Ancient Wonders of the Mediterranean

Travel with peace of mind as PONANT organises your transfer between the airport and your port of embarkation.

Athens

Meet at Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos - Arrival Hall. Look for PONANT sign. You will be greeted by our local representative off the flight selected by PONANT.

You will depart the airport by coach for a scenic tour of Athens en route to the port of Piraeus.

When you will reach Athens, you will make your first stop at the Panathenaic Stadium, a 19th-century reconstruction on Roman foundations, in which the first modern Olympic Games took place. This stadium is also known as the Kallimármaro which means “the beautiful marbled” because it is the only major stadium in the world built entirely of white marble. It was also restored to host some competitions during the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.

You will enjoy a photo stop at the bottom of the Acropolis Hill with its spectacular view of the Parthenon before being transferred to the port of Piraeus where you will embark on your ship.

Your programme includes:

·        Transfer by air-conditioned coach.

·        Services of a local English-speaking guide.

Your programme does not include:

·        Tips for the driver and local guide.

·        Personal expenses.

·        Other services not mentioned in the programme.

Note:

·        Optional photo stops depending on embarkation time and traffic conditions.

Duration and order of the visits may vary. To know your PONANT flight schedule, please contact your travel agent; it is also indicated on your electronic ticket included in your travel documents.

Enhance your cruise and extend your trip with a carefully designed programme.

Day 1 - Athens

Meet at Athens Airport in the Arrival hall. Look for PONANT sign. You will be greeted by our local representative off the flight selected by PONANT or any other flight (provided that you have previously communicated your flight schedule to your travel agent).

You will be transferred to the hotel Athens Capital Centre – Collection Mgallery 5*, perfectly located at Syntagma Square in the heart of Athens.

Official check-in at 15 :00.

Afternoon at leisure.

Dinner at leisure.

Overnight at the hotel.

Day 2 - Athens

After breakfast, your walking guided visit will be first focus on Anafiotika district. 

This picturesque old quarter is located under the Acropolis. This very typical architecture looks like to the Cycladic islands, with narrow streets and white-washed houses with colorful shutters.
You will learn more about its history with your guide. And you will have the perfect opportunity to take the most beautiful photos, through the lens of a professional photograph at your disposal to give you tips and help you..

Later, you will walk until a local tavern in the Plaka district and you will enjoy a traditional Greek lunch followed by a short time at leisure in Plaka.

During the afternoon, you will visit the Acropolis Museum, which is an archaeological museum focused on the findings of the archaeological site of the Acropolis of Athens. The museum was built in order to house every artifact found on the rock and at its foot, covering a large period of time from the Greek Bronze Age to Roman and Byzantine Greece. Nearly 4,000 objects are exhibited over an area of 14,000 square metres.

After the Museum visit, time at leisure to strool around the Museum area (about 1 hour), or to visit on your own, the Acropolis site (this visit is not accessible to disabled people). Then short drive back to your hotel (about 15 minutes).

Evening and dinner at leisure.

Overnight at the hotel.

Day 3 - Athens

Breakfast followed by hotel check-out procedures.

You will walk with your guide until Benaki Museum located in Kolonaki Square (about 10 minutes).

The Benaki Museum ranks among the great benefactions which have enriched the material assets of the Greek State. It is also the oldest museum in Greece. The Museum houses a set of collections comprising many distinct categories and totalling more than 30,000 items that illustrate the Greek world through a spectacular historical panorama: from Antiquity and the age of Roman domination to the medieval Byzantine period, from the fall of Constantinople (1453) and the centuries of Frankish and Ottoman occupation to the outbreak of the struggle for independence in 1821, and from the formation of the modern state of Greece (1830) to 1922, the year in which the Asia Minor disaster took place. Board your vehicle again for a short drive to your hotel.

Following your visit, board your vehicle for a short drive to the meeting point where your local chef will await for you.
Combine the best flavors of Athens has to offer, in a master class that involves putting together a menu, shopping for the ingredients in the vibrant central markets of Athens, and actually preparing it, all under the care of a professional chef and expert on Mediterranean cuisine.
After collecting everything, you will head to a venue with all the necessary equipment to turn the fresh ingredients into delicious delicacies. With the guidance of the chef, you will enjoy the best meal prepared by yourselves.

You will then be transferred to the pier of Athens to embark on board your ship.

