Greece's islands & antiquity with a Celebrity cruise

Today, a private guide accompanies you to the Sanctuary of Asklepios at Epidaurus, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a short drive from Nafplio. Dedicated to the healing god Asklepios, the sanctuary was one of the most celebrated healing centres of the ancient Greek world. Its centrepiece is the 4th-century BC theatre, renowned for its exceptional acoustics and beautifully preserved tiers of limestone seating, where a whisper on stage can carry to the upper rows. You can also see the remains of temples, guesthouses, and the stadium, along with finds displayed in the site museum.

After a relaxed final morning in Nafplio, a private transfer takes you back across the Isthmus of Corinth to Athens. Your comfortable hotel is in the heart of the city, an ideal base for exploring on foot. You may wish to spend the afternoon in Plaka, the historic neighbourhood at the foot of the Acropolis, where narrow lanes are lined with neoclassical houses, small Byzantine churches and traditional tavernas.

Today, you explore Ancient Athens with a private guide, beginning on the Acropolis. Passing through the monumental Propylaia gateway, you reach the Parthenon, the great 5th-century BC temple to Athena, alongside the graceful Temple of Athena Nike and the Erechtheion with its porch of Caryatids. Your tour continues at the Acropolis Museum, which opened in 2009 and displays sculpture and artefacts from the Acropolis, spanning the Bronze Age to the Roman and Byzantine eras.

Join a small-group food walking tour to discover how Athenians really eat. Greek cuisine is built on simple, seasonal ingredients, and a walk through the city's food streets offers a lively introduction to its traditions. Possible stops include the bustling Central Market on Athinas Street, specialist delicatessens selling olive oil, cheeses, and cured meats, and traditional bakeries and cafes. Tastings may include sesame-crusted koulouri bread rings, honey-drenched loukoumades, mezedes, and strong Greek coffee, accompanied by stories about the city's culinary heritage.

Today, a private transfer takes you from your hotel to the port of Piraeus, where you board Celebrity Infinity for your seven-night voyage around the Aegean. Once you have settled into your Veranda Stateroom, you could explore the ship, from the Grand Foyer and the ice-topped Martini Bar to the pool deck and the glass-roofed Solarium.

The main town of Mykonos, Chora, is a maze of whitewashed lanes, blue-shuttered houses and tiny chapels, and you may wish to simply wander and see where its alleyways lead. Possible highlights include the Paraportiani Church, the waterfront houses of Little Venice, and the row of Kato Mili windmills on the hill above. You could also choose to take a boat to nearby Delos, a UNESCO World Heritage Site revered in mythology as the birthplace of Apollo and Artemis, where extensive ruins include the Terrace of the Lions.

Once the capital of the Roman province of Asia, Ephesus is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the best-preserved classical cities in the Mediterranean, yet only around 20 percent of it has been excavated. You may wish to walk its marble streets to see the Great Theatre, the Temple of Hadrian and the Library of Celsus, built in 117 AD, with its towering two-storey façade. Other possible experiences include visiting the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the House of the Virgin Mary, or the hillside village of Şirince.

A day at sea offers time to enjoy Celebrity Infinity at a leisurely pace. You might begin with breakfast at the Spa Café beside the adults-only Solarium and its thalassotherapy pool, then book a treatment at The Spa or a Persian Garden pass for its aromatic steam rooms. The daily programme may include enrichment talks, cooking demonstrations and sommelier-led wine tastings at Cellar Masters. In the evening, you could choose Le Petit Chef, where animated projections bring your table to life, or Tuscan Grille, before a show in the three-deck Celebrity Theater.

The largest of the Dodecanese islands, Rhodes was a stronghold of the Knights of St John, and its walled medieval Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You may wish to walk the cobbled Street of the Knights, lined with the inns of the order's different nations, and visit the restored Palace of the Grand Master. The former Hospital of the Knights now houses the Archaeological Museum, while the remains of the Temple of Aphrodite lie close to the harbour.

Santorini's crescent shape is the legacy of a massive Bronze Age volcanic eruption, and its whitewashed villages and blue-domed churches cling to the top of steep cliffs. Possible experiences include exploring the clifftop towns of Fira and Oia, visiting the Minoan-era settlement of Akrotiri, preserved beneath volcanic ash, or tasting crisp Assyrtiko wines at vineyards around Pyrgos and Megalochori. You could also choose a boat trip to the volcanic island of Nea Kameni and swim in the warm, mineral-rich hot springs nearby. With a late departure, there’s time to watch the sun set over the caldera.

Cars, scooters and even bicycles aren’t permitted on this small island in the Saronic Gulf, so islanders travel on foot, by donkey or by water taxi. The harbour is framed by grand stone mansions built by the sea captains whose fleets brought the island great wealth in the 18th and 19th centuries. You may wish to visit the Historical Archives Museum, explore the cobbled lanes that climb above the port, or follow the coastal path to the small fishing village of Kamini. Hydra has long drawn artists and writers, and possible experiences include browsing its galleries, swimming from the rocks, or lingering over fresh seafood at a harbourside taverna.

Celebrity Infinity arrives back in Piraeus this morning. After a leisurely breakfast and disembarkation, you are met at the port and taken by private transfer to Athens airport for your flight home. Your return flight will arrive the same day.