14 nights · Croatia · Departs Zadar (Croatia) · Visiting Vis Island Croatia, Dubrovnik, Durres, Sarande, Corfu Island, Kefalonia Island, Itea, Corinth Canal, Lavrion, Piraeus-Athens, Milos Island, Sifnos Island, Serifos Island, Paros Island, Giardini Naxos-Taormina, Delos Island, Tinos Island · Aboard Lindblad Expeditions on the National Geographic Orion
Image courtesy of Lindblad Expeditions ©
| Cruise line | Lindblad Expeditions |
|---|---|
| Ship | National Geographic Orion |
| Duration | 14 nights |
| Port calls | 18 |
| Departures | 1 sailings |
| From fare | $17,353 per person |
| Year built | 2003 |
| Guests | 106 |
| Cabins | 53 |
| Crew | 75 |
| Length | 103 m |
| Beam | 14 m |
| Cruising speed | 15.0 kn |
Zadar pairs a compact old town with a clear Adriatic setting. Roman streets, Venetian gates and medieval churches tell the story of a city shaped by centuries of trade. On the seafront, the Sea Organ turns waves into music through stone pipes. Nearby, the Sun Salutation gathers solar energy and shines after dark. Beyond the walls, Nin’s salt pans and the island-dotted coast reward a closer look.
Vis offers a slower pace than Croatia’s better-known island ports, with two main towns. Vis Town curves around a sheltered harbor lined with stone buildings and cafés. Explore its waterfront and discover reminders of the island’s long military importance. Vis remained a Yugoslav military base and was closed to foreign visitors until 1989. Boats to Biševo’s Blue Cave depend on sea conditions and local access rules. Allow extra time for boat trips, and keep a flexible plan if seas turn rough.
Spend a day inside Dubrovnik’s UNESCO-listed Old Town, best explored on foot. Walk the city walls for close views of fortifications, roofs, and harbor. Then follow Stradun to Rector’s Palace and the Franciscan monastery. Book wall access in advance during busy months, and start early in summer. Mount Srđ offers a higher view, reached by cable car or road. Leave time for side lanes; their quieter corners reveal the city’s daily rhythm.
Durrës is Albania’s gateway to the Adriatic, a working port with more than 2,600 years of history beneath its streets. Founded as Dyrrachium, it became an important Roman route between the Adriatic and the East. Visit the Roman amphitheatre, one of the Balkans’ largest, then follow surviving Byzantine walls toward the Venetian Tower. The waterfront offers a modern contrast: a long sandy beach and cafés facing the sea, about 35 kilometres from Tirana.
At Sarandë, the Ionian Sea glitters; Corfu lies across the water, and Albania’s southern coast begins here. Palm-lined promenades, small beaches and seafood restaurants make the waterfront an easy place to settle. Then head south to Butrint, a UNESCO-listed archaeological site amid lagoons and woodland. Inland, the Blue Eye spring rewards a longer excursion with strikingly clear water. Look up to Lëkurësi Castle for broad views over town, sea and island.
Corfu rewards visitors who look beyond the beach resorts. Its Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site, bears the marks of centuries of Venetian rule. Walk the arcaded Liston, then climb to the Old Fortress for views across the rooftops and Ionian Sea. Beyond town, cypress-lined roads lead to Paleokastritsa’s coves, while the Achilleion palace recalls an imperial past. Allow time for lunch; Corfiot cooking pairs Ionian seafood with Italian and Greek influences.
Your first view of Kefalonia may be Argostoli, a working harbor framed by hills and the Ionian Sea. From here, roads lead to traditional villages, the underground lake at Melissani, and the sweeping shore of Myrtos Beach. Argostoli merits a pause for its palm-lined waterfront, lively market, and loggerhead turtles that forage in the harbor. Choose one excursion rather than rushing the island; winding roads make distances longer than the map suggests.
At Itea, the Gulf of Corinth meets the foothills of Mount Parnassus. Delphi lies about 16 kilometres inland, on a dramatic mountainside. Its sanctuary of Apollo and ancient theatre reward the visit. Back in Itea, waterfront cafés look across the gulf. Nearby Amfissa is famed for its extensive olive groves. Choose Itea for a measured day ashore: sacred history above, sea air and an easy promenade below.
Few passages put engineering so close at hand. The 6.3-kilometre Corinth Canal cuts through the Isthmus, linking the Gulf of Corinth with the Saronic Gulf. Limestone walls rise nearly 80 metres above a channel just 24 metres wide. Opened in 1893, it shortened the voyage around the Peloponnese. Beyond the canal, explore ancient Corinth, where temples, mosaics and the Acrocorinth fortress reveal Greece’s layered past.
