Macedonia and Thrace: Where Myth Becomes History 2026

Day 1: Wednesday 27 May, Arrive Thessaloniki

• Tour commences at 3.00pm in the foyer of the City Hotel
• Welcome Meeting
• Afternoon orientation walk
• Welcome Dinner

Meeting Point: The tour commences at 3.00 pm in the foyer of the City Hotel located in the heart of the city. We commence the tour with a short Welcome Meeting, followed by an orientation walk – our first taste of Thessaloniki, one of the longest continually inhabited cities in Europe, the city that survived.  We will encounter the monuments, and the scars, of the rise and fall of empires around every corner, as well as the charm and sophistication of a uniquely Greek version of modern European style. This evening we enjoy a Welcome Dinner at a local restaurant. (Overnight Thessaloniki) D

Day 2: Thursday 28 May, Thessaloniki – Pella – Edessa – Kastoria

• Pella, Capital of the ancient Greek Kingdom of Macedon: Archaeological Site & Museum
• Waterfalls of Edessa

At the beginning of the 4th century BCE, King Archelaus I moved the capital of Macedonia to the superior site of Pella and began a process of nation building. Pella became the engine room of developments that ultimately conquered Greece and carried Hellenic culture to the outer limits of the known world. Famous Greek intellectuals, artists and authors often stayed at the royal palace, notably the tragedian Euripides and the painter Zeuxis. This process accelerated under Alexander III (The Great) and continued after his death at Babylon in 323 BCE.

On an eminence above the city, the 70,000 square metre Royal palace dominated the brilliant urban complex below. The largest private house found at Pella so far is the “House of Dionysos”, it covered an entire block of the ancient city’s grid system. The house takes its name from the pebble floor mosaic of the god Dionysos riding a panther found in one of the banqueting halls. This, and other remarkable mosaics from nearby houses are now exhibited in the Pella Archaeological Museum

After lunch, before setting out for the Byzantine town of Kastoria, we take time to enjoy the spectacular waterfalls at the ancient town of Edessa. The two largest waterfalls drop from a height of about 70 metres with mighty force; one is a single torrent called Karanos and the other a twin fall called Lamdan. There are also numerous smaller cascades and standing pools; it is not surprising that Greeks often call Edessa, the “City of Water”. (Overnight Kastoria) BL

Day 3: Friday 29 May, Kastoria & Dispilio

• Byzantine churches of Kastoria: Agios Stephanos, Agio Anargyroi and Taxiarches Metropoleos
• Neolithic Lakeside Settlement of Dispilio

The picturesque lakeside town of Kastoria features more than 70 Byzantine and post-Byzantine churches which date from the 9th to the 16th centuries. This morning we visit three churches, each decorated with celebrated frescoes. Of particular interest is the Church of Agioi Anargyroi which gives us snapshots of some of the people who worshipped here a thousand years ago including the founder, Theodoros Limniotis, his wife Anna Radini and their son Ioannis.

In the afternoon, we explore the Open-Air Museum of Dispilio on the southern shore of Lake Orestiada. Dispilio is one of Europe’s oldest and most significant Neolithic lake settlements and was in continuous use from 6000 to 1200 BCE. Among the remarkable finds were bone flutes, one made of human bone and a wooden tablet that has been securely dated to ca. 5260 BCE. The tablet is engraved with symbols that appear to be a form of writing, an identification confirmed by the fact that many ceramic pieces, engraved with similar symbols and dated to the same period, were also found. The tablet challenges the previous assumption of scholars that writing developed in Sumer (earliest known civilisation in Mesopotamia) about 3500 BCE. (Overnight Kastoria) B

Day 4: Saturday 30 May, Kastoria – Argos Orestiko – Arkochori – Mieza – Naousa

• Argos Orestiko Archaeological Museum
• Lunch at Charama Restaurant: gastronomic restaurant in the traditional village of Arkochori
• Nymphaeum of Mieza: School of Aristotle

Following a visit to Kastoria’s archaeological museum containing important finds from the region, we journey to the traditional mountain village of Arkochori which is surrounded by a dense forest of oak and chestnut trees. Here, we enjoy a special lunch at Charama Tavern, specialising in authentic Macedonian food.

