Peter Sommer Travels Traveller Reviews

This long-awaited holiday could not have been better. My knowledge of ancient history increased with the discussions and teaching of a renowned history expert, and the other leader was also extremely well-qualified, with local facts, history, dates, stories and details at her fingertips. Both were personable, animated guides with senses of humour. Others in the group were interested in the field, with varying degrees of knowledge, and we all had strong motivation to be there. Our small group got on well, and enjoyed many a delicious Sicilian meal together with fine wines. The accommodation was always comfortable, in either stunning rural locations, or convenient to a city's attractions. Quite a few special occasions punctuated our days, eg, chocolate-making in an historic town, free time to wander lanes of a hilltop village, rambling up Mt Etna with a vulcanologist, and becoming acquainted with olive oil production.

Peter Sommer Travels gives evidence of being an outstanding travel provider. It was easy to appreciate the care and consideration given to the needs of the group in the organisation that must have taken place behind the scenes. You could see the thought that went into designing a holiday for history buffs at the same time as providing treats for all the senses.

I had thoroughly researched several cultural tour options and read many great reviews about Peter Sommer Travels before booking so I expected a great tour. However, my experience was beyond what I had imagined. Having been to Rome several times already I was astonished at how much I’d missed during prior visits. Our host/guide took us daily on a lively, fascinating journey, sharing ancient Rome’s people, places, art, architecture, historic sites and mysteries. We experienced some of the world’s top restaurants and stayed in a lovely hotel that was built as a convent in the 15th century. The days flew by and I learned more than I could ever have imagined. This is a unique and unforgettable experience. I highly recommend Peter Sommer Travels, and hope to see them again in the future.

Super knowledgeable, an outstanding teacher, organized, conscientious, funny, gracious. We moved at a fast pace but never too fast, and he kept us on a tight schedule which ensured we could fit as much as possible into our days

I took this Easter in Athens trip as I wanted to see a bit more of Athens. I have visited many times in the past, and this holiday showed me things I couldn't have experienced on my own. We took part in candlelit processions, ate traditional Easter foods, listened to beautiful singing, all explained by a native Athenian.

Peter Sommer Travels is a small firm that I have used many times - they have really knowledgeable & helpful guides, excellent organisation, and lovely places to show.

I spent 7 days in Athens over the Easter period , experiencing the Greek Orthodox religion also we had a good variety of archaeological sites that were visited.

Peter Sommer Travels , excellent service , first class service & first rate guides.

This tour provided an excellent overview of the various civilizations that occupied Crete but concentrated on the Minoan period which was of special interest to me. The tour was well designed and for the most part we had the various sites to ourselves, avoiding conflicts with other tours. The tour was expertly guided by Heinrich Hall and Maria Girtzi who gave us freely of their knowledge and experience. A bonus was the extensive flowers throughout the island

This was the first time my husband and I had been with Peter Sommer having had a recommendation from others. We were not disappointed as the real strength was the quality of the two tour guide leaders not forgetting the experience of our driver, very expert in driving our bus through the small villages we needed to pass through to to get to out of the way sites

The tour met our expectations of learning more about the history of Crete. The knowledge and experience of Heinrich Hall and Maria Girtzi, both experienced archaeologists enabled us to understand the Minoan sites so much better than if we had visited them on our own. The comprehensive design of the tour program is to be commended.

Our experience with Peter Sommer Travels was very positive and when the tour program had to be changed on one day due to two bridges having been washed away the guides took part of their day off to organize a replacement program. Our dealings with head office was very responsive.

I spent eleven days discovering fascinating development of life on Crete during the past 4,000 years

Both Maria and Heintich not only had the facts, but were able to present and explain the history. I loved Maria’s telling the myths,

We had a fantastic tour of Crete with Peter Sommer Travels. The guides provided in-depth, engaging and highly knowledgeable interpretation of each site, with a good deal of humour and passion thrown in. The itinerary was thoughtfully designed and very well prepared. The choice of destinations, food and accommodations were excellent, with awesome and really interesting settings. We could not have chosen a better way to see and learn about Crete!

Peter Sommer Travels provided excellent organization and logistics, smoothly delivered. The food and accommodation were top notch, the guides were also top notch, the transportation by bus was very comfortable with expert driving, airport trasnfers were well organized and smooth, and the overall experience was terrific.

Experienced archaeologists interpret almost 4000 year old Minoan and Dorian sites from a perspective that no other guide could give. Because they have done many excavations themselves, they really know their subject. One a PHD and lecturer at the Hellenic Open University and the other a co-editor of the Blue Book on the Aegean. Maria gives great perfomances while presenting Greek mythology in the context of the site visit. Heinrich is a wealth of knowledge.

they obviously have done a great job planning. What Michelin describes as a 3 week adventure, they accomplish in 10 days in depth.

As ever the trip was a well balanced itinerary of ancient and contemporary Crete, and Heinrich's profound depth of knowledge and evidence based commentary was excellent. This was scholarship at its best - expert subject knowledge, impartial analysis and great story telling. The hotels were also a delight, each giving a different experience and capturing a different facet of this diverse island. I also enjoyed some fantastic food and (more surprising to me at least) wine. The effort that goes into sourcing great local food (as opposed to just opting for standard international fare) is always a highlight of your tours and adds enormously to appreciation and understanding of the culture.

Peter Sommer Travels focus on providing enjoyable, enriching and mind expanding travel. They have great attention to detail and deliver a very personal service. As a single traveller I very much appreciate the highly sociable ambience the tour leaders create on every trip.