ARCHAEOLOGY & HISTORY TOURS Holidays with Interest

2016 EARLY BOOKING EDITION Best Available Prices. Informed travel in beautiful locations with lovely hotels.

Relaxed and varied itineraries exploring famous sites and some lesser­known gems. WELCOME TO HIDDEN HISTORY TRAVEL

Archaeology, History, Landscape and Travel

HOLIDAYS WITH INTEREST

Enhance your travels with knowledge and insight from history, prehistory and the ancient world. We provide enriching travel experiences that are perfect combinations of leisure and interest.

GREECE Cradle of civilisation and a profoundly satisfying experience. Ten days in April and October from £1145.

CYPRUS A favoured location for thousands of years. Eight days in March, May and October from £1099.

CRETE & SANTORINI Stunning landscapes and superb archaeology. Nine days in May and October from £1095.

MALTA A surprisingly deep and rich heritage for such a small island. Eight days in May and September from £1095.

POMPEII A gorgeous coastline with world-class archaeology. Eight days in April, June and September from £995.

Stay informed about all our destinations with our email newsletter. We have a developing series of tours, lectures and publications. Sign up at www.hiddenhistory.co.uk or email to [email protected] GLORIES OF GREECE

Well-Paced Why Greece? Greece offers a wealth of eminent archaeology, Honed through fabulous scenery, sunshine and hospitality. As the cradle of experience into an western civilisation, a tour of the ancient sites is a profoundly satisfying experience brought to life through Olympian engaging, relaxed mythology, Delphic wisdom and iconic art and architecture. Classical tour.

10 Days for £1145. Single supplement £190.

Dates: 15 - 24 April 2016. 07 - 16 October 2016.

Meals: All breakfasts, plus five evening meals. Four free nights in Athens to enjoy local Greek restaurants.

Hotels Athens: The 4-star Alexandros Hotel for the first night and the last 3 nights. Nafplion: The 5-star Nafplia Palace Hotel for 2 nights. Olympia: The 4-star Best Western Europa Hotel for 2 nights. Delphi: The 4-star Amalia Hotel for 1 night.

Also Included: Airport transfers; Full programme of Hidden Gems excursions with transport, entrances and private guided tours; This tour includes Lectures; Tour Director; TTA financial guarantee. lesser known gems such as Bassae, Tyrins and Eleusis. Day 1: Met at the airport and treats missed by most travellers, before transferred to your hotel in Athens. settling into your hotel in Olympia for Your tour director can help you get the next two nights. acquainted with your surroundings. Day 5: A whole day devoted to Day 2: We will return to Athens for Olympia with ample time to explore our final three nights. First we get to the origin of the Olympic Games know ancient Greece, starting by through extensive archaeology and uncovering the mysteries of Eleusis, wonderful museum treasures. walking the streets of Ancient Corinth, and visiting Nemea, where Day 6: A very scenic coastal drive mythology placed the slaying of the brings you to Delphi, famed for the lion by Hercules. Your base for the next wisdom of its oracle. We stay overnight two nights is the charming historic here, with the afternoon and following town of Nafplion, with its cobbled morning to experience this profoundly streets and picturesque waterfront. beautiful place.

Day 3: Let myth and reality converge Days 7 to 10: Stay in Athens for three as you explore the Bronze Age palaces nights as the finale to your Classical of Mycenaean kings and heroes of the tour. Through a mixture of guided and Trojan War, visiting both Mycenae and free time you can enjoy the wealth and Tyrins, and concluding at the superbly significance of its famous heritage. preserved theatre at Epidaurus. Entrance to all the main ancient sites is included, and you can also opt to visit Day 4: Get off the beaten track on a Cape Sounion, or relax on a day cruise spectacular journey through the around the Saronic Islands (payable mountainous countryside of Arcadia, locally). Finally, you will be transferred part of old, unspoilt Greece. Visit from your hotel to the airport for your Megalopolis and Bassae, both rare flight home. Or why not stay longer? MALTA THROUGH MILLENNIA

Why Malta? Malta is a unique, friendly place with a surprisingly deep heritage for such a small Mediterranean island. Our tour reveals its important World Heritage sites, from amazing 5000-year-old Stone Age temples to the magnificent Baroque achievements of the Knights of Saint John.

8 Days from £1095. Single supplement only £115.

Dates: 30 April - 07 May 2016 for £1149 13 - 20 September 2016 for £1095

Meals: All breakfasts, plus six evening meals with drinks, plus two included lunches in local restaurants.

Hotel: The 4-star Dolmen Resort Hotel, Qawra, St. Paul’s Bay.

Also Included: Airport transfers; Full programme of excursions with transport, entrances and private guided tours; Lectures; Tour Director; TTA financial guarantee. Day 1: Met at the airport and transferred to monoliths are older even than Stonehenge. your hotel in Qawra. Your tour director can help you get acquainted with your Day 5: A half-day excursion to look at the surroundings. connection between temples and tombs in Neolithic Malta. The mysterious Day 2: Malta contains an extraordinary underground complex known as the story of Neolithic archaeology in its 5000 Hypogeum is thought to be a collective year-old temples, tombs and artwork. We tomb for those who worshipped at the explore it today by visiting the megalithic adjacent temples of Tarxien. structures at Hagar Qim and Mnajdra, and we travel even further back in time to Day 6: Malta’s medieval gem is Mdina, a the Ice Ages at Ghar Dalam cave. tiny city of winding alleys and noble palaces. Its remains date back to Roman Day 3: The islands capital, Valletta, was times, as you’ll discover in an excavated built by the Knights of St John in 1570. Its Roman house and early Christian beautifully coherent Baroque architecture is catacombs. Nearby we also see the best now of World Heritage status. Our walking examples of Malta’s enigmatic cart ruts at tour includes the Grand Master’s Palace, ‘Clapham Junction’. Cathedral and National Archaeological Museum, and fantastic views of the famous Day 7: A mornings walking tour of the Grand Harbour, which featured ‘Three Cities’ takes us through historic, prominently in both World Wars. hidden streets clustered around Galley Creek, where the Knights of St John built Day 4: The island of Gozo has a character their first base in Malta. and beauty all of its own, and a day spent enjoying its quiet charms is always fondly Day 8: You will be transferred from your remembered. We visit its lovely coastal bays, hotel to the airport for your flight home, or its fine citadel in Victoria, and its Neolithic stay longer and make the most of your time temples at Gigantija, whose massive stone in Malta. APHRODITE’S CYPRUS: NORTH & SOUTH

Why Cyprus? Cypriot archaeology and history is rich and significant and current relaxation of the north/south divide makes now a perfect time to visit. There are numerous sites of World Heritage status, from Neolithic villages to Graeco-Roman cities, Byzantine churches and Medieval castles, and the island's natural beauty befits its title as the birthplace of Aphrodite.

8 days from £1099. Single supplement only £150.

Dates: 16 - 23 March 2016 for £1149. 29 May - 05 June 2016 for £1199. 23 - 30 October 2016 for £1099.

Meals: Includes all breakfasts and all evening meals. Lunches left free for independent choice.

Hotels The 4-star Atlantica Miramare Hotel, Limassol, South Cyprus. UNIQUE The 4-star Pia Bella Hotel, Kyrenia, North Cyprus. Uniquely, this tour stays in both north Also Included: Airport transfers; Full programme of and south Cyprus, excursions with transport, entrances and private guided tours; so experiencing both Lectures; Tour Director; TTA financial guarantee. sides of the island from two lovely locations. Day 1: Met at the airport and transferred Day 5: Transfer to North Cyprus today, to your hotel in Limassol. Your tour travelling via the island’s present capital director can help you get acquainted of Nicosia. Still a divided city but now with your surroundings. more relaxed than ever, we include a tour of its historic Old Quarter, impressive Day 2: We begin with 9000-year-old Venetian walls and fascinating Khirokitia, one of the world’s best Archaeology Museum. Crossing the preserved Neolithic villages. Continuing famous ‘Green Line’ we complete the to Larnaca, we explore the ancient short drive to our hotel in beautiful Phoenician remains and visit the Kyrenia. Pierides Museum, which gives a fine introduction to Cypriot archaeology. Day 6: Kyrenia has a delightful setting on the north coast, nestling around its Day 3: This morning is dedicated to old harbour and castle. We also visit Kourion, one of the most impressive two nearby sites which epitomise the and extensive archaeological sites of medieval heritage of Cyprus: the Cyprus with an abundance of Greek and precariously-perched St Hilarion Roman remains, and a beautiful setting Castle, once home to the Crusader kings overlooking the sea. We then enjoy a of the island; and the beautiful leisurely afternoon in the old town of Bellapais Abbey, a Gothic treasure in a Limassol, with its attractive seafront peaceful mountain village. and harbour, and interesting castle and museum. Day 7: Heading east we explore the ancient city of Salamis, founded as far Day 4: A feast of World Heritage today back as the Trojan Wars, and one of the at Paphos, including: magnificent largest city kingdoms of ancient Cyprus. Roman mosaics which rank amongst the In nearby Famagusta we find Venetian best in the world; the elaborately fortifications and Gothic churches sculpted Hellenistic ‘Tombs of the interwoven with present Turkish culture Kings’; and the revered Sanctuary of as living testament to the ‘East meets Aphrodite at Palaeopaphos, possibly west’ heritage of Cyprus. the most significant religious site on the island. We also see the famous rock Day 8: You will be transferred from where legend placed the birth of your hotel to the airport for your flight goddess Aphrodite. home, or why not stay longer in Cyprus? POMPEII & THE BAY OF NAPLES

