Epic destinations to experience in Greece
The ruins of the ancient city of Troy, in Turkey
Our story begins with the decision to follow in the footsteps of Odysseus, as he made his way home from Troy. Naturally, this means the trip doesn’t actually begin in Greece. In fact, the first port of call is the ruins of Troy in Hisarlik, on Turkey’s north-west Aegean coast. The ruins take centre stage, quickly followed by an all-important lunch at the Adatepe Ida Blue Hotel, which is around an hour south. It is in this picturesque garden setting that the boys agree “originality is overrated”, before wholeheartedly throwing themselves into reproducing Virgil’s famous text.
follow in the footsteps of Odysseus on his way home from Troy. This, of course, means they actually start in Turkey, on the north-west Aegean coast, visiting the ruins unearthed by Heinrich Schliemann in 1870, with a hearty Coogan ‘A-ha!’ from within the bowels of a great wooden horse and ‘There’s not a lot here’ from Brydon. Their first meal is 45 miles south at the Ida Blue, Adatepe, where they lunch in an idyllic garden and agree that both Virgil’s copying of The Odyssey and their own fourth series prove that ‘originality is overrated’. There’s then a short detour to the mountain-top Temple of Athena at Assos, which dates back to the 6th century BC
Our protagonists then follow the coastline to the romantic hilltops of Assos, where they detour briefly to see the ruins of the temple of Athena (which dates back to the sixth century BC), before hopping onboard a boat to Lesbos. A little shaken after their experience at the Moria refugee camp, the pair decide to stop for a drink at the beautiful Hotel Lesvion before hopping aboard a boat to journey to Kavala.
The boys stay at the Imaret hotel in the busy port city of Kavala is located on the Greek mainland in the region of Macedonia. They start the following day with breakfast at the hotel, before visiting the ruins of ancient Stagira.
stop for a drink at the harbourside Hotel Lesvion before catching another boat to Kavala. At the start of Episode 2, they’re still there, at the Imaret hotel, a former Islamic theological college that carries its history in its Ottoman ambiance and the hammam the pair visit before setting out for the ruins of Stagira, birthplace of Aristotle – in fact, around 70 miles driving round the coast. Lunch this time is at the Danai Beach Resort just outside Nikiti, another 30 miles south-west. There on the white verandah, with a beautiful view out to sea, they indulge in the first Michael Caine impressions of the trip before taking the speedboat from the hotel’s private beach to Damouchari, home of Mamma Mia’s ‘Dancing Queen’ sequence – or ‘where she jumped off the jetty and bombed’
Ancient Stagira was once larger than Athens and is well-known as being the birthplace of Aristotle. They then head south and enjoy lunch at the über-swanky Danai Beach Resort in the Halkidiki region.
Following their swanky lunch, our heros head to one of the mainland’s lesser known corners: Pelion. They enjoy a café meal on Damouchari beach (which also happens to appear in Mamma Mia!) and decide to spend the night at the beautiful Sakali Mansion in the picturesque village of Pinakates.
The boys’ next stop, Pelion, is said to have once been home to the mythological centaur: a half-man, half-horse creature that the ancient Greeks believed roamed the forests. After a leisurely breakfast at Sakali Mansion, Rob and Steve set off in search of ancient Delphi.
The town of Delphi sits on Mount Parnassus to the south side of mainland Greece. The town is home to an enormous national park, as well as several highly sought after ski resorts.
The pair enjoy a relaxed lunch at what is considered to be one of the country’s best seafood restaurants, Varoulko Seaside in Piraeus. (Those who have seen the film will recall Rob’s Ronnie Barker imitation when he says similar words.) The restaurant is helmed by Michelin-starred chef Lefteris Lazarou. They then head towards Greece’s capital city of Athens to take in some of its ancient wonders, before retiring to their room at the exquisite Hotel Grande, Bretagne for the night.After a night in the lovely stone-built Sakali Mansion hotel in Pinakates on the tree-covered Mount Pelion, it’s off to Athens for Episode 3. On the way they stop off at Delphi in the rain to discuss smoke, navels and the patriarchy, then take in a slap-up fish lunch at the Varoulko Seaside in Piraeus, home to Michelin-starred chef Lefteris Lazarou and ‘widely regarded as Greece’s top seafood restaurant’, as Brydon announces in his best Ronnie Corbett. Then it’s time to rest up at the Hotel Grande Bretagne, the astonishing 19th-century block, all toile de Jouy and pillars, that overlooks the Parthenon, where they wander off to re-enact the death of Socrates.
The following morning, joined by Steve’s PA and their photographer Yolanda, they take a trip to Epidaurus, on Greece’s Peloponnese peninsula. Next up is the port city of Ermioni, where our heros opt to catch a ferry. Their journey takes them to the island of Hydra – which is named after the Lernaean Hydra, a nine-headed serpentine sea creature of Greek mythology. The boys treat themselves to a bistro-style lunch at Omilos (famous for its sea views), before turning in for the night at the Hydrae hotel.
From here, they’re joined by Steve’s PA Emma (Claire Keelan) and photographer Yolanda (Marta Barrio) for Episode 4. The foursome head to Epidaurus for some larking around at the ancient amphitheatre, built in the 4th century BC and still astonishingly preserved, then take the boat to the island of Hydra, where a unique preservation order ensures that its beauty remains relatively unspoilt. Lunch is at Omilos, the harbour restaurant that in a former life as Lagoudera played host to Aristotle Onassis and Maria Callas, visiting Beatles and local lad Leonard Cohen.
After a night at the Hydrea Hotel next door, it’s a long trip from here to the Mani peninsula for Episode 5, where they visit Pirgos Mavromichali, yet another impossibly lovely spot in the port of Limeni. A restored 18th century tower, it’s named after the revolutionary leader who began the war of independence against the Ottomans in 1821, though our boys are more interested in the Diros Caves just down the coast. Sold as ‘nature’s underground cathedral’, this is a system of caverns and lakes with an impressive array of stalagmites and stalactites alongside ancient animal and human remains.
The boys’ long trip is rewarded with a visit to Pirgos Mavromichali in the port of Limeni. This 18th century tower is named after the leader of Greece’s revolutionary war of independence in 1821. A tour of the magical Diros Caves follows, and the cathedral-like underground cave network does not disappoint, putting on an impressive display of stalagmites and stalactites.
From here, the story finds our heroes driving north-west from the Mani peninsula to Pilos. The duo take in the region’s famous Venetian fortress, Nestor’s Palace, and Greece’s famous omega-shaped beach in Voidokilia.
Lunch comes courtesy of Poseidonia, with views of Navarino Bay. With full bellies, the boys set off once again, driving north to Patras and then taking the ferry to Kefalonia: the island made famous by the Louis de Bernières novel Captain Corelli’s Mandolin.
Our journey ends – quite fittingly – in Ithaca (home to Odysseus). The boys stay at Perantzada Hotel, where they savour one last look at the picture-perfect azure waters, as their adventure through Grecian gastronomy comes to a close.
For the final episode, they move north-west again, to Pilos. Here they visit the Venetian castle, the amazing omega-shaped beach at Voidokilia and Nestor’s Palace, named after the king mentioned by Homer, which contains artefacts dating back to the 13th century BC. Lunch is at Poseidonia, overlooking Navarino Bay, before a long drive north to Patras and the ferry to Kefalonia and, at last, Ithaca, home of Odysseus. There, rather than with the loving embrace of Penelope and the slaughter of several unwelcome suitors, they end their trip at the Perantzada Hotel, overlooking one more gloriously picturesque blue-watered harbour. We can only hope that, despite the warnings, they drag themselves out for another trip soon.