Peloponnese holiday, cultural tour
| country: | Greece |
| location: | Peloponnese, Mainland Greece |
| departures: | 2010: 23 May, 19 Sep, 3 Oct 2011: 22 May, 11 Sep, 25 Sep |
| price: | From £1095 - £1115 (14 days) including flights from the UK, from £875 - £935 excluding flights |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
A varied sightseeing trip for those interested in classical Greek and Byzantine history, which includes impressive archaeological sites.
The Greeks invented history and enough relics remain to keep a student of the past happy for a lifetime. As well as visiting sites associated with Homeric legend such as 'Sandy Pylos', we'll have free time to relax or explore places such as Nafplion, Diros Caves and Monemvassia.
After exploring Athens we head south into the Peloponnese to Nafplion. It provides the perfect base from which to visit Epidavros and its 4th century BC theatre. From here we head south to Mycenae which, myth tells us, was founded by Perseus but which is more popularly associated with Agamemnon, then travel on to Areopolis and Deep Mani.
The Mani is the southernmost peninsula of the mainland, a land of dramatic mountain vistas, tower houses, proud people and strong traditions. We have time to explore the caves at Diros by boat and there's time to walk to the port-village of Limeni just 3 km away. There is the opportunity to make a full day trip to Monemvassia, the incredible Byzantine seaport perched eyrie-like on a monolithic rock and reached only by crossing a causeway once constructed of swaying wooden bridges.
We explore the Byzantine ghost-town of Mystras, a highlight of any visit to the region, and travel on to Pylos where we can make optional trips around the Bay of Navarino before continuing to Methoni to visit a 15th century Venetian fortress. For many our final two visits are the highlight of our journey as we spend time exploring the magnificent and surprisingly extensive site Olympia, home of the first games in 776 B.C. and Delphi, whose oracle guided the ancients and whose Temple of Athena is an easily recognizable icon to lovers of Greek history.
The Greeks invented history and enough relics remain to keep a student of the past happy for a lifetime. As well as visiting sites associated with Homeric legend such as 'Sandy Pylos', we'll have free time to relax or explore places such as Nafplion, Diros Caves and Monemvassia.
After exploring Athens we head south into the Peloponnese to Nafplion. It provides the perfect base from which to visit Epidavros and its 4th century BC theatre. From here we head south to Mycenae which, myth tells us, was founded by Perseus but which is more popularly associated with Agamemnon, then travel on to Areopolis and Deep Mani.
The Mani is the southernmost peninsula of the mainland, a land of dramatic mountain vistas, tower houses, proud people and strong traditions. We have time to explore the caves at Diros by boat and there's time to walk to the port-village of Limeni just 3 km away. There is the opportunity to make a full day trip to Monemvassia, the incredible Byzantine seaport perched eyrie-like on a monolithic rock and reached only by crossing a causeway once constructed of swaying wooden bridges.
We explore the Byzantine ghost-town of Mystras, a highlight of any visit to the region, and travel on to Pylos where we can make optional trips around the Bay of Navarino before continuing to Methoni to visit a 15th century Venetian fortress. For many our final two visits are the highlight of our journey as we spend time exploring the magnificent and surprisingly extensive site Olympia, home of the first games in 776 B.C. and Delphi, whose oracle guided the ancients and whose Temple of Athena is an easily recognizable icon to lovers of Greek history.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Fly London/Athens |
| Day 2: | In Athens; orientation walk; PM free |
| Day 3: | Bus to Nafplion; walking tour of town |
| Day 4: | Visit to Epidavros; return Nafplion |
| Day 5: | Drive to Mycenae for visit and on to Areopolis |
| Day 6-7: | Free; optional excursions to Diros Cave and Monemvassia |
| Day 8: | Explore Mani Peninsula including Vathia fortified village, Cape Tenaro, and Marmari Beach |
| Day 9: | To Mystras for included visit; continue to Pylos |
| Day 10: | Optional boat trip to the Bay of Navarino; optional trip to Methoni to visit Venetian fortress |
| Day 11: | Drive to Olympia for included visit |
| Day 12: | Drive to Delphi for visit |
| Day 13: | Finish sightseeing at Delphi; drive to Athens |
| Day 14: | Fly London |
small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places. award winner
This tourism business won an Award in our 2008 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards - organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Daily Telegraph, World Travel Market, Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society and BBC World News.Since 2004, the Awards has recognised individuals, companies and organisations in travel making a big commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and helping to conserve biodiversity.
how this holiday makes a difference
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All accommodation is locally owned and in which you experience great food, much of which is sourced locally, and lovely wine. This not only provides direct employment within the hotel, but also has the effect of percolating money beyond to small businesses that supply the hotel and in this way money is spread throughout the region we visit.
Our Tour Leaders are trained by us in the importance of responsible tourism with guidance given on how they can make a difference. This tour uses the services of a number of different suppliers, from the numerous restaurateurs, boat owners, guides and drivers, and our visit provides significantly more employment than on a more conventional ‘package holiday’. We try to reduce our impact on the environment to switching to public transport where a group is small enough to warrant doing so, but when using a chartered vehicle specify our preference for a smaller, more eco-friendly bus. As well as the above, we support a variety of charities and projects worldwide which support vulnerable communities and habitats including Friends of Conservation, Hope Worldwide and Send A Cow. We are also actively engaged with UK travel industry bodies which promote best practice in responsible tourism, such as Tourism Concern, The Travel Foundation and AITO. Our commitment to responsible tourism is not limited to our overseas operation and we have measures to ensure our UK office operates according to our responsible tourism policy. Carbon offsets for all flights booked with us are included in the tour cost. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |