GreeceExploring the Peloponnese Tour

Fitness Level

16th April 2026 - 30th April 2026

Tour Guide: Dr Michael Metcalfe and Nota Karamaouna

15 Days | £5,545 per person / Single Supplement: £1,045

Fitness Level

15th October 2026 - 29th October 2026

Tour Guide: Dr Michael Metcalfe and Nota Karamaouna

15 Days | £5,645 per person / Single Supplement: £1,095

The Peloponnese is the epicentre of so much of Greek History: it inevitably conjures up images of ancient glories, epic struggles for power, valiant heroes and majestic vistas. The mere mention of names like Arcadia or Corinth, Sparta or Olympia, Nemea or Mycenae awakens our imagination, rekindling memories of fascinating legends and the pivotal historical events that played out against the outstanding scenery of this beautiful land.

The fame of this great peninsula that forms the southern part of the Greek Mainland rests on a long and often spectacular history which makes it a veritable heartland of Europe’s formative years and the genesis of classical and western culture. From the first farmers of the Neolithic to the Bronze Age Mycenaeans, via the glories of Greece and Rome and the splendours of the Byzantine Empire, through the Ottoman centuries and the Greek War of Independence, the Peloponnese has usually been centre-stage in epochal historical events. The region is also central in Greek myth – home to the heroes of Homer’s Iliad like King Agamemnon and Nestor, the deeds of Herakles and a place often frequented by the gods themselves, moved by love or wrath.

Join us in bringing these fascinating places and their history to life on our expert-led Peloponnese tour. You’ll journey through stunningly beautiful scenery, from small fertile plains to rough and rugged mountains and rocky peninsulas jutting out into the blue waters of the Mediterranean. You’ll discover many of the area’s most famous highlights, including no less than six UNESCO World Heritage sites, such as the gargantuan Bronze Age fortifications of Tiryns and Mycenae, the Classical splendours of Olympia, famous for the games that still bear its name, Epidaurus with its beautiful theatre and beautiful Byzantine Mystras.

You’ll also discover wonders off the beaten track, like vast ancient Messene, and mountainous Arcadia with its perched villages and gorge-side monasteries, and the majestic Mani Peninsula, where a romantically wild landscape is perfectly matched by its traditional architecture. Naturally you’ll savour some of the region’s best traditional cuisine, sample many of the fine wines that have been cultivated here for millennia and stay in delightful accommodations and locations.

Led by a team of archaeologist guides with many years’ knowledge and experience of the region, this archaeological tour will introduce you to the splendours of one of the ancient Mediterranean’s most significant regions. As you explore its historical and cultural majesty as well as its natural beauty and living traditions you’ll gain a true and unforgettable sense and understanding of what the Peloponnese was and is.

Our Tours receive an average rating of 5 out of 5 from 941 reviews, according to AITO reviews.

Day 1: Arrival in Athens. Transfer from airport, about 40 minutes away, to our hotel in the centre of the city. Welcome drinks and dinner.
Day 2: Today, we set out from Athens to begin exploring the Peloponnese! Our first stop is the Isthmus of Corinth, the neck of land that connects the Peloponnese and the mainland and places Corinth perfectly astride so many land and sea routes. We admire the mighty Corinth Canal, planned since antiquity and finally achieved just over a century ago, crossing its viaduct to enter the Peloponnese on foot.

We continue to Ancient Nemea, set in a fertile upland valley in the north of the Argolid. Here, we visit the sanctuary of Zeus, where important athletic games held every other year drew participants from all over the Greek world, the fame of which made Nemea a bone of contention between Corinth and its powerful neighbour, Argos. We pass through the long-vaulted tunnel to the beautifully-positioned stadium, its walls covered in graffiti left by ancient competitors. In the sanctuary itself, we explore the splendid Temple of Zeus and the other buildings in the sanctuary that have so far been revealed by the excellent team that works here.

