Our ancient civilisations holidays & tours
Our ancient civilisations holidays are an opportunity to walk in the footsteps of the explorers and adventurers of ages past, accompanied as you go by immensely knowledgeable local guides who can illuminate the past. Step back in time among monuments, temples and the ruins of ancient cities to learn about ways of life, culture and belief systems. These trips will also, where relevant, include visits to prestigious museums where you can view priceless artefacts and explore these stories in even greater depth. Whether learning how pyramids were built, wandering underground citadels or following samurai trails, our ancient civilisation holidays are endlessly fascinating.
Our top Ancient civilisation holidays
Jordan holiday, a week in Jordan
From
£1320 to £1763
9 days
ex flights
A week to explore the spectacular sites and scenery of Jordan
Small group2026: 17 Oct, 21 Oct, 24 Oct, 4 Nov, 7 Nov, 11 Nov, 14 Nov, 21 Nov, 28 Nov, 5 Dec, 26 Dec, 2027: 9 Jan, 23 Jan, 6 Feb, 10 Feb, 27 Feb, 13 Mar, 17 Mar, 20 Mar, 27 Mar, 3 Apr, 17 Apr, 24 Apr, 1 May, 15 May, 29 May, 12 Jun, 28 Aug, 4 Sep, 11 Sep, 18 Sep, 2 Oct, 6 Oct, 9 Oct, 20 Oct, 23 Oct, 30 Oct, 6 Nov, 13 Nov, 17 Nov, 20 Nov, 27 Nov, 4 Dec, 11 Dec, 25 Dec
Archaeology tour of Eastern Turkey
From
£3695
14 days
ex flights
Discover the cradle of civilisation in eastern Turkey
Small group2027: 24 Apr, 29 May, 28 Aug, 2 Oct
Nile felucca cruise in Egypt
From
€600 to €700
4 days
ex flights
Private carbon free traditional felucca cruise on the Nile
Tailor made
Mexico small group holiday, culture & beach
From
£1470 to £2770
15 days
ex flights
2 week discovery Mexico's Aztec, Zapotec & Mayan cultures .
Small group2026: 20 Oct, 24 Oct, 31 Oct, 3 Nov, 11 Nov, 14 Nov, 17 Nov, 21 Nov, 24 Nov, 25 Nov, 28 Nov, 1 Dec, 2 Dec, 8 Dec, 12 Dec, 15 Dec, 23 Dec, 30 Dec, 2027: 2 Jan, 6 Jan, 9 Jan, 13 Jan, 16 Jan, 20 Jan, 27 Jan, 30 Jan, 2 Feb, 3 Feb, 6 Feb, 9 Feb, 13 Feb, 20 Feb, 24 Feb, 27 Feb, 6 Mar, 10 Mar, 13 Mar, 20 Mar, 24 Mar, 27 Mar, 3 Apr, 6 Apr, 10 Apr, 17 Apr, 24 Apr, 1 May, 8 May, 12 May, 22 May, 2 Jun, 9 Jun, 16 Jun, 26 Jun, 10 Jul ...
Small group2026: 17 Oct, 24 Oct, 31 Oct, 2027: 27 Mar, 3 Apr, 10 Apr, 17 Apr, 24 Apr, 1 May, 8 May, 15 May, 22 May, 29 May, 5 Jun, 12 Jun, 19 Jun, 26 Jun, 3 Jul, 10 Jul, 17 Jul, 24 Jul, 31 Jul, 7 Aug, 14 Aug, 21 Aug, 28 Aug, 4 Sep, 11 Sep, 18 Sep, 25 Sep, 2 Oct, 9 Oct, 16 Oct, 23 Oct, 30 Oct
Mexico, Belize & Guatemala tour, Mayan encounter
From
£1216 to £2026
13 days
ex flights
Travel through paradise between the Yucatan & Guatemalan.
Small group2026: 17 Oct, 21 Oct, 28 Oct, 3 Nov, 7 Nov, 14 Nov, 17 Nov, 21 Nov, 25 Nov, 28 Nov, 1 Dec, 5 Dec, 8 Dec, 9 Dec, 12 Dec, 15 Dec, 16 Dec, 19 Dec, 22 Dec, 26 Dec, 29 Dec, 2027: 2 Jan, 6 Jan, 9 Jan, 13 Jan, 16 Jan, 20 Jan, 23 Jan, 27 Jan, 30 Jan, 3 Feb, 10 Feb, 13 Feb, 17 Feb, 20 Feb, 23 Feb, 27 Feb, 6 Mar, 10 Mar, 13 Mar, 20 Mar, 24 Mar, 27 Mar, 3 Apr, 7 Apr, 10 Apr, 17 Apr, 20 Apr, 24 Apr, 1 May, 8 May, 15 May, 22 May, 26 May ...
