Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

Difficult to rank such diverse and excellent experiences

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent - very enthusiastic and knowledgeable

Advice for Potential Travellers

There is a need to be interested in the Ancient Greece (as the title suggests) but there is also a reasonable about of 'free time' for individual exploration. Really good trip.

Suggestions

Our first Exodus Trip - although we have done many with Explore they are not running a comparable trip to this. We will be checking both companies in the future!

Most Inspirational Moment

Being in the Olympic Stadium ruins completely alone.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Very good on detail and organisation but does need to limit the static time or learn to talk and walk.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Ignore the advice about the water being safe, it is if you are southern European but very iffy for the north European. Came back with a water borne bug.

Suggestions

The start could be improved, but with flights coming in at very different times it would be difficult. There was a tension on the final day with a visit at the start of the day then a long drive back to Athens, particularly when we had already had one puncture.

Most Inspirational Moment

There were so many highlights but I think of all the places we visited probably Olympia was the most inspirational All those athletes in ancient Greece, many of whom travelled long distances , gathering together to compete

Thoughts on Group Leader

Eva was great. She was very friendly, very helpful and extremely knowledgeable She had an amazing way of bringing the places we visited to life with her tales of the ancient gods, goddesses and heroes , So much fun to have roles to play.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Make sure you add on a day or two extra in Athens either at the start or end of the trip

Suggestions

In general the pace of the trip was good but we wondered if there was someway of including Meteora without having the long drive back to Athens on the last day

Most Inspirational Moment

As a runner, visiting Olympia the home of the Olympic Games was special for me, particularly as I was able to run the length of the ancient stadium. Delphi was also spectacular with it’s site on the side of a steep hill.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Eva was amazing. She was really friendly and presented information on the different sites in an interesting and engaging manner.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for quite a bit of travelling on the minibus, particularly on the last three days.

Most Inspirational Moment

Delphi and Meteora were pretty spectacular. Really enjoyed olive oil centre as an optional add on

Thoughts on Group Leader

Enthusiastic, well organised, very knowledgeable, very helpful when I needed medical help

Advice for Potential Travellers

All the ancient sites are on hills and uneven surfaces so if you have any knee/hip issues consider taking walking poles. If taking the return flight in evening of last day beware there are no tubes that late at night on a Sunday. Could only get to Paddington !!!!!!!!!! and no further. If making own way to joining hotel Metro is cheap and takes about 30 mins. Hotel is only a 5 minute walk away from station but good idea to have a map to hand as Google maps was not firing up.

Suggestions

Would consider adding an extra day to itinerary as last day is a loooong drive and evening flight proved problematic for onwards travel using public transport. Or advise clients in tripnotes that an extra night in Athens could be a good option.

Most Inspirational Moment

The mountain monasteries at Meteora, and Delphi, were truly awe-inspiring. Amazing to be able to get up close and personal to so many ancient sites and relics. Athens is a great city - fun, varied and interesting.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Maria was fantastic - a real asset to this tour.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take plenty of sunscreen, a hat, and comfortable shoes. A reusable water bottle is a must - there are taps around numerous sites to fill it up, too.

Most Inspirational Moment

Highlights were: The unexpected sites of Mystras, ancient Messene and Meteora. The small towns of Pylos and Naufplio The ferry ride from Patras back to the mainland

Thoughts on Group Leader

Lida was an excellent group leader, sociable, friendly and always ready to answer questions. She looked after the group very well and was very helpful. Grigoris the driver was also excellent, and drove the minibus smoothly and safely.

Advice for Potential Travellers

There was not a great deal of 'free time'; one afternoon in Olympia was free of any activity. We often seemed to arrive late afternoon/early evening. The last day from Meteora to Athens airport was very long, though there were stops. It is a very 'packed' tour with much to see; it was hard to take in all the information about the places visited. So maybe read up ia little n advance! It is not strictly speaking an archeological tour; the tour leader was not an expert (this is not a criticism).

Most Inspirational Moment

In their own and separate ways, all of the sites we visited were extremely interesting.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Lida was excellent all round, well-prepared and enthusiastic about her subject. Gregorius was a good driver and we never felt unsafe with him.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Make sure you have stout and comfortable footwear.

Suggestions

We (and others) felt that the driving involved in the last visit to Meteora and back to Athens was too long a round trip including an overnight stop. While the Meteora monastery that we visited was a very interesting site, we only spent about an hour there. It is quite separate from the archaeology of the rest of the tour around ancient Greece. We would have preferred a shorter overall tour or more time spent at other sites. We were offered three optional activities - a boat trip, wine visit and olive oil visit (the latter two with lunch). We cannot see how the early evening boat trip (cancelled for lack of support) could have been fitted in, since we had no time between arrival and dinner. The others took a long time out of the middle of the day, with less than half the group participating. Dropping these and having more time at the main sites and a shorter lunch would be better. These are the sort of activities you expect on an ordinary package holiday, not a specialised tour. Overall we felt that taverna lunches were slow, rather too heavy, and took a lot of time out of the centre of the day, when we would have preferred to use the time on the site visits. The restaurant used for the evening meal at Nafplio had a poor choice of food and was expensive compared to others.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent. Stefania is a great asset: highly skilled, cheerful and a thoroughly professional guide.

Most Inspirational Moment

Standing in Delphi. The view was breathtaking and there was a sense of awe at being in a place that was sacred for the people that lived here so long ago.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Eva was the best. I enjoyed everyday. She told great stories of Greek history. She involved everyone in the group. She set up some optional group dinners every evening. Every experience was wonderful.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Try everything, especially the food. Stand by yourself in the Greek ruins and imagine what life was like thousands of years ago. Go slow through the museums, there are so many wonderful art works.

Suggestions

I would love to take another tour of another place with everyone from my group. Everyone was wonderful and Eva was the most you could hope for in a tour guide.