Your hotel:

The Athens Capital Center Hotel - MGallery Collection is a boutique hotel ideally located in the heart of Athens, in the upscale Kolonaki neighbourhood, two minutes from Syntagma Square. Its contemporary interior houses works of art celebrating Greek culture. The fully-appointed Deluxe rooms offer a tranquil haven with an elegant atmosphere. From the rooftop terrace with swimming pool, the view of the Acropolis is uninterrupted and cloaked in magic at nightfall. Greek and Mediterranean specialities are served at MFlavours, the first of the hotel’s restaurants, while creative cuisine awaits guests at the second, Mappemonde.

Upgraded rooms are also available depending on availability and on a supplement basis. Contact your travel professional for further detail.

Your programme includes:

·        2-nights accommodation in Deluxe room at Athens Capital Centre – Collection Mgallery 5* (local standard) or similar, breakfast included.

·        Meals as mentioned in the programme.

·        Beverage package during meals (bottled water + 1 soft drink or 1 glass of wine or 1 local beer and 1 coffee or tea).

·        Welcome drink voucher of 20 € to enjoy a cocktail at the rooftop Mappemonde during open hours (non refundable)

·        Transfers, visits, and entrance fees as mentioned in the programme.

·        The services of a local English-speaking escort on the day of arrival.

·        The services of a local English-speaking guide during visits.

Your programme does not include:

·        Dinner on days 1 & 2.

·        Personal expenses.

·        Visa if necessary.

·        Tips for the driver and local guide.

·        Early check-in and late check-out.

·        Other services not mentioned in the programme.

·        Entry fees and guided visit of the Acropolis.

Please note:

·        It is imperative that the details of your departure flight are provided to your travel agent, no later than 30 days before the start date of your cruise, to secure the proper private transfer.

·        On day 2, the photo tour of the Anafiotika district requires about 2 hours of walking on flat and uneven ground with uneven level.

·        The visit of the Acropolis Museum (day 2), the Benaki Museum and the walk at Central Market (day 3) require moderate walking on flat or uneven ground (paved terrain and a few steps).

·        The Acropolis visit site is not included to the program and is not recomanded for disabled people.You can visit it on your own during leisure time.

·        The Benaki Museum is closed on Tuesday.

·        The Central Market is closed on Sunday.

·        The official check-in in room at 15:00.

Contact of your hotel:

Athens Capital Centre – Collection Mgallery
4 Eleftheriou Venizelou Avenue and 2 Kriezotou street Syntagma Square,
Athens 105 64,
Greece
Telephone number: +30 21 4444 2000

Duration and order of the visits may vary. To know your PONANT flight schedule, please contact your travel agent; it is also indicated on your electronic ticket included in your travel documents.

Travel with peace of mind as PONANT organises your transfer between your port of disembarkation and the airport.

Antalya

After disembarkation procedures are completed, you will be greeted at the port by our local English-speaking representative.
You will then be directly transferred to the airport in time for check-in for the PONANT selected flight.

Your programme includes:

·        Transfer as mentioned in the programme.

·        Services of a local English-speaking guide.

Your programme does not include:

·        Tips for the driver and local guide.

·        Personal expenses and other services not mentioned in the programme.

To know your PONANT flight schedule, please contact your travel agent; it is also indicated on your electronic ticket included in your travel documents.

In the event of schedule changes of PONANT’s selected flight, your programme will be adapted to ensure the most seamless and enriching experience. The content of your revised programme will be updated on the PONANT website, in My Ponant space and on the PONANT app. The final programme will also be sent to you along with your cruise documents.

Enhance your cruise and extend your trip with a carefully designed programme.

Enjoy a few days discovering Cappadocia’s unique scenery in the heart of Turkey. The exceptional landscapes, as beautiful as they are mystical, will fascinate you, as will the history of this striking region. From fairy chimney rock formations to cave dwellings and underground cities, embark on a journey where shimmering colours mingle with the aromas and magic of the Orient.

Day 1 – Antalya/Konya

After disembarkation procedures are completed, you will be greeted at pier by our local representative.

By road, you will immediately head for Konya, lying in Central Anatolia at an altitude of 1,000 metres (3,281 feet). From the Mediterranean region of Antalya, an approximately four-and-a-half-hour drive will take you to this holy city, the cradle of Sufism and the former capital of the Seljuk Empire.  It is there that, in the 13th century, the mystic poet Jalal al-Din Rumi – also called “Mevlana”, meaning ‘erudite’ – founded the Mevlevi Order, also known as the “whirling dervishes”. Today, the city boasts prestigious religious monuments that attract a great many pilgrims, but it is also a significantly urbanised modern metropolis.

For lunch, you will enjoy traditional cuisine at a local restaurant in Konya.

You will then visit the Mevlana Museum, dedicated to the founding father of the whirling dervishes. This major pilgrimage site houses the former lodge of the Mevlevi Order and the mausoleum of the master, a masterpiece of Seljuk art built in 1274 after his death.

