HalkiThe tall sailing ship cruise company Star Clippers included 3 maiden ports two roundtrips from Athens (Piraeus) in July 2021 - the lesser-known Greek islands Halki, Kastellorizo and Symi. The departures on the ship Royal Clipper are from Piraeus-Athens (July 20th and 27th, 2021). Bookings made before January 31, 2021, include a 10% early booking discount (currently GBP 1709 pp for the 7-night itinerary).
The first port of call is to Kastellorizo island, the most easterly of Greek islands, situated a mile from the Turkish coastline. After a port call to Fethiye, Royal Clipper drops anchor alongside her second maiden port of call, the mountainous Symi island, visited by small yachts seeking its isolated bays.
Halki Island (aka Chalki) is the 3rd and smallest of the Dodecanese islands included in the new itinerary. Its few-hundred inhabitants live in neoclassic mansions and houses built in the middle of the 19th century when the island was prosperous due to trade and sponge fishing.
The final port of call is Milos (Cyclades Archipelago, north of Crete) centred around a volcanic caldera, with dozens of picturesque villages, beaches, and rock formations. The most famous export of the island was the Venus de Milo, now in the Louvre.