Escape On a Greece Cruise with ElegantCruises.com

Greece is a popular tourist destination not only because of its amazing treasure trove of antiquity, but also because of the weather, beaches, scenic views and decadent nightlife. The multi-faceted islands of Greece are the birthplace of democracy, the home of ancient gods and the origin of Greek myths and legends. Although the islands attract many Greece cruise ships, few ocean liners explore what we, at ElegantCruises.com, call "the undiscovered treasures" of the Greek islands. These destinations are often small, uncrowded islands, fishing villages and picturesque harbors not on the major Greece cruise ship routes. Such locations are easily visited by smaller, more maneuverable cruise vessels as our m/s Andrea.

ElegantCruises.com: The Solution for a Memorable Greece Cruise
Since you are searching for a memorable "Greece cruise", you've come to the right place. With our Greece cruise you'll discover islands filled with forests and olive groves, underground lakes and waterfalls, beautiful bays and pebbled beaches, archaeological sites rich with Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Venetian ruins, great food and wonderful shopping opportunities.

Welcome to Your Small Greek Cruise Ship
Step aboard our handsome m/s Andrea, which will become your elegant small Greek cruise ship for the duration of your Greek cruise adventure. This is your opportunity to be introduced by our professional staff to an intimate, classic nautical vacation experience often lacking in larger vessels. In a variety of price-categories, the Andrea boasts comfortable passenger accommodations; all with private baths and genteel amenities that helps makes a Greece cruise so memorable.

Enriching Greece Cruise Itineraries
Although we will not be visiting all the 6,000 islands and islets scattered in the Aegean and Ionian Sea, our Greek Island cruise will take you to a select sampling. These amazing islands appear in all shapes and sizes. Each island is unique. On your Greek island cruise you will visit archeological sites with the remains of medieval fortresses, Christian catacombs, Roman amphitheaters, and magnificent Venetian castles.
To give you a taste of what is in store on an Elegant Cruises Greece cruise let us go to the Ionian islands of western Greece. Because the Ionian Islands receive more rain than most other Greek islands in the Aegean, many are covered with lush forests. One of these green islands, which you will visit on our Greece cruise, is Kefalonia with a magnificent National Park on its highest mountain, Mount Ainos. Small green plains of grape and olive groves, caves, underground lakes and other interesting geological formations such as its wonderful beaches with fine sand and turquoise, bleach-like waters await your visit. For the movie buffs, Kefalonia was the setting for the movie, "Captain Corelli's Mandolin" starring Nicholas Cage and Penelope Cruz. Another memorable destination on our Greece Cruise is the walled fortress of Monemvasia, often called "the Gibraltar of Greece". Located on the southeastern coast of Peloponnesian Peninsula, a rocky land mass stretching south from Athens and scattered with archeological sites, lovely fishing villages, sandy beaches, and awesome views, Monemvasia will leave you speechless as our Greece cruise ship approaches it. In ancient days the island of Monemvasia once housed an estimated 50,000 Byzantine Greeks. Today the island consists of two old towns with everything of interest within walking distance although the vertical hike from the lower to the upper town is steep. The old or lower town of Castro whose history goes back to the Middle Ages has tiled-roof houses, attractive shops and cafes, pleasant squares, and elegant frescoed churches which lie within its stone ramparts. The narrow streets with their large paving stones and the well maintained stone front houses make you feel that you have been transported back to the Middle Ages. The upper town or citadel may be reached by climbing a steep path from the old town. Perched high on the rocks are ruins including the foundations of Byzantine fortresses and the Agia Sofia church, the crown jewel of this sensational Ionian island. If you visit in the spring or early summer, the flowers and shrubs growing among the ruins make for a magical experience.

An optional tour offered on your Greece cruise takes you to the Byzantine hilltop town of Mystras on the Peloponnesian Peninsula. Known as the 'wonder of the Morea', Mystras was founded in the 13th century during the Frankish occupation. The city at one point in its history had a population of over 25,000 people and after the fall of Constantinople in 1453, became the center of the Byzantine empire until it fell to the Turks. By the time the Venetians conquered it there were over 40,000 inhabitants. Mystras was abandoned in 1832, leaving only its breathtaking medieval ruins, standing amidst a beautiful landscape overlooking the city of Sparta and the fertile plain surrounding it.

Our Greece Cruise is a Deluxe Cultural Tour
ElegantCriuses.com is known for its deluxe cultural cruises and our Greece cruise is no exception. Along with your Greek Island destinations, additional ports in Turkey, Italy or Croatia may be included in your Greece cruise itinerary. Such specifically crafted programs as these aren't available from any other Greece cruise or tour companies. While we do not include airfare in our cruise rates, we do recognize the importance of this component in the overall convenience and ultimate enjoyment of your Greece cruise. In addition, in order to make your arrivals and departures more convenient, our Greece cruise programs usually begin and end in well-known destinations that offer good air connections. Elegant cruises has excellent relationships with reputable travel partners who specialize in finding the best airfares and rates making getting to your Greece cruise simpler. When you make a reservation with ElegantCruises.com, please tell us if you would like assistance in air ticketing, or even pre-cruise hotel accommodations in the exciting city or memorable town from where you will commence your Greece cruise.

Freedom to Explore During Your Greece Cruise
You have the option of how you spend your time at our various Greece cruise ports-of-call. From past experience we have found that most passengers prefer optional shore excursions rather than having them included in the Greece cruise rate. Our guests enjoy exploring on their own, seeking out sites or historic attractions that they have read about in their Greece cruise travel books. Many appreciate shopping for locally produced crafts, jewelry and artwork, or simply sitting at a sidewalk cafe partaking of the local cuisine and soaking up the street ambiance. Our Greece cruise programs are designed to accommodate the desires of our inquisitive passengers.

We invite you to step aboard for a Greece cruise adventure that will have you wishing that you could stay another month in this most enjoyable region of Greece and the Mediterranean Sea.