Detailed Itinerary
Embark Azamara Quest beginning at 1:00PM. All aboard by 4:30PM.
Welcome Cocktails & Briefing this evening. Meet your fellow participants and PerryGolf staff.
SIGHTSEEING: Athens has quite a reputation to live up to. Named for Athena, Goddess of Wisdom, the city is credited with being the cradle of European civilisation and birthplace of democracy. Ruins and relics of its glory days are scattered throughout the modern city, popping up where you least expect them. Its crowning glory is the Acropolis, perched atop a hillside, and covered in carved and columned temples of varying degrees of antiquity. Not quite so old is the Plaka, an appealing neighbourhood for a stroll down cobblestone streets, past old mansions and a plethora of outdoor tavernas ideal for watching the world go by, while munching tasty Greek snacks.
Overnight: At Sea
Kusadasi is your port of access to an age-old civilisation. Ephesus was once the second largest metropolitan area in the Roman Empire, eclipsed only by Rome herself. Explore this city of construction both monumental and mundane. It was famed for the Temple of Artemis, one of the wonders of the ancient world; the Library of Celsus, with its thousands of scrolls; and its ampitheater, with a capacity of 24,000 spectators. But you can also imagine yourself in the sandals of a resident as you stroll the streets, past marketplaces, and into bath complexes that offered piped-in hot water, massage, and sauna.
Enjoy Kusadasi on your own or via Azamara Shore Excursions®.
Overnight: At Sea
Santorini is the rock star of the Greek islands in the Mediterranean, or more specifically the Aegean Sea. As Azamara Quest approaches for her early morning arrival, you will no doubt recognize the preponderance of whitewashed clifftop structures perched along the top of this croissant-shaped island overlooking the massive caldera, or crater, created by one of the largest volcanic eruptions in recorded history now filled with water. Fira and Oia are home to equally exceptional shops and cafes. Fira is famous for its donkey climb up 588 steps from the sea. Oia is where you’ll find Santorini’s trademark blue domed churches. Both boast some of the most striking vistas in the world.
Enjoy Santorini on your own or via Azamara Shore Excursions®.
Overnight: At Sea
GOLF: Golf remains an unusual sport in Greece, Crete Golf Club is the only 18-hole course on the island built to USGA specifications. And what a golf course it is. Designed by Bob Hunt from PGA Design Consulting in the UK, the 6,430-yard layout was carved out of difficult, mountainous terrain at a cost of €16.2 million! It’s a par 71 with five sets of tees and generous fairways. You’ll remember the par 3s, particularly No. 6 which plays over a deep gorge to a two-tiered green cut into the foot of a hillside.
SIGHTSEEING: Crete is the fifth largest Mediterranean island, located 160 miles south of the Greek mainland. Humans have inhabited the island for approximately 130,000 years. It was here in the Bronze Age around 2,000 BC where Europe’s first advanced civilization was developed by the Minoans. Their largest and most sophisticated settlement was Knossos, a palace located just 20 minutes outside of Heraklion, the largest city and capital of Crete, and one of Azamara’s newest ports of call. Along with Knossos, be sure to include a visit to the Archaeological Museum, regarded as one of the most important museums in Greece. The pedestrian only Daidalou Street is where you’ll find trendy shops boutiques and the chance to sample outstanding Greek cuisine like kaltsounia (sweet and savory cheese pie) plus and lamb with stamnagathi (a type of wild chicory).
Enjoy Heraklion on your own or via Azamara Shore Excursions®.
Overnight: At Sea
Today it’s time to relax and reset. Make your reservations early for The Sanctum Spa, a world-class wellness facility offering a full range of health, beauty and restorative treatments. Complimentary fitness and nutrition classes are available along with a fully equipped gym on Deck 9 offering magnificent sea views. There’s room for everyone on the Pool Deck both in and out of the sun. Service to your lounge chair is available from The Pool Bar where the attentive staff is always ready to offer an inclusive cocktail, beer, bottled water, soft drink or fresh towel. The Patio restaurant serves casual fare during the day then completely transforms itself into a sit-down al fresco dining experience at night with table linens and candles. Elegant specialty dining is available for beef at Prime C and Italian at Aqualina. Windows Café serves casual buffet dining with every imaginable choice indoors and out at the sensational Sunset Bar.