Why Pompeii? This is archaeology at its most vivid and compelling. The Bay of Naples region is overflowing with world-class archaeology, fabulous scenery and a vibrant Italian culture. We explore this rich spectrum of superb Roman sites in a landscape where culture and nature are spectacularly interwoven.

8 days from £995. Single supplement only £150

Dates: 01 - 08 April 2016 for £995. 10 - 17 June 2016 for £1049. 02 - 09 September 2016 for £1049.

Hotel The Hotel Aequa, Vico Equense, near Sorrento.

Meals TOP SPOT All breakfasts plus five evening The Bay of Naples meals. has a stunningly Also Included: Airport transfers; Full programme of beautiful coastline, a excursions with transport, entrances and private guided tours; vibrant culture and Lectures; Tour Director; TTA financial guarantee. world-class archaeology. Day 1: Met on your arrival and transferred director will show you how to easily return to your hotel. to the hotel whenever it suits you.

Day 2: An introductory lecture this Day 5: We drive virtually to the summit of morning is followed by a visit to Mount Vesuvius, from where it is a 30 Herculaneum which, like Pompei, was minute walk uphill to the rim of the crater. buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius The views are spectacular, both into the in 79 AD. It had been a small, colourful crater and across the region. It is then a community enjoying its favoured seaside short drive down to the Villa Oplontis location, and is now the perfect place to which probably belonged to Emperor start our exploration of the region. Nero's second wife and still contains room after room of magnificent wall frescoes. Day 3: In Roman times Pozzuoli was the largest town and main port of the region. Day 6: Naples reached its zenith as a royal Its amphitheatre was one of the largest in capital of Renaissance and Bourbon kings the empire and is now one of the best and is now a fascinating, teeming preserved. The coastline from here to Cape metropolis. We pay particular attention to Misenum was the most prestigous and the stunning collections of the National fashionable part of the bay, as we discover Archaeology Museum, principal home for at the massive villa of Baiae and the huge antiquities from Pompeii and the region. cisterns of the Piscina Mirabilis. Day 7: Today is free to relax or explore as Day 4: Pompeii grew into a thriving you wish. Your tour director can help with commercial town until buried by the ideas such as Capri, Amalfi or Paestum. eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Our comprehensive guided tour brings it vividly Day 8: You will be transferred from your back to life and you have the rest of the day hotel to the airport for your flight home, or to explore it as much as you like - your tour why not stay longer in Italy? MINOAN AND SANTORINI

Why Crete & Santorini? Stunning landscapes and superb archaeology create an unforgettable experience. This is where European civilisation first emerged around 2000 BC producing a fascinating array of Bronze Age sites and a deep-rooted mythology which includes the birth of Zeus, the Minotaur and Atlantis.

9 days from £1095. Single supplement only £150

Dates: 12 - 20 May 2016 for £1095 29 September- 07 October 2016 for £1149

Hotel: The 4-star Hersonissos Maris Hotel, Hersonissos, Crete. Traditional Cretan architecture set in quiet surroundings by the sea with sandy bays, a pool and a beautiful, spacious garden.

Included Meals: All GREAT VALUE breakfasts and all evening The perfect itinerary for meals plus two lunches. Minoan archaeology and Also Included: Airport transfers; Full programme of with expert guides, a excursions with transport, entrances and private guided beautiful hotel and most tours; Lectures; Tour Director; TTA financial guarantee. meals included it is also great value for money. Day 1: Met on your arrival at and of Phourni, with an included lunch in the transferred to your nearby hotel (30 mins). traditional village of .

