykonos brings its Cycladic glamour. After a day at sea, Istanbul unfolds across two continents. Sailing west, Corfu, Kotor and Roman Split lead to Venice, while Zadar and Dubrovnik reveal the Adriatic’s range. The journey loops back through Athens, gathering Ephesus, gentler Syros and southern Italy, with Trogir’s preserved stone a last grace note before Venice.
The Itinerary
Piraeus (Athens), Greece
Embarkation 12:00 – 16:00 · Departure 19:00
Athens wears its antiquity lightly. Beneath the Acropolis and the Parthenon, the marble streets give way to galleries, small boutiques and tavernas where conversation runs late. Climb for the long view across the city, then descend to the harbour at Piraeus, where fishing boats slip out and the salt air carries the rhythm of a place forever between past and present.
Volos, Greece
08:00 – 20:00
Volos sits where myth meets mountain, the launching point of Jason and the Argonauts. Above it rises Pelion, a green realm of cobbled mule paths threading villages scented with thyme and eucalyptus. Seek out Damouchari's bougainvillaea, the ancient plane tree at Tsagarada, and the murals of Milies, then cool off in the quiet shallows of the Pagasitic Gulf.
Mykonos, Greece
09:00 – 22:00
Arrive early and Mykonos belongs to you: whitewashed lanes, Cycladic cubes, blue-domed chapels and the old hilltop windmills. Cross to sacred Delos for its amphitheatre, temples and weathered shrines, then take a table in Chora for Greek salad and sea urchin as the light softens. Come evening, the island finds its tempo and the bars fill with music.
A Day at Sea
Cruising
A day held entirely at sea. With nothing on the horizon but blue, Explora II settles into an unhurried rhythm: quiet hours on deck, the spa, an open afternoon, the comfortable certainty of dinner ahead. Time slows, and the voyage becomes its own destination.
Sea dayA Day at Sea
Cruising
Another day given over to the open water. The ship carries you onward while the schedule loosens, leaving room for a long swim, an idle chapter on deck, or simply the pleasure of watching the wake unfurl. The sea asks nothing of you, and that is the gift.
Sea dayCorfu, Greece
09:00 – 18:00
Corfu carries a green, Ionian elegance. Sit beneath the Liston arches in the Old Town, cross the moat to the Old Fortress, then wander the lanes radiating off Spianada Square. Beyond the centre, Paleokastritsa frames pine-cloaked coves, while the climb up Mount Pantokrator opens the whole island and the channel toward Albania.
Kotor, Montenegro
09:00 – 18:00
Kotor lies deep within its bay, a near-fjord ringed by dark, steep slopes. Inside the medieval walls wait Romanesque churches and stone bastions that have weathered carnivals and earthquakes alike. Climb the switchbacks toward the Church of Our Lady of Remedy for the long look down over red-tiled rooftops and jade water, a UNESCO harbour cradled by mountains.
Split, Croatia
08:00 – 17:00
Split spills terracotta rooftops down to the Adriatic, sheltered by pine-clad hills. At its heart stands Diocletian's seafront palace, its colonnaded peristyle and cathedral folded into everyday life among cafes and squares. Linger over coffee on the Riva promenade, climb the Marjan park for the evening light, or join the Splicani at Bacvice, where fjaka, the art of sweet idleness, is well understood.
Fusina (Venice), Italy
08:00 – 19:00
Venice rewards both the planned and the aimless. Drift the Grand Canal by gondola past churches and campi, cross the humpbacked bridges to Piazza San Marco, the Basilica and the Doge's Palace, then watch glass take shape on Murano. Slip down a quiet passage toward the Bridge of Sighs and let the city of water reveal itself.
Zadar, Croatia
09:00 – 18:00
Zadar layers Venetian towers and a finely carved Romanesque cathedral within its old walls, and climbing the bell tower lays the rooftops bare. By the water, the Sea Organ turns the waves into sound and the Greeting to the Sun glows at dusk. Inland lie the rivers and waterfalls of Krka and Plitvice, all emerald pools and falling water.
