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Malta & Sicily
Sicily Tour                                          Malta & Sicily
Valetta Port, Malta

Day 1                  Valetta, Malta 

Stay            MS Hebridean Sky

Comfortable ship. Took all onboard meals on deck.

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Visit

  • St John's Co-Cathedral

  • Barrakka Gardens

  • Landmarks of the Knights of St John

  • The Inquisitor's Palace

  • Fort St Elmo              

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Mdina Old City, Malta

Day 2                  Valetta, Malta

Stay            MS Hebridean Sky

 

Visit​ Inland                     Mdina   Walking tour of this ancient Capital which was constructed by the Phoenicians.

  • Mdina Old City

  • St Paul's Cathedral

  • Palazzo Falson                        

Villa Del Casale, Sicily

Day 3                       Licata, Sicily

Stay             MS Hebridean Sky

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Travel Inland Piazza Armerina

 

Visit                  Villa del Casale  

50 room Roman Villa built end 3rd century AD (UNESCO site).  Stunning mosaics.      

Valley of the Temples, Sicily

Day 4           Porto Empedocle

Stay             MS Hebridean Sky

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Visit        Valley of the Temples​

Archeological site in Agrigento, one of the most outstanding examples of Greater Greece art and architecture situated in 1300 hectare site. (UNESCO)

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Erice Cathedral, Sicily

Day 5                              Trapani

Stay             MS Hebridean Sky

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Travel Inland                         Erice â€‹

 

Visit                                   

Walking tour of medieval town.

Erice Cathedral

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Lunch

Baglio Fontanasalsa, olive oil growers and producers.

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Palermo Cathedral, Sicily

Day 6                             Palermo

Stay             MS Hebridean Sky

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Visit                                   

  • Walking tour of  Historic centre Prima Circoscrizione, Piazza Bellini, Piazza Bologni

  • Guided tour of Cathedral

  • Guided tour of Church of San Cataldo

 

Inland Travel             Monreale

  • Village of Arab origin in valley of the Conca D'Oro.

  • Guided tour of Duomo de Monreale .

Walking tour of Taormina, Sicily

Day 7                              Messina

Stay             MS Hebridean Sky

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Visit Inland              Taormina​

  • Walking tour of Taormina.​

  • Palazzo Corvaja

  • Duomo di Taormina 

  • Greek Theatre

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Travel by Sea (afternoon)

Passing Mount Versuvius

MS Serenissima in port
Greek Theatre, Syracuse, Sicily

Day 8                            Syracuse

Stay             MS Hebridean Sky

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Visit Inland

  • Neapolis Archaeological Park, (UNESCO) seeing:​

  • Latomia del Paradiso

  • Altar of Hieron

  • Greek Theatre

  • Roman Amphitheatre

  • Orecchio di Dioniso

  • Cave of the Cordari

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Visit                                 Ortygia

  • Walking tour of Ortygia (Historic centre of Syracuse)

  • Guided tour of Ortygia Cathedral​

Noto Cathedral, Noto, Sicily

Day 9                             Pozzallo

Stay             MS Hebridean Sky

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Visit Inland                          Noto​

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  • Walking tour of Noto (UNESCO) outstanding Baroque village on the terraced slopes of Mount Iblei.

  • Noto Cathedral of San Nicolo

  • Palazzo Nicolaci

  • Chiesa Santa Chiara

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Visit Inland                     Ragusa

One of the most picturesque towns of Sicily.

  • Duomo di San Giorgio

  • Church of St Mary of the Stairs

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Silverhairedgappies: the utlimate travel advice for the discerning traveller

Day 10                Valetta, Malta

Travel                         Fly Home

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          Duomo di Taormina, Messina

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SHG Highlights

  • MS Hebridean Sky & onboard Team

  • Cathedrals & Churches

  • Maltese Architecture

  • Historic Sites in Sicily

  • Overall superb trip, every stop a gem!

Silverhairedgappies: the utlimate travel advice for the discerning traveller

SHG Critique

  • Owing to Covid we were unable to enter many sites,  shops, cafes and restaurants in Sicilian towns.

  • Would have liked to access more historic buildings in Malta (no Covid restrictions)

Athens to Tirana
Athens to Tirana                         Greece & Albania
Roof tops of Athens, Greece

Day 1                                Athens 

 

Stay          

Well positioned international hotel in Syntagma Square, opposite the Houses of Parliament, walking distance from Acropolis.  Slightly overshadowed by its grander neighbours!

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Eat               Ella Greek Cooking

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Acropolis, Piraeus, Greece

Day 2               Piraeus, Greece

Stay                 MS Serenissima

Hardly a 'small ship', unable to swim off the boat, unable to moor in small ports.  

