Central & Southern Greece

The tour starts at 5.00pm on Tuesday 10 January, at the Hotel Kubic, Athens. The tour ends after breakfast on Thursday 26 January, at the Hotel Kubic, Athens.

We meet at the hotel for a briefing on the tour before heading to a nearby restaurant for a welcome dinner. Overnight Athens (D)

On foot, we’ll visit the Acropolis and the Theatre of Dionysos, where Greek tragedies were first performed. Then we’ll take in the wonderful Acropolis Museum and the Pnyx, meeting place of the Athenian assembly. Overnight Athens (B)

We’ll begin today by exploring the National Archaeological Museum and its many famous works: these include the aristocratic Kritios boy, moving grave reliefs and Mycenaean finds like the so-called Mask of Agamemnon. Afterwards, we’ll travel to the port of Athens to contemplate the centre of Athenian power. One of our stops is the Peiraieus Museum, the highlights of which include rare bronze statues and a trireme ram. Overnight Athens (B)

Today we travel by coach to the town of Rhamnous and the remains of a 5th-century temple of Nemesis on the north-east coast. We’ll also see the battlefield of Marathon and the sanctuary of Artemis at Brauron, where girls “played the bear” as a coming-of-age ritual. After a visit to the silver-mining site of Thorikos, we’ll stop by the sanctuary of Poseidon at Sounion. Overnight Athens (B, L)

We leave Athens today for the coastal city of Nafplio in the north-eastern Peloponnese. On the way we will view the waters where the Battle of Salamis was fought, and we’ll stop at Eleusis, where the Athenian mysteries sacred to Demeter and Persephone were celebrated. We’ll also visit the sanctuary of Apollo and the famous theatre at Epidauros, considered to be the most perfect ancient Greek theatre in terms of acoustics and aesthetics. Overnight Nafplio (B, D)

From our base in Nafplio, we’ll head to the great Bronze Age citadels of Mycenae and Tiryns. Now UNESCO World Heritage sites. Then we’ll head north to the Argive Heraion, an inter-state sanctuary of Hera before it became the national sanctuary of the expanding polis of Argos. We’ll then visit the panhellenic sanctuary of Nemea, sacred to Zeus. Overnight Nafplio (B, L)

After a visit to the excellent Nafplio archaeological museum in the morning, we’ll travel west across the Peloponnese, through Arkadia to Olympia. Along the way, we’ll stop at Megalopolis, known for its ruins of a large ancient theatre and the 67-pillared Thersileon. Overnight Olympia (B, D)

Today we have a full day in Olympia, a panhellenic sanctuary in a remote corner of the Peloponnese. We begin with the sanctuary of Zeus, then we’ll see where the ancient Olympics were staged. We finish with the fabulous museum, with architectural elements from the temple and dedications from many Greek states and individuals. Overnight Olympia (B)

A pleasant drive north will take us across the end of the Corinthian Gulf via the hyper-modern, earthquake-proof bridge at Andirio. Our travel along the north coast of the Gulf to ancient Naupaktos offers views across the waters where naval battles were fought in the Peloponnesian War and, hopefully, fish for lunch along the shoreline. From there, an easy drive takes us into Delphi. Overnight Delphi (B, D)

Today we explore the spectacular site of Delphi, beginning with the sanctuaries of Apollo Pythios and Athena Pronaia. We’ll also visit the Delphi Archaeological Museum, which holds an extensive collection of artifacts unearthed during 130 years of excavations at Delphi. If time and weather permit, we’ll take a drive up to the Parnassos plateau to the sacred Korykian Cave. Overnight Delphi (B)

For the fit ones we will start the day with a 13 km hike downhill from Delphi to the Korinthian Gulf at Kirrha. We’ll follow the ancient path by which many travellers arrived at Delphi, but in reverse (for reasons of laziness: going uphill it is a 660m climb). Afterwards, depending on our energy, we’ll visit some other sites: the Byzantine monastery of Osios Loukas, parts of which date from the 10th century AD; Distomo, site of a 1944 massacre by the German occupiers; and Arachova, a picturesque if touristy mountainside town with good souvenir shopping. Overnight Delphi (B, L)

We’ll head north from Delphi to Volos through an important mountain pass, stopping first at the Malian Gulf. There we’ll visit both the traditional site of the Battle of Thermopylae, and the place where Dr Londey believes the battle was really fought. A highlight in Volos will be a visit to a tsipouro-bar. Overnight Volos (B, L, D)

After a visit to the Volos archaeological museum, we’ll retrace our steps southwards but, like Philip of Macedon in 338 BC, turn left to march down the Kephisos valley. There we’ll view sites related to the Persian War (480–479 BC), the 3rd Sacred War (356–346 BC), and Philip’s victory over the southern Greeks at the Battle of Chaironeia. Time permitting, we may visit the enigmatic Bronze Age site of Gla. More than 10 times the size of Athens or Tiryns, Gla is absent from the historical record and therefore unstoried. Overnight Chalkida (B)

Today we visit the splendid new Thebes archaeological museum, and the somewhat mysterious early Iron Age site of Lefkandi in Euboia. We’ll also explore the sanctuary of Artemis at Aulis, where Agamemnon sacrificed his daughter Iphigeneia so that the Greek army could get to Troy. Overnight Chalkida (B, L)

This morning we head back to Athens via the sites of critical battles at Leuktra and Plataiai. We’ll also pay a visit to the atmospheric Athenian border fort of Phyle, where the democratic resistance to the oligarchic Thirty Tyrants gathered in 403 BC to reclaim Athenian freedom. Overnight Athens (B, L)

Today you can either have free time to visit any of Athens’ many attractions at your leisure; or you may opt for a walking tour of some of the fine neoclassical buildings that marked the transition of Athens from country town to capital of Greece. These include the old mansion of Heinrich Schliemann, now the Numismatic Museum, which houses a massive collection of coins, stamps, gems, and other artefacts from 1400 BCE to contemporary times. We’ll conclude our tour this evening with a farewell dinner. Overnight Athens (B, D)

After breakfast, the group will disperse to wherever they are going next. (B)

Hotels have been selected principally for their central location. Hotels are subject to change.

• Athens, Hotel Kubic (6 nights, total)

• Nafplio, Hotel Rex (2 nights)

• Olympia, Hotel Pelops (2 nights)

• Delphi, Fedriades Delphi Hotel (3 nights)

• Volos, Aegli Pallas Hotel (1 night)

• Chalkida, Paliria Hotel (2 nights)