Later, we enjoy lunch and a tasting at one of the many Nemea wineries: the region is the oldest established wine appellation in the country, based on the delicious Agiorgitiko grape, producing a dark red wine of great warmth and character. A fine start behind us, we make our way to Nafplio, one of Greece’s most attractive coastal towns for our first Peloponnesian night, in a restored Neoclassical building in the picturesque Old Town.
Day 3: We begin by visiting Nafplio’s superb Archaeological Museum. Drawn from sites all over the Argolid, its displays bring us thousands of years of the ancient story of the region from the Palaeolithic right through to the Roman era. Some of the most famous archaeological finds of Greece are here, including the Mycenaean Dendra Panoply, one of the world’s oldest surviving suits of full body armour.

A scenic drive into the southern Peloponnese begins on the peninsula’s east coast, through the southern Argolid and then following the shore of what was once Kynouria, the buffer over which Argos and Sparta glowered at each other. We stop at Leonidio beneath towering bluffs and russet stone ramparts for a delicious rural lunch and then continue through the extraordinarily beautiful Tzakonian Mountains - ancient Parnon - to the village of Kosmas, a good 1,150m (3,770ft) above sea level, where we stop for coffee and traditional sweets.

And then we descend, as few would do without permission in classical times, into the fertile hill country of Laconia, the historical territory of Sparta. Our destination is Pikoulianika, a tiny village wrapped in the high, wooded hills of the Taygetus mountains: a breath-taking location overlooking the Eurotas valley in which the centre of ancient Sparta was located. It is our base for two nights.
Day 4: Today is entirely devoted to ancient Sparta. We travel down from our mountain eyrie to the modern town of Sparti, beneath which lie the last traces of its ancient predecessor, Lakedaimon or Sparta, the dominant power of the Peloponnese for many centuries. We’ll talk about the ancient Spartans’ unusual state and its great emphasis on training for war, built on their oppression of their helot neighbours. We begin our tour in the fine archaeological museum, exploring the excellent discoveries made over more than a century of dedicated work by British and Greek teams. We continue on to the city’s acropolis, home to some of the only monumental structures to survive from its storied past, and take in some amazing views of the Taygetus mountains that separate Lakonia from Messenia – our destination in just a few days’ time.

We visit the Museum of the Olive after lunch to learn about a crop central to Ancient Greek and indeed Modern Greek culture before returning to our hotel for an easy-going afternoon, free to enjoy the serenity of our location. In the evening, you are free to dine at your leisure.
Day 5: An important day begins with the medieval successor of Sparta, Mystras, the finest Byzantine site in the south of Greece. Founded by Latin crusaders – known here as ‘Franks’ - after the calamitous Fourth Crusade of 1204, Mystras is nevertheless better known as a major Byzantine site, seat of an autonomously-run despotate within the Byzantine Empire between the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries. In those dying days of Byzantium, Mystras, with its direct connections to Constantinople, became a vigorous centre of art and learning. Today the town is abandoned, but its churches and monasteries still stand in great serenity and beauty on their lush green hillside overlooking Sparti below and give a powerful impression of the last embers of Byzantium. High-quality frescoes decorate many of these monuments, offering great insights into an important and frequently overlooked part of European heritage, due to which Mystras is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage site.

After a well-deserved lunch in Mystras village, we carry on southwards to Areopoli in the Mani Peninsula, where we spend the next two nights.
Day 6: This day is spent entirely within the Mani Peninsula, the central of the Peloponnese’s three southern fingers and the southernmost part of continental Europe. Mani is a wild, rocky and craggy place, and the harshness of its landscape is matched by the legendary ruggedness of its inhabitants, and by their history and traditions, such as the defensive tower-houses that make up the older settlements.

Our first stop is at the spectacular caves of Diros, entered from a small cove and located just above sea level. Here, nature has spent the last few million years carving out a dazzlingly beautiful labyrinth of chambers and passages. Mostly flooded, they are accessible by boat and decorated with a stunning array of stalagmites, stalactites, draperies and other limestone concretions: a hidden world of dreamlike wonder.