What a way to spend a day!
Overnight: At Sea
The Lilliputian capital of Malta, Valletta, is one of the most concentrated UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the world. But despite its small size (less than half a square mile!), we expect you’ll appreciate the extra time provided by this late departure to see everything the city has to offer. Head to Triq ir-Republika for shops, cafés, and bakeries serving up can’t-miss treats like pastizzi (filo pastry with ricotta) and ftira, a savory flatbread. St. John’s Co-Cathedral has an exterior that belies a stunning vaulted interior considered to be one of the finest examples of high Baroque architecture in Europe along with “the most beautiful floor in the world”. Thanks to the recent work of renowned architect Renzo Piano, including the City Gate and the Parliament House, the old city now exists in spectacular juxtaposition with the new.
Enjoy Malta on your own or via Azamara Shore Excursions®.
Overnight: At Sea
GOLF: The highly scenic Il Picciolo course at the Mount Etna Golf Resort is the oldest course in Sicily, sitting in the shadow of Mount Etna. It was designed by renowned architect Luigi Rota Caremoli, and is fashioned from the characteristic lava stone of Mount Etna. It has been a regular host to events on the Ladies European Tour and Men’s Senior European Tour.
SIGHTSEEING: The island of Sicily, just off the tip of the Italian boot is the largest in the Mediterranean. Mountainous and rugged, its highest point is the tip of that infamous firebrand, the still active Mt Etna at 10,900 feet. Farmland, enriched by volcanic soil, produces lush crops of olives, citrus, and grapes. Climbing higher, you’d find forests, the scars left by old lava flows, and eventually the crater where smoke and simmering lava is sometimes visible. Taormina is a lovely small medieval town perched on high cliffs, with spectacular views over the bay and rugged coastline below.
Enjoy Sicily on your own or via Azamara Shore Excursions®.
Overnight: At Sea
A warming sun and gentle sea breezes have been attracting visitors to Sorrento for two millennia. Its reputation as a playground of the ancient rich and famous resulted in the building of lavish villas and palaces, an emperor relocated to the Isle of Capri nearby, and over the centuries it has been a haven for artists and artisans, writers and poets, politicians and philosophers, and all manner of aristocrats. You will be a welcome addition. The massive eruption of nearby Vesuvius in 79 AD caused considerable damage, but the resulting volcanic ash is responsible for Sorrento’s modern day fertility, thriving olive orchards, and excellent wine.
Enjoy Sorrento on your own or via Azamara Shore Excursions®.
Overnight: At Sea
GOLF: Pevero Golf Club. The site of Sardinia’s first golf course – along the rugged, ragged coastline of the peninsula between the Bays of Cala di Volpe and Volpero – lured the esteemed Robert Trent Jones for one of his earliest projects overseas.
SIGHTSEEING: In a desirable location on the stunning Costa Smeralda, Olbia has been inhabited since the 8th century BC, but a recent archaeological discovery of 24 shipwrecks - two of them from the age of Nero - has landed it in the spotlight. The name Olbia means "happy town", though its past has been somewhat difficult with the city destroyed and rebuilt many times throughout its history. Of course, that makes it all the more interesting, as every empire that came and went has left something of value behind for you to see.
Enjoy Olbia on your own or via Azamara Shore Excursions®.
