Explora Journeys · 10-Night Cruise
A Journey from the Wonders of the Adriatic to Aegean Legends
10 nights aboard EXPLORA II, Fusina (Venice) to Piraeus (Athens).
Journey Overview
10 nights, 9 ports, 4 countries.
Beginning amid the canals of Venice, this ten-night passage drifts south into the Adriatic, where Montenegro’s Kotor waits within its near-vertical bay. From Corfu’s olive-shaded coast the route crosses to the Aegean, calling at sun-washed Paros and medieval Rhodes before tracing the Turkish shore at Bodrum. Patmos offers a quieter, contemplative pause, Syros the refined poise of the Cyclades, and the voyage closes beneath the marble of Athens, where antiquity and modern life keep easy company.
The Itinerary
Fusina (Venice), Italy
Embarkation 12:00 – 16:00 · Departure 19:00
Venice rewards the curious on foot and by water. Cross the humped bridges towards Piazza San Marco, where the Basilica and the Doge's Palace hold court, then glide the Grand Canal by gondola past churches and quiet campi. Pause at the Bridge of Sighs, watch glass take shape on Murano, and let the city's painted, gilded interiors reveal themselves slowly.
A Day at Sea
Cruising
A day held entirely at sea, the ship tracing open water with nowhere it must be. The horizon stays unbroken, the pace softens, and the hours belong to you. Reading, the spa, a long lunch and conversation fill the rhythm of an unhurried day, the wake unspooling steadily behind.
Sea dayKotor, Montenegro
08:00 – 18:00
Kotor sits deep within its fjord-like bay, encircled by steep grey-green slopes that mirror in the jade water. The walled Old Town keeps its Romanesque churches and medieval bastions intact, while the cuisine leans on Adriatic seafood and brodetto. Climb towards the Church of Our Lady of Remedy for a long view across red-tiled, UNESCO-listed rooftops.
Corfu, Greece
09:00 – 19:00
Corfu carries its Ionian and Venetian layers lightly. Sit beneath the Liston arches edging the Old Town, cross the moat to the Old Fortress, and let the narrow lanes lead between churches and tavernas. Further out, Paleokastritsa unfolds in pine-clad coves, and the climb up Mount Pantokrator opens the island's green interior to view.
A Day at Sea
Cruising
Another full day at sea, the ship steady on open water as the islands fall behind. With no port to reach, time loosens its grip. Savour a slow morning, an afternoon by the water, the spa or the deck, and watch the blue stretch unbroken to the horizon's edge.
Sea dayParos, Greece
09:00 – 20:00
Paros keeps an unhurried Cycladic temper, all blue-domed churches and blonde-sand beaches. In Parikia, the fourth-century Byzantine church of Panagia Ekatontapiliani anchors the town, while the old harbour at Naoussa folds into a maze of whitewashed lanes. A short ferry reaches rugged Antiparos and its caves, and the home-cooked mezze come without fuss.
Rhodes, Greece
09:00 – 23:00
Rhodes wears its history openly. The UNESCO-listed Old Town keeps the stone-paved Street of the Knights, the legacy of the Order of St John laid beside Ottoman additions like the pink Suleymaniye Mosque and its minaret. Down at Mandraki Harbour, twin bronze deer mark where the ancient Colossus is said to have stood guard.
Bodrum, Türkiye
09:00 – 19:00
Bodrum balances a fishing-town past with quiet glamour along the turquoise coast. The Castle of St Peter guards the harbour, and the remains of the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus recall one of the ancient wonders. Sip strong Turkish coffee over meze and grilled fish, then take to a wooden gulet bound for the clear coves of the Aegean.
Patmos, Greece
09:00 – 21:00
Patmos draws fewer travellers and rewards those who come. Sheltered beaches and sheltering coves ring an island long held sacred, for it was here, in the Cave of the Apocalypse, that St John is said to have received the Book of Revelation. White houses climb the hillsides, and a calm, almost weightless stillness settles over everything.
Syros, Greece
09:00 – 19:00
Syros lies a short crossing from Mykonos yet keeps its own composed character. The capital, Ermoupoli, was once the trading heart of the Aegean, and its neoclassical streets still gleam with Cycladic marble. Visit the Apollon Theatre, the merchant houses of Vaporia, then climb to medieval Ano Syros beneath the cathedral of San Giorgio.
Piraeus (Athens), Greece
Arrival 07:00 · Disembarkation 08:15 – 09:30
Athens keeps one eye on antiquity and the other firmly on now. The Acropolis and the Parthenon crown the city, while galleries, markets and small boutiques fill the streets below. Spend an evening among the tavernas and bouzoukia, then drift down to the harbour, where the salt air and departing fishing boats end the journey gently.
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