Peloponnese holiday, cultural tour in Greece
From
£2765
13 days
ex flights
Varied historical sight seeing of the northern Peloponnese
Small group2027: 18 Apr, 2 May, 6 Jun, 19 Sep, 3 Oct
Tailor made holidays to Jordan
From
£1840
10 days
ex flights
Ancient world amid dramatic natural scenery
Tailor made
Cairo short break, Egypt
From
£560 to £1350
5 days
ex flights
City break holiday for 5 days in Cairo
Tailor made
See all our Ancient civilisation holidaysContact Us
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Highlights of our ancient civilisations holidays
Egypt and the Middle East
In Jordan, our holidays visit the magnificent Treasury of Petra, then explore aspects of modern-day Bedouin culture in the nearby village of Umm Sayhoon. In Egypt, they sail the mighty River Nile, explore the Pyramids of Giza, and spend a day taking in the vast collection of antiquities within the spectacular Grand Egyptian Museum. And in Iran and Iraq, they help you admire stunning architectural treasures of the ancient world, deepening understanding of these countries beyond the headlines.
Mexico and the Americas
Maya sites are the focus of many holidays in the Americas, but our trips also explore Aztec and Zapotec civilisations, among others. Key destinations include Chichen Itza, Oaxaca, Tulum and Palenque in Mexico, where you can explore crumbling ruins surrounded by jungle, and stories of sun worship, sacrifice and sacred cenotes. The ruins of Belize are smaller than those of Mexico but have an engrossing wildness to them, while in Guatemala lies Tikal, the great Maya metropolis, a city to rival those of ancient Egypt and Greece.
Asia
The Silk Road spiders across Asia, branching off in many directions, offering immense potential for history-lovers wanting to trace the routes of pilgrims, traders and armies who journeyed along it in centuries past. Overland holidays explore the ‘Stans, with different combinations available, taking in cities like Samarkand, Merv and Khiva. Or you can travel all the way to China, with some truly epic train rides involved, along with chances to learn about how ancient traditions survive in nomadic desert culture.
Africa
While Egypt reigns supreme among our ancient civilisations holidays in Africa, other destinations hold just as much fascination while slipping under the radar. There is Great Zimbabwe, for instance, one of Africa’s largest stone structures. Local communities still use this UNESCO World Heritage Site for ceremonies. And in Libya, while much of the country remains difficult to visit, our holidays take you back to the days of ancient Carthage and Rome in places like Leptis Magna, following old Saharan trade routes to historic desert towns where you can explore troglodyte houses.
Our Ancient civilisation holidays reviews
4.6
284Ancient civilisation holidays reviews
Lynn McCarthy05 Oct 2026
Our Tour Director Charlie was great, having over 20 years in the tourism business. His knowledge of his country both historical and current was exceptional and he managed to make some complicated issues very easy for us to understand.read more
janine reed20 Sep 2026
Baalbek was astonishing, Damascus gave me goosebumps walking through such a wealth of history. Palmyra was haunting, but for me Krak des Chevaliers was the pinnacle of this trip, as I’d wanted to visit for the 15 years but could not - it was spectacular and didn’t disappoint. While walking through the church/mosque in the castle, our Muslim guide sung the ‘Call to prayer’ for the faithful, to demonstrate the acoustics. It was flipping amazing and a memory I’ll never forget.read more
Tim Bierley07 Jul 2026
Karim and Hisham were amazing hosts on the boat - friendly, full of knowledge, super attentive and made a really calm and enjoyable time on the boat. The trip itself was gorgeous, the gentle rhythm of a morning sailing, Nile birds skimming the water all day, and always interesting stops at monumentsread more
Nichola Walker06 Jun 2026
It was wonderful. We had our own arrangements in Istanbul at the beginning of our holiday but the host company made the transition to our tour seamless. The organisers in the United Kingdom were easy to communicate with and the team in Turkey were in touch with us the day we arrived and communicated with us with schedules etc as our holiday progressed.read more
