Journey of Odysseus: Retracing the Odyssey

Day 1 Arrive in Istanbul, Turkey

Arrive in the minaret-graced metropolis of Istanbul and transfer to the port to embark Corinthian II. Set sail in the evening.

Day 2 Canakkale / Troy

Explore famed Troy, site of Odysseus’s embarkation, which consists of nine cities, superimposed in rings on a massive mound rising above the “windswept” Plain of Ilium. It was to one of these cities, as legend has it, that Paris abducted the beautiful Helen, igniting the Trojan War. Here, King Priam’s city finally fell to Odysseus’s clever ruse of the Trojan Horse.

Day 3 Nafplion / Mycenae / Tiryns

Arrive at picturesque Nafplion for an excursion to Mycenae, center of the world of the Mycenaeans, an extraordinary civilization that flourished in the second millennium B.C. Homer described Mycenae, the legendary home of Agamemnon, as “rich in gold.” A tour of the citadel includes the royal beehive-shaped tombs, set outside its walls, and the dramatic Lion Gate, which leads to the acropolis and remains of a grand palace. Continue to Homer’s “wall-girt” city of Tiryns, situated on a rocky summit and where imposing, massive walls of red and gray limestone are still standing 3,400 years after construction.

Day 4 Pylos

Corinthian II enters spacious Navarino Bay, which is fronted by the uninhabited isle of Sphakteria. Land at the picturesque village of Pylos, situated at the head of the bay, and drive to the Palace of Nestor, dating from the 13th century B.C. Even in ruins, the structure gives a vivid picture of the grandeur of the Mycenaeans.

Day 5 Valletta, Malta

As Corinthian II plies the blue waters of the Ionian Sea, attend lectures by our expert study leaders, and enjoy the ship’s amenities. In the evening, dock in the Grand Harbor of Valletta, the fortified bastion of the Knights of Malta. Ruled successively by the Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, and the Order of the Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem, Valletta’s hundreds of monuments make it one of the most concentrated historic areas in the world.

Day 6 Valletta / Gozo

Today, choose between sightseeing in Malta or the nearby island of Gozo. On the cliffs overlooking Ramla Bay on Gozo, retrace Odysseus’s footsteps to the smooth-walled cave where the nymph Calypso is said to have kept him for seven years. Visit Gozo’s citadel in Victoria and the spectacular Ggantija temple complex.

Alternatively, wander the narrow streets of Valletta, exploring the picturesque squares surrounded by medieval palaces. Visit the National Museum of Archaeology and the Grand Master’s Palace. Also stop for a glimpse of St. John’s Co-Cathedral. A short scenic drive takes you to the remarkable Neolithic Tarxien Temples, which date back to 2800 B.C., and onto Hagar Qim, an even older temple that stands atop a hill on the southern edge of the island overlooking the sea.

Day 7 Trapani / Erice / Segesta / Sicily

Trapani, on Sicily’s stunning west coast, is where the cannibal Laestrygonians attacked Odysseus and his companions. Drive up winding roads to the medieval town of Erice, situated on a high plateau overlooking the coast. The town was known for its temple to the fertility goddess, Astarte, who was later identified with Venus and worshipped by the Romans. Peek around the magnificent 12th-century Venus Castle that was built upon the ruins of the ancient temple. Fringed by a lush park, the views from this medieval hilltop castle are breathtaking. Continue to Segesta for a glimpse of its Doric temple, built in 420 B.C. and ranked as one of the best-preserved ancient Greek sites to be found anywhere. The ruins stand in majestic solitude atop a bucolic hill with virtually no modern-day structures marring the vista, making it easy to imagine the Sicily of antiquity.

Day 8 Naples / Pompeii

From Naples, drive to the Phlegrean Fields, where Odysseus and his men were captured by Polyphemus, the Cyclops. Drive by Lago d’Averno, the ancient Avernus Lake, home of the Cimmerians in The Odyssey, and Lago di Fusaro, the ancient Archerusian Lake, where Odysseus entered Hades. Continue to Monte di Cuma and the cave of the Sibyl of Cumae, who prophesied the future. Alternatively, visit Pompeii, the fabled city both destroyed and preserved by the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79. After lunch at a local restaurant, visit the Archaeological Museum in Naples.

Day 9 Messina, Sicily / Taormina

Cross the Strait of Messina, the site of the legendary Scylla, a terrifying six-headed monster, and Charybdis, a treacherous whirlpool. Odysseus was cast ashore in the Kingdom of Helios, modern Taormina, where his companions slaughtered and ate the sacred oxen. To avenge the death of his beloved oxen, Helios sent a lightning bolt that destroyed their ship, drowning all aboard except Odysseus. Picturesque Taormina is situated on a mountainside affording magnificent views of Mount Etna. Here we visit the superbly situated Greek theater, built in the 3rd century B.C.

Day 10 Ithaca, Greece / Corinth Canal

Ithaca, the legendary home of Odysseus, is a stunning island of pristine beaches and verdant forest. Visit the bay of Dexia, Homer’s harbor of Phorkys, where the Phaeacians left Odysseus sleeping on the beach. Admire the Cyclopean Walls (Alalkomenai), a ruined site known locally as Odysseus’s Castle, and stand atop the Plateau of Marathia, where Odysseus’s loyal servant Eumaeus kept his swine. Later, sail along the Corinth Canal.

Day 11 Piraeus / Disembark

Disembark and transfer to the airport for your independent return flights home.