You will then be taken to the Dedeman Konya Convention Center 5*.

Check-in in your room.

Dinner and overnight at your hotel.

Day 2 – Konya/Cappadocia

Breakfast and check-out.

After breakfast, once you have completed your hotel check-out, you will leave Konya and cross the arid planes of Anatolia towards Cappadocia.

On the way (approximately one-and-a-half hour drive), you will stop at the Sultan Han Caravanserai. This roadside inn built in the 13th century afforded caravaners a place to rest and recover from the day's journey. Caravanserais, or hans in Turkish, supported the flow of commerce across a network of trade routes connecting Asia, North Africa and South-Eastern Europe. The Sultanhani han is one of the most well-preserved along the Silk Road  linking Konya to Persia.

You will travel on for another couple of hours to reach Mustafapasa (Sinasos). Located 5 km (3 miles) south of Urgup, it is one of the most beautiful villages in Cappadocia. The town is famous for its Greek architecture. Greeks and Karamanlides (Turkish-speaking Christians) make up the majority of the population. The rest are Muslim Turks. Its sculpted wooden doors and facade decorations are very typical.

Lunch will be served in a local restaurant.

After lunch, you will head to Kaymakli to visit the UNESCO-listed, largest underground city in the region. Between the 6th and 10th centuries, the city was carved out of volcanic rock, up to a depth of more than 90 metres (295 feet). It is possible to go as deep as eight levels down through an intricate labyrinth of tunnels.

After another half-hour or so on the road, you will arrive at the 4* Argos In Cappadocia Hotel in the mid-afternoon.

Enjoy some free time to freshen up and rest.

Dinner will then be served in a local restaurant.

Overnight in the hotel.

Day 3 – Cappadocia

Optional activity - Hot-air ballon in Cappadocia

Very early in the morning (weather permitting), you will set off for a hot-air balloon ride to the heart of unique landscapes. The sunrise will take on another dimension.
Dawn is the best time to enjoy this unique experience, as the cooler, calmer air ensures peaceful and stable flights, as well as soft landings. Another advantage is that the superb colours and contrasts at daybreak provide ideal conditions for taking beautiful photos.
The excellent flying conditions allow the hot air-balloons to gently drift over spectacular and surreal landscapes featuring fairy chimneys, dovecotes hewn into the unique rock formations, orchards and vineyards, and impressive valleys.
The flight time will be around 45 minutes (subject to weather conditions and approval from local authorities).

After your flight, you will return to your hotel to freshen up and breakfast.

You will visit Pasabag, boasting the most striking fairy chimneys in Cappadocia, crowned with double and sometimes even triple rock caps. Even for this region, these formations are truly unique! The locals call them mushroom-shaped fairy chimneys. As you wander around Pasabag, you will see many vineyards.

After lunch, your discovery tour will continue with the Zelve Open-Air Museum, south of Avanos. It encompasses three valleys home to a multitude of crumbling cave dwellings, painted and carved churches, wine-making rooms and wheat grinding mills. Right at the back of the third valley are the deepest and most intact cave dwellings, with many details indicating what life must have been like here a thousand years ago.

Next, in Avanos, the capital of Turkish pottery, a workshop will teach you more about this wonderful local handicraft inherited from the Hittite period.

To wrap up this day spent amid fairy chimneys and Byzantine vestiges, you will stop for a wine tasting at a local vineyard with some of the oldest perched vines in the world. There, you will be able to taste fruity wines made from local grapes.

Back to your hotel.

Dinner will be on your own.

Overnight at the hotel.

Day 4 - Cappadocia

Your day will then be spent discovering this unique and colourful natural environment through some of the most well-known sites in the region (ten to twenty-minute transfer between each visit). On the road between Uchisar and Goreme, you will start by visiting Pigeon Valley. A short walk will enable you to discover the dovecote tradition in Cappadocia. The locals carve them out of the tuff formations called “fairy chimneys”. Lunch will be served in a local restaurant. After a short transfer (approximately ten minutes), you will reach the Goreme Open-Air Museum, the most visited site of the monastic communities in Cappadocia, and one of the most famous sites in the centre of Turkey. It is a complex comprising more than 30 churches and chapels carved out of rock and containing superb frescoes dating from the 9th century to the 11th. While the exterior seems relatively unremarkable, the interiors are designed in a typical Byzantine style, with a central dome and a floor plan in the shape of a cross or a rectangle. The largest and most well-preserved church in Goreme is Tokali Kilise. Its interior walls are covered in some of the most beautiful frescoes in the region, depicting scenes from the New Testament. In the early evening, you will be attending a whirling dervish ceremony called “semah”. During this ritual dance, accompanied by Sufi music and symbolising a prayer and divine communion, the Mevlevi Order disciples spin around in a trance-like state. Dinner at the hotel and overnight.

