Crete & the Cycladic Islands

(B)=Breakfast, (L)=Lunch, (R)=Reception, (D)=Dinner 

Sunday, September 27, 2026: Depart home for Heraklion, Crete, Greece

Monday, September 28: Arrive Heraklion | Transfer to hotel | PM at leisure | Welcome reception
Upon arrival at Heraklion’s Nikos Kazantzakis International Airport (HER), you are met for a private transfer to our hotel. Enjoy some time to relax and settle in. Gather this evening for a welcome reception with your lecturer. Dinner is on your own. Three nights at the 5-star Megaron Hotel. (R)

Tuesday, September 29: Heraklion: AM walking tour, PM Archaeological
Museum | Welcome dinner
After an introductory lecture, we take a morning walking tour through Heraklion’s “old city,” surrounded by fortification walls initially built by the Arabs and later reinforced in the 15^th century by the Venetians. Along the way, enjoy a tasting of bougatsa (a Greek breakfast pastry) and Greek coffee. After lunch, tour the celebrated Heraklion Archaeological Museum, which houses the world’s finest collection of Minoan art and artifacts. Return to our hotel and gather this evening for a short walk to a local restaurant for our welcome dinner. (B,L,D)

Wednesday, September 30: Gortyn | Agia Triada | Phaistos | Heraklion
Begin the day with a visit to the famous Greco-Roman site of Gortyn, which became the dominant city in the region after Phaistos fell, later became Roman and was the first city on Crete to accept Christianity, and persisted into the 9^th century A.D. Continue on to the nearby Minoan “royal villa” of Agia Triada, followed by a visit to the ruins of the Minoan palace at Phaistos, a center of Minoan civilization that was destroyed in the 15^th century B.C. After lunch we return to Heraklion for the balance of the afternoon at leisure. This evening, gather to have dinner at a local restaurant. (B,L,D)

Thursday, October 1: Knossos | Malia | Spinalonga | Agios Nikolaos
Check out of our hotel this morning and set out for a visit to the legendary, partially-reconstructed Minoan palace at Knossos, rich in imagination thanks not only to its associated myth of the Minotaur and labyrinth but also to the excavation and reconstruction efforts of Sir Arthur Evans in the early 20^th century. Set out for a drive east along Crete’s northern coast, stopping to explore the ruins of the Minoan palace at Malia. Afterward, we take a short boat ride from Plaka to the picturesque island of Spinalonga, which is home to a 16^th-century Venetian fortress and was a leper colony for the first half of the 20^th century. Return by boat to Elounda, and check-in to our hotel in Agios Nikolaos. Dinner is on your own this evening. Two nights at the 5-star InterContinental Crete hotel. (B,L)

Friday, October 2: Agios Nikolaos: Archaeological Museum | Gournia | Mochlos | Vasiliki | Agios Nikolaos
This morning we visit the archaeological museum of Agios Nikolaos and then drive to the well-excavated and -preserved Minoan town of Gournia, where we may best envision life in a Late Bronze Age (c. 1500 B.C.) town as we stroll cobbled streets among the ruins of some 50 houses, a small Minoan palace, and a cemetery. We then take a short boat ride (weather permitting) to the island of Mochlos, where complex archaeological remains ranging from 3000 B.C. to the 10^th century A.D. have been found, including a Minoan town (c. 1700-1430 B.C.) and a Mycenaean village and cemetery (c. 1400-1250 B.C.). We return by boat to Crete proper and, after lunch, we explore the ruins of Vasiliki, one of the first Minoan settlements with town planning. Return to our hotel in Agios Nikolaos, and gather this evening for dinner at a local restaurant. (B,L,D)

Saturday, October 3: Tylissos | Zominthos | Rethymnon
Check out of our hotel this morning and drive to the archaeological site at Tylissos, where we find the ruins of three luxurious Minoan houses decorated with frescoes and tablets, and outfitted with a water supply system that attests to the city’s importance at one time. We then continue on to the site of Zominthos, one of the six sites on Crete that comprise the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Minoan Palatial Centers.” (We have seen three others on this tour: Knossos, Phaistos, and Malia.) Zominthos is the only mountaintop Minoan settlement that has been excavated to date, and among many other structures there was found an almost-intact, 16^th-century B.C. pottery workshop. After lunch, we continue on to our hotel in Rethymnon and check-in. Gather for a short orientation tour of Rethymnon by foot, before dinner. Four nights at the 4-star Grecotel Plaza Beach House resort. (B,L,D)

