Bulgaria (Ancient Peoples of the Danube Valley)
While studying the complicated and colorful history of the many peoples who have occupied the lands along the Danube River, we will visit Neolithic villages and tombs, Greek settlements and marvelously carved and painted Thracian tombs. We will see great monuments and cities built by the Romans, fabulous Byzantine churches and World Heritage monasteries, as well as uniquely Ottoman architecture and famous castles. But our most amazing discoveries will be in the museums, where the art and artifacts of these diverse peoples are displayed, including the remarkable 6,000-year-old gold of Varna. Our tour is completed with visits to the Magura Caves, renowned for prehistoric rock paintings depicting hunting scenes and fertility rites..

Minoan-Mycenaean Crete Revealed
This new in depth tour of Crete focuses on the fabulous cities and palaces build by the Minoan and Mycenaean peoples beginning in the 2nd millennium BCE. Our tour begin with four night in Khania from which we will explore the western end of Crete including remote Lisos, Graeco-Roman Aptera and some of the island’s beautiful Byzantine churches nestled in the White Mountains. Heraklion will be our base for visits the center of the island including Phaistos, Knossos and Gournia. The tour ends with five nights in the beautiful beach resort of Ayios Nikolaos from which we travel east to Kato Zakro and other wonderful sites. Our stay also includes four marvelous museums as well as time to enjoy the lovely beaches and countryside.

Hidden Treasures of Eastern Turkey
Remote and unspoiled eastern Turkey is one of the most interesting areas of the country. Our tour features Antakya (Antioch), Harran, the amazing tombs on top of Nemrut Dag, the Armenian and Urartian sites around Lake Van, the Armenian churches of Ani, the Black Sea coast and the Hittite sites of Altintepe, Karatepe, Alaca Höyük and Hattusa — ending in Ankara. Special highlights of the tour will be our visits to Göbekli Tepe, considered to be the oldest man-made place of worship yet discovered and Kerkenes,the largest pre-Hellenistic site in Turkey.

Sicily & Southern Italy
Our tour to Sicily and Southern Italy provides an opportunity to see some of the best-preserved monuments ever created by the ancient Greeks. Touring includes the Byzantine and Norman monuments of Palermo, Phoenician Motya and the classical sites of Segesta, Selinunte, Agrigento and Siracusa, as well as a Roman villa unique for its 37 rooms floored with exquisite mosaics. We will take a break in luxurious Taormina and, on the mainland, visit the fascinating ancient cities Paestum, Pompeii and Herculaneum, plus the incredible “Bronzes of Riace.” The tour ends in Naples with a visit to the Archaeological Museum where we will view an unsurpassed collection of classical art.

Malta, Sardinia & Corsica
We are never far from the sea as we explore these three gorgeous islands, each unique in its ancient monuments, physical beauty and fabulous cuisine. The immense megalithic temples on Malta are constructed with the island's wonderful golden stone while Sardinia's amazing nuraghes are scattered amid lush green rolling hills. We will journey through Corsica's wild and spectacular mountain scenery to mysterious cult sites and enigmatic menhirs. Along the way we will visit ancient Phoenicians ports and cities built by Romans, Greeks and Crusader knights as well as wonderful museums and historic villiges.

Classical Greece
This popular tour encompasses the major Mycenaean, Classical and Byzantine sites of mainland Greece, beginning at the Acropolis in Athens. We then explore the Peloponnese from the Panhellenic sanctuary of Olympia, Byzantine Mistra and the great healing center at Epidauros to the Bronze Age sites of Tiryns and Mycenae. Traveling north, our program includes mystical Delphi, Meteora, the outstanding museum and churches in Thessaloniki, the mosaics of Pella and the many monuments associated with Philip and Alexander. Sunny skies, warm weather and delicious Mediterranean cuisine will enhance our discovery of these splendid civilizations..

Classical Provence

This exciting tour provides an understanding of Roman Imperial art and architecture as well as a delightful journey through the color-drenched countryside of Provence. Its great cities hold many of the best-preserved Roman monuments to be found in the world. Visits to archaeological sites and museums will provide further context for understanding life in Roman Gaul. Our tour also includes visits to the Abbey of St-Gilles, considered to be a masterpiece of the Provençal school of 12th-century sculptors, and Carpentras, the papal headquarters in the 14th century. Fields of spring flowers, tile-roofed villages, fascinating markets as well as gourmet meals will enhance this wonderful experience.

