Classical Greece & the Aegean Islands — Self-Launched

Fly into Athens (Eleftherios Venizelos). Take metro Line 3 from the airport into Monastiraki or Syntagma (~€9/£8, ~45 min). Check into a hostel in Monastiraki or Psyrri — the old-town lanes around Plaka are on your doorstep. Spend the evening wandering Plaka's cobbled streets, grab a gyros or souvlaki dinner (£6–8), and pick up your Athens combined archaeological ticket online if you plan to see several sites tomorrow.

🚌Airport metro Line 3 ~£8

🛏Hostel dorm in Monastiraki/Psyrri, £14–20

• →Evening stroll through Plaka
• →Gyros dinner in Monastiraki

Get to the Acropolis at opening (8am) to beat the heat and queues — book a timed ticket on the official Hellenic Heritage site or a GetYourGuide skip-the-line entry (~£12–16). Then walk down to the Ancient Agora, Temple of Zeus and Hadrian's Arch, and take in Syntagma Square and the Panathenaic Stadium on foot rather than a coach orientation drive. In the afternoon, the Acropolis Museum (£6–10) is superb and air-conditioned. If you want context, a small-group walking tour of the Acropolis runs about £25–35.

🚌On foot + metro day ticket ~£4

🛏Hostel dorm in Monastiraki/Psyrri, £14–20

• →Acropolis & Parthenon (timed entry)
• →Ancient Agora
• →Temple of Zeus & Panathenaic Stadium
• →Acropolis Museum

Take the 7:30am KTEL bus from Athens to Nafplio via the Corinth Canal (photo stop — the bus crosses it, ~2.5 hrs, ~£14). Base yourself in Nafplio, the gorgeous Venetian harbour town. From the Nafplio KTEL station catch local buses or a shared taxi to Mycenae (early afternoon, ~£3 each way, site ticket ~£10) to see the Lion Gate and beehive tombs, and to Epidaurus' theatre in the late afternoon when the light is magic (~£10). Alternatively join a small-group day tour from Athens covering Corinth, Mycenae and Epidaurus (~£60–80) if you'd rather not juggle timetables.

🚌KTEL intercity bus Athens–Nafplio ~£14; local buses to sites ~£6

🛏Guesthouse/hostel in Nafplio old town, £18–25

• →Corinth Canal
• →Mycenae citadel & museum
• →Epidaurus theatre

Morning bus from Nafplio to Tripoli then on to Pyrgos/Olympia (KTEL, ~3.5–4 hrs, ~£13–16). Afternoon at the Olympia archaeological site — the original stadium, Temple of Zeus and the workshop of Phidias — plus the excellent Archaeological Museum (£10 combined). Skip the tzatziki demo and instead eat tzatziki in a village taverna with the locals. Stay in the small modern town of Olympia right by the site.

🚌KTEL bus Nafplio–Olympia ~£14

🛏Guesthouse in Olympia, £18–25

• →Olympia archaeological site & stadium
• →Olympia Archaeological Museum
• →Taverna dinner

Bus to Patras (~1.5 hrs), cross the spectacular Rion-Antirion Bridge, then continue to Delphi (total ~4–5 hrs, ~£15). Check in at a guesthouse in modern Delphi village. Late afternoon is ideal for the Delphi site and museum — the Sanctuary of Apollo, the Treasury of the Athenians and the Charioteer bronze (£10 combined ticket, usually 8am–8pm in summer). Evening: ouzo and meze on a terrace over the Pleistos valley; if it's a festival night you may catch live sirtaki in a taverna.

🚌KTEL buses Olympia–Patras–Delphi ~£15

🛏Guesthouse in Delphi village, £18–25

• →Rion-Antirion Bridge
• →Delphi sanctuary & Temple of Apollo
• →Delphi Archaeological Museum

Morning bus from Delphi back to Lamia or Trikala, then the KTEL bus on to Kalambaka at the foot of Meteora (~4–5 hrs total, ~£15). Visit the monasteries in the afternoon — Great Meteoron, Varlaam (with its famous frescoes) and St Stephen's, each €3 entry and modest dress required (cover shoulders/knees). Local buses from Kalambaka run to the monasteries (~£2) or walk up the old mule track. Sunset from the Great Meteoron viewpoint is unmissable.

🚌KTEL buses Delphi–Trikala–Kalambaka ~£15; local monastery bus ~£2

🛏Guesthouse in Kalambaka, £18–25

• →Meteora monasteries (Varlaam, St Stephen's, Great Meteoron)
• →Sunset viewpoint

Morning bus from Kalambaka back to Athens via Lamia (~5 hrs, ~£15); ask the driver to drop you at Thermopylae for the statue of Leonidas and the small museum, then continue on the next bus (~£3). Arrive Athens late afternoon, check back into a Monastiraki hostel, and spend the evening in Psyrri's bars. Book your ferry or island flight for the coming days — fast ferries and domestic flights to Rhodes or Kos fill up in peak season.

🚌KTEL bus Kalambaka–Athens ~£15; Thermopylae stop ~£3

🛏Hostel dorm in Monastiraki/Psyrri, £14–20

• →Thermopylae & Leonidas statue
• →Evening in Psyrri

Today replaces the first day of the cruise with a flight or ferry to the islands. Cheapest reliable option: a 1-hr Aegean/Sky Express flight Athens–Rhodes (~£45–70 booked ahead) or an overnight Blue Star ferry (~£45 for a deck/airline seat, 13–16 hrs). Land in Rhodes Town and check into a hostel in the UNESCO-listed medieval old town. Evening walk along Mandraki harbour and dinner in the Jewish Quarter.