Visit​                                 

  • Acropolis

  • Acropolis Museum

  • Pantheon

 

Afternoon                     Board Ship

Corinth Canal, Itea, Greece

Day 3                       Itea, Greece

Stay                  MS Serenissima

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Travel                  Corinth Canal​

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Visit Inland                        Delphi

UNESCO World Heritage site and museum

Argostoli, Cephalonia, Greek Islands

Day 4    Argostoli, Cephalonia 

Stay                 MS Serenissima

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Visit:  

  • Katavothres - sinkholes

  • Lighthouse of Saint Theodore

  • Kourkoumelata village

  • Venetian castle of St George

  • Church of Panagia Sissiotissa 

  • Monastery of St Gerasimos, Omala

Early morning sky, Preveza, Greece

Day 5             Preveza, Greece

Stay                 MS Serenissima

 

Visit                            Nicopolis

Ancient city founded by Octavianus Augustus 31BC

 

Visit                                      Preveza

Walking tour. Shopping.

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Dodoni sanctuary and theatre.

Day 6  Igoumenitsa, Greece

Stay             MS Serenissima

 

Visit Inland                Dodoni

Visit the sanctuary & theatre.

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Visit Inland             Ioannina

City founded by Byzantine Emperor Justinian, 6th Century AD, expanded in 13th century.

  • Take boat to The Island to visit the house of Ali Pasha.

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Early morning arrival by sea to the island of Corfu

Day 7          Corfu Town, Corfu

Stay                 MS Serenissima

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Visit:  

  • Walking tour of Corfu Town

  • Tour of Royal British Palace of Saint George & St Michael

  • Church of Saint Spyridon

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Visit Inland     Paleokastritsa & Kanoni

Visit

  • Byzantine Monastery

  • Kanoni Beach

Butrint, Albania

Day 8          Sarande, Albania

Stay                 MS Serenissima

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Visit Inland                   Butrint  Guided tour of UNESCO site developed by the Greeks, Romans and Byzantines. It sits in its own stunning national park.

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Skanderbeg Square, Tirana, Albania

Day 9/10           Tirana, Albania

Stay                       

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Covid   Husband contracted covid, so taxi arranged to take us to Tirana for 2 days.

Visit                                  Tirana

  • Bunk'Art

  • House of Leaves

  • Skanderbeg Square

  • Grand Park 

  • St Paul's Cathedral

  •  Orthodox Cathedral

  • Tirana Castle

Day 10 Travel Fly Home

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Visits Missed:

Apollonia, Berat, Kruje Castle

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Attempting to remove damp from the carpet
Silverhairedgappies: the utlimate travel advice for the discerning traveller

SHG Highlights

  • ​Acropolis

  • Corinth Canal

  • Delphi

  • Ioannina & The Island

  • Corfu

  • Butrint

Silverhairedgappies: the utlimate travel advice for the discerning traveller

SHG Critique

  • MS Serenissima disappointing

(leak beneath carpet all around bed, no suitable cabin to move to)

  • Boat too big to moor in the smaller more picturesque ports.

  • Covid policy dictated we either remained in our room (impossible with damp carpet) or left the ship.

  • Charcterless restaurants for onshore lunches

Towels mopping up  the leak in Cabin 406

St Petersberg                                                   Russia
The State Hermitage, St Petersburg

Day 1 & 2            St Petersburg

Stay                      Astoria Hotel

Perfectly situated Forte hotel decorated in art deco style. Visited before latest renovation, rooms were surprisingly basic.

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Visit:  

  • The Winter Palace

  • The State Hermitage

  • Yussupov Palace

IMG_0687_edited.jpg

Day 3.                 St Petersburg

Stay                      Astoria Hotel

 

Visit:  

  • Palace of Pavlovsk

  • Tsarskoye Selo (town of Imperial Palaces)

  • Catherine Palace at Tsarskoye Selo

  • Horse drawn sleighs

River Neva, St Petersburg, frozen over

Day 4                  St Petersburg

Stay                      Astoria Hotel

 

Visit:  

  • More at the Hermitage

  • River Neva Waterfront

  • Peter & Paul Fortress on Hare Island

  • Cathedral of St Peter & St Paul

       home to the tombs of Tsars               and Tsarinas.

Mikhail Palce, St Petersburg

Day 5.                  St Petersburg

Stay                      Astoria Hotel

 

Visit:  

  • Mikhail Palce

  • Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood

  • Memorial to the Defenders of Leningrad

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Evening                       Fly Home

                              SHG Highlights

 

  • All visits

  • Excellent quality of guides (professors & directors of foundations)

  • Loved to return in the summer

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Silverhairedgappies: the utlimate travel advice for the discerning traveller
Silverhairedgappies: the utlimate travel advice for the discerning traveller

SHG Critique

Change the hotel.

Catholic Church of St Catherine

Silverhairedgappies: the ultimate travel advice for the discerning traveller

Silver Haired Gappies

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