Bucket-List Cruise Adventure

17-Night Rome to Athens Cruise Adventure

Holland America · Nieuw Amsterdam · from Rome

$3,224 per person · next sails Apr 27, 2028 Book this cruise@ Cruisebound · same fare
Get there

Fly into Rome (FCO)

Your gateway to the voyage. Arrive a day or two early — the best of the trip starts before you board.

Open-jaw · fly into FCO, home from ATH · $2,574 for two est.
Before you sail

Bucket-list days near Rome

Fly in at least a day early — every seasoned cruiser does, so a delay never costs you the ship. Here’s what’s worth that day, within reach of your port — not just the city you fly into.

15 mi from Rome

Villa d'Este Archaeological Excavations (Hadrian's Villa)

Sprawling 2nd-century villa with 30+ hectares of imperial ruins, Greek sculptures, and recreated Greek structures; scale and ambition dwarf anything i…

1 mi from Rome

Colosseum

Your voyage · 17 nights, day by day

Day by day — the unforgettable thing at every port

Your whole sailing in order: the day you board, every port it calls — each with the single bucket-list experience there and the operator who runs it — any days at sea, and the day you step off.

Day 1
Civitavecchia (Rome) Embark
Board in the afternoon — fly in at least a day early (your day ashore here is just above).
Day 2
Livorno (Florence/Pisa)port guide →
Private Florence shore excursion · $400 for two with ArtViva — The Original & Best Tours Italyhow to make it yours →
Day 3
Private Yacht Charter · $648 for two with Ligurian Sea Sailing (Portofino-based private charter)how to make it yours → ·
Day 4
Notre-Dame de la Garde + 360 City Panorama by Tour… · $22 for two with Le Petit Train de Marseillehow to make it yours → ·
Day 5
A day at sea
⛰ A day to savor the ship — the voyage itself is the experience, and it’s all included.
Day 6
Upper Rock Nature Reserve · $140 for two with Tours of Gibraltar (official licensed operators)how to make it yours → ·
Day 7
A day at sea
⛰ A day to savor the ship — the voyage itself is the experience, and it’s all included.
Day 8
Park Guell · $39 for two with Park Guell (official, Barcelona City Council)how to make it yours → ·
Day 9
Villefrancheport guide →
Private Riviera Half-Day · $192 for two with Ophorus Private Shore Excursionshow to make it yours → ·
Day 10
Livorno (Florence/Pisa)port guide →
Private Florence shore excursion · $400 for two with ArtViva — The Original & Best Tours Italyhow to make it yours →
Day 11
Civitavecchia (Rome)port guide →
★ Vatican, Sistine Chapel & Colosseum in One Day — how to make it yours →
Day 12
★ Pompeii with a Licensed Archaeologist — how to make it yours →
Day 13
Taormina Street Food & Wine Tasting · $171 for two with Do Eat Better Experience (Palermo-based official Sicilian food tour operator)how to make it yours → ·
Day 14
A day at sea
⛰ A day to savor the ship — the voyage itself is the experience, and it’s all included.
Day 15
Balos Lagoon & Gramvousa Island · $881 for two with Proper Cretan Guide (Souda Cruise Port Shore Excursions)how to make it yours → ·
Day 16
Private Full-Day Rhodes Island Highlights & Lindos · $784 for two with Rhodes Islander (Licensed Private Guides)how to make it yours → ·
Day 17
Kusadasi (Ephesus)port guide →
The Ephesus Experience Museum · $86 for two with Ephesus Archaeological Site (official, Ministry of Culture and Tourism)how to make it yours → ·
Day 18
Piraeus (Athens) Disembark
Disembark in the morning — or stay on for the days just below.
After you disembark

Bucket-list days near Athens

You end in a different port — stay on, and add what’s within reach before you fly home.

1 mi from Athens

Acropolis Museum

Before you sail

Make it longer — by land from Rome

The ship is the spine, not the whole trip. These are full land adventures within reach of your port.

115 mi from Rome · fly NAP

Positano by Sea Cave and Cliff Path: A Luxury Amalfi Coast Immersion

Coastal Italian Luxury Adventure

See the whole plan →
148 mi from Rome · fly FLR

Florence to Val d'Orcia: Wine, Frescoes & Thermal Springs

Tuscan Wine & Culture Road Trip

See the whole plan →
After you disembark

Make it longer — by land from Athens

The ship is the spine, not the whole trip. These are full land adventures within reach of your port.

12 mi from Athens · fly ATH

Athens Unpacked: Ancient Marble, Rooftop Cinema & Seaside Stars

Mediterranean Culture & Cuisine

See the whole plan →
Home

Fly home from Athens (ATH)

What this adventure runs estimated · for two
Your hotel
Flights open-jaw · fly into FCO, home from ATH · 2 travelers $2,574 est.
Hotel before you sail1 night · Rome · Premium~$696
Cruise fare17 nights · Holland America · 2 guests$6,448
Shore excursions11 bucket-list things, booked direct · for 2 · swap any at its port above ↑~$3,763
Transfersairport ↔ ship, private car~$180
Trip total$13,661
Flights are estimated from our best gateways (refine from your own airport above) — an open-jaw trip: out to the embark port, home from where you disembark; the cruise fare is this sailing’s lead-in price for two; the hotel scales with the style you pick above; shore excursions are real book-direct operator prices, added as each port is curated; transfers are an estimate. We always build in at least one night ashore before you sail.
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