Jewels of the Mediterranean

Athens in late October is the city at its finest: the summer heat and tourist density have both passed, the Acropolis is accessible without the July and August queues and the terrace restaurants of the Monastiraki and Plaka neighbourhoods have the particular warmth of the Greek autumn. Your included 4-star hotel gives two nights to begin absorbing the city before boarding Celebrity Infinity.

A full second day in Athens and the city opens its deeper layers. The Acropolis Museum directly below the hill houses the finest collection of Classical Greek sculpture in the world. The Ancient Agora, where Socrates taught and St Paul preached, gives a sense of Athenian civic life more intimate than the Acropolis above. Cape Sounion, 70 kilometres south on the Attica Peninsula, holds the Temple of Poseidon in one of the most dramatically situated ancient sites in Greece and is worth the afternoon drive in the October light.

Transfer to Piraeus, the ancient port of Athens, where Celebrity Infinity is docked. There is time before the afternoon embarkation for a final Athens morning. Board and watch the Greek capital recede behind the stern as the Aegean opens ahead.

A sea day heading south through the Aegean as Celebrity Infinity makes for Mykonos. The Greek islands are ahead and the October sea at this latitude is warm, clear and at its most contemplative. The Aqua Spa, the Cellar Masters and the Tuscan Grill are all excellent companions for a first sea day in these waters.

Mykonos in October is the island returning to its own rhythm after the summer season. The lanes of the Chora are quieter, the windmills turn without the crowds and the beaches are warm without the August intensity. The iconic whitewashed architecture and the waterfront Little Venice district are at their most photogenic in the October light. Eleven hours gives genuine time to move from the old town to a beach and back.

Rhodes is the most historically layered of the Dodecanese islands, its UNESCO-listed medieval old town the finest preserved Crusader city in the world. The Street of the Knights, where the various national orders of the Knights Hospitaller each maintained their own hostel, is the most intact medieval street in existence. The Palace of the Grand Master, rebuilt in the early 20th century on the foundations of the original 14th-century fortress, gives the walled city its visual centre. Lindos, 50 kilometres south on the island’s east coast, with its acropolis above the village and the ancient Temple of Athena visible from the sea, is the most rewarding half-day excursion on the island.

The extended stay until 9:00 PM is the defining scheduling decision of this voyage. Santorini’s caldera views, the cave houses of Oia and the volcanic beaches of Perissa are all available in October without the August crowds that can make the island feel overwhelming. The October light on the caldera has a particular quality, warm and golden and lasting well into the evening. The cable car to Fira, the path to Oia and the wineries of the Santorini wine trail using the island’s ancient Assyrtiko grape are all within reach. The caldera at sunset with the sky turning from gold to violet above the Aegean is one of the great travel moments available in the Mediterranean.

Chania is the most beautiful city in Crete and one of the finest in Greece. The Venetian harbour with its lighthouse, the Ottoman mosques, the covered food market in the former Venetian loggia and the Archaeological Museum give the city a cultural depth beyond any beach resort. The Samaria Gorge walking trail closes for the winter in November and October is the last month of reliable access — confirm conditions with the local operator before booking.

A sea day heading west through the Mediterranean as Celebrity Infinity makes for Valletta and Malta. The Ionian Sea is crossed during the day and the distinctive limestone profile of the Maltese Islands appears on the horizon by late afternoon. The destination briefing on Valletta’s extraordinary history, covering the Great Siege of 1565, the Knights of Malta and the 2018 European Capital of Culture designation, is worth attending today.

Valletta is one of the smallest capitals in the world and one of the most architecturally coherent, its entire UNESCO-listed old town built in a single Baroque campaign between 1566 and the early 17th century by the Knights of St John following the Great Siege. The Co-Cathedral of St John, housing Caravaggio’s largest painting in the Oratory, is the finest single interior in Malta. The Upper Barrakka Gardens give the finest elevated view of the Grand Harbour, one of the most significant natural harbours in the Mediterranean. The Valletta waterfront restaurants along Merchants Street and Republic Street are excellent for a November afternoon before the ship departs.

Messina sits at the tip of Sicily on the strait separating the island from the Italian mainland. The city was entirely rebuilt after the catastrophic 1908 earthquake, giving it a coherent early 20th-century character unlike any other Sicilian city. Taormina, 50 kilometres south, with its Greek Theatre framing Mount Etna and the coastline below, is the primary excursion and gives the finest accessible view of what makes Sicily exceptional. November in Sicily is warm enough for the terraces and clear enough for Etna to be fully visible.

Salerno is the gateway to the Amalfi Coast and the full day here gives genuine time to reach Amalfi, Positano and Ravello — the three towns that make this coastline one of the most celebrated in the world. Amalfi itself, accessible by boat from Salerno, is wedged into a narrow valley between limestone cliffs that plunge directly into the turquoise water, its cathedral staircase rising above the piazza. Positano’s pastel-coloured houses stacked on the cliff face are accessible by SITA bus along the coastal road. Ravello on the ridge above gives panoramic views of the coast from the Villa Rufolo gardens that Wagner used as inspiration for Parsifal. November on the Amalfi Coast means the summer tourists have gone and the coast returns to its own warm and unhurried character.

The extended stay until 9:00 PM gives a full day in Rome and an evening. The 90-minute express train from Civitavecchia to Roma Termini connects the port to the centre of the Eternal City. The Colosseum, the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel all require advance booking. The Pantheon, the Campo de’ Fiori and the Trastevere neighbourhood’s evening restaurants give Rome a second character entirely distinct from its ancient monuments and are at their best in the November early evening when the city belongs to the Romans.

A final sea day heading northwest through the Gulf of Lion toward Barcelona. The Ligurian coast and then the Costa Brava pass on the port side during the afternoon as Celebrity Infinity follows the French and Spanish coastline south. Barcelona arrives tomorrow morning. The Tuscan Grill and Eden are both worth a farewell dinner reservation tonight.

Barcelona is the finest conclusion to a Mediterranean voyage. The Sagrada Família, Gaudí’s extraordinary cathedral that has been under construction since 1882 and remains the most visited monument in Spain, anchors the city’s cultural identity. Park Güell’s mosaic terraces, the Gothic Quarter’s medieval lanes, the La Boqueria market on Las Ramblas and the El Born neighbourhood’s independent restaurants give the city a range that rewards the full day. November in Barcelona means warm autumn days, manageable crowds and the city’s creative culture in full operation. Your Jewels of the Mediterranean journey concludes here — ask your Cruiseabout specialist about a Barcelona hotel stay before flying home.