From Diros, we follow the Mani’s coast southwards towards a cove near Cape Tainaron, the southern tip of the peninsula. In antiquity, the waters around here, unavoidable for those crossing from the Central into the Eastern Mediterranean, were among the most feared in the Mediterranean, making the nearby coves and bays welcome places of shelter, to wait out adverse conditions or to recover from harrowing trips. Perhaps as a result of its association with naval tragedies, Cape Tainaron was also believed to be an entrance to Hades, the place where Heracles descended to the Underworld to catch Cerberus, the triple-headed dog, as one of his Twelve Labours. The place operated as an Oracle of the Dead for centuries. We also cast an eye on the nearby ruins of the Temple to Poseidon, god of the sea.

On our return northwards, we stop for a stroll in the famously picturesque and mostly abandoned village of Vathia. In the evening, you are free to choose among Areopoli’s cosily welcoming eateries.
Day 7: Travelling northwards along the western coast of Mani, we leave Laconia and enter Messenia. Still on the Mani, we stop at a lovely and very ancient settlement notable for being offered to Achilles by Agamemnon in the Iliad, but also for having been the base and retreat chosen by Patrick Leigh Fermor, the famous British adventurer and travel writer, from the 1950s until his death in 2011. Leaving Mani behind, we head for the mountainous interior of Messenia, to the picturesque village of Mavromati for a rustic lunch, before exploring the vast ancient city of Messene, a site that is still undergoing extensive excavation and reconstruction by the Archaeological Society of Athens and which will surely become a UNESCO World Heritage Site before long. Messene is an unusual site as the result of an unusual history: for centuries, the region was under Spartan control and its inhabitants were not permitted to dwell in cities, depriving them of the most defining feature of ancient Greek societies, namely the city-state. Only after Spartan dominance was broken by the Theban general Epaminondas at the Battle of Leuctra in 371 BC did Messenia gain independence. The new capital city was thus essentially a Theban gift, but what a gift!

We spend the afternoon admiring this glorious site at the foot of Mount Ithome. We explore its theatre, agora, council chamber, column-lined avenues, gymnasia and stadium, surrounded by the most stupendous Late Classical city walls in all of Greece. In the evening, we descend to the shore and the city of Kalamata, famous for the olives and oil from the surrounding plain.
Day 8: A diverse day, full of lush and inviting landscapes and seascapes.

In the morning, we travel to the southwestern tip of the Peloponnese, to Methoni, Venetian Modon, facing the Ionian Sea. It was here that Geoffroy I of Villehardouin, one of the most fascinating characters in the complex history of Frankish Greece first made landfall in 1204, following the Fourth Crusade and the dismemberment of Byzantium. A few years later, Methoni fell to Venice, and later see-sawed in control between Venice and the Ottomans until 1715. We engage with this turbulent history by visiting the stupendous Venetian fortifications, built upon the remains of Byzantine and earlier predecessors and once encompassing a large castle-town. The peninsular setting of the complex, lapped by deep blue waters, makes the visit unforgettable.

We then continue northwards along the coast, stopping at Pylos, an attractive Neoclassical town set upon its famous nearly fully-enclosed Bay. This was the site of two important battles during vastly different eras: the Battle of Sphacteria in 425 BC, during the Peloponnesian War, remembered as the first time that Spartan warriors surrendered; and the 1827 naval Battle of Navarino, during which an Allied fleet of the Great Powers (British, French and Russian) virtually destroyed an Ottoman-Egyptian one, enabling the embattled Greek revolutionaries to secure their hold on the Peloponnese.

Later, we reach the site of Ano Englianos, a hilltop surrounded by windswept olive groves, where excavations have revealed an important Late Bronze Age Mycenaean Palace. The well-preserved structure, protected by a modern shelter, is surprisingly well-preserved, making it one of the most revealing buildings of its kind, the centre of the Mycenaean state. Ano Englianos, usually identified as Homer’s Pylos and thus as the ‘Palace of Nestor’ has yielded extensive Linear B archives, providing ample evidence of the workings of the Mycenaean palace economy, which both enabled and demanded these opulent arenas for aristocratic display. We also cast a glance at the fine tholos tomb, a ‘royal’ burial monument of the fourteenth century BC close to the palace. Near here, the celebrated fifteenth century Tomb of the Griffin Warrior was discovered in 2015.

