Twenty-eight teenagers,
the same olive grove
that fed Ancient Messene.

Field trips, study-abroad weeks, and immersion programs across the Peloponnese — designed with teachers, audited every season, and run by guides who know your students by name on day two.

Request a teacher pack See sample programs
Year 12 geography group above the Divari lagoon, Pylos — final morning of a 9-day Messinia field study, May 2024.
8 — 80
Group sizes we host comfortably
5 — 21
Days, from a long weekend to a full term
1:8
Adult-to-student ratio on activity
7
Thematic programs to start from
Who we host

Four kinds of group,
one shared rhythm.

Different curricula, different ages, different paperwork. The on-the-ground operation is the same: small groups, named guides, 24/7 support, and the same olive grove for breakfast.

01
Ages 12 — 18

Schools

Geography fieldwork, classics tours, language exchange, residential leadership weeks. Risk-assessed and STF-aligned. We run the trip; teachers stay with students.

02
Undergrad / postgrad

Universities & study-abroad

Faculty-led modules from a long weekend to a full term. We handle logistics, lectures-on-site, partner-academic introductions, and ECTS-friendly contact hours.

03
All levels, 14+

Language schools

Greek immersion built around four hours of structured class daily, then field encounters — fishermen at Marathopoli, beekeepers in Saidona, the ferry crew at Kalamata port.

04
Discipline-led

Specialist programs

Marine biology with Stella Mare. Archaeology with the Ephorate of Antiquities of Messenia. Sustainability with the WWF Greece team at Gialova. We bring the partners; you bring the curriculum.

Sample programs

Seven thematic spines.
Each one mapped to the curriculum, then built on the ground.

Pick one as your starting point or combine two — most groups do. We send a draft itinerary inside seven days of the first call, then iterate with you until you sign it off.

7 — 10 daysAges 14+

Classics & archaeology

Olympia, Ancient Messene, Mystras, Pylos. Site visits led by working archaeologists, not tour guides. Sketchbook morning at Bassae, evening seminar back at the villa.

Students leave able to read a 5th-century-BC site plan and explain why Messene's walls were built where they were.
5 — 14 daysAges 16+ / undergrad

Marine biology

Snorkel transects in Voidokilia, sea-turtle nesting monitoring with ARCHELON, water-quality sampling at the Gialova lagoon, fish-market dawn visit.

Real fieldwork in real reserves. Students leave with primary data they collected themselves, not a worksheet.
6 — 9 daysGCSE / IGCSE / IB

Geography field study

Karst limestone walks above Mystras. Olive economy interviews with three farms across the price spectrum. Coastal-process measurement at Voidokilia. River discharge at Neda.

Students learn to read a landscape — to see why the village sits where it does, why the river bends, why the olive tree grows on this slope and not that one.
5 — 8 daysAges 14+

History & democracy

Three Peloponnesian sites — Sparta, Messene, Mantinea — bookended by an Athens day-trip (Pnyx, Agora, Akropolis Museum). Mock assembly held at the Odeion of Messene.

Engages the question every history teacher wants engaged: was 5th-century Athens actually a democracy?
7 — 10 daysAges 12 — 16

Sports & adventure

Sea-kayak the Methoni — Voidokilia coastline. Hike Mt. Taygetos sections. Climb at Leonidio (sport, single-pitch, 5b—6a). Sailing introductions at Costa Navarino.

A group that arrives self-conscious leaves a team. Most students surprise themselves with what they can do.
5 — 12 daysA-Level / undergrad / professional

Sustainability & regenerative tourism

Field site visits to four kinds of olive farm. Conversations with regional council planners. Day at Costa Navarino reviewing their masterplan with their sustainability lead. Capstone proposal workshop.

Equips students with a working vocabulary for actual policy debate, not slogans.
7 — 21 daysA1 — C1

Greek immersion

Four hours structured language daily (small groups by level). Afternoons in the field: ordering the kafeneio coffee, naming birds at the lagoon, reading menus, conducting a market interview.

Real-world Greek every day, in shops, on trails, at the kafeneio. Students go home with friends, not just verbs.
Sample full-week timetable

An hour at a time.
Because teachers ask, and rightly so.

What a real week looks like. Switch programs to compare. Final timetables are co-written with your lead teacher and signed off four weeks out.

