Sample Itinerary · Athens & Crete
Ten nights of antiquity and sea: the Acropolis and the Athenian Riviera, then the coast of Crete.
The two sides of a Greek summer, one unhurried journey. We open in Athens, with the Acropolis and the easy glamour of its coast, then take a short flight south to Crete, where the days turn to sea, mountains and long Cretan lunches.
Read it for the rhythm rather than as a fixed departure. Every part is ours to reshape: the balance of nights, the hotels, the experiences. Browse more on Greece, or shape this one below.
Guide price from £3,800 per person, based on two sharing and excluding international flights. Every journey is priced to your exact dates, rooms and experiences.
The journey there
Indicative flight times for the journey. We hold the routings and connections, and book the cabins and timings that suit you.
Times are approximate and vary by carrier and season. The Athens to Crete leg is a simple domestic flight of under an hour, which we time around your day.
The journey
A gentle arc from the marble of Athens to the coast of Crete. The nights and stays below are a guide; we reshape every part of it around you.
Day 1 · Athens
You land in Athens and slip out to the coast, settling into One&Only Aesthesis on the Riviera, with its pine-shaded beach and the sea on the doorstep. The first evening is for a swim and a long dinner by the water as the light goes.
Days 2 – 3 · Athens
Two days for the city, taken in the cool of the morning. A private guide opens up the Acropolis and the Parthenon before the heat and the crowds, then the museums, the markets and the lanes of Plaka, with long lunches and a rooftop dinner under the lit-up rock.
Day 4 · The Saronic
A private sail out into the Saronic Gulf: a swim off the boat, lunch on deck and a stop at a quiet island such as Hydra or Aegina for a slow wander. Back to the Riviera for a last Athenian evening before the flight south tomorrow.
Day 5 · To Crete
A short flight carries you to Crete, and the pace shifts again. You settle into Daios Cove, a clifftop retreat tumbling down to its own bay, with a private pool, the sea below and the mountains behind. The first day asks nothing more than the water.
Days 6 – 7 · Crete
Two days to settle into the island. Swim from the cove, take a boat along the coast to hidden beaches, and let the meals run long, Cretan olive oil, fresh fish and the local wine. The pace is yours, with as little or as much as you would like to do.
Days 8 – 9 · Crete
Time to explore: a morning at the palace of Knossos, the Venetian harbours of Chania and Rethymno, or a drive up into the mountains and gorges of the interior. Or simply stay by the sea, with the cove, the spa and a long lunch winning out.
Day 10 · Crete
A final slow breakfast above the bay, a last swim and a gentle return to the world. We arrange your transfers and timings so the journey home feels as seamless as everything before it, with the option of a night back in Athens to round things off.
Make it yours
Adjust the balance of nights and add the experiences that appeal. Nothing is booked here: it simply shapes the brief we will build around you.
The balance of nights
Add the experiences you would love
The stays
Handpicked stays on the Athenian Riviera and the coast of Crete. We will match the exact rooms and dates to you.
A design-led beach resort on the Athenian Riviera, set in a pine-shaded nature reserve with its own sands, moments from the city.
A clifftop resort tumbling down to its own bay on the east of Crete, with villas, private pools and a sweep of sea and mountain.
A polished all-in beach resort on the quiet west coast of Crete, near the pink sands of Elafonisi and the harbour town of Chania.
Good to know
We do not sell fixed packages. We shape the whole journey around you, then handle the moving parts so it feels effortless from the first morning to the last.
Guide price and a tailored proposal follow your enquiry. This page is a starting point, not a fixed departure.
shall we?
Tell us your dates and how you like to travel, and we will reshape this Athens and Crete journey, or something else entirely, around you.