Piraeus (Athens) → Fusina (Venice) (7 nights)

Athenians don’t live in the past. Ahead of its time, Athens exudes glamour and a sense of possibility - housing galleries, gelaterias, bijoux boutiques alongside a plethora of museums. And you can’t help but marvel at the archaeological wonders of the Acropolis and the Parthenon. Stroll through vibrant streets and markets, dance at buzzing bouzoukia, sing along in tavernas. At night, head to the harbour, where dimly lit bars serve the local ice cold beer. And, as you inhale the salty air and watch Greek fishing boats peacefully depart for their catch, reflect on this ancient city's progressive attitude.

Unveil picturesque Paros' unadorned charms from ancient remains to traditional tavernas and sweet villages and blue-domed churches to a bounty of blonde-sand beaches. Head out to Parikia to find the awe-inspiring AD326 Byzantine monastery or take a ferry across to explore caves in the rugged natural beauty of Antiparos. Walk through the island's ancient archaeological history at the tiny museum and lose yourself in the labyrinth of lanes at the old Venetian port of Náoussa. Banish any tension on a sunlounger, then breeze through home-cooked mezze feasts in white-washed tavernas. Windsurf, kite-surf, dive, swim au naturel and enjoy a network of walking trails. Somehow Páros has managed to preserve more of the soft spirit than some of her Cyclade cousins.

Rising from the sea like a jewel, the island of Rhodes was a gift from Zeus to Helios, the sun god. A sun-kissed home to Cicero and Caesar whose rhetoric and thinking still echo along stone-paved lanes and the UNESCO-listed Old Town. Follow the footsteps of the Knights of St. John and their Turkish conquerors who both left fascinating monuments, fountains and shady squares. Soak up the buzzing energy and be gently tempted to step back in time. Pay respect at the pinkish Suleiman Mosque with its tall minaret then seek serenity at the Byzantine Church or heavenly views where perfectly positioned white houses are dotted high into the hills. Whilst you wander, lean into the legend of the 100-foot Colossus, a wonder of the world, replaced now with twin bronze deer that guard the Mandraki Harbour.

Syros might be just across the water from Mykonos, but this snug island feels a world away from its hedonism. But this is no sleepy backwater: arrive at the capital Ermoupoli, once the mercantile heart of the Aegean, to find an elegant neo-classical enclave humming with real Greek hustle and bustle. Wander wide boulevards sparkling with Cyclades marble to Vaporia, a chic pocket with the best-preserved merchant palaces, the waterfront cafes of Little Venice and the Apollo Theatre, known as La Piccola Scala. Climb to Ano Syros, the scenic hilltop village settled by 13th-century Venetians and crowned by San Giorgio cathedral or seek the island’s fishing villages upon sandy shores and quiet coves cradled by forests.

Receive a warm welcome in carefree Hvar, with its smattering of historical monuments and Venetian-era stone houses that cling to hills above a palm and superyacht-lined harbour. Call into the Grand Piazza, complete with baroque cathedral and Venetian castle. Beyond the fortified capital, view an ocean-backdrop monastery and the legendary ‘Last Supper’ painting. Reach tiny pine-coated Pakleni islets for some secluded wellbeing, grasp glamour at sea-lapping Carpe Diem and set off through wafts of lavender to isolated Humac or Stari Grad. A warm welcome awaits in the historical elegance of carefree Hvar.

Sheltered by mountains and hills of pine, Split casts a sirenic spell, its terracotta-tiled rooftops spilling straight down to the sparkling Adriatic. Wander within the ancient walls of Diocletian’s seafront palace to its collonaded courtyard and cathedral, the sinuous streets and sunny squares abuzz with cafes and shops, and everyday life ongoing amid the palace’s atmospheric alleyways. From here, people-watch over coffee on the Saint Tropez-esque Riva promenade; climb to the hilltop park, small churches hidden along the way, for a sundowner; or seek the sandy Bacvice beach, swimming the shallows as Splicani play picigin (ballgame), and perfecting the Dalmatian art of fjaka, the sweetness of doing nothing.

Delve into ancient palaces, century-old galleries, and modern-day exhibits as you whirl through Venice. Walk through masterpieces, catch an opera, gaze at medieval buildings, blow Murano glass and drift down the Grand Canal by gondola to visit churches, convents and campi “squares” that vary in spirit and scale. Cross hump-backed bridges, reach teeming Piazza San Marco’s Basilica and Doge’s Palace, or duck down passages to escape reality. From palazzos to perfumeries and the must-see Bridge of Sighs, you’re only moments from a place of beauty in this liquid-gold city of treasures.