Ancient Mediterranean treasures on a Viking cruise from Istanbul to Athens
This is my second in a series of posts about our Viking Ancient Mediterranean Treasures cruise from Istanbul to Athens (a reverse itinerary is also available). In the first, I covered our wonderful time in Istanbul prior to the beginning of the cruise. Read about our Viking pre-cruise experience and the treasures of Istanbul in Fascinated by Istanbul.
8 days, 6 guided tours, 2 countries
The Ancient Mediterranean Treasures cruise is an eight-day itinerary with guided tours at six ports from Istanbul to Athens. We were excited to be visiting new destinations for us and some of the stunning archaeological treasures of Turkey and Greece.
Ephesus, Turkey
Archaeological treasures of Turkey and Greece
Here, I’ll describe the tours (included or optional) that we chose in each destination of the Ancient Mediterranean Treasures cruise, mostly to see archaeological sites of the Mediterranean coasts of Turkey and Greece, which were the main focus of this itinerary. However, there were other excursions offered that provide art, culinary, and cultural experiences. The ones we chose are popular Viking guided tours, but available excursions for other cruise dates may be different.
Port: Çanakkale, Turkey
Ancient treasure: Troy
Our included excursion choice: Çanakkale and Troy (4 hours)
This excursion began with a tour of the seaside town of Çanakkale situated on a lovely and historic harbor.
If you’re a film buff, you’ll enjoy seeing the enormous sculpture of the Trojan Horse (pictured below), the legend originated by Homer in the Iliad, there on the promenade. It was created for the 2004 movie Troy with Brad Pitt and donated to the city of Çanakkale by the film’s producers. Next to the Trojan Horse are several sculptures (including one of Trojan soldier heads) and a replica of the city of Troy, which was a useful introduction to touring the site of Troy which we were about to do.
At Çanakkale harbor, Trojan Horse used in the movie “Troy”
From Çanakkale, we traveled to the ruins of ancient Troy, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, famous as the setting for the Trojan War (legendary attack on Troy by Spartan and Achaean warriors from Greece in the 12th or 13th centuries BC). A wooden plank walkway runs through the vast expanse of well-preserved ruins which were first excavated in 1870.
Ancient ruins of Troy in Turkey
Port: Kuşadasi,Turkey
Ancient treasure: Ephesus
Our included excursion choice: Ancient Ephesus (3-1/4 hours)
Ephesus, Turkey
A major city of the ancient world, Ephesus goes back to the 10th century BC and was the site of the important Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, though only the foundation remains. As interesting as Troy was to us, Ephesus was even more impressive with its vast expanse of ruins along its marble streets.
Marble streets of ancient Ephesus
The ruins of terraced houses, public latrines and baths, aqueducts, library, monuments and other structures give a look into how the ancient Romans lived.
Library of Celsus in ancient Ephesus
Key sites in Ephesus are the Library of Celsus (shown above) and the amphitheater which could hold 25,000 spectators (shown below).
Amphitheatre of Ephesus
Hydreion and Memmius Monuments, Ephesus
Port: Rhodes, Greece
Ancient treasures: Lindos and Medieval Center of Rhodes
Our optional excursion choice: Ancient Lindos, Panoramic Vistas and Grand Masters Palace (8 hours)
This full day activity on the Greek island of Rhodes was a highlight of our cruise excursions. We walked throughout ancient Lindos to the Acropolis of Lindos, enjoyed a traditional Greek meal for lunch at a nearby restaurant, traveled along a scenic route, and took a guided walking tour of Rhodes Old Town and historic center. Rhodes has historical significance from ancient times, from the Minoans to the Mycenaean Greeks to the Greeks and Persians to the Romans to the Crusades and Ottomans.
Lindos
Ancient Lindos on the Greek island of Rhodes
From the town of Lindos we climbed a hillside by path and stairs to reach the ancient Acropolis of Lindos, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with its many ruins and panoramic views of the sea and island of Rhodes.
Steps that are part of the climb to the Ancient Acropolis od Lindos, Rhodes, Greece
Besides the Temple of Athena Lindia, the acropolis has many ruins including a Hellenistic stoa, and a Byzantine church, as well as fortifications of the Knights of St. John who ruled Rhodes during the Middle Ages.
