Exploring Macedonia

This lovely tour is a shorter version of a longer one operated in the past by Peter Sommer Travels, centred on the core areas of the ancient kingdom of Macedon.
You will explore sites, cities, castles and more from almost every single period in Greek history and admire two UNESCO-listed World Heritage sites along with some hidden gems that have so far escaped the attention of the crowds.

This journey takes you through a series of remarkably beautiful and unusually diverse landscapes, ranging from lofty mountains via fertile plains and valleys to the blue waters of the Aegean Sea. You’ll discover grandiose archaeological sites, picturesquely labyrinthine villages and the great city of Thessaloniki, home to many different cultures during its 2300 years of uninterrupted history. The city is especially famous for its dazzling Byzantine heritage, outshone only by that of Constantinople (Istanbul) itself.

At night we stay at carefully selected accommodations, ranging from fine city hotels to lovingly restored traditional town or village inns representing the best Greek hospitality has to offer.

Along the way, you’ll experience the area’s culture through its gastronomy, enjoying excellent meals at specially chosen venues. As the itinerary passes through several of Greece’s key wine-growing areas, we also taste the exquisite products of Greece’s recent wine revolution, the rediscovery of millennia of tradition.

This region was the geographic and cultural backdrop to the formative years of Alexander the Great and to the achievements of his father, King Phillip II. The many extraordinary archaeological sites we visit include places intimately linked with Alexander’s early years, such as his birthplace Pella, Mieza, where he was taught by Aristotle, and Vergina/Aigai, where he buried his father in a lavishly appointed monumental grave.

The importance of the area neither started nor ended with the Kingdom of Macedon. You will trace the area’s subsequent tumultuous development from ancient times right up to the present including cities, churches and more from Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Frankish and Ottoman times. Join us on this exciting tour, a rich panorama of one of Europe’s historical heartlands.

Your guides to this exciting tour are two expert archaeologists -Heinrich Hall, one of the masterminds of Peter Sommer Travels, and Dr. Maria Girtzi, a charismatic and attentive personality- who share generously their vast knowledge and genuine passion for the country with our guests.

Tour map

- 1^st day: Transfer from Thessaloniki airport and welcome dinner.

- 2^nd day: We leave for Pella, Alexander’s birthplace and capital of the Macedonian kingdom until its conquest by Rome. We explore the site and its excellent museum. After lunch at one of the famous Naousa wineries, we visit the attractive glade at Mieza, where Aristotle tutored the young Alexander. After a look at some of the area's splendid Macedonian tombs, we spend the first of two nights in the Old Town of Naousa.

- 3^rd day: We visit the superb archaeological site and museum of Aiani, capital of one of Macedonia's constituent kingdoms and one of the hidden gems of Greek archaeology. On to the World Heritage site of Vergina, ancient Aigai, where Alexander's father, Phillip II, was assassinated and Alexander proclaimed king. The underground museum exhibiting Phillip’s grave and its contents, truly fit for a king, is one of the most remarkable archaeological displays in Europe.

- 4^th day: We explore the splendid site and museum of Dion, the chief sanctuary of ancient Macedonia, sacred to Zeus and set in the shadow of Mount Olympus, home of the gods. It was here that Alexander assembled his armies before setting out to the East. After lunch, we continue eastwards to finish the day in the picturesque harbour town of Kavala.

- 5^th day: We explore the important museum and site at Amphipolis, another key centre of Eastern Macedonia; this was the final mustering point for Alexander's expedition to the east and it is also where the mysterious Kasta Tumulus (not yet accessible to the public) was excavated in 2014. We visit Philippi, founded by Phillip II to guard the eastern border of his realm, with its impressive Hellenistic, Roman and Early Christian remains.

- 6^th day: We return to Thessaloniki, where we discover the superb collection of Roman and Byzantine monuments in the heart of the city: the agora, the great cathedral of Saint Demetrios and the fantastic Rotonda built as a mausoleum for the Roman Emperor Galerius, as well as his arch and palace. In the afternoon, we explore the superb displays in the Archaeological Museum, especially the lavish grave goods deposited with the dead by the generations before and after Alexander.

- 7^th day: We admire the fine displays in Thessaloniki's award-winning state-of the-art Byzantine Museum, one of the best exhibitions worldwide on this important cultural and historical context. After a visit to the city's fine defensive walls -with great views over Thessaloniki herself and the Aegean Sea- there is time for shopping and relaxation before our final dinner.

- 8^th day: Transfer to Thessaloniki airport.