Lavrion sits on Attica’s southeastern coast, about 60 kilometres from central Athens. Its ancient silver mines helped fund the Athenian fleet that defeated Persia at Salamis. Today, the harbor serves the Cyclades, while traces of mining history remain in town and at nearby archaeological sites. A short drive brings you to Cape Sounion, where the Temple of Poseidon commands a headland above the Aegean.
Piraeus is Athens’ working harbour, not a resort port—and that is its appeal. From here, the capital’s ancient landmarks are within reach, while the waterfront keeps its own busy, distinctly Greek character. Visit the Archaeological Museum of Piraeus, then linger over grilled fish in Mikrolimano, a small harbour lined with tavernas. Metro connections make central Athens straightforward. Or stay near the water and watch ferries depart for the islands.
Lavrion sits on Attica’s southeastern coast, about 60 kilometres from central Athens. Its ancient silver mines helped fund the Athenian fleet that defeated Persia at Salamis. Today, the harbor serves the Cyclades, while traces of mining history remain in town and at nearby archaeological sites. A short drive brings you to Cape Sounion, where the Temple of Poseidon commands a headland above the Aegean.
Arrive at Adamas, Milos’s sheltered ferry port, and you step onto an island shaped by fire and sea. Its volcanic geology has carved pale cliffs, sea caves, and beaches across the coast. Visit Sarakiniko’s sculpted white rock, then climb to Plaka for island-wide views and a quiet evening. At Tripiti, visit the early Christian catacombs and ancient theater, near where the Venus de Milo was found in 1820.
Sifnos is a Cycladic island where whitewashed villages, blue-domed churches and quiet beaches reward a slower pace. Ferries arrive at Kamares, a sheltered bay framed by hills and sandy shore. From here, buses and taxis reach Apollonia, the island’s lively capital, and Kastro, a dramatic medieval settlement above the sea. Make time for Sifnos’s renowned pottery and local dishes, especially revithada, chickpeas slow-baked overnight.
Serifos rewards travellers who prefer the Cyclades before the crowds arrive. Ferries dock at Livadi, a sheltered bay lined with cafés and backed by hills. Above it, Chora climbs steeply to a Venetian kastro, whitewashed lanes and broad Aegean views. The island’s iron-mining past is visible at Megalo Livadi, where abandoned loading works meet a quiet beach. Allow time for a swim at Psili Ammos, often ranked among Greece’s finest.
Your first glimpse of Paros is its whitewashed capital, Parikia, gathered around a sheltered harbour in the Cyclades. Walk to Panagia Ekatontapiliani, one of Greece’s most important early Christian monuments. Then choose your pleasure: Naoussa’s fishing harbour and lanes, or a swim at an island beach. Paros is also known for the fine marble prized by sculptors across the ancient world.
Giardini Naxos sits on Sicily’s Ionian coast, beneath Mount Etna and a short drive from Taormina. Its waterfront pairs pebble beaches with cafés, gelaterie and views across the bay. Sicily’s first Greek colony was founded here in 734 BC. A nearby archaeological park preserves traces of its ancient streets and walls. Come for a seaside day, or use the port as a gateway to Taormina. There, the Greek Theatre commands sweeping views of Etna and the coast.
From Mykonos, a short boat ride brings you to Delos, one of the Aegean’s most important archaeological sites. Greek myth names it the birthplace of Apollo and Artemis. Delos later became a major religious sanctuary and commercial centre. Its ruins include the Terrace of the Lions, mosaic-lined houses and an ancient theatre above the sea. UNESCO-listed and uninhabited, Delos lets visitors explore the remains of an ancient city in its island setting.
Tinos rewards travelers who look beyond the famous Cyclades. Its marble-working tradition shaped villages such as Pyrgos, where carved doorways and a museum reveal remarkable craftsmanship. In Chora, the Church of Panagia Evangelistria draws pilgrims from across Greece, especially on August 15. Leave the capital for dovecote-dotted hills, quiet hamlets and beaches facing the Aegean. Ferries connect Tinos with Mykonos and other islands, making it an easy, rewarding change of pace.
Lavrion sits on Attica’s southeastern coast, about 60 kilometres from central Athens. Its ancient silver mines helped fund the Athenian fleet that defeated Persia at Salamis. Today, the harbor serves the Cyclades, while traces of mining history remain in town and at nearby archaeological sites. A short drive brings you to Cape Sounion, where the Temple of Poseidon commands a headland above the Aegean.
Piraeus is Athens’ working harbour, not a resort port—and that is its appeal. From here, the capital’s ancient landmarks are within reach, while the waterfront keeps its own busy, distinctly Greek character. Visit the Archaeological Museum of Piraeus, then linger over grilled fish in Mikrolimano, a small harbour lined with tavernas. Metro connections make central Athens straightforward. Or stay near the water and watch ferries depart for the islands.
Published August 1, 2026
Last updated October 3, 2026
Author: J. Richard
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