Hidden Gems of the Dalmatian Coast & Greece (2012)

Fly from the U.S. to Athens, Greece.

Arrive in Athens, where an OAT representative meets you at the airport and assists with your transfer to our hotel. This afternoon, enjoy a short orientation walk with your Trip Leader in the vicinity of the hotel.

This evening, we enjoy a Welcome Dinner at our hotel.

 

After breakfast, we enjoy a tour of the lovely historic city of Athens. We ride past the historic Panathenean Stadium, originally constructed in 330 BC and restored for the first "modern" Olympic Games in 1896, the Greek Parliament building, where the ceremonial guards in traditional Greek dress watch over the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Presidential Palace. Designed in Neo-classical style, the three-story Presidential Palace elegantly combines elements of Greek, Roman, and Renaissance architecture. Then we enjoy a city center walking tour.

We then depart for Mikrolimano and enjoy an included lunch at a local restaurant before embarking our ship. As we cruise, the crew joins us for a Welcome Drink and a briefing before dinner on board. We cruise through the Corinth Canal after dinner and then arrive in Itea, a port town near Delphi, where we overnight onboard in the port.

This morning, we disembark in Itea for about a 40-minute ride to Delphi. Here we enjoy a half day of discovery, including the Temple of Apollo, where the oracle once prophesied. This ancient sanctuary is beautifully set in a landscape fit for a god, at the foot of a mountain with a vista over olive groves to the Bay of Itea.

Those entering this place in ancient times first purified themselves at the nearby Sanctuary of Athena, where the enigmatic Tholos—a round building of unknown purpose—stands as it has since the fourth century BC. As we approach the Temple of Apollo, we walk the Sacred Way used by ancient Greeks such as the historian Plutarch, who was a priest of Apollo at Delphi. We’ll see treasuries built here by the Athenians, the Thebans, the Corinthians, and the Syracusans—the great societies of their day—and enter the theater, built to seat 5,000 people, from which it’s possible to get an amazing view if you climb to the top row.

We then enter the nearby Delphi Archaeological Museum. The unmatched holdings here include the larger-than-life bronze Charioteer, dating to about 470 BC, one of the finest surviving works of antiquity. The museum is filled with other masterpieces from the Archaic, Classical, and Roman periods, including scenes of the gods watching the Trojan War, a nine-statue family monument from the fourth century BC, and a sculpture of Roman Emperor Hadrian’s son Antinoos.

We return to the ship for lunch, after which you can explore the city of Itea.

Tonight we enjoy a Captain’s Welcome Dinner, and our ship cruises through the night to Corfu.

Enjoy a leisurely morning on board; we arrive in Corfu in the late morning. After lunch, enjoy a fairy-tale excursion to the 19th-century villa of Elizabeth, Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary.

In her day, Elizabeth was known by the nickname of “Sisi,” and was as popular as the late Princess Diana of England. Uncomfortable with the constraints of court life in Vienna, Sisi retreated to Corfu in her later years and immersed herself in the world of the ancient Greeks. Today, we’ll tour the palatial villa she had built in Corfu between the years 1890-1892, which she named the Achillion. The large Neo-classical building and vast gardens surrounding it are lavishly decorated with artwork, including two notable statues of Sisi’s favorite Greek hero, Achilles.

This evening, relax during a Greek dinner onboard and enjoy a Greek-style party. The ship remains moored through the night at Corfu.

We cruise this morning to Saranda, Albania, then travel overland to visit the ruins of Butrint, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Inhabited since prehistoric times, Butrint was the site of a Greek colony, a Roman city, and a bishopric of the Byzantine Empire. Following a period of prosperity under the Byzantines, then a brief occupation by the Venetians, the city was abandoned in the late Middle Ages after marshes formed in the area. The present archaeological site is a repository of ruins representing each period in the city’s development.

We return to the ship for lunch and begin cruising toward Kotor, which is in the tiny Republic of Montenegro.

We cruise into Kotor Bay this morning. After lunch aboard ship, we go ashore in Montenegro to discover the perfectly preserved historic center of Kotor on a walking tour. In the Middle Ages, this natural harbor on the Adriatic coast was a walled city and an important artistic and commercial center, with well-known schools of masonry and iconography. Here, we’ll explore the maritime museum that preserves the rich seafaring heritage of this region.

We have time at leisure in Kotor before returning to our ship for dinner.

Today, you may choose to spend the morning relaxing onboard, or choose our optional tour to Montenegro’s cultural heart and one-time capital, Cetinje.

Along the way, we’ll enjoy a scenic uphill ride that culminates in a spectacular view of Kotor Bay. Then we’ll stop in the village of Njegusi, famous for its smoked ham and a local cheese. We’ll sample a few of Njegusi’s home-grown delicacies before continuing on to historic Cetinje, nestled at the foot of Mount Lovcen and encircled by steep hills. After a guided tour of the palace of King Nikola, you’ll have some free time to explore the cultural treasures of this ancient royal town. Please note: This tour includes a drive along a steep, narrow mountain road.

We then reunite with our fellow passengers for lunch on board, then stop in Montenegro in front of Perast. There, we take small boats to visit the Baroque “Our Lady of the Rocks” shrine on a man-made islet. The shrine contains 68 paintings by local 17th-century artist Tripo Kokolja, while its greatest treasure is the icon of Our Lady of the Rock, painted by the Dubrovnik artist Lovro Marinov Dobricevic. Then we cruise toward Dubrovnik, the first of our stops in the Croatian region of Dalmatia. This evening, we’ll enjoy dinner onboard.

