7 nætter fra Piræus, Athen, Grækenland med Seabourn Encore

Piræus er havneby til Athen, som er Grækenlands største havn og hovedstad. Athen er en af Europas ældste byer, og er særligt kendt for sine mange gamle ruiner og historiske seværdigheder, der kan dateres flere tusind år tilbage i tiden. Akropolis er Athens største seværdighed. Oplev historien bag på Akropolis Musset få hundrede meter fra de gamle ruiner. I centrum kan du opleve ruiner fra flere romerske bygninger, særligt fra perioden hvor den romerske kejser Hadrian var ved magten. Plaka-kvarteret er Athens ældste bydel og en af de mest attraktive, som tiltrækker mange turister. Med sine hyggelige, smalle gader med neoklassiske huse, små butikker og taverner, er det bestemt et besøg værd. Athen forener den antikke og moderne historie med et varieret kulturliv, museer, trendy shopping og et stort udvalg af spisesteder.

Monemvasia was once on the Peloponnese mainland. Then an earthquake turned it into an island. It is now joined to the mainland by a narrow causeway that limits access, originally for reasons of defense. The tall, flat isle is completely honeycombed with nooks and grottoes, narrow alleys and rock-carved rooms. Clearly it was a formidable redoubt in times of attack, and earned its nickname the Gibraltar of the East. The upper town, long uninhabited, has narrow pathways leading to the Byzantine Aghia Sophia church, and remains of the medieval fortress and walls. In the lower town, look for the bell tower that leads you to Elkomenos Square, with its namesake medieval Elkomenos Christos church and a small museum.

Man har en teori om, at dette er de olympiske leges fødested. De første lege blev gennemført allerede i år 776 før Kristus. Olympia blev senere et politisk mødested, som fx Platon og Aristoteles besøgte. I 500-tallet blev området ødelagt af et jordskælv, og de olympiske lege gik i glemsel. I 1776 blev der fundet rester fra de tidligere olympiske lege. Det var først i 1896 i Athen, at man gennemførte OL i moderne tid. Der ligger et Olympisk museum, der er værd at besøge.

Founded in the 7th century, Dubrovnik rose to greatness as a merchant state, independent republic and cultural crossroads. The traffic-free Old Town has been called a Croatian Athens. This UNESCO designated World Heritage Site is a living museum of the ages with fortifications, chapels, monastic cloisters and Europe’s second-oldest synagogue crowded into its ancient walls. Relax at a sidewalk café, listen to the chimes of the 14th-century bell tower or join the promenade down the palace-lined avenue known as the Stradun.

Beautifully situated on a large natural bay, the ancient town of Hvar, on the island of the same name, served as an important harbor for Venice’s Adriatic fleet from the 12th through the 18th centuries. Vestiges of this momentous time are reflected in the fortifications that still stand guard over the harbor, and in the very heart of the port, a large arsenal. Hvar today is a quiet spot reminiscent of the French Riviera at the turn-of-the-last-century. Sail and fishing boats bob and sway in the harbor and a 17th-century bell tower marks off the hours. Winding limestone lanes converge onto an expansive piazza, the largest in Dalmatia, which connects the older part of town to the “”modern”” side – that built after the 15th century. Inland, Hvar’s green hills are woven with vineyards and lavender fields, and offshore tiny islets are scattered like pearls in a clear cobalt sea.

Nestled among the myriad islets of the Istrian coast in the Gulf of Venice, the charming harbor of Rovinj is comprised of candy-colored buildings, fringed with marinas and dominated by the fairytale spire of the Cathedral of Saint Euphemia, modeled on St. Marks’ in Venice. The old town is a treasury of historic monuments – a 13th-century Romanesque baptistry, a baroque City Hall, and an 18th-century monastery – all tucked among cobbled streets that invite exploration. Known as the “Montmartre of Istria,” this is an artists’ colony with many galleries.

St. Mark’s Square er Venedigs hjerte, med paladslignende arkader og charmerende caféer. Tag en rundtur på det udsøgte Doges Palace, der engang tjente som bolig for Venedigs hertuger. Tag en sejltur på kanalerne i gondol, gå på eksklusiv shopping eller nip til en “bicerin” på den tidsløse Caffé Florian.