Embark Star Clipper in Athens.

Enjoy a day at sea with time to experience the delights of Star Clipper's spacious accommodation. Sip a long cool drink by the pool or perhaps meet fellow guests in the bar.

There is the opportunity for a swim at the beach resort of Camilimani before Royal Clipper arrives in Kusadasi. This lively port is the entry-point for the remarkable archaeologcial site of Ephesus. Broad, paved streets still bear the marks of chariot wheels. There is much to see in the city which once welcomed Antony and Cleopatra, including the façade of the Celsus Library, the amphitheatre and numerous temples dedicated to the gods.

Above the pretty harbour town of Skala is the Sacred Grotto where St John the Divine wrote the Book of Revelation, and the fortified 11th century Monastery, built to protect the monks, their remarkable temple and a library of treasured texts. The views from here are spectacular. Skala's waterfront is lined with cafés and restaurants and there are sandy beaches at Diakofti and Kampos.

The island of Amorogos has more than its share of historic sites, including a 4th century BC Hellenistic Tower, a Venetian Castle in the Hora, and the white, rock-hewn Monastery of Chozoviotissa, reached via a flight of stone steps high up above the sea. The sandy beach near the port of Katapola has restaurants and cafés.

(2011 departures omit Delos). The sacred isle of Delos is uninhabited, but in 1000BC it was the religious capital of the Ionians where it was forbidden to be born or to die. The Sacred Way is bordered by temples, altars and shrines dedicated to Greek, Roman and Egyptian deities. Fashionable Mykonos has rocky hillsides and beautiful beaches, and a vibrant café culture around the harbour.

(For 2011 departures, Tinos is replaced with a visit to the Byzantine fortress island of Monemvasia). Tinos is a small island renowned for the highly-crafted decorations of its houses and for the dovecotes in the village of Tarabados. Tinos Town has lovely fountains, art galleries, stone-paved streets and the ornate church of Panagia.

Disembark Star Clipper in Athens.