The Cyclades, on first call.
Three fall 2026 departures, pricing announced soon. Join the early list and the full itinerary, hotels, and prices reach your inbox the moment they are confirmed. Before they go public.
No spam. One email when the trip opens, sent from info@flocktours.com.
Overview
Greece is two countries, and Athens and the Isles is the trip that admits it. The first three days are the capital at its proper weight, the Acropolis with a licensed guide before the heat arrives, a full day cruise through the Saronic Gulf, and the lanes of the Plaka after dark. Then the structure falls away. The trip crosses to Mykonos and Santorini, where the only itinerary is the one you write that morning. We arrange the inter island transport and the well placed island hotels, and beyond that, the islands are yours. The caldera walks, the beaches, the long lunches with the boat coming back into harbor, the sunsets that need no introduction. The shape of the trip is deliberate, the slow half follows the busy half.
Route Map
The journey at a glance. Athens and the Isles begins with a guided stay in Athens, crosses to Mykonos and then Santorini for the leisure half of the trip, and returns to Athens for the farewell night.
Day by Day
| Day | Where | Sites and experiences |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Arrive in Athens | Airport transfers are arranged for the group. By early evening you are at the central Athens hotel, gathered with the rest of the travelers for a welcome meeting with the guide and a welcome dinner together. The Acropolis is overhead, the city is loud in the way old capitals are loud, and the islands are still days away. Dinner |
| Day 2 | Athens and the Acropolis | You meet the Parthenon early, before the heat and the buses. With a licensed guide reading the marble for you, the Acropolis and the museum below take the morning. The afternoon is your own: the lanes of the Plaka, the stalls and noise of Monastiraki, or coffee in a square with a clear view of the rock you climbed. Breakfast |
| Day 3 | Saronic Gulf Day Cruise | An early start at Piraeus and a full day at sea: three islands in a single sail. Hydra, where there are no cars and the only horsepower is the kind with hooves. Poros, with its hilltop clock tower. Aegina, with its pistachio trees and waterfront tavernas. A buffet lunch and live entertainment on board. Breakfast, Lunch |
| Day 4 | Athens to Mykonos, Leisure Begins | A short flight south, the Cyclades opening below the wing. By lunchtime you are on Mykonos, the trip has shifted gears, and the only structure left is the time you put on it. The windmills above the town. The whitewashed lanes of the chora. Little Venice at sunset, with the waves at the foot of the houses. Dinner is wherever the smell of the kitchen calls you. Breakfast |
| Day 5 | Mykonos at Leisure | A free day at the pace your own week wants. The beaches at Paradise or Super Paradise. The quieter cove at Agios Sostis with one taverna and a long fish lunch. The shops and galleries of Mykonos Town. Or a day boat to Delos and the marble lions, which you can book locally. Breakfast |
| Day 6 | Mykonos to Santorini | A ferry south through the Cyclades to Santorini, and the first sight of the caldera as the boat rounds the cliff. Transfer to the island hotel. The afternoon is your own, ideally walking part of the caldera path with the volcano below you, finishing in Fira for the first of the island's famous sunsets. Breakfast |
| Day 7 | Santorini at Leisure | A free day on Santorini. The village of Oia with the blue domed churches that have sold a hundred thousand postcards. The black sand beaches at Perissa, the volcanic sand still warm at four in the afternoon. The prehistoric site at Akrotiri, frozen in pumice since the bronze age. The full caldera walk from Fira to Oia for the ambitious. Whichever shape the day takes, the sunset is the closing note. Breakfast |
| Day 8 | Santorini to Athens | A short flight back to the capital and a transfer to the Athens hotel. A farewell dinner in the evening, the group together one last time after a week the islands have rearranged. Breakfast, Dinner |
| Day 9 | Departure | A last breakfast and a transfer to the airport. The islands stay with you for a long time, and the Aegean blue does not photograph as well as the eye remembers it. Breakfast |
First call when prices land.
Every hotel in Athens, Mykonos, and Santorini, the inter island ferries and flights, the guided Athens program, and the three fall 2026 departure dates and prices the moment they are confirmed. Before they go public.
No spam. One email when the trip opens.
Departure Dates
Three fixed departures in fall 2026. Pricing is being finalized with the island hotels and will be announced shortly. Join the early list above and you will be the first to see the prices and the first chance to reserve a seat.
What Is Included
Two trips in one. The Athens half is fully guided, fully scheduled. The island half is deliberately the opposite. Every hotel on every island is chosen for location and view first. The structure on the mainland gives way to space on the islands, and that is the design.
Good to know before you book
Built for two paces. The guided Athens days ask for a few hours on uneven ancient stone with the climb up to the Acropolis. The island half asks for nothing at all. You set the pace on Mykonos and Santorini, all the way down to none.
The trip is land only, which means you book your own flights into Athens International and we take it from there. Arrive a day early if you can, so the first day is yours to rest. The arrival and departure transfers between Athens airport and the group are already in, as are every island flight, ferry, and transfer in between.
Prices will be based on two people sharing a room. Solo travelers can pay the single supplement for a room of their own, or we pair you with another solo of the same gender at no extra cost. The split itinerary works for couples, friends, and solo travelers in roughly equal measure.
Carry a passport valid for at least six months past your travel dates and check whether your nationality needs a visa or entry approval for Greece. September and early October on the Cyclades is the best window the islands offer, warm but no longer crowded, the sea still good for swimming. We do not sell travel insurance and we do not bundle it. We strongly recommend you carry it from a provider you trust, and we are happy to suggest names.
Frequently asked questions
What's included in the price?
What about flights?
When will pricing be announced?
What's the deposit?
What's the cancellation policy?
What if I'm traveling alone?
Do I need travel insurance?
How large is the group?
Can you accommodate dietary needs?
What happens after I express interest?
What is the pace and activity level?
Deposit and cancellation
Reserving your seat costs nothing. The deposit, 15 percent of the trip price, is collected only once your trip is confirmed to run, and if a trip cannot run, every traveler is refunded in full. Once paid, the deposit is non-refundable, and the balance is due 90 days before departure. If you cancel after paying the deposit, your refund depends on how much notice you give before departure:
| Notice before departure | Refund |
|---|---|
| 90 days or more | Everything you have paid, less the deposit |
| 60 to 89 days | 50 percent of what you have paid |
| 30 to 59 days | 25 percent of what you have paid |
| Fewer than 30 days | No refund |