The Glory That Was Greece

What's Included

INCLUDED

• Return flights from London Heathrow to Athens
• Nine nights’ accommodation (eight nights' half-board and one night bed and breakfast) - two nights' at the Amalia Delphi, two nights' at the Europa Hotel Olympia, one night at the Hotel Menelaion Sparta (B&B) and four nights' at the Amalia Hotel Nafplio, based on shared occupancy of a twin/double room
• Five lectures
• Transfers, tours and entrance fees
• Lecturer, local guide and tour manager throughout

NOT INCLUDED

• Single room supplement
• Holiday insurance
• Meals other than those stated
• Items of a personal nature such as drinks, laundry, telephone calls etc
• Porterage and gratuities 

Accommodation

Amalia Hotel, Delphi
The Amalia Delphi has a superb location at the foot of mount Parnassus offering fantastic panoramic views across a green valley, all the way to the sea. Hotel facilities include a pool, restaurant, café-bar and pool bar. The classic guest rooms are located on four levels and are mostly twin bedded. Facilities include bathroom with bath or shower, hairdryer, TV, fridge and safebox. Wi-Fi is available throughout the hotel.

Amalia Hotel Delphi Website

Europa Hotel, Olympia

The 'Best Western' Hotel Europa is built on the top of Drouvas Hill in Ancient Olympia. It offers a 24-hour front desk, 3 bars (two indoors and one pool bar), a Greek restaurant, a pool-side taverna and free Wi-Fi. The Hotel Europa is set among the enchanting landscape of Ancient Olympia on top of the Drouvas Hill, with views of the Arcadian Mountains and the Alfios Valley. It features 80 spacious and pristine guestrooms appointed with marble floors and balconies. The hotel is within walking distance from Olympia’s town centre and its historic ruins.

Europa Hotel Website

Amalia Hotel, Nafplio
The Amalia Nafplio is designed in a neoclassical style surrounded by pretty gardens, whilst public areas are elegantly and comfortably furnished. Hotel facilities include a restaurant, café lounge bar, pool (seasonal opening) and gardens.

Amalia Hotel Nafplio Website

Menelaion Hotel, Sparta
Centrally located in Sparta, this comfortable hotel provides a welcome one-night stay to ensure we get the best out of our visit to the sprawling site of Mystras. Hotel facilities include wi-fi, lounge café, bar, restaurant and pool (seasonal). Bedrooms have en-suite bathroom facilities, TV, air-conditioning/heating, triple glazing and hairdryer.

Menelaion Hotel Website

Places of Interest

Nafplion
The Palamídhi, Náfplio’s principal fort, Boúrtzi, the third fort occupying the Ayíou Theodórou islet offshore from the harbour, and the church of Áyios Spyrídon, where the first prime minister, Ioánnis Kapodhístrias was assassinated, are of special interest. Platía Syndágmatos (Constitution Square), the main square of the old town, is the focus of most interest. Then there is the Archaeological Museum that occupies a Venetian mansion.

Tiryns (Tírynthos)  
The undeniably impressive fortress is over three thousand years old, and the site itself has been occupied for four thousand years before that. The walls, formed of huge Cyclopean stones, supposedly built by the Cyclopes for the legendary king Proteus, (the expression ‘Cyclopean masonry’ is derived from here), dominate the site.  The German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann uncovered Tíryns in 1884.

Árgos
The oldest inhabited town in Greece (c.5000 years) is an option for your free day. The theatre is said to have held 20,000 spectators.  Alongside are the remains of an odeion and Roman baths.  Above the site looms the ancient acropolis, on the conical hill of Lárissa capped by the Frankish medieval castle. In nearby Kefalári is the convent of Zoödhóhou Piyís hewn from rock.

Mycenae   
The region is one of the longest occupied in Greece, with evidence of Neolithic settlements from 3000 BC.  But it is during the period from 1550 to 1200 BC that the citadel of Mycenae and its legend belong.  The Lion Gate, the Treasury of Atreus or (as officially called) Tomb of Agamemnon, with its startling tholos are some of its impressive features.  The archaeological remains unearthed by Schliemann were impelled by his belief that there was a factual basis to Homer’s epics.

Corinth 
Corinth was one of the most powerful city states of ancient Greece. It gained its power from its excellent location, which gave it the ability to transport goods across the isthmus. Corinth was destroyed by the Romans in 146 BC but re-built a century later becoming the largest and most important Roman town in Greece with a population of 750,000.  

Nemea 
The Nemean Games became a sporting event to rank alongside the other three major Pan-Hellenic athletic games held at Olympia, Isthmia and Delphi. Theywere the youngest of the four but were held in as equally high regard as the games at Olympia and ensured any ‘Victor’ free meals for life. Nemea is also well known within Greek mythology for the slaying of the Nemean Lion by Hercules.

Epidaurus  
Visited for its grandiose ancient theatre with a seating capacity of 13,000, built around 330-320 BC. Its extraordinary acoustics have contributed to holding the annual Athens Festival productions of Classical drama and other productions.

More Info

Your Lecturer

Jeremy Paterson
Jeremy taught Greek and Roman history for over forty years at Newcastle University. He has travelled widely in Greece and the Mediterranean. His enthusiasm for the ancient world was first inspired by reading Homer and then by his fascination with the archaeological discoveries at Mycenae and Knossos. He is much in demand as a speaker at home and in many of the classical countries of the Mediterranean, where he has accompanied many groups to sites and museums.

Lectures will be as follows:
Day 2: 'Consulting the Oracle'
Day 3: 'A short history of the Olympic Games'
Day 5: 'A short history of Greece'
Day 6: 'Sparta and Mistra'
Day 8: 'I have gazed on the face of Agamemnon: discovering the Mycenaeans'

FLIGHTS

Please note that all flight times are provisional and subject to airline schedules and changes.

HEALTH & INSURANCE – EHIC CARD
Please note that EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) only allows access to the same state-provided healthcare as a resident of the EU country they are temporarily visiting. It is NOT an alternative to travel insurance and will not provide the same level of cover as a travel insurance policy. The EHIC will not cover any private medical healthcare or the cost of things such as repatriation to the UK or lost or stolen property. It is also important to note that each country’s healthcare system is slightly different, so the EHIC might not cover everything that would be generally free on the NHS. On the EHIC application website, there is a section called Access to Healthcare Abroad which clarifies all the conditions and inclusions.

Book with Confidence

• Low Deposit

  Travel Editions requires a minimum deposit of 20% or the full booking value, whichever is less, with the final balance not due until 56 days before departure.

• Cancellation Policy

  We don't charge a cancellation fee, here is a summary of travel editions charges.

  Up to 56 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of deposit.

  At 55 days before tour starts: Forfeit 45% of booking price.

  At 28 days before tour starts: Forfeit 60% of booking price.

  At 14 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of booking price.