This tour is currently booked to capacity.
To add yourself to the waiting list, please email us at tjhourtours@gmail.com

Ancient and Homeric Greece

September 15 – 23, 2023

Athens – Delphi – Nafplion – Mycenae – Santorini

$4,760/person, double occupancy
$1,200 single room supplement (single rooms are limited and must be requested)

By popular demand! Join Clay Jenkinson on a guided tour through ancient and homeric Greece. The journey begins in Athens with a guided tour of the Acropolis and Parthenon. We’ll climb the Sacred Way at Delphi, keeping our ears open for the oracle, then descend to the Greek coast and picturesque Nafplion. Clay will lead you through the Lion Gate of Mycenae, dating back to 1250 BC, to the Tomb of Agamemnon, as well as a visit to the ancient theater of Epidaurus. Finally, we’ll take to the sea via high-speed ferry (Achilles could only have dreamed it!) to beautiful Santorini, soaking in the white-washed, blue domed viewscapes and incredible sunset views.

Clay’s Notes

It’s true that Mr. Jefferson never visited Greece, but he said it was worth learning ancient Greek just to read Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey. And Nicholas Biddle, the Philadelphia man of letters who wrote the first paraphrase of the journals of Lewis and Clark (1814), was also one of the first Americans to visit Greece.

Our trip will focus not on Jefferson or the American experiment, but on Homer, Homeric sites, classical literature, the influence of Greece on western civilization, and the pure joy of eating, traveling, and drinking in the magnificence of Greece. My daughter Catherine Missouri Jenkinson has agreed to come along as the co-host of the journey. This is great news. Catherine was a classics major at Columbia University, with extensive study of both Greek and Latin. We have both visited all of the sites included on this tour in September.

Greece gave us tragedy, comedy, lyric, epic, history, satire, and philosophy. Our ideas and much of the nomenclature of government derives from Greek originals. Greek mythology continues to percolate in the western imagination. All of that is a little abstract. But we will wander the grounds of the Parthenon, watch the sunset in Santorini, seek divine wisdom at Delphi, and examine the bathtub where Agamemnon was killed at Mycenae in the Peloponnese.

Itinerary

September 15 – 23, 2023
8 nights, 9 days
(B,L,D signify meals included)

Day 1 – 15 Sep (Fri) – ARRIVE ATHENS, GREECE Welcome to Athens! Upon arrival, we will arrange transfer from airport to your hotel. This evening join Clay Jenkinson for tour orientation, then a rooftop dinner with wine and lively conversation. (D)

Day 2 – 16 Sep (Sat) – ATHENS This morning we take a sightseeing tour of Athens including the Acropolis and Parthenon, and the renowned Acropolis Museum. After a group lunch, we visit the home of Heinrich Schliemann, the archaeologist who discovered ancient Troy and Agamemnon’s mask. Tonight we enjoy dinner in the plaka. (B,L,D) 

Day 3 – 17 Sep (Sun) – DELPHI After breakfast, we visit the ruins of the Sanctuary of Apollo in Delphi, walking the marble Sacred Way and climbing to the 4th century BCE theater still in use today. We’ll visit Delphi’s museum housing the bronze Charioteer, one of antiquity’s greatest statues. After lunch at a local restaurant, we’ll continue to Nafplion, arriving late afternoon for hotel check-in, with the evening on your own at leisure. (B,D) 

Day 4 – 18 Sep (Mon) – NAFPLION Today starts with an orientation tour of Nafplion, a picturesque Venetian/Byzantine town with narrow streets, fortifications, and a bounty of waterfront cafes. We’ll enjoy lunch at a traditional Greek restaurant, then gather for a discussion on ancient Greece with your host, Clay Jenkinson. The rest of the afternoon is at your leisure, then we’ll gather again for dinner at a local taverna. (B,L,D) 

Day 5 – 19 Sep (Tues) – EPIDAURUS AND MYCENAE Among the highlights of this morning’s visit to the vast archaeological site and museum of Epidaurus: the 2,300-year-old theater, a masterpiece of Greek architecture known for its perfect acoustics and still in use today. Long associated with healing and medicine, Epidaurus comprises one of the most complete sanctuaries remaining from antiquity This afternoon we tour the imposing ruins at Mycenae, a UNESCO site that represented the pinnacle of civilization from the 15th to the 12th centuries bce. A key influence on the development of classic Greek culture (and hence Western civilization), Mycenae also is linked to Homer’s epics, Iliad and The Odyssey We see the Tomb of Agamemnon, with what was the world’s highest and widest dome for more than a thousand years; and the Lion Gate, the only known Bronze Age monumental sculpture in Greece, then continue to Athens for overnight in preparation for our sea voyage tomorrow. (B,L,D)

Day 6 – 20 Sep (Wed) – SANTORINI Today we travel by high-speed ferry to take in the sea as we head to the famous Santorini Island – and for good reason, its beauty is unparalleled. On the ferry, Clay provides an in-depth lecture on Homerian seafaring before we disembark in a Greek island paradise in time for lunch.. Step right into the scene of a Santorini postcard with an excursion to the village of Oia. Perched on the northern tip of the island on the sheer side of the caldera, this is Santorini at its iconic best. Marvel at the cave houses built into the volcanic rock, the brilliant whitewashed buildings with striking blue-domed roofs, and the spectacular pinks, yellows, and oranges that create one of the world’s most incredible sunsets. Enjoy dinner at an idyllic taverna. (B,L,D) 

Day 7 – 21 Sep (Thur) – SANTORINI Head to the southern shore of Santorini on this intriguing excursion to the Akrotiri archaeological site. Led by an expert guide, explore this Minoan Bronze Age settlement that was destroyed in 1450 BCE during a massive volcanic eruption that buried it in ash. Today, Akrotiri’s multi-story buildings and artifacts offer a rare peek into daily life during the Minoan period ― and its elaborate architecture and frescoes show the high level of culture that existed on ancient Santorini. Along the way, hear how Akrotiri may have inspired Plato’s legend of Atlantis, the civilization whose wicked people angered the gods, causing the island to sink into the ocean in a single day. Afternoon at your leisure. (B,D)

Day 8 – 22 Sep (Fri) – ATHENS Ferry at a relaxed pace back to Athens. Enjoy free time this afternoon and finally our group farewell dinner, a time to celebrate and reminisce with your fellow explorers about the wonder filled adventure you have just experienced over your final dinner together in paradise. (B,D)

Day 9 – 23 Sep (Sat) – DEPART ATHENS Your tour comes to an end after breakfast. You may choose to continue your own travels of Greece, or we’ll arrange transfer for you to the airport. (B)