This afternoon, we visit the Nymphaeum, the school established by Philip II where the philosopher Aristotle taught the young Alexander (the Great). It is said that Philip agreed to re-build Aristotle’s home city of Stageira in return for these services. The Nymphaeum is located in a flourishing natural environment near a bubbling spring and small caves. It is exactly the kind of place that the Greeks honoured as sacred to the nymphs. Archaeological excavations are ongoing, one of the most recent discoveries is the ancient theatre of Mieza, uncovered in 1992. (Overnight Naousa) BLD

Day 5: Sunday 31 May, Naousa – Vergina – Athanasios – Thessaloniki

• Vergina (ancient Aigai) incl. Museum of the Royal Tombs of Aigai, Palace of Aigai & Polycentric Museum of Aigai
• Macedonian tomb at Agios Athanasios
• UNESCO World Heritage listed, Walls of Thessaloniki

In 1977 at Vergina on the southern Macedonia plain, Professor Manolis Andronikos was lowered into the gloom through the roof of what is now generally agreed to be the tomb of King Phillip II, father of Alexander the Great. He was deeply moved to find himself in the heart of the great tumulus of the Macedonian Kings. Not only had he found what turned out to be four royal burials, but he had also identified Aigai, the original Macedonian capital that had been lost to the world for over 2,000 years. Today we will descend into the tumulus by a more conventional route to visit the tombs and see their burial goods on display in a spectacular subterranean museum.

On our return to Thessaloniki, we visit Agios Athanasios, a late 4th century BCE Macedonian tomb discovered about 20 years ago, but only recently opened to the public. This is a small hidden gem with a remarkable painted “illusionistic” façade and a uniquely vivid and well-preserved frieze. Fragments of the dead man’s armour identify him as a high-ranking military figure, very likely as a member of of the elite cavalry that had accompanied Alexander on his expeditions.

As we enter Thessaloniki we pass the Byzantine walls, which were built in the late 4th century BCE and later fortified by Emperor Theodosius. Originally, they completely surrounded the city, however in the 19th century large sections were demolished by the Ottomans as part of their plans to restructure Thessaloniki’s urban fabric. (Overnight Thessaloniki) BL

Day 6: Monday 1 June, Thessaloniki

• Arch of Galerius, Palace of Galerius
• Byzantine Churches including the Rotunda of Galerius (Church of Agios Georgios), S. Demetrios, Panaghia Acheiropoietos, Agia Sophia (UNESCO World Heritage sites)
• Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki

Today we visit monuments from the Imperial Precinct of the Roman Emperor Galerius. The triumphal Arch was built on the Via Egnatia to celebrate the Emperor’s victory over the Persians in 305 CE. Two central arches and three pillars survive from the original monument. The pillars are covered, in the Roman manner, with detailed marble reliefs depicting the military campaigns of a triumphant, larger-than-life Galerius.

On a line of sight with the Arch, the Rotunda is a massive circular structure reminiscent of the Pantheon in Rome. It was intended to be the Emperor’s mausoleum, but stood empty until it was converted to a Christian church when magnificent mosaics depicting saints and angels were added to the dome. The extensive remains of Galerius’ Palace are close by on Navarinou Square.

Our walk also takes us to some of Thessaloniki’s finest early Byzantine churches, all of which are celebrated for their exceptional mosaics. The Church of Agios Dimitrios is the largest church in Greece.

The Thessaloniki Archaeological Museum holds artefacts from every period of the cities’ history and from the surrounding area. One famous exhibit is the Derveni Krater, the most elaborate ancient metal vessel yet discovered. The sophisticated iconography depicts a youthful god Dionysos at a moment of divine epiphany while maenads and satyrs dance in ecstasy. (Overnight Thessaloniki) BL

Day 7: Tuesday 2 June, Thessaloniki – Platamon Castle – Dion – Thessaloniki

• Byzantine Crusader Castle of Platamon
• Ancient Dion, Mt Olympos: incl. Sanctuary of Zeus & Archaeological Museum

This morning we visit the Castle of Platamon with its stunning 360-degree views over the Aegean Sea and west towards Mt. Olympos. Throughout its rich history, many groups have fought to secure this location which effectively controlled the only route connecting Macedonia with the rest of Greece. In the 4th century BC it was the site of the Athenian city of Heraklion but changed hands to became “the first Macedonian city behind the river Peneios” in 413 BCE.

