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Monemvasia
Leece, Italy
Corfu
Gallipoli
Syracuse
Starting at $9,995 per person
Sailing from Athens to Valletta on Le Champlain, this voyage immerses you in the layered histories of the ancient Mediterranean. Along the way, you will encounter the Bronze Age citadel of Mycenae, the healing sanctuary and theater at Epidaurus, the Byzantine fortress town of Monemvasia, and the monumental remains of Syracuse, one of the most important cities of the Greek world. Visits to Corfu, Gallipoli, and Crete reveal how myth, religion, and politics intersected with local identity and regional trade, while UNESCO sites such as the Palace of Diocletian at Split and the Old Town of Valletta underscore the enduring legacies of empire.
Throughout the journey, you will travel in the company of distinguished Professor Robert S. J. Garland, Roy D. and Margaret B. Wooster Emeritus Professor of the Classics at Colgate University, whose scholarship focuses on ancient Greek religion, society, and urban development. His onboard lectures and site-based commentary bring these ancient places into sharper focus, allowing each temple, theater, and cathedral to become a lens into the forces that shaped Mediterranean civilization, making this voyage an unparalleled learning experience.
with Robert Garland
Greek Odysseys: From Athens to Syracuse
DEPATURE DATE AND PRICING
January 8–15, 2028
November 7-16, 2026
Highlights
Stand in the ruins of Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympic Games, and imagine the excitement of ancient athletes competing in honor of Zeus, king of the gods.
Discover the stunning mosaics of Hosios Loukas, a hidden Byzantine monastery, where centuries of devotion are etched in golden tiles, revealing Greece’s transition from antiquity to medieval splendor.
Immerse yourself in the myth and majesty of the Acropolis and explore the Parthenon and its surrounding temples with Professor Cyrino, uncovering the divine power of Athena and the artistic mastery that shaped classical Greece.
Travel in the footsteps of Agamemnon as you walk through the Lion Gate of Mycenae and visit the Tomb of Agamemnon, learning how Homer’s epics immortalized the kings and warriors of this ancient civilization.
Explore the sacred center of Delphi as you ascend the slopes of Mount Parnassus to the Temple of Apollo, where the Oracle once delivered cryptic prophecies that shaped the course of Greek and Mediterranean history.
Highlights
Walk through the Lion Gate of Mycenae, the Bronze Age citadel whose tombs, walls, and myths illuminate one of the earliest and most influential civilizations of the ancient world.
Explore Monemvasia, a Byzantine fortress town, where medieval chapels, Venetian mansions, and fortifications reveal centuries of shifting power, commerce, and cultural exchange in the eastern Mediterranean.
Discover Syracuse’s vast archaeological park, with its Greek theater, Roman amphitheater, and quarries, before wandering Ortygia’s streets, where temples and Baroque piazzas reveal layers of history and myth.
Travel alongside your expert for a uniquely immersive journey, connecting temples, theaters, and fortresses with the myths, politics, and histories that defined the ancient and medieval Mediterranean world.
Join Professor Robert Garland for lectures in our state-of-the-art on-board theatre discussing the many different peoples of the region—the Minoans, the Classical Greeks, the Romans, the Byzantines—and the maze of wonder they left behind.
Stand in the Sanctuary of Asklepios at Epidaurus, exploring how religion and healing intersected, and marvel at the acoustics of the 4th-century theater still in use today.
Walk through the Lion Gate of Mycenae, the Bronze Age citadel whose tombs, walls, and myths illuminate one of the earliest and most influential civilizations of the ancient world.
Explore Monemvasia, a Byzantine fortress town, where medieval chapels, Venetian mansions, and fortifications reveal centuries of shifting power, commerce, and cultural exchange in the eastern Mediterranean.
Discover Syracuse’s vast archaeological park, with its Greek theater, Roman amphitheater, and quarries, before wandering Ortygia’s streets, where temples and Baroque piazzas reveal layers of history and myth.
Travel alongside your expert for a uniquely immersive journey, connecting temples, theaters, and fortresses with the myths, politics, and histories that defined the ancient and medieval Mediterranean world.
Join Professor Robert Garland for lectures in our state-of-the-art on-board theatre discussing the many different peoples of the region—the Minoans, the Classical Greeks, the Romans, the Byzantines—and the maze of wonder they left behind.
Stand in the Sanctuary of Asklepios at Epidaurus, exploring how religion and healing intersected, and marvel at the acoustics of the 4th-century theater still in use today.
