The Erechthion, Akropolis, Athens

pebble mosaic at Pella

To see what is special about us

Tips for a happy holiday

Itinerary for Southern Greece May 2009

Itinerary for Northern Greece September 2009

We vary the tours each year.

Other Itineraries we have done:

Mainly Peloponnese 2008

Mani & More 2007

North Eastern Greece 2007

What our guests say about us

Eating out in greece

click on place names which are underlined for more information

to check availability
phone
Mary Kehoe
07882 694189 or
Jane Maw Cornish
029 20 704314
or email Mary at maryekehoe47@yahoo.co.uk

web site created by
Jane Maw Cornish ©
last updated 31st January 2009

The Parthenon, Athens

Vaarlam Monastery, Meteora

Relive the legends of Homer and the tragedies of Sophokles; walk in the footsteps of Pausanias and wonder at the glory of the works of Praxiteles and Phidias; enjoy the breathtaking scenery as we travel through olive clad mountains and fertile plains where you half expect to glimpse Herakles on one of his labours.

Our unique tours offer a chance to see all the major archaeological sites of ancient & classical Greece as well as taking you off the beaten track to less visited but fascinating places. In just a week we journey through over 3,000 years of Greek history, from Mycenaean to Byzantine, as well as enjoying the vibrancy of modern Greece.

We do two tours each year, usually one to Southern Greece and one to Northern Greece. The Southern Greece tour always includes Athens, Delphi, Olympia, Mycenae, Corinth, plus a selection of other less well known sites, for example Nemea, Epidauros, Mystras, Nestor's Palace, Sounion, Bassae, Brauron etc.!

The Northern tour always includes Thessaloniki, Pella, Veryina and Dion. In addition we either go East to Amphipolis, Phillipi, Kavala and Thasos, or West to Meteora, Ioannina, Dodona, Nikopolis and Ephyra.

Our next Southern Greece tour (Athens, Olympia, Delphi, Mycenae, Nemea , Corinth, Sounion, Vrauron, Thorikos, Agrileza, Eritrea [on the island of Evia] and Vassae) will be from Wednesday 13th to Thursday 21st May 2009 with optional extension in Nauplion.
Cost: £875 based on 2 sharing twin or double, £845 per person in a triple room and £1020 in a single room.

We will start with 4 nights in Athens giving us plenty of time to visit the wonders of the Akropolis, the National Archaeological Museum, the ancient Agora and make a visit to the island of Egina. From Athens we will also visit the charming 5th century BC sanctuary of Artemis at Brauron, the silver mine and theatre at Thorikos and silver workings at Agrileza. We will also go to the temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion where we will have supper in a taverna before watching the sunset over the sea. Next we will go to the island of Evia to see the wonderful pebble mosaics at Eritrea. Then we go to Delphi for 1 night, site of the ancient Oracle and temple of Apollo. The museum here has some really wonderful sculptures and the famous bronze charioteer. Next we cross the Gulf of Corinth and go to Olympia for 1 night. Olympia is famous for being the site of the first Olympic Games in 776 BC and also contains the Temple of Zeus which housed the statue of Zeus. one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

From Olympia we will visit the temple of Vassae before going to the spa town of Loutraki for 2 nights. From Loutraki we will go to Homer's city of gold, Mycenae, the Sanctuary of Zeus and stadium at Nemea, and ancient Corinth and take a boat trip on the Corinth Canal.

Optional week's extension in Nauplion from where you can visit Argos, the Argive Heraion, Epidauros, Lerna & Tyrins by local bus or taxi.

The next Northern Greece tour September 2009 includes 3 nights in the lively city of Thessaloníki from where we will visit Philip of Macedon's capital, Pella; his tomb and treasures at Veryína; Aristotle's School where Alexander was tutored by the great philosopher and the sanctuaries and city set at the foot of Mount Olymbos at Dion. Then we will go west to the village of Kastraki in the heart of the Meteora for one night and visit 3 of the Monasteries perched on top of the extraordinary peaks.
From here we will cross the Pindhos Mountains to Ioannina, a charming town set beside a large lake, where we stay 2 nights and from where we visit Dodona and the Vikos Gorge. From Ioannina we go south to Preveza for 2 nights. The site of the Battle of Actium is nearby and the ruins of Roman Nikopolis built by Caesar Augustus. We will also visit the Nekromanteio of Ephyra where people were tricked into believing they were seeing their dead loved ones in Hades.
Cost and dates availble soon!

An optional 7 nights in Corfu, travelling by local bus and ferry from Preveza and staying at the Konstantinoupolis Hotel.

Tour costs include scheduled day flights, all coach travel in Greece, comprehensive information on the sites, museums and history, and all hotel accommodation (B & B, en-suite). It does not include entrance to sites and museums or lunch and dinner for which you should allow about £200.

The tours are organised & led by sisters Jane Maw Cornish and Mary Kehoe. Travel to Greece, with Olympic or British Airways, is booked through Thornton's Travel (ABTA) and travel and accommodation in Greece is arranged by Christos Patakis of Anassa Travel, Athens.

Plans for 2010 are to make our first visit to Crete in May and our second visit to Mani in September.

Note: These privately organised tours have been running since 1974

to see what is special about us

You will find a lovely description of our tour of the Peloponnese in October 2003 in Greek-o-File Volume 3
and of the 2005 Northern Greece tour in
Greek-o-File Volume 5 which is now available.
To order and to find out more about Greece and the Greeks visit http://www.greekofile.co.uk

for a collection of beautiful sketches of Corfu by Theresa Nicholas and books by John Waller see http://www.yiannisbooks.com/