Continuing northwards, we leave Messenia and enter ancient Elis, the western region of the Peloponnese, heading for the town of Olimbia, ancient Olympia, our base for the following two nights.
Day 9: A stupendous day, all of it spent in Elis, dedicated to two important sites from very different eras.

In the morning, we drive to Cape Kyllini, the western tip of the peninsula, to visit the mighty castle of Chlemoutsi (Frankish Clairmont). This strikingly dominant edifice was constructed by Geoffroy I Villehardouin in the 1220s to strengthen his control over his Principality of Achaea. Unlike Methoni, it was never actually besieged, but came under Byzantine control in 1427, only to be surrendered to the Ottomans in 1460. The impressive complex, with an outer enceinte overlooked by a hexagonal keep comprised of tall Gothic-style halls, is one of the most significant monuments of western-style medieval architecture in Greece. It now houses an excellent new museum devoted to what is known in Greece as the Frankokratia, the period of Western rule following 1204.

We then return to visit one of the most famous archaeological sites in the entire Peloponnese: Olympia. Set on the confluence of two rivers, the Alpheios and the Kladeos, the great sanctuary of Zeus has been attracting visitors since early antiquity, when it was the venue of the famous athletic contests in honour of Zeus that took place every four years, the Olympic Games, supposedly founded in 776 BC. A panhellenic event, they were an occasion for individuals from all over the Greek World as far as southern France, Asia Minor, the Black Sea and North Africa, to meet in friendly competition, maintain contacts and exchange ideas. They were therefore not just a defining aspect of Greek culture, but one of the ways it was transmitted, expressed and reformulated over time.

We do justice to this UNESCO World Heritage Site with a thorough tour. It takes in the training grounds and a hostelry outside the sanctuary proper, and the shrines and altars within. Special highlights are the Temple of Zeus, once home to one of the Seven Wonders of the World (the huge gold-and-ivory statue of Zeus at Olympia), the Workshop of Pheidias where it was crafted, the Temple of Hera, perhaps the oldest standing Greek Temple, and the stadium said to have been set up by Heracles himself.

In the evening, you are free to dine a la carte at your hotel or in the nearby town.
Day 10: In the morning, we continue our exploration of the sanctuary of Zeus, with a thorough visit to the superb site museum - early, before the crowds arrive. The museum contains one of the finest collections of Greek art anywhere in the world, including the breath-taking pediments of the Temple of Zeus, the stunning Nike of Paionios, and the extraordinarily beautiful Hermes of Praxiteles, a rare example of a surviving masterpiece by one of ancient Greece’s most famous sculptors.

We then follow the poets in turning our attention from victors to the ethereal heartland of the Peloponnese: Arcadia. We travel eastwards, climbing into the Arcadian mountains, a landscape of rugged beauty, of seemingly untouched forests and of small villages perched on steep slopes. Our first destination is the famous Temple of Apollo Epikourios at Bassai, another UNESCO-listed monument. Standing in a remote mountain setting, 1,130m (3,700ft) above sea level, it is the second-best-preserved Classical Temple in Greece, with all four colonnades and the sanctuary walls mostly in place. We examine the temple’s many unusual features, establishing its exceptional nature and the peculiarities of Arcadian architecture, and see at first hand the challenge of maintaining the now-fragile structure and the ambitious ongoing project to preserve it for the future.

We continue, via the attractive mountain town of Andritsaina, through more stupendous countryside, to spend the first of two nights in our hotel in the historic town of Dimitsana, set high upon the slopes of a deep valley, with the Lousios River rushing far below.
Day 11: A day given over to exploring Arcadia, famed for its out-of-this-world remoteness since antiquity. We start with the most extensive walk of the tour, making our way down the steep side of the Lousios Valley to the monastery of Agios Ioannis Prodromos. It is a unique structure, more or less hanging from a gorge-side cliff face, hidden away from covetous eyes. Its origins are in the fifteenth century, and the strange cave-like chapel bears interesting sixteenth century paintings, a reflection of the continued Christian and monastic tradition that prevailed in the Peloponnese even after the Ottoman conquest. The views from the balcony running outside the monastery are of rugged splendour.

