Sightseeing Ionian Islands Archaeological Route
The Ionian Islands hold a different kind of ancient history from the Aegean — greener, less excavated, and tied closely to Homer’s account of Odysseus’s journey home. From our bases in Kefalonia and Lefkada, a charter through these islands traces real archaeological sites alongside the landscapes that inspired the Odyssey.
Corfu
Paleopolis, just south of Corfu Town, was the site of the ancient city of Corcyra, with a Roman-era basilica and bath complex still visible. Nearby, the Temple of Artemis — built around 590 BC — is one of the earliest large stone temples in Greece and once carried a pediment carved with a Gorgon, now housed in Corfu’s Archaeological Museum.
Ithaca
Ithaca’s identity is inseparable from the Odyssey, and the School of Homer, above Exogi, is a Mycenaean-era site long associated — though not definitively proven — with the palace of Odysseus. Piso Aetos, near Vathy, is believed to have been the island’s ancient capital and main port.
Kefalonia
Ancient Krane, near Argostoli, and Ancient Pale, near Lixouri, were two of the island’s four classical city-states, both with traceable fortification walls. The Castle of Saint George, above Peratata, is medieval rather than ancient, but sits on a hilltop fortified since antiquity.
Lefkada
Ancient Lefkada’s remains lie beneath and around the modern town, while the Nydri area, on the island’s east coast, has produced Bronze Age finds connected to the wider Mycenaean world — some archaeologists have argued, controversially, that this coastline better matches Homer’s description of Odysseus’s kingdom than modern Ithaca does.
Zakynthos
Ancient Zakynthos’s acropolis lies beneath the Venetian-era castle above Zakynthos Town, with older fortification remains still visible in places, and the site at Kampi, near Exo Chora, adds a further layer to the island’s ancient settlement pattern.
Suggested Routes
- 7 Days: Kefalonia (Ancient Krane, Ancient Pale) → Ithaca (School of Homer, Piso Aetos) → Lefkada (Ancient Lefkada, Nydri) → back to Kefalonia.
- 14 Days: extends to Zakynthos (ancient acropolis, Kampi) with more time around Corfu.
- 21 Days: adds Corfu in full (Paleopolis, Temple of Artemis) and the more remote western coastline.
Sightseeing, the way the sea meant it to be
Some of Attica’s finest sights are best seen from the water — a sunset over the Temple of Poseidon, the Athens Riviera sliding past your bow, the quiet coves below an ancient theatre that has watched ships pass for 2,500 years. Our sightseeing cruises pair a comfortable, fully crewed yacht with the region’s most rewarding coastal destinations, so a day of history, swimming and local flavour never feels rushed. Choose a single stop or combine several into one seamless route — we’ll handle the navigation, you handle the enjoying.