Day 2: An introductory lecture followed by Day 6: A 2-hour sailing to the volcanic a guided viist to the nearby Minoan palace island of Santorini, one of the most of Malia will get you acquainted with beautiful and spectacular islands of the Cycladic archaeology. Then enjoy a scenic Mediterranean with one of the best drive to the Plateau with fabulous preserved archaeological sites - the recently views of this beautiful stretch of coastline. re-opened Akrotiri. Our day on the island also includes a visit to the Thira Day 3: A guided tour of the magnificent Prehistoric Museum to see the famous galleries of Crete's National Archaeology Akrotiri frescoes. Museum displays the achievements and artistry of the Minoan Age. We also explore Day 7: Enjoy a boat ride and tour Heraklion, present capital of Crete, and Spinalonga Island, subject of Victoria finish with two small archaeological sites, Hislop's novel, and relax over lunch in the Amnissos and Nirou Khani, which fill out small port town of Elounda.We also visit our picture of the Minoan landscape. an archaeological gem at Gournia, a surprisingly well preserved Minoan town. Day 4: A day exploring southern Crete, visiting the important Minoan palace of Day 8: Our final highlight is a visit to the Phaistos, the attractive seaside town of Ideon Cave, the highest and most revered Matala and the ruins at , Crete's of all of Crete's ancient sites. Considered Roman and early Christian capital. the birthplace of Zeus, it is set in majestic mountain scenery where we also include a Day 5: The preceding days have nicely traditional Cretan lunch and a visit to the prepared us for , the most famous Minoan site of Zominthos. and puzzling of the Minaon palaces. In addition to the main site we also explore the Day 9: You will be transferred from your peak sanctuary of , visiting hotel to the airport for your flight home, or the temple of and cemetery why not stay longer in Crete? WHAT TO EXPECT

Expertise As specialists in archaeology and history we focus on the content and quality of our tours. They are carefully planned, thoroughly researched and professionally conducted by expert guides and tour directors keen to share their knowledge with you. We provide a reliable, personal and friendly service with the experience to ensure satisfying combinations of leisure and enrichment.

People No prior knowledge of archaeology or history is required to enjoy our tours. Everyone is welcome, whether travelling singly or with a partner. Our group sizes are generally 15-25 people. We also create tailor-made tours for private groups.

Our prices include:

• Accommodation: Excellent hotels in attractive and convenient locations. • Excursions: Full programme of excursions with transport, entrances and guiding. • Lectures: Illustrated talks exploring archaeological and historical themes. • Meals: Breakfasts always included. Additional meals are usually included too. • Transfers: All airport and hotel transfers abroad. • Financial Protection: The strongest consumer protection in the travel industry.

Flight Flexibility We give you complete freedom of choice of departure airport, airline, flight times etc. by adding flights on a personal basis rather than including them in our prices. We can book your flights for you or you can book your own. All flights booked through us are fully ATOL protected.

Travel Extras We can also supply your travel insurance, airport parking and overnight stays.

Financial Guarantee Hidden History Travel is a member of the Travel Trust Association. This gives you complete 100% financial protection for any travel arrangements you make with us. We guarantee that you will be well looked after or properly reimbursed should anything go wrong. Book early for our best prices and to ensure your place.

HOW TO BOOK Online: www.hiddenhistory.co.uk Email: [email protected] Telephone: 0121 444 1854 Or mail a completed booking form to: 103 Addison Road, Birmingham, B14 7EP, UK WHY HIDDEN HISTORY?

Our name, Hidden History Travel, reflects the hidden nature of the past and how our travels in archaeology and history explore the meanings, mysteries and insights behind its material remains.

Dr Simon Butler, the founder of Hidden History Travel, started leading archaeological tours some twenty years ago as an extension of his work in professional archaeology. His research and experience bring a keen understanding of how to combine archaeology and travel into the most enriching and enjoyable experiences.

As a specialist tour operator, we focus on the content and quality of our tours to offer you truly wonderful and worthwhile travel at great value for money.

www.hiddenhistory.co.uk [email protected] Tel: 0121 444 1854

/hiddenhistorytravel @hiddenhistory1

Hidden History Travel is a member of the Travel Trust Association. This provides you with full ATOL protection and a 100% Financial Guarantee.

103 Addison Road, Birmingham, B14 7EP, UK