Greek Islands - Cyclades
The stunningly picturesque Greek islands have inspired mankind back to the time of Homer. Deep azure seas are contrasted by rugged coastlines, plunging cliffs, and golden sand beaches. The human touch is equally compelling with characteristic “sugar-cube” architecture, blue-domed churches, photogenic windmills, and crumbling fortresses. History has left its footprint as well, providing ancient archaeological sites Delos and Akrotiri to be explored. Join Imprint for this foray that includes popular and famous Mykonos and Santorini as well as lesser known Naxos and Amorgos. This slow-paced idyll is our “un-tour” with maximum free time for independent explorations.
Day 1 Mykonos
We begin the tour on the famous island of Mykonos. The picturesque Chora (main village) is also the island’s main port. Windmills on the hill, whitewashed houses, and blue-domed churches welcome you to the Cyclades. The Chora is noisy at night. Therefore, our tour hotel is a 15 minute walk from town, overlooking sweeping Magali Ammos Beach, allowing us both access and peaceful separation. We’ll gather in the early evening for our welcome meeting followed by dinner together.
Hotel Mykonos Beach (3 nights) https://www.mykonosbeach.gr/
Day 2 Mykonos
Our first full day begins with a guided walking tour/orientation of the Chora with our local guide Antonis. The rest of your day is free to further explore the island, take an excursion, or relax on the beach or by our hotel’s infinity pool.
Day 3 Mykonos
This morning we will venture by boat to the nearby sacred island of Delos. Delos was the birthplace of Apollo and the seat of the Delian League in ancient times. Today the island hosts the best Greek ruins in the Aegean. We will explore its many secrets with Antonis. Your afternoon is free.
Note: 2025 tour will spend only 2 nights Mykonos. The Delos excursion will take place the afternoon of day 2.
Day 4 Naxos
After breakfast we will take a ferry to Naxos. Often overlooked for more famous neighbors, Naxos boasts a storied history, reflected in Venetian and Frankish archeological sites, and a beautiful and varied landscape of mountains, valleys, and beaches. Naxos is famously the greenest of the Cyclades. After settling into our hotel we’ll embark on an orientation of the Chora, finishing up with a seafood dinner in a taverna.
Nastasia Village Hotel (3 nights) www.nastasiavillage.gr
Day 5 Naxos
Today we will enjoy a half-day island tour with our local guide Vassiliki. On our excursion we will stop in a couple of Naxian villages, visit a local pottery studio, see Mount Zeus (highest in the Cyclades), see an unfinished marble Kouros (statue); and many scenic vistas. We’ll finish our day with early dinner at an olive mill and museum.
Day 6 Naxos
Today is yours to relax and explore as you wish.
Day 7 Amorgos
After a leisurely morning on Naxos we’ll board our ferry to Amorgos, one of the least touristed islands but has some of the most outstanding sights and experiences. After settling in our beach-side hotel we’ll have dinner together followed by Greek dancing lessons.
Lakki Village Hotel (3 nights) https://www.lakkivillage.com/
Day 8 Amorgos
A half-day coach tour with a local guide will be our introduction to this beautiful island. Highlights include the Chora, St Anna Beach, and the island’s premier sight, the gravity-defying Monastery of Hozoviotissa. This picturesque, white-washed edifice clings to the sheer cliffs on the southeast side of the island. Lunch will be a unique experience - in an Orthodox monastery.
Day 9 Amorgos
This morning we will visit a traditional Amorgian home in the village of Tholaria, with traditional local architecture and a stone wood-burning oven. There is also a small distillery in the house, where we’ll see how essential oils from local herbs are distilled. Local sweet and savory snacks and liquor will be offered. During your free afternoon you might like to indulge in the massage provided by the tour, explore the island further, take a Greek cooking class, or relax on our beach.
Note: 2025 tour will spend 4 nights Amorgos to participate in Orthodox Easter celebrations.
Day 10 Santorini
After another leisurely morning, we will sail for Santorini, the “Jewel in the Cycladic Crown”. The crescent shaped island boasts steep cliffs, dramatic caldera views, blue-domed churches, classic Cycladic sugar cube architecture, and the most beautiful sunsets to be found anywhere. Like Mykonos, Santorini is heavily touristed, so we are staying outside of the bustling Fira town in our caldera-clinging 5 star resort.
