Islands of the Mediterranean

Fly from Toronto to Palermo, Sicily, Italy.

Meet our English-speaking tour manager, transfer by private coach to our hotel in Palermo city centre. Welcome dinner at a typical local restaurant with a musical performance.

Accommodation: Grand Hotel Piazza Borsa or similar (2 nights)
Meals included: Dinner

After breakfast, a guided tour of Palermo: the superb Palatine Chapel, located inside the former Royal Palace, and the Cathedral. Time at leisure for lunch and shopping, followed by a tour of Palermo’s street food. Stop for tastings at the city’s best street vendors and family-run shops, and learn about Sicilian history and folklore.

Meals included: Breakfast

In the morning, visit the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento, some of the most impressive remains of the Ancient Greek civilization found anywhere. After lunch, move on to the Roman Empire: a visit to the splendid Villa Romana del Casale, which has one of the largest and best-preserved collections of Roman mosaics in the world.

Accommodation: 4* Katane Palace or similar (3 nights)
Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner

After breakfast, a hiking excursion to Mount Etna, the highest active volcano in Europe. Hike up to the Sapienza Refuge, at 1800 m, and visit the famous Crateri Silvestri, extinct craters created in the massive 1892 eruption. For an additional cost, travel up to 2800 m by cable car or 4×4 bus. Lunch and wine tasting in a wine cellar on the slopes of Etna. In the afternoon, a visit to the hillside town of Taormina and its famous Greco-Roman theatre.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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In the morning, a tour of Catania: the Cathedral, the Elephant Fountain, the Abbey of Sant’Agata, the Roman Amphitheatre, and the colourful fish market. Lunch at leisure, then depart for Syracuse in the afternoon. There, visit the island of Ortigia, the Neapolis Archaeological Park with its spectacular Greek Theatre, the Roman Amphitheatre, the Ear of Dionysius cave, and the altar of Hiero.

Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner

After breakfast, travel to Catania Airport for a flight to Malta.

Accommodation: AX Victoria Hotel or similar (4 nights)
Meals included: Breakfast

A full-day guided excursion to Valletta: the Upper Barrakka Gardens, the Grand Master’s Palace, St. John’s Co-Cathedral and Museum with its Caravaggio masterpieces, and the Malta Experience audio-visual presentation. Lunch at local restaurant, then travel back to the hotel. Dinner at leisure.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch

A full-day guided excursion to Mdina, the Silent City: St. Paul’s Cathedral & Museum, Tales of the Silent City audio-visual montage, St. Paul’s Grotto and Church in Rabat, and the Hagar Qim Temple. Lunch at leisure, then travel back to the hotel. Group dinner at the hotel.

Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner

Travel to Marsamxett Harbour in Sliema, and board the Turkish gulet Fernandes for a day cruise to the islands of Gozo and Comino. The cruise includes a morning snack, a delicious buffet lunch, and an open bar (excluding spirits). Return to Sliema by 5:30 pm and travel back to the hotel. Dinner at leisure.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast, check out of the hotel and depart for a guided tasting at a local winery, followed by lunch at leisure. Travel to the airport for a flight to Cyprus, then travel by coach to the hotel.

Accommodation: Mediterranean Beach Hotel or similar (4 nights)
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch

Explore the city of Famagusta by coach, then cross to the Turkish side of the island. Visit the Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque, built at the turn of the 14th century as St. Nicholas Cathedral and converted after the Ottoman conquest. Next to the mosque is Othello’s Tower, immortalized by Shakespeare. Drive to the former capital of Cyprus, the ancient city of Salamis, have lunch in the Kokkinochoria area, then head for Ayia Napa, a fishing village turned tourist resort, with photo stops along the way. Return to your hotel; dinner at leisure.

Note: Please do not forget your passport. Travel between the Turkish and Greek sides is subject to border control.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch

Full-day excursion to Curium and Paphos. Travel west along the coastal road to the Greek part of the island, stopping in the ancient city-kingdom of Curium. Visit the house of Eustolios with its well-preserved mosaics, and the legendary birthplace of Aphrodite, where the goddess rose from the waves. In Paphos see the house of Dionysus and other ancient sites, then wander around the old fishing harbour and enjoy lunch at leisure. On the way back, stop at the church of Agia Paraskevi, with its 15^th century murals. Dinner at the hotel.

Note: Please do not forget your passport. Travel between the Turkish and Greek sides is subject to border control.

Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner

Visit both sides of Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus and the last divided city in Europe. Start at the Cyprus Museum, with its rich collection ranging from Neolithic to Byzantine times. Continue on to the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of St. John and the Cultural Centre of the Makarios Foundation, with its spectacular icon collection. Stroll the inviting narrow streets of Laiki Yitonia, the restored quarter of Greek Nicosia, and explore its traditional shops. Group lunch at a local restaurant, then cross the Green Line and explore the picturesque Turkish quarter, including Buyuk Han, a former inn turned cultural centre, and the Selimiye Mosque, historically the Cathedral of Saint Sophia. Dinner at leisure.

Note: Please do not forget your passport. Travel between the Turkish and Greek sides is subject to border control.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch

Travel to Athens, and start your visit with a tour of the city and a tasting at a local winery. Then, visit the  Roman Temple of Olympian Zeus, and the Acropolis with its many monuments, including the Parthenon. Continue on to Plaka, for a walking tour of Athens’ oldest and most picturesque neighbourhood, a maze of cobblestoned pedestrian streets with dozens of shops, boutiques, and restaurants. Enjoy dinner on the rooftop terrace of your hotel.

Accommodation: Divani Palace Hotel or similar (1 night)
Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner

Breakfast at hotel, then travel to the airport for our return flight home.

Meals included: Breakfast