We are passionate believers in the miracle that is Greece and are equally passionate in the design and delivery of our programmes, all of which offer insights which resonate with the essence of Greece and which can foment thought, arouse the imagination and inspire interesting discussions during and after our tours. Our well-researched, perfectly-delivered and inspiring tours are conducted round-the-year and are all supported and escorted by our hand-picked specialist, licensed guides.

Greece has been a strategic crossroads since time immemorial and the legacy of its rich history is visible in the fortifications and archaeological sites which adorn every corner of this magnificent country.

Specialist tour operator Eternal Greece Ltd offers an inspiring and illuminating ten-day­ guided tour of the fortresses and castles of the southern and eastern Peloponnese. The tour will mainly look at Venetian fortifications but will also include Turkish, medieval and some celebrated sites of Classical antiquity, in the splendid autumn countryside of Greece.

The organiser, Eternal Greece Ltd, is a UK specialist tour operating company which designs and runs thematic tours exclusively in Greece.

The typical audience of this programme would include avid admirers and connoisseurs of history and military architecture (Classical Greek, Byzantine, Frankish, Venetian and Ottoman), Classical Greek archaeology, and also of natural beauty, who would relish the experience of seeing the most evocative sites and monuments in combination with the splendid nature of Greece.

Price

The price is EUR 2,225 per participant includes the following:

• 50-seater air-conditioned coach for 10 days, with free WiFi

• Hotel accommodation for nine nights basis double sharing, including breakfast. Single room occupation available at a supplement of EUR 250. The price includes accommodation tax.

• Specialist, licenced guide(s)

• Group leader throughout the tour

• One main meal per day

• Entry tickets to archaeological/historical sites and museums

• Free WiFi during the visits to the sites

The price excludes anything not explicitly mentioned in the inclusions above.

Provisional programme:

Day 1 : The coach will depart from our central Athens meeting point for the drive to Acrocorinthos, the acropolis of ancient Corinth.

This is a 575 m (1,886 ft) – high rock overlooking Corinth that was continuously occupied from archaic times to the early 19th century. Prior to arriving at Acrocorinthos, we make a short stop at the Corinth Canal, which cuts through the narrow Isthmus of Corinth and separates the Peloponnese from theGreek mainland, thus effectively making the former peninsula an island. Onwards to our first base in the vicinity of Pylos.

Day 2: Visit to Niokastro, the castle of Pylos, and to the Monument of the Admirals which commemorates the sea battle of Navarino and the resulting destruction of the Turkish fleet by the joint British, French and Russian fleets in 1827, during the Greek War of Independence. Overnight in the vicinity of Pylos.

Day 3: Visit to illustrious Ancient Olympia, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and its wonderful museum and to Kyparissia castle

on the way back. Short walk at Yalova lagoon and Voidikoilia cove, both beautiful scenic spots. Overnight in the vicinity of Pylos.

Day 4: Visit to the impressive castles of Methoni and Koroni. Overnight at Kalamata.

Day 5: Visits to Kalamata and Androussa castles and, time permitting, to the wonderful archaeological site of Ancient Messene. Overnight at Kalamata or Mystras.

Day 6: Drive to the remarkable castle-town of Monemvassia via a visit to the citadel of Mystras, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and a short stop at Sparta,the birthplace of fabled Leonidas and his 300 fierce warriors of Thermopylae fame. Overnight at Monemvassia.

Day 7: Exploration of Monemvassia - and of the famous Malvasia wine at a local winery. Overnight at Monemvassia.

Day 8: Drive to the picturesque sea-side town of Nafplio and visit of Palamidi fortress and the sea-fort of Bourtzi. Overnight at Nafplio.

Day 9: Full day and overnight at Nafplio.

Day 10: Return to our central Athens dispersal point via Ancient Tiryns and illustrious Ancient Mycenae, both being UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Information on some of the sites included in this fascinating tour can be found by clicking on the links below:

Nauplio: https://eternalgreece.com/nauplion/

Ancient Olympia: https://eternalgreece.com/ancient-olympia/

Ancient Mycenae: https://eternalgreece.com/mycenae/

Acrocorinth: https://eternalgreece.com/acrocorinth/

Pylos (Neokastro): https://eternalgreece.com/neokastro-new-navarino-castle/

Koroni: https://eternalgreece.com/koroni-castle/

Methoni: https://eternalgreece.com/methoni-castle/

Mystras: https://eternalgreece.com/mystras/

Monemvasia: https://eternalgreece.com/monemvasia-castle/

Larissa Castle, Argos: https://eternalgreece.com/larissa-castle-castle-of-argos/

Testimonials for our May 2019 Castles and Fortresses programme:

'Peloponnese Fortress Tour for the Fortress Study Group

A well-organised bespoke tour that went very smoothly. Our Tour
Leader  Eric was very professional in his
approach to what was a demanding tour for both the organiser and the
participants; due to the requirements of the FSG, with a significant number of
hours spent in a coach (with an amazing driver Argyris). Eric had obviously
spent considerable effort choosing hotels and restaurants; which was no mean
feat given the size of the party and their various requirements. He coped
admirably with an emergency when one of the members required hospital treatment
in the small hours, transported her there and waited while she was treated.
Very little sleep for Eric that night. In all, Eternal Greece did a
professional and very competent job, assisted by his son Ken and including
hiring a knowledgeable guide Romylos, who helped enhance our background
knowledge of all we visited. We would have no hesitation recommending Eternal Greece to all.'