Highlights
Sheila Hoffman
Dr. Robert Garland is the Roy D. and Margaret B. Wooster Professor of the Classics, Emeritus, in the Department of the Classics at Colgate University. His research and passion for ancient Greece has taken him throughout the Greek world for several decades. Professor Garland has a PhD in Ancient History from University College London. A former Fulbright Scholar, he was also a fellow at the Center for Hellenic Studies in Washington DC and a visiting scholar at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton. He has written 19 books, including Greek Mythology: Gods and Heroes Brought to Life and Roman Legends Brought to Life. He has also published extensively in academic and popular journals and served as a consultant for educational film companies. Professor Garland has taught 5 Great Courses: The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World, Living History: Experiencing Great Events of the Ancient and Medieval Worlds, The Greek World: A Study of History and Culture, Athenian Democracy: An Experiment for the Ages, and God against the Gods: The History of Monotheism and Polytheism.
Journey Expert
Robert Garland
Athens
Arrive in Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos (ATH), Athens, Greece, where you will be met by your driver and transferred to the Athens Capital Hotel–MGallery Collection (or similar) for overnight. This evening, join your fellow travelers and your Great Courses Journeys Expert for a welcome cocktail reception. Dinner will be at your leisure.
Included Meal: Reception
Accommodations: Athens Capital Hotel–MGallery Collection (or similar)
Acropolis
Set out in the morning with your expert and a local guide for an exploration of the Acropolis, the enduring symbol of classical Greece. Ascend the sacred hill to view the Parthenon, Erechtheion, and Temple of Athena Nike, monuments that reveal how art, religion, and civic identity intertwined in the ancient world. Through your expert’s interpretation, consider how these architectural masterpieces expressed the ideals of democracy, devotion, and beauty that defined Athenian life.
In the afternoon, enjoy lunch at your leisure, and continue to the Agora, the ancient civic heart of Athens where trade, politics, and philosophy converged. Walk through the reconstructed Stoa of Attalus, a vivid reminder of Athens’ role as both a marketplace and a meeting ground of ideas. After time at leisure, transfer to Piraeus and embark Le Champlain to begin your voyage.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Accommodations: Le Champlain
Sanctuary of Asklepios
This morning, travel to Epidaurus, site of the Sanctuary of Asklepios, where religion and medicine were closely intertwined in the ancient world. The sanctuary also includes a magnificent 4th-century theater, seating 12,000, whose design and acoustics illustrate both technical mastery and the cultural importance of performance in Greek civic and spiritual life.
Continue to Mycenae, the Bronze Age citadel that gave its name to an entire civilization. Passing through the monumental Lion Gate, examine shaft graves that reveal extraordinary artistry and wealth, reflecting the political and social complexity of this early culture. Nearby, the beehive-shaped “Treasury of Atreus” showcases advanced engineering and the blending of history with Homeric myth and has long been thought to be Agamemnon’s tomb.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodations: Le Champlain
Church of Christ Elkomenos
Monemvasia, a walled fortress often compared to Gibraltar, flourished in the Middle Ages as a strategic stronghold and vital hub for trade. Its prosperity was fueled by the export of Malmsey wine, which became highly prized among European elites. As you walk through its narrow streets, encounter Byzantine chapels, Venetian mansions, and artisan workshops that reflect the wealth generated by this trade, culminating in a visit to the Church of Christ Elkomenos, a striking example of Byzantine architecture.
Beyond the fortress, continue into the countryside to the Liotrivi Estate, a restored 18th-century mansion. Here, learn how olive oil and wine production were intertwined with local economy and daily life, and how these agricultural traditions illustrate the enduring connection between land, commerce, and cultural identity in Greece.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodations: Le Champlain
Vineyard on Crete
Crete, the cradle of Europe’s first advanced civilization, reveals its long history through traditions still alive today. Begin in Thrapsano, a hillside village famed for pottery, where artisans continue to shape massive storage jars, or pitharia, using techniques that date back to the Minoans. Observing this craft offers insight into how material culture endured across millennia, preserving both function and identity.
Continue to Peza, one of Crete’s most historic viticultural centers. Vineyards here have flourished since the Bronze Age, reflecting the deep connection between agriculture, trade, and ritual life in the ancient Aegean. Discussions highlight how Cretan wine supported local economies and religious practices from antiquity onward. A panoramic drive through Heraklion concludes your exploration of this island where myth, history, and tradition converge.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodations: Le Champlain
Gytheion
From the port of Gytheion, travel inland to explore Sparta, long recognized for its fertile land and ideal climate for olive cultivation. Since antiquity, olives have been central to Spartan life, economy, and identity, and this legacy is vividly presented at the Museum of the Olive and Greek Olive Oil. Exhibits trace the evolution of cultivation techniques, pressing methods, and the symbolic importance of olives in Greek religion and society.
