Just a few hundred yards offshore in the Aegean Sea, a gigantic rock shoots improbably up from the blue-green deep. We visit Monemvasia on Day 8 of the Athens & the Heart of Greece Tour. After an orientation walk, the rest of your day is free to wander around the romantic walled town…or take a swim in the Aegean. Join us: ricksteves.com/tours/greece-turkey/greece | Rick Steves' Europe

Our Athens & the Heart of Greece in 14 Days tour is an odyssey of time-travel thrills, from Athens' majestic Acropolis to the must-see ancient sites of Delphi, Olympia, Epidavros, and Mycenae. With knowledge and a nudge from your Rick Steves guide, you'll walk among marble monuments where Plato pondered, splash in the turquoise Aegean where Odysseus sailed, gaze up at god-dwelling mountains, sample family-crafted olives and wines — and maybe learn to play backgammon at a whitewashed taverna on t