Day 1 – Corfu Town, Corfu
Awash with colourful flowers, Corfu is big on beauty. It’s known as the Emerald Isle, and its golden beaches, lush green landscape and colourful villages will have you constantly reaching for your camera. Soak up the views at Bella Vista, Corfu’s most famous lookout point. From here, you can peer over sleepy seaside villages like Paleokastritsa, and the island’s entire west coast.
Day 2 – At Sea
Day 3 – Piraeus (for Athens), Greece
Trip over reminders of the past in ancient Athens, where cultural treasures twinkle back at you at every turn. It’s a real gold medal winner of a city. Scale the heights of the sun-bleached Acropolis for awesome views, then take a look at the Parthenon, perched atop Athens’ most famous hill. Explore Plaka, the Medieval quarter at the foot of the Acropolis. The 19th-century lanes are crammed with tavernas, and twist and turn to meet the equally atmospheric Monastiraki street markets.
Day 4 – Kusadasi (for Ephesus), Turkey
Laze away the day on the silky sands of Kusadasi or head for the ruins of Ephesus for more sights than you can point a camera at. It’s your holiday, your call. Take a trip to Ephesus, the Mediterranean’s best-preserved classical city. The marble pillars of the Library of Celsus support intricate friezes and sculptures, while the enormous theatre offers up superb views over the city.
Day 5 – Mykonos Town, Mykonos
A jewel in the Aegean, this sun-blushed island is sprinkled with sugar-cube houses and whitewashed windmills. It’s a popular corner of Greece loved by everyone, from millionaires to backpackers, yet somehow it’s managed to stay delightfully unspoilt. See the island’s sights in style – from the front seat of a four-wheel drive. Rev your way to the pretty village of Ano Mera and the beaches of Kalo Livadi and Ornos.
Day 6 – Souda (for Chania), Crete
Souda sits just 15 minutes’ drive from Chania – one of Crete’s most charming cities. Most snap-happy tourists pin the old harbour on their maps. It’s as pretty as a picture, with a lighthouse, pastel-painted buildings and a café-lined promenade. If that’s not enough of a history fix, there are plenty of museums to delve into – with really scenic settings. The Maritime Museum’s housed in a former Venetian prison, while the Archaeological Museum’s tucked inside a Gothic church.
Day 7 – Argostoli, Kefalonia
It’s no wonder the makers of Hollywood blockbuster Captain Corelli’s Mandolin chose Kefalonia as one of the film’s backdrops. The island is all tree-studded hills, which look out over pale beaches, which roll into perfectly-blue waters. There’s a mix of village life inland. Skala, for example, is popular with holidaymakers and is kept lively with late-night bars. Lourdas, on the other hand, revolves around a sleepy main square.
Day 8 – Corfu Town, Corfu
Awash with colourful flowers, Corfu is big on beauty. It’s known as the Emerald Isle, and its golden beaches, lush green landscape and colourful villages will have you constantly reaching for your camera. Soak up the views at Bella Vista, Corfu’s most famous lookout point. From here, you can peer over sleepy seaside villages like Paleokastritsa, and the island’s entire west coast.