Dion, in the foothill of Mount Olympos, was the sacred city of the Macedonians. King Archelaus I instituted festivals here in honour of Zeus and the Muses as well as theatrical competitions and athletic games. It was here that Euripides’ great play, the Bacchai was first performed. It was here at Dion that Philip II celebrated his seizure of the powerful Classical city of Olynthos. It was here that Alexander III mustered his army, sought divine aid and threw a sumptuous nine-day farewell symposium on the eve of his world-changing campaign against the Persians in 334 BCE.  (Overnight Thessaloniki) BL

Day 8: Wednesday 3 June, Thessaloniki – Olynthos – Stageira – Kavala

• Ancient Olynthos, Chalcidice peninsula
• Ancient Stageira, birthplace of Aristotle

In 433 BCE Olynthos became the capital of a Chalcidian confederacy of smaller cities that banded together for mutual protection. However, by 382 BCE, the confederacy had become so powerful it had absorbed many of the Greek cities west of the Strymon River and even taken possession of Pella. If events had turned out differently the league, led by Olynthos, may well have changed the course of history! Ultimately, Olynthos made the fatal mistake of harbouring rivals to the Macedonian throne. In 348 BCE Philip II attacked and destroyed Sytageira and then laid siege to Olynthos. The city was taken in September and Philip shocked the Greek world by razing it to the ground, slaughtering inhabitants and taking any survivors into slavery. Olynthos was never rebuilt.

It was a catastrophic end, but the sudden abandonment of Olynthos has given archaeologists the rare opportunity to explore these ancient towns at a single moment in time. Nearly 100 houses on the populous North Hill have been excavated and are open to visitors.

Philip kept his word to Aristotle and did indeed rebuild Stageira and resettle any surviving inhabitants. The historian Plutarch says that Aristotle was involved in the restoration and even wrote the laws. Archaeologists are uncovering the remains of walls, sanctuaries, houses and public buildings on high stepped terraces overlooking the coast. In 2016, they found a structure near the agora that has been plausibly identified as the tomb of Aristotle. (Overnight Kavala) BL

Day 9: Thursday 4 June, Kavala – Philippi – Aggitis – Kavala

• UNESCO World Heritage listed Philippi, Macedonian and Roman colony sited on the Via Egnatia
• Aggitis River Cave

Philippi had many iterations in its long history. The city was originally founded in 360 BCE by settlers from the island of Thasos, however Phillip II saw its many advantages as a foothold in Thrace close to the neighbouring gold mines and on the royal route that eventually became the Roman Via Egnatia. He took the city in 354 BCE, renaming it after himself. Among the archaeological finds that date to his era are the remains of the original city walls, the theatre and a hero shrine. Although the city was vastly extended and rebuilt in Roman times, and indeed it became a “little Rome”, it essentially adopted Philipp’s original layout including his siting of the various precincts.

The future of Rome, and inevitably of Europe, was decided at Philippi. In 42 BCE, the army of Brutus and Cassius, the main conspirators in the murder of Julius Caesar, was beaten by Mark Antony and Octavian (later Emperor Augustus) in a final showdown. In 49 CE, Philippi was chosen by the apostle Paul as the first stop on his journey to Europe and the seat of the first Christian community in Europe. Three magnificent basilicas and a cathedral dedicated to Saint Paul, were erected in the city centre in the 4-6th centuries CE.

Our visit to the vast underground galleries of the Aggitis River, the largest and one of most spectacular river cave systems in Europe, is a perfect ending to the day. Aggitis is an enchanted place. It takes us back to a time when when woolly mammoths roamed in Greece. Huge stalagmites hang from the roof sometimes touching surface of the water and it is home to many kinds of bats, micro organisms and marine life. In winter the Aggitis River flows at more than 549 kilometres per hour, but when the flow abates in the summer months sand is dumped on the floors of myriad small caves whose floors are now at a thickness of about 10 metres. (Overnight Kavala) BL

Day 10: Friday 5 June, Kavala – Island of Thasos – Kavala

• Return ferry from Keramoti to Limenas Port (Thasos)
• Archaeological site of Alyki
• Thasos ancient theatre
• Archeological Museum of Thasos & adjacent agora

The island of Thasos is within sight of the coast of Kavala. It was said that its foundation was guided by the Oracle of Apollo. The new capital city, even the roads and city walls, were built in gleaming Thasian marble. Our first port of call will be the colossal, partly submerged ancient marble quarries at Alyki on the southern coast. The marble of Thasos has a higher reflection of sunlight than any other white marble in the world. It gives the nearby sanctuary of the twin Dioskouroi, Kastor and Polydeuces, protectors of sailors, a unique luminosity.