Dubrovnik, Croatia
09:00 – 18:00
Dubrovnik stands behind its famous ramparts, a walled city of aristocratic palaces, baroque churches and Adriatic horizons. Enter through the Pile Gate to lose yourself in the alleys, kayak beneath the walls, or cross to wooded Lokrum for a slower afternoon. Beyond town lie the vineyards of Konavle and the bridges of Mostar, a short, rewarding detour.
A Day at Sea
Cruising
A day at sea once more. Explora II keeps her easy pace as the coast falls away, and the hours open to wellness, long lunches and the simple luxury of doing little. There is a quiet pleasure in being between places, with nowhere you must be.
Sea dayPiraeus (Athens), Greece
09:00 – 19:00
Athens again, and the chance to look closer. Return to the Acropolis and the Parthenon, or turn instead to the museums and galleries, the markets and the tavernas tucked below the rock. As evening falls, the harbour at Piraeus draws you back, salt in the air and the boats easing out for the night's catch.
Kusadasi (Ephesus), Türkiye
09:00 – 19:00
From Kusadasi, the road winds through cotton and olive groves to Ephesus, where marble streets, the Library of Celsus and the temple to Artemis stand in the open hills. Further on lie the white travertine terraces and warm pools of Pamukkale. In the weaving villages, looms still knot carpets and kilims by hand, dyed with the colours of the land.
Syros, Greece
08:00 – 18:00
Syros lies just across from Mykonos yet keeps its own measured character. Its capital, Ermoupoli, once the trading heart of the Aegean, gleams with neoclassical marble. Wander Vaporia's merchant mansions and the Apollo Theatre, modelled on La Scala, then climb to medieval Ano Syros, settled by Venetians and crowned by the cathedral of San Giorgio.
A Day at Sea
Cruising
The final day at sea. The ship moves steadily on while the horizon stays empty and the pace gentles to almost nothing. It is time to savour the voyage in retrospect, to read, to rest, and to let the rhythm of the water carry the day where it will.
Sea dayBari, Italy
08:00 – 19:00
Bari Vecchia is a knot of medieval lanes where nonnas shape orecchiette in their doorways. Visit the basilica holding the relics of Saint Nicholas, the twelfth-century cathedral and the Norman fortress by the harbour. Inland wait the conical trulli of Alberobello and the ancient cave dwellings of Matera, carved into limestone and softly lived in still.
Trogir, Croatia
08:00 – 17:00
Trogir is a small UNESCO maze of marble lanes and pale stone, shaped by Romanesque, Renaissance and Baroque hands. Gather in the Gothic main square, step inside the Cathedral of St Lawrence and climb its bell tower, then explore the bulk of Kamerlengo Fortress. Nearby Split and the waterfalls of Krka National Park are within easy reach.
Fusina (Venice), Italy
Arrival 08:00 · Disembarkation 09:15 – 10:30
A last day in Venice, and the city still holds more. Catch an opera, wander palazzo galleries old and new, or simply drift the canals past churches and squares that shift in mood with every turning. From the Bridge of Sighs to a quiet perfumery, beauty waits a few steps away in this liquid-gold city.
Explora Journeys · All-Inclusive
Every journey includes
- All dining across the ship's six restaurants, cafés and 24-hour in-suite dining
- Fine wines, champagne, spirits, cocktails and specialty coffees, anywhere on board
- All gratuities and service charges
- An in-suite bar, replenished daily to your taste
- High-speed Wi-Fi throughout the ship
- Curated shoreside experiences and port-to-town transfers where offered
Your Ship
EXPLORA II
Explora's ships are all-suite and ocean-front — there isn't an inside cabin on board. Pale, calm interiors borrow the codes of the grand European hotel rather than the megaship: six restaurants plus a dozen bars and cafés, four pools including a retractable-roof Conservatory, and one of the most generous spa and thermal areas at sea. At roughly fifty gross tons per guest, the space-per-person ratio is close to double that of a mainstream cruise ship.
More on Explora JourneysSuites
461–463
All ocean-front
Guests
~922
Double occupancy
Restaurants
Six
Plus cafés & bars
Pools
Four
Incl. the Conservatory
