Cruise Description

5 Night cruise sailing from Valletta to Athens onboard Star Flyer.

Highlights of this cruise:

Valletta, Malta
Valletta and its suburb town of Floriana are perched on the steep Sciberras peninsula jutting out into Malta's two deep natural harbours, Grand Harbour and Marsamxett Harbour. Valletta is the Islands' fortress city. Founded by the Knights of St John in 1566, it is known as the 'city built by gentlemen for gentlemen' ; a 16th century architectural masterpiece.

Valletta is very much a working, capital city; a bustling cultural centre and the administrative and commercial heart of the Islands. Walking around Valletta, you'll come across an amazing number of historical sites, squares, courtyards, gardens and any number of cafés to visit. The city is a delight to shop in: narrow side streets are full of tiny shops selling antiques, maps, books, prints and jewellery.

Syracuse - Sicily, Italy
Syracuse is a city on the Ionian coast of Sicily that's known for its ancient ruins. It was once the largest city in the world, bigger than Athens and Corinth and as you can imagine it's steeped in history. Visit Parco Archeologico della Neapolis, one of Sicily's greatest archaeological sites. Relax in one of it's stylish little cafes that surround it's beautiful baroque piazzas before wandering down it's medieval lanes towards the sparkling blue sea.

Pilos, Greece
Homer's “Wise King Nestor” was very wise indeed to build his magnificent palace near Pilos. For the city's harbour of Navarino Bay and the land-locked lake that was the original harbour were a perfect refuge from storms – and invaders. And it was at this site on October 20, 1827, with the help of Britain, Russia and France, that modern Greece attained independence, defeating the Turkish navy in the Battle of Navarino Bay.

Monemvasia, Greece
From the shore, it's a big rock sticking out into the sea. Then you pass over the causeway, and through an iron fortress gate, and suddenly, the town of Monemvasia is before you, a perfectly preserved Byzantine fortified port, once 60,000 strong, now home to just a few hundred. You can readily see why the name Monemvasia means single entrance! In the rocky hills above, ancient Byzantine ruins loom over the town, while below a maze of red tiled roofs and twisting alleys hide tavernas and cafes and the home of revered Greek poet Yannis Ritsos.

Athens, Greece
Walking in the shadow of the Acropolis in the Agora, you can almost hear the voices of Plato, Socrates and Aristotle arguing about who was the greatest philosopher. Ancient Athens, the birthplace of democracy and epicenter of western civilization, is a city for all eternity.