Hidden Greece. Spring 2026

Comments

• franlovestravel

  January 28

  Look up Matt Barrett’s Greece. He has an amazing website filled with information about Greece. He does have a separate page on Thessaloniki. Perhaps hire a private guide specifically towards historical characters from the New Testament. Matt does recommend a private guide who lives there.

  I’m taking this trip mid October and am going in early to Thessaloniki. While the guide Matt recommended is busy the day I’m there, he did recommend a colleague that I’ve hired. He’s taking me to areas not included in the itinerary.

  Have a great time and post a review please!

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• Texasseean

  February 7

  Thanks and will leave a review. We are using Matt Barrett's Greece as a guide. Great suggestion. Will get serious about booking something when we get our final itinerary from Tauck next week.

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• Lotusgirl

  February 24

  I am looking forward to your feedback on the tour. It looks very interesting. Enjoy!

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• Texasseean

  April 1 edited April 25

  We can only do one-Pylos or Olympia-which would you do?
  Got good information from many people on Tauck Facebook page. We will make final decision while on the tour. Either one will be great.

  Follow-up post tour. The Pylos option went away. See my part 1 of the tour review below.

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• Texasseean

  April 6

  Update from Filip, our tour director:
  • Packing: Bring sturdy, comfortable footwear for uneven terrain, a jacket for windy conditions, & entertainment for long drives.
  • Anticipate significant walking on uneven surfaces, & extensive interactions with local experts.
  • Stay vigilant against pickpockets in crowded areas
  • Embrace local coffee culture
  • Carry personal hygiene items like hand sanitizer and tissues for public restrooms

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• Texasseean

  April 25 edited April 25

  Here part 1 of a review of the trip.

  Overall Impression
  • Great country and people! Visit if you are able.
  • We were the first tour to do Hidden Greece. Tauck had things planned and ready per the expected Tauch way.
  • Tour director, Filip, is a planner and gave us good pre-tour info via maps, and booklets. He is knowledgeable and an experienced TD. He was training others on the tour, so we didn't get to interact with him as much as we did with TDs on other tours we did previously.
  

  Less coach – more folk:
  Less coach: Too much time on the coach, e.g., we spent six hours between two days going back and forth between The Romanos resort Costa Navarino near Pylos and Olympia. If we had stayed in Olympia, we would have saved at least four hours and had time to see Pylos. However, due to bus (coach) time we didn’t get to see Pylos as planned. We thought it amazing how our drivers maneuvered those full size coaches through the narrow streets of the old towns and cities.

  More Folk: We had a wonderful tour, lunch and wine tasting, and Greek folk entertainment (traditional Greek dancing accompanied by local musicians). More of experiencing the culture would have been great. We saw wonderful archaeological sites but not much of the Greek culture.

  Check the holiday calendar
  We were there prior to and through the Orthodox Easter holidays, the biggest holiday in Greece, and similar to our spring breaks in the US. Thus, many Greeks were on holiday making sites and restaurants more crowded, and we faced some closures of sites as well.

  Local Guides
  Overall great with one that not only knew the facts but brought the stories alive and made us feel like we were part of history. I got to play the Spartan with the six-pack abs .

  No problems with pick-pockets.
  Did embrace the Greek coffee culture. The frozen instant coffee drink was different and good.

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• Lotusgirl

  April 25

  Thank you. I am looking forward to reading the rest of your trip report.

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• franlovestravel

  1:28PM

  Me too! I depart in October and eager to hear the rest of your impressions.

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