Mediterranean - Dubrovnik to Piraeus

When Venice still ruled the Adriatic, Dubrovnik was an important maritime republic and the floating city's chief rival. Dubrovnik proudly calls itself the "Pearl of the Adriatic" and its fortress is one of the best preserved in Europe. As you walk around the imposing walls of the old town, you can look out across two seas - the deep blue Adriatic and a sea of red roof shingles. The old town, with its beautiful squares, magnificent boulevards and narrow winding alleyways, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Close to the small seaport of Sarande, amidst a national park, lies Butrint, one of Albania's greatest attractions and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This city became a spa and festival town in the ancient world as early as 2,500 years ago, and every era in Greek, Roman and Byzantine history has left behind evidence in stone. Discover the spectacular Lion Gate from the 4th century BC. Four fifths of this archaeological site still remain to be uncovered.
Greeks, Romans, Venetians and Ottomans were former rulers of the island, which rivaled the trading powers of Venice and Dubrovnik in its medieval heyday. The rich cultural heritage of the picturesque old town of Kerkyra is protected by UNESCO. Island life unfolds against a seemingly aristocratic backdrop. At the end of the 19th century, when Corfu was a Mediterranean destination where the aristocracy and moneyed classes longed to go, the Empress "Sisi" of Austria also discovered the island. She had an old Venetian villa renovated for herself and this became her Achilleion - named after her favorite hero, the legendary Greek Achilles.

Explore Ithaki, perhaps better known as Ithaca, home to Homer's mythological hero Odysseus. Inhabited since the 2nd millennium BCE, the island is full of traces of the various civilizations and empires that have occupied the legendary island: Mycenaean, Hellenic, Ottoman, Venetian, French, and British occupations are all evident in the remaining architecture of the island. 

The little town of Monemvasia nestles closely against a rock that lies just off the coast. This impregnable fortress was an important trading centre in Byzantine times. Today it is a retreat for wealthy Athenians who spend their weekends here. Behind its walls you can discover the beautifully restored lower town, where you simply want to drift along the tranquil narrow lanes. This picturesque little town on a rock transports you back in time to the romantic Middle Ages, when it was exceptionally modern and lively.

The old town of Nauplion has a picturesque peninsula setting and three Venetian fortresses guard the pretty town. In ancient times, the excavation site of Mycenae, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was one of the most important towns in Greece. Its legendary king, Agamemnon, has a large role in Homer's Iliad. The palace grounds were surrounded by a cyclopean stone wall. Now you can only gain entrance through the famous Lion Gate. In Epidaurus, also protected by UNESCO, the impressive 14,000-seat theatre is one of the most important buildings in this archaeological site.

"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.