Walking/Cruising the Dodecanese Traveller Reviews

Walking and Cruising the Dodecanese and Athens extension. A curated tour of Greek Antiquity and subsequent history with master guides who are not only knowledgeable, but fun, humorous and lively. A terms our experience virtually unequaled in our travels.

Organized, efficient and happy to take the time to answer promptly all our questions. For example, some health conditions raised issues that were easily assuaged by the provision of detailed information about some of the hikes. They simply took all the time we needed to provide thorough information about the trip.

A delightful week’s cruise on a gulet around various of the Dodecanese islands, with daily guided walks to visit places of historical interest and to enjoy the varied countryside.

This was a very well planned and organised holiday, with a knowledgeable and friendly leader and local expert, on a well run gulet.

A very relaxing trip which combined sightseeing and walking in the Dodecanese with gulet cruising and swimming, not to mention delicious food both on and off the boat.

Two very knowledgeable and pleasant guides, one British and one Greek, who between them ensured the trip ran smoothly and provided as much information as we wanted on history, local customs etc

Several months ago, I returned from a Peter Sommer guided tour. Normally, I do not like guided tours, as I find that many tour and local guides lack detailed knowledge of the particular site and are rarely able to put it into a wider context. Examples of this were 1) passing a guided tour at Housesteads Roman Fort in 2008, where the guide was explaining how the Pilae in the granary were part of the bath house and 2) at Knossos on Crete in 1987, a local guide was explaining that a room contained many columns because the Minoans worshipped columns! Imagine my surprise on returning to Knossos after 31 years, to come across a guide who clearly knew what he was talking about and could also put the site into context. Here we met Dr. Michael Metcalf of Peter Sommer Travels. This year we went on their ‘Walking and Crusing the Dodecanese’ with Michael. I had always wanted to visit these islands, but by ourselves, we would have been based on one island (Kos) and visited the others by ferry. This would have restricted us to the main towns, seeing nothing of the islands or peoples themselves. As an archaeologist and historian, I wanted to see something of the islands and their archaeology. I also love boats and walking. The tour fitted the bill perfectly. We visited a number of islands by Gulet, going into their interiors on foot and returning by minibus or vise versa. We saw a number of archaeological and historical sites, ranging from ancient Greek to WWII. We saw sites we would never have seen or dared to visit. The Gulets are small and you get to know everyone, and you become a tight knit group of friends. One thing I really liked, is that not all the meals were on the boat. We had many meals in local tavernas, meeting local people and putting money into local economy. Don’t get me wrong, the boat meals were excellent, and usually more than we could normally eat or drink. Another cruise we went on, did exactly the opposite. All meals were on the boat, again excellent, but we only saw part of the port town we were in. After the first few, they all looked the same. I can not recommend this tour company too highly.

Very knowledgeable and helpful

On the gulet trip with Peter Sommer Travels I found a combination of unpacking once, the complete relaxation on the gulet, walking, learning and visiting the historical sites and great mix of like minded people a great experience. Life on board...healthy meals, quality wines, comfortable cabin, lots of water activities when the weather permitted, enough space on board to have a bit of solitude and relaxation when required...... This is all I could want; I could have stayed forever and will certainly be back for the third time! Our guide was magnificent; his knowledge and passion and ability to inspire us is outstanding. Organisation was superb.

Wonderful organisation to fabulous destinations!

This was my first tour with Peter Sommers and also the first time I have gone on a cruise. Cruising on a Turkish gulet really was very special, as was being able to swim off the side of the boat in the clear blue water of the Aegean Sea. The islands we visited all offered something different, whether it was an archaelogical site, a crusader castle or a volcano. I especially enjoyed the mix of Turkish food on board and Greek specialities on the islands we visited. The guides were both exceptionally knowlegable and went out of their way to ensure that everyone had the best possible experience. I would highly recommend Peter Sommers Travel, and this tour, to anyone wanting a special holiday experience.

Peter Sommer Travel - my first experience with them exceeded my expectations and I wouldn't hesitate to travel with them again. The tour was varied and interesting, the food was excellent and the guides were warm and extremely knowlegable. Every effort was made to accommodate peoples' differing needs.

A well thought out itinerary which provided an informative and enjoyable experience no matter how much you already knew about the history and archeology of these beautiful islands. Heinrich and Maria are knowledgeable and personable and, quite frankly, delightful people! Peter Sommer Travels obviously take care in ensuring those who lead their tors are top notch.

A well respected operator that works hard to provide a unique travel experience for those interested in delving deeper into a country's culture and history when travelling.

Excellent tour all around. Wonderful guides, boat, crew. Well planned, organized and carried out. A very insightful educational as well as great holiday experience.

Very helpful and forthcoming in arranging our booking and responding to concerns with prompt and useful responses.

I had a wonderful relaxing time Cruising the Dodecanese with Peter Sommer Travels. It was extremely well organised with highly professional tour leaders and Gulet crew. The archaeology, culture and more recent history were expertly explored in an interesting and stimulating way.

Peter Sommer Travels provide superior customer service and have outstanding organisational skills. This allows their guests to relax and totally enjoy and immerse themselves in the wonderful experience.

An expert led cruise on a Turkish gulet in the Dodecanese islands (Greece)

Very good