🚌Flight Athens–Rhodes ~£55 (or overnight ferry ~£45)

🛏Hostel dorm in Rhodes old town, £16–22

• →Rhodes medieval old town
• →Mandraki harbour

Take the fast catamaran or ferry from Rhodes to Marmaris (~1 hr, ~£25, book via Direct Ferries) then the Turkish long-distance bus to Kuşadası (~2.5 hrs, ~£8). Alternatively join a day excursion to Ephesus from Rhodes if you'd rather not overland. Check into a pension in Kuşadası and in the afternoon visit the Ephesus archaeological site — the Library of Celsus, Terrace Houses, Temple of Artemis and the Basilica of St John (£10–16, open late in summer). Evening on the Kuşadası promenade with a pide and tea.

🚌Rhodes–Marmaris ferry ~£25; Turkish bus to Kuşadası ~£8

🛏Pension/guesthouse in Kuşadası, £15–22

• →Ephesus: Library of Celsus & Terrace Houses
• →Temple of Artemis
• →Kuşadası promenade

Travel back across the Aegean: ferry from Kuşadası to Samos (~£25) and onward by Blue Star ferry to Rhodes or directly toward Crete (routes vary; check Ferryhopper for the day's sailings, budget ~£35–50 total). If you'd rather keep it simple, fly Kuşadası via Izmir to Rhodes or Heraklion (~£50–70). Evening arrival — settle into your hostel, eat at a gyros counter, and plan tomorrow's Knossos visit.

🚌Ferries/bus across the Aegean ~£45 (or flight ~£60)

🛏Hostel dorm in Heraklion or Rhodes, £15–22

• →Aegean island hopping
• →Evening in Heraklion or Rhodes

Local bus No. 2 from Heraklion centre to Knossos (~15 min, €1.50–3). Combine a Knossos site ticket with the superb Heraklion Archaeological Museum (£12–15 combined) — see the Minoan frescoes and Phaistos Disc. Wander Heraklion's old town, the Venetian Loggia and the harbour fortress, and hop a local bus to Agios Nikolaos or the beaches if time allows. Back in Heraklion, eat at a raki taverna in the old town.

🚌City bus to Knossos ~£3

🛏Hostel dorm in Heraklion, £15–22

• →Palace of Knossos
• →Heraklion Archaeological Museum
• →Heraklion old town & harbour

Fast ferry Heraklion–Santorini (~2 hrs, ~£35–45 via SeaJets/Blue Star, book on Ferryhopper). Check into a hostel in Fira or Perissa — dorm beds in Fira are £20–30. Afternoon: walk the caldera rim path from Fira to Oia (2–3 hrs, stunning), or take the local bus (~£2). Dinner in Fira, then watch the sunset from the castle in Oia or the caldera edge with a cheap bottle of Assyrtiko from a mini-market.

🚌Fast ferry Heraklion–Santorini ~£40; local bus ~£2

🛏Hostel dorm in Fira/Perissa, £20–30

• →Fira–Oia caldera walk
• →Oia sunset

Morning ferry Santorini–Mykonos (~2–3 hrs, ~£40). Drop bags at a hostel in Mykonos Town and head for the 16th-century windmills on the hill, Little Venice's colourful waterfront houses and the narrow lanes of the old town. Skip the overpriced beach clubs — Paraga and Elia are reachable by local bus (~£2) and cheaper. Evening: eat at a taverna away from the harbour, then ferry tickets for tomorrow.

🚌Fast ferry Santorini–Mykonos ~£40; local bus ~£4

🛏Hostel dorm/pension in Mykonos Town, £22–32

• →Mykonos windmills
• →Little Venice
• →Beach time at Paraga/Elia

Ferry Mykonos–Milos (~2–3 hrs, ~£35, or via Paros/Naxos; check schedules). Milos is the quiet, wild favourite: base in Plaka or Adamas. Afternoon at Sarakiniko's lunar white-rock beach (local bus ~£2), then explore Plaka's whitewashed lanes and kastro up top. If you want a boat day, the classic Milos full-day sail to Kleftiko sea caves and Sykia is £45–65 booked direct with a local skipper — optional and worth it if the budget stretches.

🚌Ferry Mykonos–Milos ~£35; local bus ~£4

🛏Guesthouse/dorm in Plaka or Adamas, £18–25

• →Sarakiniko beach
• →Plaka village & kastro
• →Optional Kleftiko boat trip

Morning ferry Milos–Piraeus (~3–4 hrs, ~£40) or a quick flight back to Athens if you're short on time. Return to a Monastiraki hostel and use the afternoon for anything you missed: the National Archaeological Museum (~£10), the Benaki Museum, or a last wander through Plaka's jewellery and ceramics shops. Final dinner at a rooftop taverna looking up at the lit Acropolis — the cheapest great view in Athens.

🚌Ferry Milos–Piraeus ~£40; metro ~£2

🛏Hostel dorm in Monastiraki/Psyrri, £14–20

• →National Archaeological Museum or Benaki Museum
• →Plaka shopping
• →Rooftop dinner with Acropolis view

Metro Line 3 back to the airport (~£8) for your flight home. If you have a late departure, leave bags at the hostel and grab a final bougatsa and coffee in Monastiraki square.

🚌Airport metro ~£8

🛏—

• →Last breakfast in Monastiraki