Explore Homer’s World on the Mainland and on Crete

Greece Tour Overview

Part tour, part retreat, this trip is an unparalleled opportunity to explore the ancient Greek world and enjoy the beauty and hospitality of today’s Greece.

At the heart of our tour is Homer’s Odyssey, an action-packed story of longing and discovery. By reading and discussing this epic with your fellow travellers, you’ll open up a world of ideas both familiar and strange. In becoming part of Odysseus’s journey, you’ll find visits to iconic sites such as the Parthenon or the city of Mycenae richer and more meaningful.

And you’ll have the chance to reflect on questions that have shaped human experience for millennia. How can Odysseus’s adventures, doubts, temptations, and decisions help us answer what translator Daniel Mendelsohn calls the poem’s “most profound questions: How do we know who someone is? How do we know who we ourselves are?”

Big questions, delicious food and drink, sites that have shaped world culture—it’s all waiting for you on this tour.

Going deep while having fun

Whether you’re toasting with a glass of piney, herbal mastika in an Athens taverna, engaging in lively debate over what kind of hero Odysseus is, or learning about the multicultural architecture of Nafplion, you’ll be part of a group that values knowledge and curiosity—and embraces with enthusiasm the many pleasures of discovering a new place.

Learning from guides who know their stuff

Your tour leader Mark Cwik has been leading adult book discussions for more than 30 years, and is known across North America for his skill in helping people become better readers and thinkers through discussion. He specializes in ancient and classical literature, and the expertise of Mark and your local guides will help you weave together your own understanding of ancient and contemporary Greece in a way that more general tours cannot do.

True relaxation in Crete

During the second part of our tour, unplug and enjoy the peace and beauty of Crete. We’ll take it slow at our resort and spend our days discussing, relaxing, and indulging in delicious meals. There will also be visits to the spectacular palace at Knossos and opportunities for hiking and other outdoor activities.

Small groups, always

You may have seen tours of 35 or 40 people advertised as “small group.” Or even been on one of these big-bus experiences. Our tours are truly small; this tour is capped at 15. This means lots of face time with your guides and the chance to visit sites and restaurants that are off-limits to larger tour groups.

Greece Tour Itinerary at a Glance

Day 1: Guided walk of Athens, welcome dinner
Day 2: Explore the Acropolis, “the most perfect poem in stone”
Day 3: Visit the dazzling modernist Acropolis Museum
Day 4: Drive to Nafplion, with stop in Corinth
Day 5: See the magnificent 4th-century BCE theatre at Epidaurus
Day 6: Argos, Tiryns, Mycenea
Day 7: Fly to Crete, settle in at our relaxing resort
Days 8–11: Daily discussions and explorations on Crete
Day 12: Herakleon with visit of Knossos
Day 13: Depart Crete

Accommodation

Athenaeum Grand Hotel, Athens, Hotel Castellano, Nafplion; Kapsaliana Village Resort, Crete or similar

Readings

The Odyssey by Homer, translated by Daniel Mendelsohn; The Three Theban Plays: Antigone; Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus, translated Robert Fagles

Image credits: The Acropolis as viewed from the Mouseion Hill, Christophe Meneboeuf/Wikipedia