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April 16, 2024

A romantic candlelit dinner under a starry sky while savoring typical Greek cuisine, accompanied by musicians from the Aegean Chamber Orchestra playing live music… this is part of the Destination Discovery Event that Windstar Cruises is adding as an experience for travelers embarking on board for the summer season of 2024 to Greece and Turkey.

Windstar Cruises has decided to offer something truly exclusive to its travelers: in addition to the magnificence of the Mediterranean, with the Greek islands and Turkey, guests will be offered a complimentary experience that goes well beyond your typical cruise excursion.

The exclusive Destination Discovery Event “Evening at Ephesus” includes a complimentary five-course dinner at the ancient Library of Celsus, where the sunset lights, white-gloved service, and live music from a trio of the Aegean Chamber Orchestra will make the atmosphere even more magical.

Windstar Cruises has planned four itineraries for the summer season of 2024 to offer this exclusive evening event.

Treasures of the Greek Islands

On board the luxurious Wind Star and Wind Spirit from May to October 2024, guests will embark on a one-week itinerary, with arrival and departure from Athens, visiting UNESCO World Heritage sites such as the incredible Acropolis of Athens atop the hill, the gathering places of St. John on the small island of Patmos, and the ancient Roman city of Ephesus. It is precisely among the fascinating ruins of Ephesus that the exclusive evening event that Windstar wants to offer its guests will take place.

 

In addition to the above, this itinerary will also stop at secluded small ports such as Monemvasia, an exclusively pedestrian village built on a cliff, and Nafplio, a delightful mainland town where one can stroll through cobblestone streets and explore Venetian fortresses.

Delphi and Meteora: Grecian Treasure Cruise Tour

This itinerary allows immersion in the Greek hinterland, combining the aforementioned cruise journey with a land tour, for a total itinerary of 10 days, with stops at Delphi, a famous archaeological site considered by the ancients the physical and spiritual center of the earth, at Kalambaka, a picturesque town located at the foot of Meteora.

It is in Meteora that one of the largest and most important groups of monasteries in Greece is located. These rock monasteries have been designated by UNESCO as a unique phenomenon of cultural heritage and constitute one of the most important stations on Greece’s cultural map. During the stop in Ephesus, guests will be offered a Turkish dinner by moonlight with a romantic sunset concert, in the suggestive setting of the ancient columns and weather-exposed walls of Ephesus.

Star Collector: Echoes of the Italian and Greek Islands through the Corinth Canal

An unforgettable 15-day journey aboard the Star Legend, departing on September 19, 2024, from Barcelona to conclude the journey in Athens, with stops in Cagliari where the Ancient Fish Market is located, the largest covered fish market in Italy, rich in Sardinian culture and traditions, or in Erice, where you can attend a cooking demonstration by a Sicilian chef.

 

Stalactites and stalagmites colored gold and peach can be admired inside the Drogarati Cave in Kefalonia, near Argostoli. You will cross the impressive Corinth Canal to then admire breathtaking views of the sea and alabaster villages topped with turquoise domes during the stop in Santorini.

 

You can walk among the ruins of the ancient port of Ephesus, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and then dine with Turkish cuisine paired with fresh local fruit near Kusadasi for the exclusive “Evening at Ephesus,” where Windstar guests will experience the unrepeatable experience of admiring the famous facade of the Library of Celsus in Ephesus while enjoying a 5-course dinner accompanied by the music of three musicians from the Aegean Chamber Orchestra.

Myths and Wonders of the Aegean

The seductive islands and historical wonders of Greece and Turkey are the protagonists of this round-trip journey from Athens on October 29, 2024, aboard the Star Legend. You will visit Patmos, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, known worldwide as the sacred island where St. John wrote the Book of Revelation, and Kusadasi, where Windstar’s Destination Discovery Event will take place: dinner by moonlight with a concert near the Library of Celsus.

In Bodrum, the 15th-century Castle of St. Peter, built by the Crusaders, presides over the city’s double harbor; here you can visit the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, one of the original Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. During the stop in Rhodes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a panoramic journey will lead through picturesque villages and lemon groves to the ancient Acropolis of Lindos. In Heraklion, you will visit the main site of Crete’s largest city, the Palace of Knossos, a Minoan-era castle guarding the picturesque city.

Before ending the cruise in Athens, there will be a stop in Mykonos, the classic Greek island dotted with hundreds of white churches and windmills, from where you can choose to take a panoramic ferry ride back to the 6th century BC to the small island of Delos, a UNESCO site and mythical birthplace of Apollo.

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Saskia Pacifico

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