After lunch, we visit the ancient theatre on the slope of the acropolis overlooking the old harbour. Current renovation works have excavated the theatre back to its foundations and completely restored the 4th century BCE cladding using marble from the island’s quarries. You will also have time to explore the Classical Agora and the Archaeological Museum. (Overnight Kavala) B

Day 11: Saturday 6 June, Kavala – Amphipolis – Kavala

• Athenian colony of Amphipolis: Archaeological Site & Museum
• Time at leisure in Kavala

Amphipolis sits on a low hill cradled on three sides by the Strymon River, which gave rise to the name Amphi-polis (“surrounded city”). It was founded by the Athenians in 438 BCE, but lost to the Spartans only twelve years later. This was keenly felt in Athens, but they were never able to recover it. Indeed, after the death of the Spartan general Brasidas, Amphipolis remained a free city for almost a hundred years until its capture by Philip II in 357 BCE. Alexander III used Amphipolis as a naval base for his campaign to Asia.

The final chapter in the history of Macedonia took place at Amphipolis. It was here that King Perseus sought refuge after his defeat by the Romans at Pydna in 168 BCE. But finding that the city, like the rest of the Macedonia, was unwilling to continue the war, Perseus escaped to Samothrace where he was captured. Amphipolis immediately surrendered, but this was by no means the end. As the capital of a rich hinterland and a station on the Via Egnatia near the coast, Amphipolis flourished under the Romans. The last we hear of Amphipolis is that its bishop was one of the 308 who attended the Second Council of Nicaea in 787 CE.

Excavation has revealed the wooden piles of the ancient Roman bridge across the Strymon, the remarkably strong Macedonian fortification walls, a sanctuary of Artemis and, of special importance, the Hellenistic gymnasium. The huge Lion of Amphipolis, which stands over 8 metres tall on its base, is currently located at the entrance to the archaeological site.

In the afternoon we return to Kavala where the remainder of the day is at leisure. You may wish to visit the Byzantine Castle which offers great views of the city or explore Kavala’s Archaeological Museum which includes remains from Amphipolis. (Overnight Kavala) BL

Day 12: Sunday 7 June, Kavala – Xanthi – Alexandroupolis

• Xanthi: major trading town during the Byzantine and Ottoman eras
• Alexandroupolis Archaeological Museum

Today we journey further into ancient Thrace, a region that had maintained its independence for a thousand years until it became a province of Roman in 46 CE. Xanthi is at the crossroads of the Black Sea and the Aegean, Europe and Asia. The city’s origins are obscure, but it had been a prosperous part of the Byzantine Empire when it was captured by the Ottomans in 1361. The “Old Town” is celebrated for its distinctive blend of Byzantine Greek churches, the neoclassical mansions of Greek merchants and Ottoman-Era houses with coloured shutters and cantilevered second floor rooms and balconies. In 1976 Xanthi was declared a protected settlement with over 1,200 buildings classified as landmarks.

The modern city of Alexandropoulis (named in 1920 after King Alexander of Greece) is near the coastal site of ancient Sale. Herodotus tells us that it was here that the Persian king Xerxes reviewed his troops and navy in preparation for his invasion of Greece in 480 BCE (7.59). According to Homer, it was the territory of the Kikonians, a warlike Thracian people who sent reinforcements to help their countrymen when Odysseus sacked their city on the island of Ismaros.

Opened in 2022, the Archaeological Museum of Alexandropoulis is the newest in the country. It aims to explain the complex history of the region from 7000 BCE to 400 CE and to trace its unique blend of cultures and customs. (Overnight Alexandroupolis) B

Day 13: Monday 8 June, Alexandroupolis – Villa Armira – Didymoteicho – Alexandroupolis

• Villa Armira: ancient Roman floor mosacis, Ivalyovgrad, Bulgaria
• Border fortress of Didymoteicho

Today we journey into the Eastern Rhodope Mountains, an area that was once Northern Thrace, but now modern South Bulgaria. Here we visit the impressive Roman Villa Armira built in ca. 40 CE, only a few years after Thrace was incorporated into the Roman Empire.  The enterprising owner, believed to be a noble of Roman Thrace, built his spacious villa on the bank of the Armira River in the finest Roman fashion. His two-storey villa, spread over 3,600 square metres, had twenty-two rooms on the ground floor with floor mosaics, and walls elaborately decorated in white marble. A pool in the open courtyard was famed by Hermae (columns with a phallus and Hermes’ head) frescos, marble reliefs of dolphins and marble architectural elements. A later owner added a dining area and hypocaust (under floor heating). He also commissioned master artisans from the city of Aphrodisias in Asia Minor, to create a series of mosaic floors. These included a floor mosaic with his own portrait, and those of his children. The villa was abandoned and destroyed during the Gothic War of 378 CE. It lay forgotten, only occasionally disturbed by treasure hunters, until it was rediscovered in 1964. Today it is considered the most famous and best preserved ancient Roman villa to have been discovered in Bulgaria, and arguably among the four best preserved Roman villas found in the entire territory of the former Roman Empire.