Sunday, October 4: Armenoi | Monastiraki | Museum of Ancient Eleutherna | Rethymnon
After breakfast we drive to the Late Minoan cemetery at Armenoi, where there are more than 200 rock-cut tombs. Some of the artifacts from this site are housed at the archaeological museum in Rethymnon, which we visit in a couple of days. Continue on to the Minoan building complex of Monastiraki (2000–1700 B.C.), where pottery has been found that bears resemblance to pottery from the Minoan palace at Phaistos. Also visit the Museum of Ancient Eleutherna, the first archaeological site museum on Crete, built to house the finds from the excavations carried out at Eleutherna, one of Crete’s most important cities in the Geometric and Archaic periods. After what might be a late lunch, we return to our hotel in Rethymnon for the balance of the day and dinner at leisure. (B,L)

Monday, October 5: Chania: AM walking tour of the Venetian port, PM Archaeological Museum | Rethymnon
Set out this morning on a drive west to Crete’s delightful capital city of Chania, and take a walking tour of its Venetian port followed by a visit to the old market (schedule permitting). After lunch, take a guided tour of the Archaeological Museum of Chania. Return to Rethymnon for the balance of the afternoon at leisure. Gather for dinner. (B,L,D)

Tuesday, October 6: Rethymnon: AM Fortezza, Archaeological Museum; PM Historical and Folklore Museum | Lappa | Rethymnon
Today will be a full day to enjoy Rethymnon. In the morning we drive a short distance in town to the Venetian castle known as the Fortezza, a grand fortress built in the 16^th century to defend the city from pirates and the Ottomans. Just outside the Fortezza we visit the Archaeological Museum of Rethymnon, which displays local artifacts from the Neolithic to the Roman periods. After lunch, we visit the Historical and Folklore Museum of Rethymnon, located in a beautiful, 17^th-century house, whose exhibits include traditional folk art, weaving, ceramics, metalwork, and other art forms, as well as displays about the modern history of Rethymnon and the island of Crete. Take a short drive to the site of ancient Lappa, where have been excavated Roman baths, mosaics, tombs, and a cemetery. Many of the site’s artifacts, mostly dating from the Hellenistic and early Roman periods, are housed in the Archaeological Museum of Rethymnon that we visited this morning. Return to Rethymnon, where we have dinner. (B,L,D)

Wednesday, October 7: Heraklion | Ferry to Santorini | Fira: Archaeological Museum of Thera
This morning we return to Heraklion to catch a high-speed ferry to Santorini (a.k.a. Thera), one of the world’s most breathtaking islands, dotted with whitewashed houses and churches perched on cliffs nearly 1,000 feet above the sea and its huge, drowned volcanic crater (caldera). After arriving at our hotel on the outskirts of the capital, Fira, we visit the Archaeological Museum of Thera for a guided tour. Lunch and the balance of the afternoon are at leisure; explore independently the town center’s narrow, cobbled streets lined with shops and/or enjoy our hotel’s amenities and views. We dine together at a local restaurant this evening. Two nights at the 5-star Orama Hotel & Spa. (B,D)

Thursday, October 8: Santorini: AM Akrotiri, PM Museum of Prehistoric Thera
Spend the morning exploring Santorini’s “Pompeii,” the haunting Minoan town of Akrotiri, preserved for millennia under volcanic ash, now excavated and protected with a roof. Navigate the town via wooden walkways among three-story buildings and traces of life from before the eruption. Drive to Fira for lunch and to explore the superb Museum of Prehistoric Thera, which displays striking frescoes and various artifacts from Akrotiri. The balance of the day is at leisure to enjoy Fira and/or our hotel’s amenities. (B,L)

Friday, October 9: Ferry to Mykonos | PM at leisure
After a relaxed morning (pending the ferry schedule) at our hotel, we take a high-speed ferry from Santorini to the island of Mykonos. Our hotel is located in the center of the island’s capital of Chora. The balance of the day is at leisure to enjoy our hotel’s amenities and/or explore independently Chora’s many upscale shops, art galleries, and seaside cafés. Two nights at the 5-star Semeli Hotel – Mykonos Town. (B)

Saturday, October 10: Delos | Mykonos: PM at leisure | Farewell dinner
Take a short ferry ride to the nearby sacred island of Delos, legendary birthplace of the twin gods Apollo and Artemis and today a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Delos was considered the most sacred island in the ancient Aegean, and the entire, albeit small, island is an archaeological site. After a thorough walk around the ruins of the sanctuary of Apollo and the town, as well as a visit to the small site museum, we return to Mykonos by ferry. Enjoy lunch and the afternoon at leisure. In the evening, we gather one last time for a farewell dinner. (B,D)

Sunday, October 11: Transfer to Mykonos Airport | Fly home
You are met at the hotel for a private transfer to Mykonos Airport (JMK) for your flights homeward. (B)