Continue to Estate Theodorakakos, a family-run vineyard dedicated to sustainable viticulture. Here, learn how agricultural traditions have adapted to modern practices while maintaining ties to centuries of cultivation. Discussions highlight how olive and wine production together illustrate the enduring relationship between land, economy, and culture in Greece.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodations: Le Champlain
Corfu
Corfu offers a unique blend of myth and history shaped by centuries of cultural exchange. Begin at the Archaeological Museum, where artifacts from temples and sanctuaries illuminate the island’s role in the ancient Greek world. In Paleokastritsa, a landscape of dramatic cliffs and hidden bays, legend places Odysseus’s fateful encounter with Nausicaa. The Monastery of the Virgin here, with its collection of sacred objects, reflects the enduring continuity of faith from antiquity to Byzantine times.
Continue to Lakones, a mountain village offering panoramic views from Bella Vista, along the shores where an angry Poseidon turned the ship of Ulysses to rock. Conclude with a drive through Corfu’s Old Town, where Venetian fortifications and Byzantine monasteries reveal how the island served as a crossroads of power, commerce, and culture in the Ionian Sea.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner,
Accommodations: Le Champlain
Basilica of Santa Croce
Southern Italy reveals its history through a rich interplay of art, architecture, and antiquity. In Lecce, often called the “Florence of the South,” the exuberant Baroque style dominates the urban landscape. The Basilica of Santa Croce dazzles with its intricate carvings, while Piazza Duomo demonstrates the grandeur of ecclesiastical power. In nearby Piazza Sant’Oronzo, the Roman Amphitheater provides a striking reminder of the city’s deep antiquity, seamlessly integrated into the modern streetscape.
Returning to Gallipoli, explore this historic port town whose prosperity long depended on maritime trade. Wandering its labyrinthine streets reveals layers of cultural influence, from glowing Mediterranean facades to the baroque Gallipoli Cathedral. Beneath the town, an underground olive oil mill testifies to its once-thriving role in the global trade of “liquid gold,” underscoring how agriculture and commerce shaped the region’s identity.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner,
Accommodations: Le Champlain
Temple of Apollo
On your final full day, explore Syracuse, a city where successive civilizations left enduring marks. Begin at the archaeological park, home to the Roman Amphitheater of Augustus, once alive with gladiatorial contests, and the vast Altar of Hieron II, a monumental sacrificial altar dedicated to Zeus, on which 450 bulls were once sacrificed. In the Latomie of Paradise, immense ancient quarries later repurposed as prisons, stand before the Ear of Dionysius, a cavern whose uncanny acoustics inspired both legends and political intrigue. The grand Greek Theatre—among the largest in the Hellenic world—still evokes the 5th-century dramas that shaped Western theater.
In Ortygia, Syracuse’s historic heart, layers of history remain visible: Baroque piazzas, the 6th-century Temple of Apollo, and the Piazza Duomo, where Doric columns of a temple to Minerva were built into the cathedral’s walls. Nearby, the Arethusa Fountain recalls one of Greek mythology’s most poetic tales, a reminder of the city’s mythic as well as historical importance.
Included Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodations: Le Champlain
Cabin and Deck Pricing
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Hotel Splendid Venice
Venice, Italy
The Hotel Splendid Venice—Starhotels Collezione, a refined four-star property in the heart of Venice, sits between St. Mark’s Square and the Rialto Bridge. Elegant interiors blend Venetian tradition with modern comfort, while canal-side views, a rooftop terrace, and a private dock make it an ideal base for exploring the city. (1 night)
Your Ship: Le Champlain
The five-star Le Champlain, part of the PONANT Explorers expedition yacht series, features 92 cabins accommodating 184 guests. Designed with advanced eco-friendly technology, its “Clean Ship” certification highlights energy efficiency and marine protection. Compact yet luxurious, it navigates shallow bays and sensitive environments while offering safe, comfortable voyages with custom stabilizers. (7 nights)
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Highlights
Uncover the dynastic ambitions and historical significance of monuments like Hassan Tower and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V in Rabat.
Experience the stony landscape of the Agafay Desert on a camel trek, culminating in a breathtaking sunset over the High Atlas Mountains.
Admire the Islamic architecture in Marrakesh, from the grand Koutoubia Mosque and intricate Bahia Palace to the serene beauty of the Ben Youssef Madrasa.
Discover the University of al-Qarawiyyin, the world’s oldest continuously operating university, and engage in a discussion on its profound influence on global scholarship.
Wander through the labyrinthine alleyways of the UNESCO-listed Medina in Fes, where vibrant stalls overflow with textiles, spices, and artisanal crafts.