Returning to Dimitsana, the rest of the day is free, allowing you to enjoy the lovely setting, find a nice place for lunch, to explore the lanes of Dimitsana or just to relax before joining your guides for dinner. One site worth visiting is one of the most unusual exhibits in the Peloponnese, the Museum of Water Power. Beautifully presented, its restored watermills illustrate the role of water power in the pre-industrial and early industrial economy of the region not just for grinding grain, but also for fulling and the production of gunpowder. The latter was an important industry in Dimitsana, making the place an important centre of the Greek War of Independence in the 1820s.
Day 12: Leaving Arcadia’s Mountains behind, we explore the region’s eastern plains before returning to the Argolid.

In the morning, we descend from Dimitsana to visit the important ancient city of Mantineia, astride the age-old land road linking Sparta with Corinth and Central Greece. Surrounded by its beautiful remains, we discover Mantineia’s turbulent history, and especially the two great Battles of Mantineia, in 418 and 362 BC. The former saw a crushing Spartan victory over Athens and its allies, the latter a victory of newly-dominant Thebes over the Spartans that also saw the death of the victorious commander, the renowned Epaminondas.

We move on to Mantineia’s neighbour and great enemy, Tegea and its new archaeological museum. The highlights here are the architectural and figural sculptures from the Temple of Athena Alea. Designed by the renowned fourth century BC sculptor Skopas, they are of extraordinary quality.

After a pleasant wine tasting and lunch, we return to Nafplio in the afternoon for two more nights.
Day 13: Today, we explore part of the Argolid, a region that plays a pivotal role in Greek mythology, prehistory and history, visiting two of Greece’s most famous archaeological sites, both of them listed as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.

First, we traverse the Argive Plain to reach Mycenae, a place whose name rings through the centuries, its Bronze Age greatness inspiring Greek mythology and especially the Homeric epics. The enormous citadel would be an impressive site even if it had been left half-buried, but 150 years of scrutiny since Schliemann’s discoveries in the 1870s, have added many layers of fascination to this incredible place. Every part of this site has a name that resounds in archaeological history - the Lion Gate, the two Grave Circles that yielded one of the richest treasures in all of European prehistory, the upper citadel with the remains of the Palace, and the extension added to the citadel shortly before its violent destruction in the early twelfth century BC. Outside the imposing cyclopean walls, we admire some of the enormous domed tholos or ‘beehive’ tombs, including the most famous of all, the Treasury of Atreus, with its huge dome, the largest span from its erection in the thirteenth century BC to that of the Roman Pantheon fourteen centuries later. Our visit is capped with a visit to the local archaeological museum, where a wealth of material illustrates all aspects of Mycenaean life.

We cross to the Argolid’s Saronic Gulf coast for a pleasant seaside lunch before visiting our second major archaeological site today: the great sanctuary of Asklepios at Epidaurus. This was the most famous shrine to the god of healing in Greece, and it is from here that his cult spread across the country. Lying in an enchantingly beautiful spot among pine-shaded hills, it was a major centre of faith healing in antiquity, becoming a veritable spa by Roman times. Among the surviving structures serving the cult of Asklepios is the abaton, where the faithful received healing visions in their sleep. The most celebrated aspect, however, is the enormous theatre, praised for the beauty of its proportions already in antiquity. Surprisingly well-preserved, it seats over 13,000 spectators and has remarkable acoustic properties.

Back in Nafplio, you are free to choose from among the town’s countless restaurants.
Day 14: The day begins with a morning visit to the great Mycenaean citadel of Tiryns, a UNESCO-listed World Heritage Site, whose vast Late Bronze Age fortifications crown a limestone outcrop that has been a centre of human activity for millennia. We explore the sophisticated defensive architecture of the site, with its complex gate structure, chambers embedded in the incredibly thick walls, sally ports and extensions, and the remains of the Mycenaean Palace and its throne room whose power they symbolised.