 

Day 5 – Cappadocia/Kayseri

After breakfast and check-out, time at leisure depending on your flight schedule.

You will then be transferred to the Kayseri airport in time for check-in for the PONANT selected flight or any other flight (provided that you have previously communicated your flight schedule to your travel agent).

Your hotels:

The 5* Dedeman Konya Convention Center Hotel is a modern and comfortable establishment 5 km (3 miles) out of the centre of Konya. Its well-appointed rooms, its restaurant serving Turkish and international cuisine, and its indoor pool will provide a relaxing setting.

The 4* Argos In Cappadocia Hotel is a former monastery in the village of Uchisar, now turned boutique hotel. Its interior reflects the cave-dwelling tradition yet offers every modern-day comfort. The hotel has been beautifully renovated by integrating the new structures into the heart of the vestiges with the utmost respect for the environment. Guests come here to press pause and take a break from the frantic pace of the modern world. Each room is unique and offers a private space. They are carved right out of the rock, celebrating the region’s cave-dwelling tradition. Lush gardens and sun-drenched terraces reveal picturesque panoramic views.

Upgraded rooms are also available depending on availability and on a supplement basis. Contact your travel professional for further detail.

Your programme includes:

 

·        1-night accommodation in Junior Suite at Dedeman Konya Convention Center 5*, (local standard) or similar, breakfast included.

·        3-night accommodation in Suite rooms at l’hôtel Argos In Cappadocia 4*, (local standard) or similar, breakfast included.

·        Meals as mentioned in the programme.

·        Beverage package during meals (bottled water + 1 soft drink or 1 local beer or 1 glass of wine and 1 coffee or tea). Excepted for the Lunch in Konya, No alcoholic beverages available around the Mevlana Museum Complex.

·        Transfers, visits, and entrance fees as mentioned in the programme.

·        The services of a local English-speaking guide and a local French-speaking guide during visits.

Your programme does not include:

·        Optional activity : 45-minutes hot air balloon flight (weather and local authorities permitting).

·        Personal expenses.

·        Dinner on Day 3, Lunch on day 5.

·        Visa if necessary.

·        Tips for the driver and local guide.

·        Other services not mentioned in the programme.

·        Early check-in and late check-out.

Please note:

·        It is imperative that the details of your departure flight are provided to your travel agent, no later than 30 days before the start date of your cruise, to secure the proper private transfer.

·        Turkey’s unit is the Turkish Lira.

·        The distance between Cappadocia and Antalya is about 540 km (335 miles) and takes about 8 hours to cover by road. Since no domestic flights are possible on the itinerary dates, the package includes an overnight stay in Konya to make your trip more enjoyable.

·        Konya is a holy city and its region is one of the most conservative in Turkey. The traditional local restaurants, particularly those located near religious sites, do not sell alcoholic beverages. It is possible to order alcoholic beverages in the bars and restaurants of certain international hotels.

·        For the Mevlana Museum visit, clothing must cover the shoulders and legs. Women must cover their head, so a scarf is recommended.

·        Kaymakli Underground City: this visit is not recommended for anyone suffering from claustrophobia, respiratory problems, or who has difficulties walking. The passageways are very narrow and low, requiring visitors to hunch over (but not crawl). There is adequate light. Good walking shoes are recommended.

·        The hot-air balloon ride is subject to weather conditions. It may be postponed to the following day. In the event of a cancellation, the activity will be reimbursed.

·        The hot-air balloon ride requires the ability to stand in the basket for the duration of the flight (approximately 1 hour) and to crouch down with bended knees during the entire landing. The maximum weight for taking part in this activity is 90-100 kg. This activity is not recommended for anyone with respiratory problems.

·        Official in-room check-in time at 3:00 p.m.

·        Official time of check-out from the room at 12:00 p.m.

·        This programme is not suitable for people with reduced mobility.

Contact of your hotels:

Dedeman Konya Hotel & Convention Center
Esenler, Yeni Sille Cd. No: 1,
42080 Selçuklu/Konya, Turquie
Telephone number: (90) 332 221 66 00

Argos Cappadocia
Uchisar-Nevsehir
TURKEY
Telephone number: (90) 384 219 31 30.

Duration and order of the visits may vary. To know your PONANT flight schedule, please contact your travel agent; it is also indicated on your electronic ticket included in your travel documents.