With its old section, the Stari Grad, surrounded entirely by white stone walls, Dubrovnik gleams like the proverbial "City on a Hill." Regarded today as one of the world’s most exquisite walled cities, Dubrovnik’s character reflects its storied past as an independent city-state that rivaled Venice. Also known by its Latin name, Ragusa, this was a fortified city that served as the base for a fleet of ships that carried trade between much of Europe and the Middle East. The city-state’s period of autonomy extended from 1358 to 1808. In recent times, some of Dubrovnik’s historic sites sustained damage in the Balkan conflicts of the early 1990s, but the city has been peaceful for more than 15 years and largely restored under UNESCO supervision. OAT contributed to this restoration work with a donation from Grand Circle Foundation. We’ll take a tour of the city to admire the results, visit the Rector’s Palace, and a Franciscan Monastery housing one of Europe’s oldest pharmacies.

Later in the afternoon, we experience A Day in the Life of Gromaca, a village near Dubrovnik, where you'll meet some local people and experience their way of life before you join a family for a Home-Hosted Dinner. During the night, we cruise to Korcula, the largest of the archipelago’s 48 islands and the site of a picturesque medieval town.

We visit the spot believed by many historians to have been Marco Polo’s birthplace (only one stone wall of the house remains). We also get acquainted with Korcula town’s history—which included centuries of rule by Venice—with a visit to its local museum. We learn about the historical importance of the Roman Catholic Church here as we visit St. Mark’s Cathedral and the Treasury of the 14th-century Abbey Palace.

We return to our ship for lunch onboard, and in the afternoon, you can continue your individual exploration of Korcula Island or just relax on the sun deck of your ship. You’ll also enjoy an informative discussion about daily life and politics in contemporary Croatia. After a port talk from our Trip Leader, we enjoy dinner on board this evening. Then, our night cruise will take us to another Dalmatian island—Hvar.

This morning, we ride through this luxuriantly green island’s patches of lavender, rosemary, and heather to Hvar, whose Venetian flavor (like Korcula’s) reflects its long history of rule by that city-state.

After a brief orientation, we’ll have free time here to explore on our own. Next, we drive to the quaint seaside village of Vrboska, which lies in a picturesque cove surrounded by pinewood forests and lovely beaches. After, we’ll enjoy a wine-tasting at a small, privately owned winery nearby.

After lunch on board the ship, we cruise to Split, where we’ll dock and take a short orientation walk of the area. We’ll then enjoy dinner and traditional folklore entertainment onboard.

This morning in Split, we explore the Imperial Palace of the Roman Emperor Diocletian. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is the greatest Roman ruin in Southeastern Europe.

Built like a fortress with walls 590 feet by 705 feet, the palace was occupied by the Emperor Diocletian from AD 300–313. As you stand in the peristyle (central court) of this grand structure, its scale is sure to impress you.

The medieval town of Split took shape within the palace walls; Diocletian’s Temple of Jupiter was converted into a Christian baptistery and his mausoleum became a cathedral. The entire old section of Split, with the palace as its centerpiece, is a virtual open-air museum, surrounded by a thriving modern town with shops, cafes and restaurants.

We return to our ship for lunch on board, and then enjoy an afternoon at leisure in Split.

Or, you may join an optional tour of Omis, a quaint town at the confluence of the Cetina River and Adriatic Sea. The Omis Riviera is noted as a top holiday destination among active, outdoorsy Croatians. We’ll start by exploring the area by small boat, as we cruise up the river to the docile river canyon and witness the laid-back Dalmatian way of life. Then we’ll take in the emerald green color of the Cetina and the great depth of the canyon from another perspective as we venture inland.

After a port talk from our Trip Leader, we enjoy a Captain’s Farewell Dinner onboard this evening.

This morning we disembark our ship and travel overland to the Plitvice Lakes region, stopping for an included lunch en route. Afterwards, enjoy a walking tour of this beautiful region's lower lakes.

Here, a 114-square-mile national park has at its heart 16 turquoise lakes that are linked by a series of waterfalls and cascades. The natural wonder has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979.

We continue to Zagreb and check in to our hotel. This evening, dinner is on your own in Zagreb.

This morning, enjoy a guided tour of the city that has been Croatia’s capital since 1557, beginning with a stroll through the Lower Town, whose well-designed street grid was laid out in the 19th century.

Here you’ll be introduced to many of the Zagreb’s civic and historic monuments. Then we’ll take the funicular to the older Upper Town, where we focus on the city’s medieval landmarks.

This oldest part of the city developed between the eleventh and 13th centuries from the two municipalities of Kaptol and Gradec, whose historic remnants you can still see today. Here we see the neo-Gothic Cathedral of the Assumption and St. Mark’s Church. We’ll also pay a visit to the Croatian Museum of Naïve Art, dedicated to the untrained European artists of the 20th century. Many of the colorful artworks are done with a childlike simplicity, and the bulk of the intriguing collection is rooted in Croatia. Our city tour ends at Zagreb’s most colorful open-air market, Dolac.

You will have some free time for shopping and lunch on your own and then the rest of the afternoon is free. This evening, dinner is on our own in Zagreb.

Enjoy a free day to explore Zagreb at your leisure, with lunch on your own. Or join our full-day optional tour to the lovely Baroque city of Varazdin.

For centuries, this was the home of several aristocratic families, who built magnificent palaces and churches that continue to grace the city today. Varazdin’s centerpiece is its moated castle, entered via a drawbridge, which is now a museum featuring antique furniture from different eras. Begun in the twelfth century, the castle was still used as a seat of local government until 1925, and is set in a park with striking landscaping.

This evening, we’ll gather together for a Farewell Dinner.

Depart for the airport to catch your flight back to the U.S., or begin your transfer to Bled, Slovenia for the post-trip extension.