Overnight: At Sea
GOLF: The birthplace of Napoléon Bonaparte is also home to Sperone Golf Club, a Cabell B. Robinson (for Robert Trent Jones) design opened on the southernmost tip of Corsica in 1990. Many compare the setting to Pebble Beach and Cypress Point. In several very memorable spots, Sperone is that good. The solid front nine winds through rugged Corsican undergrowth to a number of small raised greens. Eleven plays down toward the ocean and a slender ledge green sandwiched between large boulders. Twelve is a testy 3 par across a rocky canyon to an elevated cliff-top green. It’s not a long layout so the round can be enjoyed with equal parts fun and photos!
SIGHTSEEING: Dating back to the 16th century, the fortified port town of Porto-Vecchio is now a Corsican resort destination. The Old Town district — with its cobblestone streets, charming buildings, and ruins of the ancient citadel — features fashionable shops, boutiques, and cafés while Porto-Vecchio’s modern marina offers ferry rides to Bonifacio and the Lavezzi Islands nature reserve, plus a variety of places to enjoy a local beverage harborside. Visit the Church of Saint Jean-Baptiste, the Bastion San Antonia, and the Porte Genoise Gate for panoramic views of the sea, mountains and surrounding valley, or enjoy an afternoon at one of Corsica's two most famous beaches, Palombaggia and Santa Guilia, located just south of Porto-Vecchio. As dusk settles, head to the Old Town’s Place de la République (main square) for its lively nightlife, bars, and restaurants.
Enjoy Porto-Vecchio on your own or via Azamara Shore Excursions®.
Overnight: At Sea
Today it’s time to relax and reset. Make your reservations early for The Sanctum Spa, a world-class wellness facility offering a full range of health, beauty and restorative treatments. Complimentary fitness and nutrition classes are available along with a fully equipped gym on Deck 9 offering magnificent sea views. There’s room for everyone on the Pool Deck both in and out of the sun. Service to your lounge chair is available from The Pool Bar where the attentive staff is always ready to offer an inclusive cocktail, beer, bottled water, soft drink or fresh towel. The Patio restaurant serves casual fare during the day then completely transforms itself into a sit-down al fresco dining experience at night with table linens and candles. Elegant specialty dining is available for beef at Prime C and Italian at Aqualina. Windows Café serves casual buffet dining with every imaginable choice indoors and out at the sensational Sunset Bar.
What a way to spend a day!
Overnight: At Sea
GOLF: Son Gual has been lauded since it opened in 2007. The Thomas Himmel designed layout is considered the finest of the Balearic Islands and is one of the most talked about venues in southern Europe, with the European Golf & Travel Media Association naming it as 'The Discovery of 2010'. Son Gual enjoys a lovely location, peppered with mature olive trees and wildflowers, with its design and conditioning being of the very highest standard.
SIGHTSEEING: The original city of Palma dates back to Roman times; modern day residents of the old quarter are still digging up artefacts in their gardens. Balanced on a seawall above the marina is the amazing gothic Cathedral, icon of the city, with some of the world’s largest stained-glass windows. Also high on the artistic scale is the Museum of Contemporary Spanish Art featuring works by masters including Picasso, Miró, Gris, and Dali. Mother Nature’s aesthetic achievements can be found in the Caves of Drach—mystical caverns where the play of shadow and light on the rock formations stimulates the imagination.
Enjoy Palma on your own or via Azamara Shore Excursions®.
Overnight: At Sea
9:00AM Disembark Azamara Quest.
SIGHTSEEING: Barcelona is the 17th most visited city in the world according to MasterCard’s 2018 Global Destinations Index and 3rd most popular in Europe behind London and Paris. There’s a lot to like in this Olympic City (1992) from the food to the beaches, the weather and the night life. For many visitors however Barcelona is about architecture, especially the work of Antoni Gaudi. His Sagrada Familia in the city center is astounding. Construction began on the church in 1882; it is scheduled for completion in 2026 on the 100th anniversary of Gaudi's death. Azamara ships will almost always dock at the foot of Las Ramblas just steps from the Christopher Columbus statue. You will literally walk off the ship and into the city. No taxi required!
Fitness Center and
Spa
Cabaret Lounge
Indulgences
Guest Laundry Facility