Our time in the Peloponnese draws to a close, but not without a last hurrah as we stop at ancient Corinth, one of the most important archaeological sites in Greece. Famed for its wealth, and sometimes its decadence, the city had two golden ages, one during the Archaic era of the seventh and sixth centuries BC, the other during the Roman period.

We visit the heart of the ancient city, discovering both its Greek and its Roman past, by examining the many layers of architectural remains lying under, in and around the Roman forum. A very early Archaic temple and a series of Roman shrines, grand colonnades, a huge fountain house, shops and marble-paved streets give life to the city, along with the bema or speaking platform from which Saint Paul spoke to the Corinthians, all overlooked by the mighty citadel of Acrocorinth.

In the afternoon, we return to Athens, where our final visit is to the National Archaeological Museum, whose collections are among the finest and most extensive in the world. We begin with the prehistoric material, where we admire the treasures discovered in the Mycenaean shaft graves, including the so-called Mask of Agamemnon and an array of gold objects, weaponry, personal ornaments, vessels made from rock crystal and ostrich eggs, so vast that it’s hard to believe they’re from one time and place. We also seek out frescoes and other finds from Mycenae and Tiryns and the Linear B writing that opens up their world.

Afterwards, we stroll through the museum’s unique collection of Greek sculpture, highlighting the development of this singular expression of Ancient Greek creativity with pieces intertwined with our Peloponnesian odyssey.
Day 15: Transfer to Athens airport.

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Arrival and Departure Information

Arrival Airport – Athens International (Eleftherios Venizelos)

Departure Airport – Athens International (Eleftherios Venizelos)

Check in time at your hotel in Athens is after 14:00 so we recommend choosing a flight that arrives in the afternoon/early evening. Check out time is 11:00pm. We will arrange local transfers from Athens Airport and to Athens Airport on the first and last day of the tour.

Booking Flights The cheapest way to book flights for our Exploring Athens tour is directly with the airline online.

If you prefer to book with a travel agent, we are happy to recommend specialists in a number of countries around the world, please contact our office for more details.

Travel Insurance:We consider adequate travel insurance to be essential. You should ensure that you take out a suitable policy, to make sure that your trip is properly covered.

Visas

For UK Nationals, travel to the EU will change from 1 January 2021. Please check the current situation regarding visa requirements before you travel. You can find more information online here.

Citizens of European Union member states, the United States, Canada and Australia do not need to apply for a visa to visit Greece for trips of less than 90 days duration.

Athens If you are planning to stay in Athens before or after your tour we have included below links to more information and things to see and do.

Tour Includes:

Accommodation – we use high standard 3-5* hotels with character
All meals (except 1 lunch and 4 dinners) including water, tea and coffee and wine with dinner
The services of your expert tour leaders throughout the entire trip
Airport transfers on first and last day of tour
Travel by private minibus
All entrance fees
All tips to restaurant and hotel staff
Hotel taxes

Not included:

Flights and airport taxes
Visas
Travel insurance
Tips for drivers
Tips for guides

Michael Metcalfe

Michael earned his PhD at University College London, focusing on the ancient Greek cities in the Eastern Aegean Islands and Western Turkey. While finishing this research, Michael lived and worked in Athens and Ankara as well as London, and took up his first academic post as Assistant Professor in Ancient History at The Mediterranean Center for Arts and Sciences in Sicily, before joining Peter Sommer Travels full time in January 2009. A specialist in Greek and Latin inscriptions and social history, Michael is currently studying the unpublished diaries of early British Travellers to Greece, Turkey and Sicily, and is involved in publishing inscriptions from many parts of the Eastern and Central Mediterranean. Michael co-edited the Blue Guide to the Aegean Islands and has been contributing editor to the last two editions of the Blue Guide to Sicily.

Michael has designed and led many of our tours, and received rapturous praise. Not only is he 'enthusiastic, charming, and knowledgeable', he is also a natural born organiser. We are delighted to have him as one of our key team.

