Your Itinerary
Day 1 - Home [Plane] Istanbul
Our journey begins today as we depart Australia on our international flight to Istanbul.
Special Information
We depart on 21 April 2027 and arrive into Istanbul the following day, 22 April 2027.
We arrive in Istanbul, where we are met at the airport and transferred to our hotel.
This evening we meet our guide and the rest of our group.
Special Information
Final travel documentation will be provided approximately 30 days prior to departure.
After breakfast we enjoy a fully guided tour of the only city in the world to span two continents.
We visit the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace including Hagia Irene and the Harem, the Hippodrome and the Grand Bazaar.
Special Information
An optional Turkish Folklore evening is available tonight at additional cost.
Day 4 - Istanbul [Bus] Çanakkale
This morning we depart Istanbul and travel to Çanakkale.
On arrival our guide will organise a flexible programme depending on conditions and group preference. After checking into our hotel and resting, we depart around midnight, cross by ferry and proceed to Anzac Cove, arriving at approximately 1:00am to secure our place for the overnight stay ahead of the Dawn Service.
Special Information
Please note: on 24 April, due to official restrictions and security measures related to high-level attendance, it is very likely that a full Gallipoli tour will not be permitted on this day. The programme for this day is flexible and will be determined by your guide according to conditions on the ground.
Tonight is spent outdoors at Anzac Cove ahead of the Dawn Service. Warm clothing and wet weather gear are essential.
Day 5 - ANZAC Day at Gallipoli
We wake before sunrise for the ANZAC Day Dawn Service, aware of the almost deafening silence as the service to commemorate our fallen forefathers begins.
We then have the chance to attend the Australian Memorial Service at Lone Pine and the New Zealand Memorial Service at Chunuk Bair, before returning to our hotel in the afternoon.
Special Information
Indicative timings: 1:30am pre-service programme begins. 3:00am final entry deadline, after which site access closes and temporary road closures take effect. 5:00am ‘Spirit of Place' introductory segment. 5:30am Dawn Service commences. 10:00am Australian Memorial Service at Lone Pine. 11:30am New Zealand Memorial Service at Chunuk Bair. 1:00pm coach boarding begins at Chunuk Bair.
Timings are set by the commemorative authorities and are subject to change.
We depart Çanakkale and head to Troy, where we explore the award-winning Troy Museum and the ancient city itself, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
We walk through the legendary city walls and stand where Achilles and Hector once battled, among the remnants of temples and theatres.
Day 7 - [Bus] Ephesus and Şirince
Today we take a guided tour of Ephesus and visit the site of the Temple of Artemis, absorbing the atmosphere of the ancient city and its great theatre.
We continue to the former Greek village of Şirince, known for its fruit wines, and visit a carpet village to learn how Turkish carpets are made by hand and what determines their value.
Day 8 - [Bus] Pamukkale and Hierapolis [Plane] Istanbul
This morning we see a display of locally handcrafted leather goods before heading to the magnificent white calcium terraces known as the Travertines at Pamukkale, where we also tour the ancient city of Hierapolis.
There is the chance to bathe among ancient columns in the hot springs used in Roman times for their therapeutic powers. Afterwards we transfer to the airport for our flight back to Istanbul.
Special Information
Internal flight from Denizli to Istanbul is included.
Our guided tour concludes after breakfast and we bid farewell to our fellow travellers.
The remainder of the day is at leisure in Istanbul before we board our ship tomorrow. We might return to the Grand Bazaar, cross to the Asian side by ferry, or simply take in the city at our own pace.
This morning is at leisure before we make our way to the port and board Azamara Onward.
Our ship sails from Istanbul at 10:00pm, and we watch the lights of the city fall away as we head into the Aegean.
Special Information
Transfers to the port are not included.
A day at sea as we sail west into the Aegean.
With just 690 guests onboard, Azamara Onward has an unhurried feel. We might settle in at the pool, take in the included drinks at one of the bars, or make use of the self-service laundry before the week ahead.
Day 12 - Thessaloniki [Ship]
We dock at Thessaloniki, Greece's second city, layered with Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman history.
The White Tower stands on the waterfront, and the Rotunda and Arch of Galerius are within easy reach of the port.
We arrive at Volos, set on the Pagasetic Gulf beneath Mount Pelion.
The port is the gateway to the extraordinary monasteries of Meteora, perched on their sandstone pillars, and to the tsipouradika of the old waterfront.
We call at Patmos, one of the holiest islands in the Aegean, where the Book of Revelation is said to have been written.
The UNESCO-listed Monastery of Saint John looks down from the hilltop over the whitewashed lanes of Chora.
We arrive at Mykonos, the most recognisable of the Cyclades, with its windmills, Little Venice waterfront and maze of whitewashed lanes.
We are in port until late evening, so there is time to stay ashore for dinner.
Special Information
Mykonos is a tender port. Guests go ashore by tender and access is subject to sea conditions.
Day 16 - Monemvasia [Ship]
We call at Monemvasia, a fortified medieval town built into the flank of a vast rock off the Peloponnese coast, invisible from the mainland until you round it.
The lower town is a warren of Byzantine churches and stone lanes, with the ruined upper town on the plateau above.
Special Information
Monemvasia is a tender port. Guests go ashore by tender and access is subject to sea conditions.
Our final port is Nafplio, the first capital of modern Greece and among its most elegant towns, with Venetian houses beneath the Palamidi fortress.
Mycenae and Epidaurus lie inland for those wanting one last piece of the ancient world.
Special Information
Nafplio is a tender port. Guests go ashore by tender and access is subject to sea conditions.
Day 18 - [Ship] Athens (Piraeus)
We disembark this morning at Piraeus, the port of Athens, and make our own way to our hotel for a two-night stay.
The remainder of the day is at leisure. The Acropolis, the Ancient Agora and the lanes of Plaka are all within walking distance of our hotel.
Special Information
Disembarkation is from 5:00am. Transfers from the port to the hotel are not included.
We have a full day to explore Athens at our own pace.
We might climb to the Parthenon, visit the Acropolis Museum, wander the Ancient Agora, or take the funicular up Lycabettus Hill for the view across the city to the sea.
Day 20 - Athens [Plane] Home
After our final breakfast in Athens we make our own way to the airport for our flight home.Special InformationTransfers to the airport are not included.
We arrive home today.Thank you for travelling with Inspiring Vacations. We hope you had a memorable journey.