CharlesnAnne

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'Eternally grateful'

Eternal Greece organised a tour of the Peloponnese for the Fortress
Study Group and a number of people with similar interests. We numbered 38
people and travelled around in an air-conditioned Pullman
coach in some comfort. Our primary interests were the Venetian Fortresses of
the Peloponnese, including Neo Navarino,
Korone, Methone and of course the great fortifications of Nafplio.

En route we visited a number of classical sites, such as the ancient
city of Messine, Olympia, Mistra, Monemvasia etc.

Eternal Greece had an exceptionally knowledgeable archaeologist providing some commentaries
and guiding on some sites. Eric, the owner, provided more commentaries; even
better, he provided some publicity and helped organise a Government / Local
Government presentation when the group was in Nafplion.

It was, in more ways than one, a 'tour de force' and one which I hope
will remain in the memories of the participants for years to come. I cannot
praise Eternal Greece
enough for their attention to detail, logistical preparations and the very
great care exercised over all the participants.

I strongly recommend that anyone wanting to explore this part of the
world should consider using the services of Eternal Greece.'

PaulB

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'We found the tour to be first-class in every respect. Mainland Greece
was new to us both and the landscape of the Peloponnese
was a revelation.

The arrangements all worked smoothly from beginning to end. We liked the choice of
hotels – including the extra nights in Athens
– and the range of sites visited. All the better for taking us beyond our usual
preoccupation with artillery forts and putting them in their overall historical
context. It was also fun to ‘share’ sites with members of the Castle Study
Group.

With every good wish for the future.'

Ken and Lee

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'It was a great trip and you were an excellent tour director.'

Richard and Mary Ann H.

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'Just a quick note to say a big Thank You to you all for your various
parts in making the trip so good.'

Keith P.

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'Thank you for a splendid tour. It was more "archaeological"
than our usual tours, but the sites themselves and the mythology that went with
them made for a great few days.

I hope that FSG and yourself can organize another tour of Greece
in the near future. In fact I look forward to the possibility.'

Martyn G.

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'Dear Eric, it was a pleasure meeting you and Ken and of course Romylos and Argyris. In the rather hurried disembarkation
from the bus on Monday I did not have the opportunity to thank you properly for
organising such an excellent tour. The sites were well chosen and I think we
all understood that on some occasions long coach journeys were unavoidable but
worth it. This was my first visit to Greece and I thoroughly enjoyed
every bit of it.

I hope we have the opportunity to meet again.'

Bill C.

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'Dear Eric,

Hope I am not disturbing you from your well-deserved slumbers, but just
to thank you so much for organising an excellent programme for
the FSG and looking after everyone so well.

I hope our paths meet again some time.'

Richard A.

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'Dear Eric,

Thank you so much for all the work you put in to organise such a wonderful trip. The time
has flown and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I hope to come across Eternal Greece again. '

Pamela M.

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'A Wonderful Trip

We traveled through the Peloponnese with the Fortress Study Group on a 10 day tour
organized by Eternal Greece Ltd. We visited a mix of sites from classical and
pre-history, through Venetian and Ottoman times. This mix gave us a picture of
the breadth of Greek history instead of just a single slice of time which we
much appreciated. We had an excellent archaeologist guide and an excellent
driver.

Eric Cauchi, the proprietor of Eternal Greece, travelled with us as the tour director and
trouble-shooter in chief. His own passion for archaeology and for his country
added to the trip experience. The hotels he booked for us were excellent, all
very clean and comfortable, with friendly staff and most on the sea with
beautiful views. The restaurants he selected for our meals served delicious
traditional Greek food family style, far superior to what one might expect for
a group meal.

Having never been to Greece before, we came into Athens
4 days early. We had many pre-trip questions which Eric always answered very
promptly. He assisted us with several aspects of our planning before we set
foot in Greece.
He booked an Athens hotel in an excellent location for us and arranged airport transports which
worked perfectly. When we decided to do a day-trip to Delphi
and asked if he could recommend some companies for us to contact, he responded
with the name and cost of a group tour company with pros/cons and the offer of
arranging a private driver and guide for us with pros/cons. He also offered to,
and subsequently did, email the rest of the group participants to see if anyone
might be interested in sharing the private tour to bring down the costs. The
driver and guide Eric arranged were very professional, tailored the day to our
interests, and made the day a wonderful memory for us.

When, as part of our planning, we decided that we might like to use our free time on the last
evening of the Peloponnese tour to see an additional site some distance away
from our hotel on our own, we emailed Eric to enquire as to whether time-wise
this might be feasible and if we would have trouble finding a taxi to take us
and wait. Eric advised that renting a car would be better. We expressed concern
about finding a car rental place that would be open till 9:00 p.m. on a Sunday
evening. Eric responded within hours with contact information for a rental
location around the corner from our hotel that would be open till 9 p.m.

Eric’s level of service was superb. We would travel again on a trip arranged by Eternal Greece and we definitely recommend Eternal Greece.'

Summerclouds053117

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Eric Cauchi, representing Eternal Greece, was one of the main people responsible for organising the tour for about 40 people.
He paid great attention to detail both before and during the trip and on the tour nothing was too much trouble. I would not hesitate to go on future Eternal Greece tours.

Auxfireman

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An excellent tour of fortresses in the Peloponnese which also took in many of the classical
sites. Our guide Eric organised the tour, hotel airport transfers, and advised
on other sights so we really had nothing to do but enjoy the experience.
already looking forward to another trip with him again.

Anhourused

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