Volcano View Hotel (3 nights) https://www.volcano-view.com/
Day 11 Santorini
An entire island exploration tour is our plan for today. Escorted by our ace local guide Eugenia, we will visit the highest point on the island, Akrotiri (exceptional Minoan civilization ruins), a lunch break on Perissa Beach (swimming available), one of the island’s colorful villages, and spectacular Oia with the best views on the island.
Day 12 Santorini
This final full day of the tour is entirely yours to spend as you please. Use the free hotel shuttle to visit Thira for shopping or exploring. Relax on a black sand beach or beside one of our hotel’s 3 swimming pools. We’ll gather for Happy Hour and toast our many adventures and new memories before enjoying our final dinner together.
Day 13 Santorini
The tour officially ends after breakfast. Imprint will assist with airport or port transfers.
Post-Tour Meteora-Delphi-Athens (MDA) Extension
Day 1 Meteora
For those continuing with the MDA extension, we’ll catch a morning flight to Athens. Departing the airport we will make the half day drive to Meteora. The name Meteora is derived from the Greek word meteoros, which means “suspended in air.” The soaring pinnacles and jutting cliffs make for one of earth’s most dramatic geological displays. The earliest inhabitants were 11th century hermits, seeking isolation from the profane world. By the 14th century, Turkish conquests forced the Byzantine church to seek ever more remote and isolated refuge. Meteora was a perfect sanctuary. Eventually 24 monasteries were built, of which 6 remain active today.
Hotel Kastraki (1 night) http://www.hotelkastraki.gr/
Day 2 Delphi
We’ll start our day with a guided tour of some of the more dramatically situated monasteries, perched precariously atop the amazing stacks of Meteora. Beautiful ikons, frescoed chapels, giant wine casks, winching baskets for supplying the communities, and stunning vistas highlight our visit. In the afternoon we’ll make the winding drive to Delphi. After settling into our hotel we’ll have dinner together in a local taverna.
Hotel Leto (1 night) https://www.leto-delphi.gr/
Day 3 Delphi to Athens
This morning our amazing guide Penny will give us a guided tour of the Archeological Site and new Museum of Delphi. Delphi was the “navel of the ancient world” and the location of the famous Delphic Oracle, whom all men great and small consulted before important decisions. In the afternoon we’ll drive back to Athens where we will check into our hotel. You’ll have a free evening to explore the Plaka.
Hotel Attalos (2 nights) https://www.attaloshotel.com/
Day 4 Athens
Our final full day begins with a visit to the National Archeological Museum. We’ll see the very best of Greece’s archeological treasures from Minoan to Hellenistic sculpture and artifacts. In the afternoon we’ll have a guided visit of the mighty Acropolis and the magnificent new Acropolis Museum. The Acropolis, crowned by the iconic Parthenon, is a bucket list site that represents our historical and cultural connection to Periclean Athens and the foundations of the western paradigm. The state of the art museum beautifully displays the archeological treasures of the storied hill. We’ll conclude the extension with a final dinner together.
Day 5 Extension over
Tour ends after breakfast. Imprint will assist with airport transfer arrangements.
[Itinerary details, hotels, and activities subject to change]
What’s Included: 12 nights accommodation (16 with extension; All breakfasts, 5 dinners (+ 2 extension), 2 lunches; All tour transport; All tips (tour director, guides, drivers, group meals, hotel staffs); Full-time services of a Imprint tour manager, local guides; All entrances: Delos, Hozoviotissa Monastery, Akrotiri, (extension: Meteora monasteries, Delphi Museum and Archeological site, Acropolis, Acropolis Museum, NAM); All activities: walking tour Mykonos Chora, tour Delos, driving tour Naxos, Greek dancing, driving tour Amorgos, monastery lunch, traditional village house visit, full-day tour Santorini, and more. The 2025 tour will feature participation in the local Orthodox Easter festivities on Amorgos.
Important exceptions: Tour participants are responsible for the cost of drinks, free-time sightseeing and meals, flight baggage overage fees, and expenditures of a personal nature.