Didymoteicho Castle is one of the most important Byzantine-era fortresses in Thrace and the Balkans. Built during the reign of the Emperor Justinian in the 6th century CE, it dominates the area and offers panoramic views of the town and surrounding hills. One kilometre of the wall survives in very good condition, in many points reaching up to twelve metres. The 24 towers all carry monograms, inscriptions or symbols identifying the masters that built them. (Overnight Alexandroupolis) BL

Day 14: Tuesday 9 June, Alexandroupolis – Samothrace

• Morning ferry from Alexandroupolis to Samothrace
• Sanctuary of the Great Gods, Samothrace
• Chora Village

Today we take the ferry to the rugged and majestic island of Samothrace (Gr. Samothraki), a place that lends itself to myth-making.  In Homer, the sea god Poseidon watched the battles of the Trojan War from a vantage point on Fengari, the highest peak on Samothrace, a mile up in the sky. It is no surprise then, that an important and very ancient cult of un-nameable and mysterious “Great Gods” should have evolved here on the slopes of that very mountain. This fascinating site will be the focus of our visit.

The Greeks adopted the ancient practise of ritual initiations into the Mysteries of the Great Gods, even using the original Thracian language. Because initiates were bound to secrecy, we know very little about what they believed, the gods that they worshipped and what happened at initiation. The historian Herodotos, who was himself an initiate, speaks of the rites of the Kabeiroi. The 3rd century BCE author, Mnaseas, gives the names Axieros, Axiokersos and Axiokersa with the Greek equivalents Demeter, Hades and Persephone. However, the experience was said to be life changing.

The fame of the cult increased until the island became the chief centre of religious life in the North Aegean. Much of what we will see is the expansion of the sanctuary financed by the Macedonian heirs of Alexander the Great. Many important figures were initiates. We know that Philip II of Macedon negotiated his marriage to Olympias, mother of Alexander the Great, at the time of his initiation. The ancient religion survived remarkably into the 4th century CE.

There will also be time to explore the narrow, cobbled streets, shops and stone buildings of Chora, the island’s capital, now officially declared to be a “reserved traditional settlement”. (Overnight Kamariotissa, Samothrace) BL

Day 15: Wednesday 10 June, Samothrace – Lemnos

• Morning ferry from Samothrace to Lemnos
• Afternoon at leisure to explore Myrina village

This morning we take the ferry from Samothrace to the island of Lemnos, a place like Samothrace, well off the beaten track and rich with its own distinctive myth, legend and history. Following our arrival into the port of Myrina, the remainder of the day will be at leisure for you to explore the old town or visit the 13th-century Venetian castle perched on the adjacent headland. (Overnight Myrina, Lemnos) B

Day 16: Thursday 11 June, Lemnos

• The Sanctuary of the Kabeiroi, Tigani Bay
• Ancient theatre of Hephaistia
• Ancient settlement of Poliochni
• Farewell Dinner

Our first visit is to the Sanctuary of the Kabeiroi on the northern tip of remote Tigani Bay. The local mysteries were celebrated here each year in an initiation that took place at night with ecstatic dances and a large consumption of wine. The discovery of many iron finger rings in the sanctuary suggests that Lemnian initiates, like those on Samothrace, were given a physical souvenir of their experience.

When the Greeks arrived on Lemnos in about 700 BCE, they assimilated local beliefs about the Kabeiroi to their own very different religious system. They developed a narrative about how their god Hephaistos, the craftsman god of fire and metallurgy, was the father of the Kabeiroi. They located the cult of Hephaistos at our next destination, the town of Hephaistia, now an archaeological site with a functioning and fully restored late 5th century BCE theatre.

Finally, we visit the dramatic site of Poliochni considered be the oldest town in Europe and said to have rivalled Homer’s Troy. Inscriptions show that, as on Samothrace, the language spoken by the inhabitants of Lemnos in the first millennium BCE was Thracian. The discovery of trace inscription on a funerary stele confirms that a non-Greek language was still current in the 6th century BCE.

This evening we enjoy a farewell dinner at a local restaurant. (Overnight Myrina, Lemnos) BD

Day 17: Friday 12 June, Depart Lemnos

• Tour concludes in the morning
• At leisure/Check out

Our tour ends in Lemnos after breakfast. In the morning you will be required to check out of the hotel.  Please contact ASA if you require assistance with a transfer to Lemnos Airport which is located 18km from Myrina. B