What previous guests have to say about Michael:

"Michael was an outstanding guide / tour leader. He was a delight to listen to. He brought the archeological sites to life with his passionate interpretation and stories. His love for the land he stood upon was evident throughout our travels." Yvonne McGrath

"Michael was excellent. He has a great sense of humour and was a wonderful and engaging story teller with extraordinary recall of detail. I have done many guided tours with other companies but this one was certainly the best ever. I am unable to suggest any improvements!" Dianne Truss

"Michael's subject matter knowledge, ability to connect with all the tour guests, organizational and interpersonal skills was an absolute highlight of the tour. An amazing guide, super knowledgeable with the latest research. I learned more about Greece in 2 weeks than I learned in school and in the last 60 years! Michael (and his fellow guide Nota) were the BEST EVER guides we had (and we have travelled with many from other companies before)." Constantin Delivanis

"This is the first organized tour we have ever participated in. I think the bar is very high for us now! Michael (and his fellow guide Nota) were wonderful tour guides, so knowledgeable, patient and considerate of all of the participants. We couldn't have asked for better guides. They managed to convey a huge amount of history in an organized way, brought it all alive with stories, and took us to local tavernas with delicious food." Alison Kibrick

"Michael was an exceptional guide. His 'stories' - carefully planned potted histories based on the sites visited - seamlessly knitted together to provide, by the end, a comprehensive survey of the history of the Peloponnese from Neolithic cave burials to post-war Greek politics. I particularly admired his ability to incorporate the uncertainties of scanty evidence and interpretations in talks designed for an intelligent but general audience. Excellent." Nigel Berry

"This was our third trip with Michael and valued his usual flair for imparting his knowledge with such verve and expertise. It was good to be in his company once again. The exceptional guiding by Michael and his fellow guide Nota was a higlight of the trip, they shared their passion and knowledge of the Peloponnese in such an engaging way. We were immersed in the history and archaeology so completely that we felt ourselves back in ancient times. It was a sheer pleasure to tour the Peloponnese in its springtime glory in the company of our enthusiastic, knowledgeable and charismatic guides Michael and Nota who brought history, archaeology and culture to life with such verve. We loved every moment of this trip - it exceeded our expectations!" Margaret Woods

View Michael Metcalfe's Biography

Nota Karamaouna

Born and bred in Athens, Nota has been travelling to Turkey, especially Cappadocia, for many years, captivated by its multicultural history, the spectacular landscape and the warm local hospitality. With a degree in Archaeology and Art History and a Masters in Byzantine Archaeology, she is currently finishing her PhD. at the École Pratique des Hautes Etudes in Paris, focusing on the Byzantine churches of Cappadocia.

Nota has excavated and surveyed at a number of sites in Cappadocia and elsewhere in Turkey, and at sites in Greece, ranging from the island of Kos to central Athens. Alongside her academic studies she has worked for a specialist Byzantine photo-library and the Byzantine Museum of Athens. A native Greek-speaker, she is fluent in English and French (and is picking up Turkish too) and puts her language skills to use as a freelance translator and editor. We are very pleased Nota will be sharing her passion and expertise with our guests.

What previous guests have to say about Nota:

"My husband and I thought the guides/ tour leaders were sensational. You could not ask for better. Nota was so lovely, friendly and extremely knowledgeable ! I have nothing but praise for Nota. My husband and I consider Nota and fellow guide Michael highlights of the tour!" Yvonne McGrath

"Nota was top notch. Nota's enthusiasm and profound knowledge of all things Byzantine was a wonder. Its hard to improve on perfection. This was our favorite tour ever! Nota made sure that people with special dietary needs were accommodated and went above and beyond by looking after a member who had to go to the hospital. Nota and Mike, our guides, were exceptional; very knowledgeable and accommodating. This tour really was an investment in memories. It was expertly crafted, perfectly executed, and delivered an unforgettable journey through the Peloponnese rich with culture, history, and natural beauty. Thanks to Nota and Mike, this tour was truly an experience of a lifetime." Clint Cragg

