Authentic Greece 2024, Peloponnesus cruise

From  August, 31st to September, 11th, 2024, join us on board of ‘Running on Waves' ship to experience the individual charm and uniqueness of Greece during ‘Authentic Greece 2024, Peloponnesus’ cruise. 

Why Authentic? 

The origin of “authentikos” is derived from ancient Greek and translates as the quality of what is real, true, genuine, and original.

And all these words apply to our tour!

Explore the coastlines and ports of Greece from the comfort of our ship. This cruise will bring you on a memorable adventure through classical antiquity. 

Well prepared for a trip? 

Our journey will start in n Piraeus port of Athens, a gateway to Greece’s fabled isles. Piraeus itself has many attractions to fill an entire vacation, including religious and historic landmarks, and the Greek capital Athens is located nearby, just around 12 kilometres from Piraeus port. 

On Day 2 we’ll have a chance to visit Spetses, the Greek island that has escaped mass tourism and  it is also the perfect place to enjoy a wonderful walk. This is where production for ‘Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery’ movie took place in the summer of 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

 If you have seen the movie, you will recall the guests gathering at a small port. This is Dapia in Spetses, with the emblematic Poseidonion Grand Hotel in the background.

If you are a fan of Olivia Coleman, you probably have seen the movie, 'The Lost Daughter', in which she stars. Once again, the producers chose the stunning island of Spetses for most of the movie’s setting. 

On day 3 we’ll visit Nafplio, proclaimed as one of the most beautiful towns in the area of eastern Peloponnese as well as one of the most romantic cities all over Greece. According to mythology, the town was founded by Nafplios, the son of god Poseidon and the daughter of Danaus (Danaida) Anymone. Nafplio offers amazing sea views as well as different views to all the fortresses of the town: Acronafplia, Bourtzi and Palamidi.

There are some great restaurants with numerous Greek Cuisine awards and honors: Naplio has a rich tradition in home-made pasta and trachanas (made of sour milk and wheat boiled together and then dried in the sun, prepared as a soup) and also famous for the local pastry workshops and its artichoke cultivations which spread around the beautiful countryside. 

Monemvasia, which we are going to depart for on day 4, has an ancient castle town built into the side of a rock, and so full of charm and romance, that it's one of those places you have to see to really believe. It was originally constructed in the Medieval Ages and has been continuously inhabited since then.

Some people consider Monemvasia an overly sentimental, somewhat superficial and clichéd destination, suitable only for lovebirds. But as you walk around, you’ll feeI overwhelmed by this place’s rawness, wildness, history and profound romanticism.

On day 5 we’ll depart for Gytheio, the small port town for Sparta that has long and rich history. The translation of the name Gytheio means ‘Land of Gods’, which is a common way to describe this beautiful destination. The port and the ancient settlement was destroyed in the 4th century possibly by an earthquake, the remains of which are still a place of archaeological interest. 

We’ll reach Pylos on day 6, a small picturesque seaside town, located in the southwest of Messinia. It is built amphitheatrically in the southern opening of the bay of Navarino, where the historic battle took place and it is the largest natural harbor in Peloponnese and simultaneously one of the most interesting tourist destinations of Messinia. According to Homer, Pylos was the kingdom of Nestor. The town of Pylos resembles an island due to the particular architecture and color of its houses.

Katakolo will welcome you with open arms on day 7,  a traditional village, with a small port, which is the main port of Pyrgos and is full of cafeterias, taverns and many souvenir shops for the tourists. In the past, Katakolo was one of the most important ports of the country – it was the main port of departure for exportation of raisins. Nowadays, Katakolon Port serves as the main sea-gate to Olympia, one of the most important sites in Greece. With all the pine and olive groves, the imposing remains of the temples and the stunning stadium of the Games, Ancient Olympia stands as one of the most important archaeological sites in the world.

 

In Kefalonia, which we are going to visit on day 8, you can enjoy a biking or a hiking tour amidst black firs and cypresses at the grandiose slopes of Mt. Aenos and be rewarded with awesome views of Ithaca and Zakynthos. 

Ask us to organize a tour to a private vintage cars collection. Take photos in cult Alfa Romeo or Mini models of the first release. This is a unique option only for our passengers.

Enjoy the most famous Kefalonian beach Myrtos  - one of the 10 most beautiful beaches in the world and a reason enough to visit Kefalonia. See famous Caretta caretta turtle nesting siteson on several beaches of the island.

Visit the monastery of Panagia Lagouvarda, famous for harmless snakes, which appear in the area every year on August 15th in full accordance with the legend of the monastery, when nuns turned into snakes fleeing enemies. 

Greece has often become a cinematic setting for many films of foreign cinema. Such a movie is ‘The Mandolin of Captain Corelli’ which was filmed in Kefalonia. They filmed many parts of the island in the movie and as a result, the tourist flow increased on the island in the coming years. 

 

After that let’s explore Nafpaktos on day 9. Most Nafpaktos restaurants and the surrounding beach places are actually family taverns with meat dishes. The nicest places to eat are located at the port of Nafpaktos, along with the town beach called Psani and the lovely seaside quarter of Gribovo, which is a nice beach promenade with tavern tables under the shade of tall trees. Lovely Nafpaktos restaurants and fish taverns are also found in close seaside villages, like Monastiraki, Hiliadou, and others.

Delphi is the main goal of sailing to Itea’s port, which we are going to reach on day 10. This ancient sanctuary grew rich and greatly influential as the seat of Pythia, the oracle who was consulted about important decisions throughout the ancient world.

Depart the port and enjoy a picturesque drive through olive groves in order to arrive at the modern town of Delphi. As the Sacred Way rises steeply upwards, find yourself at the ruined Temple of Apollo. For those that wish to visit the Theatre, continue upwards for another 10-15 minutes walk.

You can visit the Corinth Canal the next day, a tidal waterway across the Isthmus of Corinth in Greece, joining the Gulf of Corinth in the northwest with the Saronic Gulf in the southeast. The isthmus was first crossed by boats in 600 BCE when Periander built a ship railway, small boats being carried on wheeled cradles running in grooves. This system may have been used until the 9th century. Work on the canal began in 1882, and it opened in 1893. The canal has brought great economic benefits to the ports of Posithonía at its northwest end and Isthmía at its southeast end. 

Let’s visit Aegina on day 12. It is famous for its cultivation of pistachios. It started in Aegina in around 1860 and then it expanded to Athens and the rest of Greece, and they are considered as extremely high-quality product. The main variety that is cultivated on the island is the ‘koilarati’ pistachios, which have a round shape. Most of the fields are placed on the western side of the island, because this area is more fertile and less mountainous than the eastern side. The cultivation process lasts for the whole year. The harvest time starts in August, when the nuts come out of their shell easily, and extends till the end of September. The products are collected with a special, long stick and they are sent to the hulling machines as quickly as possible in order to avoid the shells turning black, which makes the nuts commercially useless.

 

Mesagros is a wonderful village to visit while in Aegina. Located 9 Km northeast of the town of Aegina, it is famous for its ceramic pottery. There are many talented potters here known all over Greece for their traditional pottery.

After that we are arriving back in Athens.

 This is where we started and where our journey ends. 

By taking this cruise you can experience some of the greatest aspects of Greece and its islands on this itinerary. You'll be traveling back in time with a visit to the most important archaeological monuments, and other key ancient sites around the city, viewed through the lens of Greek mythology. 

Welcome to an Unforgettable Authentic Greece!