Anatolia (Crossroads of Europe and Asia)
Beginning in Ankara, this superb tour takes us to the Hittite capital of Hattusa, the oldest Neolithic site excavated in Anatolia at Çatal Höyük, the fanciful rock formations and hidden rock-hewn churches in Cappadocia, the Hellenistic cities on Turkey's southern and western coasts and the lovely tiled mosques and mausoleums of Ottoman Bursa. Tour highlights include the ongoing excavations at Aphrodisias, Sardis, Ephesus, where we will see one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, Pergamon, famed for its theater and library, and legendary Troy. Our adventure ends with a three-day visit to Istanbul's magnificent mosques and museums.

Ancient Rome

This in-depth tour divides our program into historical segments, visiting the monuments of each period as a unit, including Republican Rome, Rome of the Caesars, Early Empire Rome, High Empire Rome and Christian Rome, ending with the Imperial Palaces of the Later Empire. We will spend a full day at Ostia Antica, the port of ancient Rome, and another day at Tivoli, visiting Hadrian’s Villa, the largest villa ever built in the Roman Empire. By looking beneath the contemporary levels of the city - under churches, in the basements of restaurants, as well as in subterranean archaeological sites - we will rediscover significant parts of the ancient city that still exist on the banks of the Tiber.

Scotland and Its Islands
This exciting tour explores the fascinating prehistoric and early Christian sites scattered in the lush Scottish countryside. Our touring will span thousands of years as we study Stone and Bronze Age monuments and artifacts, Celtic remains and medieval castles. Our tour will begin with the Early Christian monastic settlement on Iona followed by the Isle of Lewis, where we will ponder the enigmatic megalithic Stones of Callanish. We then fly to Edinburgh and wend our way north to Thurso via Aberdeen and Inverness visiting the unusual Bronze Age burial cairn at Cairnpapple Hill, fascinating carved Pictish menhirs and a fairy-tale castle. Tour highlights include our five days on the Orkney and Shetland Islands visiting fabulous Neolithic and Viking sites such as Maes Howe and Skara Brae, Britain's most outstanding Stone Age settlement and burial cairn.

Caves & Castles
Northern Spain & France
An exploration of the outstanding Paleolithic art found in the caves of northern Spain and southwestern France, the tour begins in Burgos, visiting Atapuerca, an extremely important paleontological site. From Santillana del Mar we visit caves known as Tito Bustillo, El Castillo, Las Monedas and Altamira II, as well as the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, before crossing the Pyrénées into France. Tour highlights in France include the caves of Gargas, Bédeilhac, Le Mas d’Azil, Lascaux II, Pech Merle and the major caves around Les Eyzies-de-Tayac. We will also explore medieval villages, castles and fortresses of the Dordogne Valley.

Etruscan Italy
This tour will put us in contact with what we know of the Etruscans: the hill sites selected for their cities, their tombs, and in their museums, the beautiful objects used in their lifetimes and taken to their graves. We will visit the great Etruscan collections in Rome and Florence and explore the medieval hill towns of Perugia, Cortona and Orvieto. Our touring will encompass Etruscan necropolises and cities, including Volterra, Marzabotto, Chiusi, Sovana, Cerveteri and Tarquinia. Throughout we will dine on the regional cuisines and enjoy the tranquil settings of these fascinating sites.

Cyprus & Crete
This study tour explores the spectacular and varied cultural treasures of Cyprus and Crete as manifested by their fabulous sites and museums. From Neolithic villages to the Bronze Age palatial cultures of the Minoans, Mycenaeans and Cypriotes, then on to the Greco-Roman, Byzantine and Islamic eras, our Aegean adventure unfolds a clear development of cultural achievements. After a nine-day tour of Cypriote sites (south and north), we fly to Crete for an extensive six-day exploration of Minoan archaeology. Sunny skies, excellent beaches and delicious Mediterranean cuisine will enhance our discovery of these ancient civilizations.