DESTINATIONS GREECE, CYPRUS & BALKANS | GREECE


3 ITHACA


The island is so stunning, it’s no wonder Odysseus was eager to come back. Fans of the film can revel in its landmarks, from archaeological sites – the Palace of Odysseus is where the hero’s wife, Penelope, was said to have lived while waiting for his return – to the Cave of the Nymphs, where Odysseus stowed treasures he’d received from the Phaeacians. In the main town Vathy


(pictured), visit the statue of Odysseus before feasting in a fish restaurant. Book it: Islands of Greece sells a seven-night stay at the Korina Gallery Hotel from £929 per person, based on two sharing. Includes breakfast, transfers and flights from Gatwick on May 7, 2027. islandsofgreece.co.uk


KEFALONIA


Kefalonia is benefiting from neighbour Ithaca’s renewed fame, its blue waters and fishing villages offering a similar vibe. But thanks to flights with Jet2.com from Luton, taking off next year, the Ionian island doesn’t require an odyssey to reach. Villas cater for multigenerational groups: three-bedroom Villa Claire Sami has an infinity pool and is just a 20-minute


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walk to the ferry dock for day trips to Ithaca. Book it: Jet2Villas sells a seven-night stay at Villa Claire Sami from £3,269 per person, based on two adults and two children sharing. Includes 22kg luggage, car hire and flights from Luton on June 23, 2027. jet2holidays.com


5 THE PELOPONNESE


Sunvil’s The Odyssey-themed self-drive tour spends 10 days crossing the Peloponnese. Clients spend two nights at Hotel Ulysses, in the shadow of Methoni Castle (pictured), used in the film as the home of King Menelaus of Sparta and his wife Helen of Troy. The trip winds down with three nights in Pylos. Close by, Voidokilia Beach was where Odysseus and his men landed on the Cyclops’


eerie island, encountering the beast at Nestor’s Cave. Book it: Sunvil’s 10-night The Odyssey itinerary starts at £1,799 per person, based on two sharing. Includes car hire, breakfast and flights from Gatwick in May 2027. sunvil.co.uk


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aegean cruise


Odysseus’s journey through the Med may have taken a decade, but this small-ship sailing on Star Clipper (pictured) takes just five days. Beginning in Athens, clients follow the hero’s route past the southern Peloponnese, stopping in the fortress town of Monemvasia. Then it’s on to some filming locations: first, the ship calls into Pylos to explore the Palace of Nestor, where Odysseus’s son Telemachus enquires after the whereabouts of his father. It then crosses the Ionian Sea to Sicily, before finishing in Malta, where most of the


underwater scenes were filmed. Book it: Star Clipper – Sicily and Greece costs from £1,599 per person, based on two sharing an inside cabin. Includes full board, transfers and flights on October 30. starclippers.co.uk


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3 SEPTEMBER 2026


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