Shopping street in Lindos on the descent from the Acropolis
We spent time exploring the ruins on the acropolis before walking back to the town of Lindos and strolling the old streets, where there are many shops and places to eat and drink.
Medieval Center of Rhodes
edieval cobblestoned Street of the Knights
From Lindos we traveled along a scenic route back to the town of Rhodes to explore its historic medieval center, also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The old city walls and other fortifications (shown below), built beginning at the start of the 14th century by the Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, (commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller), are well preserved with 11 gates — some medieval, some modern. With our local guide, we walked around the old town and visited ancient landmarks such as the Palace of the Grand Masters and the medieval cobblestoned Street of the Knights (pictured above).
Rhodes harbor with medieval fortifications
The harbor at Rhodes was the site of the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, a 105-foot bronze statue of the sun god Helios which was damaged by an earthquake in about 225 BC and nothing remains today.
Port: Heraklion, Crete, Greece
Ancient treasure: Palace of Knossos
Our included excursion choice: Palace of Knossos and Glimpse of Heraklion (4 hours)
Palace of Knossos, Heraklion, Crete
When we visited Crete before, we did not get a chance to see the west side of the island and especially the Palace of Knossos, so it was an easy decision for us to choose an excursion that included a tour of this landmark. Knossos was the center of the oldest European civilization, the Minoans, and is considered to be the oldest European city. It is also the site of the legend of King Minos, the Minotaur (the mythological monster with the body of a man and head of a bull) and the labyrinth where the Minotaur was kept until killed by Theseus.
Lovely setting of the Palace of Knossos
We enjoyed our tour of the ruins of the Palace of Knossos which was the Minoan royal residence set on a rocky hill surrounded by Cypress trees. The palace was built about 1700 BC and rebuilt several times after destruction from natural disasters. It was destroyed by fire of unknown origin in about 1360 BC, roughly coinciding with the end of the Minoan civilization. Excavation began in the late 1800s.
Free time in Heraklion tip: Our guide also gave a short walk-through of the town of Heraklion, featuring Dimokratias Square and Lions Square. Afterwards, we used our free time in town to visit the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion which has an extensive collection of artifacts and historical information of Minoan civilization. We definitely think it’s a great way to spend free time in Heraklion, particularly to enhance your trip to Knossos. The museum is also included in other Viking organized excursions.
Port: Athens, Greece
Ancient treasure: Cape Sounion
Our optional excursion choice: Cape Sounion (4 hours)
There is no shortage of amazing ancient treasures in and around Athens and Viking has several excursions to consider to see them. We chose this particular tour because it was something we hadn’t done on our previous visit to Athens. We loved the scenic drive this excursion included from the port through coastal neighborhoods of Athens on our way to Cape Sounion on the southeastern tip of the Attica Peninsula. High above the Aegean sea, it was clear why this prominent location was chosen for the Temple of Poseidon, the god of the sea, when first built in the 5th century BC. We enjoyed exploring the temple ruins and taking in the fabulous views. Cape Sounion is also known as a place to see spectacular sunsets.
Temple of Poseidon, Cape Sounion, Greece
Athens excursion recommendation: If this is your first time in Athens or you have not previously visited the Parthenon on the Acropolis, you may want to choose one of the tours (included and optional) that include this amazing landmark and the old city of Athens. We had a thorough visit of Athens and the Acropolis when we spent a few days in the city on our previous trip.
Cape Sounion, Greece
Post-cruise extension and cruising tips: Although we did not choose to stay longer in Athens after the cruise, there were quite a few other guests we spoke to who had added Viking’s post-cruise extension option. There is certainly plenty to see and do there! Some guests we met were going to continue on other Viking Mediterranean cruise itineraries.
Are you an ancient history and archaeology enthusiast? Do you love destination cruises in Mediterranean regions? Viking’s Ancient Mediterranean Treasures cruise from Istanbul to Athens (or reverse) is definitely a trip to put on your wish list.
