Arrive in Thessaloniki and embark on the Sea Cloud.

Skiathos is just a few miles from the Greek mainland and is the smallest inhabited island in the northern Sporades. Olives and wine are grown in the mountainous, interior, part of which is forested and boasts lush vegetation. Towards the coast, rich pastures and colorful wildflower meadows give way to the beach and the sea. Skiathos has the most spectacular beaches in the Sporades. Boasting a sheltered location in the south-west, Koukounaries beach is 800 m long and is considered to be the finest of the more than 50 beaches on the island with its beautiful fine white sand. The lively capital in the south-east of the island is also named Skiathos and spans two harbors divided by the Bourtzi peninsula.

Mykonos, with its houses like sugar cubes with blue shutters, balconies adorned with flowers, blue-domed churches, and windmills, is perhaps the most famous of the Cyclades islands and seems to have sprung out of a picture book. We have to thank Aristoteles Onassis and his international jet-set friends for rediscovering the island in the mid-1950s and developing it into the favorite destination of the rich and famous. In Mykonos town, you can happily lose yourself in the labyrinth of whitewashed lanes. Fishing boats bob up and down in the port. Upmarket restaurants, rustic tavernas and classy bars and clubs invite you to stay a while. From the promenade, you have a spectacular view over the sea.

In the south of Naxos lies the idyllic fishing village of Agia Anna, with its secluded tavernas and beach bars on the small promenade. On both sides, lovely bays and beaches entice you to swim in the crystal-clear water. The huge Venetian castle in the island's capital, only a few kilometers (miles) away, once protected the city from attackers. Nowadays it offers you a stunning view over the whole island in all its glory. Even the gods loved the island. The German opera "Ariadne auf Naxos" was based on the myth of Dionysus and the Cretan king's daughter.

Although the capital of the Cyclades is situated on the tranquil and traditional island of Syros, outside of the town this seems the most remote island of them all. Ermoupoli, one of the most beautiful island towns in Greece, was built majestically on two hills. Its architecture is exceptional and the numerous monumental neo-classical buildings give the impression of a large, elegant town. Passing over the hill, the spaciousness and vastness transform into a maze of lanes and give a medieval impression.

Imposing cliffs, spectacular beaches and plenty of traditional Cycladic lifestyle - the island of Folegandros is almost untouched by large streams of tourists and can only be reached via the tiny port of Karavostasis. Chora, the largest village on the island and not far from the port, is perched spectacularly on a steep rocky slope 300-meters (985 foot) high and offers a fantastic view over the island and the sea. The church of Panagia is set even further up on the rocks and towers over the little town with its snowy-white cottages like sugar cubes, its beautiful castle and its narrow lanes.

Enjoy this day offshore, relaxing and taking in the smell of the fresh ocean breeze up on deck.

"A ship will come...", declared the singer Melina Mercouri to the port of Piraeus. Later, as Greek Minister for Culture, she made Athens the first European Capital of Culture in 1985. The city is considered the birthplace of Europe, of philosophy and of democracy, and is the embodiment of the Olympic ideal. World-famous and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987, its landmark is the magnificent Parthenon temple, lying high up on the Acropolis in all its glory. At the foot of the Acropolis hill is the Plaka, the oldest quarter of Athens, and the world's most modern archaeological museum, the new Acropolis Museum, has been here since 2009.