Piraeus (Athens) → Fusina (Venice) (9 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.

Embark on a European and Asian adventure packed with a wealth of charm and cultural diversity. Roam the ‘blue’ mosque of Sultan Ahmet, the Grand Bazaar, opulent Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia or sink into a serene Turkish Bath experience. Embrace the city’s vine-shaded homely district where ladies shop for butter-soaked baklava and freshly picked olives. Explore further to haggle for gold jewellery, linen and oriental antiques. Dine in the atmospheric old city or take a ferry to Asia for street-served food. Feast over rich platters of meze, moist grilled bluefish and succulent kebabs. Heighten your senses even further in the spice bazaar with enticing aromas and vibrant, colourful displays. After such a sensorial feast, indulge in a restorative raki, whichever continent you’re in. By night parties don’t start until late, but expect to dance till dawn. Join the late crowd spilling into the streets overlooking the Bosphorus. Sway at European rooftop bars, shimmer by ferry over to the Asian suburbs or remain ensconced in old-fashioned folk venues. An eclectic fusion of east and west, this city is conservative at heart with a truly modern soul.

Embark on a European and Asian adventure packed with a wealth of charm and cultural diversity. Roam the ‘blue’ mosque of Sultan Ahmet, the Grand Bazaar, opulent Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia or sink into a serene Turkish Bath experience. Embrace the city’s vine-shaded homely district where ladies shop for butter-soaked baklava and freshly picked olives. Explore further to haggle for gold jewellery, linen and oriental antiques. Dine in the atmospheric old city or take a ferry to Asia for street-served food. Feast over rich platters of meze, moist grilled bluefish and succulent kebabs. Heighten your senses even further in the spice bazaar with enticing aromas and vibrant, colourful displays. After such a sensorial feast, indulge in a restorative raki, whichever continent you’re in. By night parties don’t start until late, but expect to dance till dawn. Join the late crowd spilling into the streets overlooking the Bosphorus. Sway at European rooftop bars, shimmer by ferry over to the Asian suburbs or remain ensconced in old-fashioned folk venues. An eclectic fusion of east and west, this city is conservative at heart with a truly modern soul.

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.

Comely Kotor Bay, a lesser-travelled amphitheatre etched into the Adriatic coast of Montenegro, welcomes with hypnotic jade waters encircled by emerald-crowned slopes. Sheltered in the fjord’s angelic embrace, Kotor Old Town beckons as a fairy-tale city whose formidable walls, Romanesque churches and medieval bastions have witnessed the highs and lows of masked carnivals and devastating earthquakes. Italian and Mediterranean influences flavour the cuisine, where gelato and brodetto accompany fresh Adriatic seafood. Uphill, the Church of our Lady of Remedy affords spectacular views of Kotor’s red-tiled UNESCO World Heritage rooftops, a manmade jewel amongst landscapes where the inspired will wander.

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 an explosion of Slovene natural wonders packed with architecture, adventure and picture-perfect towns humming with Adriatic allure. Meander Koper’s medieval cobbled old-town lanes for fine Venetian architecture then tuck into lively Tito Square with its Bell Tower and beautiful Praetorian Palace. Head to underground wonderlands at the mystical Škocjan Caves to gasp at stalagmites and stalactites. Zag along the crazy cobalt-blue waters to nearby Piran for just-off-the-boat seafood. Stroll the stony streets and Tartini Square, climb the hill to walk amongst medieval walls then wander to the Church of St George for the most magnificent views.

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.