"Nota has vast and detailed knowledge of the ancient sites, and her explanations are engaging and interesting. I really appreciate the way she went the extra mile to ensure that I had special dietary food, which was of the highest quality. Both Nota (and her fellow guide Michael) were friendly, kind and excellent company. Cruising the Cyclades with Michael and Nota was my second Peter Sommers trip, I cannot recommend it too highly: all the site and museum visits were interesting and informative, and the whole trip was great fun. I am looking forward now to a third Peter Sommers experience." Eilidh Macleod

"This has been my 2nd tour with Nota. I would do another with her any time. One of her many talents is an ability to relate personally with people without losing her professionalism. She is especially caring. Ten out of 10!" Anne Lancashire

"Nota's passion for the history and culture are always evident, and her energy was admirable. Always friendly and engaging. As regular travellers on Peter Sommer tours we were delighted to find the Dodecanese cruise offered the same winning combination of a fascinating itinerary with excellent guides. Their grasp of the history, archaeology and culture added enormously to the experience." Ian Suckling

"Nota was outstanding, she couldn't have been a better tour guide - her knowledge was very wide and she was engaging. She was very kind and helpful. Her organisational skills were exceptional. I would definitely travel with her again." Elizabeth Whyte

"Nota (and fellow guide Michael) were extraordinary, individually and as a bonus, as a team. They were both SO knowledgeable and obviously passionate about Greek history matched by their enthusiasm to show and share that passion. Nota was always on top of how each person was doing - thank you!! Excellent." Daryl Fields

"Nota is the most passionate subject matter expert that I ever met. Her knowledge about Byzantine history and iconography was simply amazing. Nota and fellow guide Michael were the BEST EVER guides we had (and we have been with many other guides with other companies). My wife and I have travelled to Greece many times; the 2 week Peloponnese tour we took with Peter Sommer Travels was the most educational, fun and best organized tour we ever had. The guides were simply amazing. We plan to take many more of their tours." Constantin Delivanis

View Nota Karamaouna's Biography

Peloponnese Tour Map

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Highlights

  • Maximum 18 Guests
  • Two expert guides throughout your journey

Testimonials

A glorious trip! This was our second Peter Sommer tour, and it was as satisfying as the first (to the Cyclades). Having Greek history and culture brought alive as we stood on seaside castle walls and among windswept hilltop ruins was truly memorable. The colorful, carefully selected accommodations and restaurants enhanced the trip, as did the amazing and varied landscape and lovely towns. Our guides were extremely knowledgeable and articulate. Peter Sommer Travel is superb. They are thoroughly professional, take care of every detail, respond to individual needs and preferences, and overall provide a superior travel experience.

Cynthia Seybolt - Exploring the Peloponnese

An absolutely amazing 2 week journey of the archaeological history of the Peloponnese, including Sparta, ancient Olympia, Mycenae, the monastery of Agios Ioannis Prodromos built high into the cliffs of the Arcadia mountains, Monemvasia and many other UNESCO world heritage sights. The entire itinerary was so well planned and we were all so well cared for. I have already recommended this trip to several friends. Our tour guides were true experts and both warm, thoughtful and generous with their time, energy and immense knowledge.

Ellen Fernberger - Exploring Macedonia

Tours in Greece

About Greece

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Greek Food

Geography of Greece

Greek Traditions

Athens: Destination Guide

Greece Suggested Reading

Related Blog Posts

The Peloponnese in Greece: what you can see and do
The Gold of Mycenae in Greece: An Archaeological Mystery
Mystras in the Peloponnese: Byzantine grandeur in Greece

Accreditations

Tour Operator of the Year 2015 Gold Award AITO logo Tour Operator of the Year 2017 Gold Award AITO logo Tour Operator of the Year 2018 Silver Award AITO logo Tour Operator of the Year 2019 Silver Award AITO logo Tour Operator of the year Gold Award 2022 AITO logo Tour Operator of the year Silver Award 2023 AITO logo British Travel Awards Best Travel Company for Arts and Culture Holidays Silver 2022 logo Member of ABTA the Association of British Travel Agents Member of ASTA The American Society of Travel Advisors Member of ABTOI the Association of British Travel Organisers to Italy

Rated as Excellent on Aito Reviews with over 500 reviews