Go on a cruise in the Cyclades
3-day and 3-night cruise with Celestyal Cruises
Cruise aboard the Celestyal Olympia (the largest ship of this Greek cruise line) Iconic Aegean (3 nights and 3 days)
The Cyclades
An archipelago of 250 islands of all sizes, only 24 of which are inhabited. It is the most famous and characteristic archipelago of the Greek islands. The name Cyclades comes from the circle they form around Delos, the most sacred island of the archipelago. And incidentally, these Aegean Sea islands are actually the peaks of submerged mountains.
Practical Info
Cruise departure from the port of Lavrio (further from Athens than Piraeus)
Cruising tip: everything costs extra. Remember to bring a water bottle to refill, otherwise it’s chargeable.
Several restaurants on the ship
Cruise
Every day you are given a Daily program in your language with information and activities for the day.
Cruises are for early risers (early departures and arrivals, morning excursions…)
Stop 1: Mykonos
Arrival 4:00 PM – departure 10:30 PM
The slightly late arrival on this island didn’t leave us much time for exploration before sunset.
I especially recommend getting lost in the narrow streets (don’t hesitate to go up to gain a little altitude). You must also see the Little Venice district with the windmills; it’s the ideal place to admire the sunset.
So, you don’t necessarily need to take the excursion for this stop, and you can easily discover the town on your own.
Stop 2: Kusadasi
We arrived very early in the morning (around 6:30 AM) in Kusadasi (in Turkey).
For this stop, we took the excursion to discover the site of Ephesus (which is actually the real reason for this stop in Turkey). The excursion allows you to reach the site (which is about 20 minutes by coach from the town of Kusadasi) and have a guide in your language (groups are formed this way) to explain this exceptional ancient site to you!
My tip for visiting the site: be aware that there are paid toilets at the entrance of the site (€0.50), but you can also find free toilets at the end of the visit if you can wait.
After the excursion, you can go wander the streets of Kusadasi. Lots of shops and boutiques to bring back souvenirs. Personally, that’s not really our thing, and we preferred to get lost in the higher streets and go to the less touristy, more residential side of the town. A little walk by the sea too, to a fort which is quite pretty.
To see in the town center: an old camel caravan hotel from the Middle Ages
Stop 3: Patmos
Arrival also in the late afternoon (4:00 PM) and departure 9:00 PM.
Stop 4: Santorini
We had taken the excursion to discover the island of Santorini. For this stop, an excursion is necessary to discover several spots on the island because they are very far from each other.
We visited the village of Oia (very much seen on Instagram) and then the main town, Fira, with its impressive staircase that leads to the old port (where the boats brought us back to the ship)