Time
Monarrival
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sundepart
07:30 — 08:30
Breakfast at villa
Breakfast
Breakfast
Breakfast
Breakfast
Breakfast
Breakfast
09:00 — 12:30
Athens airport pickup, transfer to Pylos villa via Corinth Canal stop
Ancient Messene site walk with Dr. Themelis (or successor archaeologist) — 3 hr
Olympia full day — stadium, museum, Pheidias' workshop
Mystras — Pantanassa monastery, despot's palace climb
Sparta + Menelaion vista; Vapheio tholos tomb
Bassae temple sketchbook morning — quiet, no other groups
Pylos castle + Bay of Navarino battlefield walk
12:30 — 14:00
Lunch en route
Lunch in Mavromati village
(Olympia, contd.)
Lunch in Mystras
Lunch in Sparta
Picnic at Bassae
Lunch in Pylos
14:00 — 17:30
Welcome briefing + risk walk-through; villa orientation
Drawing exercise at the Asclepion; reading ancient inscriptions
Ride home; rest
Free time at Mystras lower town
Drive back; pool / rest
Drive to Andritsaina museum; Pan-Hellenic crafts shop
Free afternoon — beach / pool / Pylos market
18:00 — 19:30
Return drive (3 hr) — student reading time
Sketchbook hour at the despot's palace
20:00 — 21:30
Group dinner — taverna in Pylos
Dinner with archaeologist Q&A
Dinner at villa
Dinner at Mystras taverna
Dinner at villa, mock assembly prep
Mock assembly at the Odeion (lit by lanterns)
Farewell dinner; debrief
TravelField / classroomMealFree / rest
Curriculum mapping

It needs to count, not just feel meaningful.

We send your head of department a syllabus-mapping document with each draft itinerary — exam-board specific, with page references. Three frameworks shown here; ask if you need another.

United Kingdom

Mapped to NC, GCSE, A-Level, EPQ

  • Geography GCSE (AQA / Edexcel)Coastal processes (Voidokilia spit). Rivers (Pamisos discharge / cross-section). Karst landscapes (Mystras / Taygetos).
  • Classical Civilisation A-Level (OCR)Athenian democracy paper case study material. The Iliad and the World of the Hero — Homeric Pylos.
  • Biology A-LevelSampling techniques, biodiversity indices, ecosystem energy flow — all gathered from real data on transects.
  • Extended Project QualificationCapstone weeks deliver a research question, methodology, and 4,000-word draft, supervised by a UK-trained PhD.
  • Duke of Edinburgh — Gold residentialFive full days, mixed teams, signed off in line with DofE residential criteria.
International Baccalaureate

Mapped to MYP & DP

  • DP GeographyTwo of the three options (Coasts and margins / Freshwater) covered with primary data. Patterns and change in production / consumption.
  • DP Biology — Ecology OptionDirect fieldwork on a marine reserve. Quadrat / transect lab reports.
  • DP Classical LanguagesVirgil and Homer in situ — readings at Pylos, the Bay of Navarino, Olympia.
  • MYP Individuals & SocietiesInquiry-led week: students write the questions, do the interviews, build the conclusions.
  • CAS — Creativity, Activity, ServiceAll three covered through the lagoon clean-up, kayak and hill-walk, and ARCHELON nesting volunteering.
United States

Mapped to AP, IB, Common Core

  • AP World HistoryAthens / Sparta / the rise of Macedon — covered with site visits and primary source close-reading.
  • AP Environmental ScienceMediterranean ecosystem, water-quality assessment, biodiversity indices. Transferable lab.
  • AP European HistoryThe Byzantine Peloponnese (Mystras), the Venetian period (Methoni / Pylos), the Greek War of Independence (Navarino).
  • Capstone seminar / Junior thesisA week of supervised field research with a tutor + a final written deliverable.
  • Service-learning hours (CSL)Field hours documented and signed for high-school graduation requirements.
How we keep your students safe

The boring details.
The ones that matter most.

1:8

Adult-to-student ratio on every activity

Held strictly. Two teachers and a guide for every sixteen students on the water; we add a third on the kayaks. Ratios are tighter than STF baseline by design.

Download our ratio policy →
24/7

On-the-ground senior contact

One named operations lead per group, on call from arrival to departure. Direct mobile + WhatsApp. Hospital + embassy numbers in the trip pack. We've activated the protocol four times in fourteen years; here are the case studies.

Read the case studies →
42pp

Risk assessment, six weeks out

Activity-by-activity, signed by our director and your trip leader before deposits clear. Includes weather contingency, evacuation routes, dietary protocols, and the consent-form bundle.

Sample risk assessment (PDF) →
Pre-departure pack

Six pieces of paper.
None of them filler.

The pack lands in your inbox eight weeks before departure. Everything teachers need to walk into the staffroom with the trip pre-approved.

Download the sample pack (PDF, 4.2 MB)
  • I

    Parent letter & consent bundle

    Editable Word doc on your school letterhead. Medical, photo, dietary, free-time consent — all in one signature block.

  • II

    Full risk assessment (PDF)

    Activity-by-activity, with mitigations and emergency protocols. Format works for STF / LOTC / ABTA submissions.

  • III

    Student kit list

    One A4 page. Walking shoes, a refillable water bottle, a hat. Includes the things they always forget.

  • IV

    Pre-trip lessons (4 × 40-min)

    Plug-and-play slides: where the Peloponnese is; reading a site plan; basic Greek; what to do if you get lost. Run them or hand them to your TA.

  • V

    Reading & viewing list

    Curated by program. Six items per trip — three short, three substantial. Available in physical or audio.

  • VI

    On-trip workbook

    Printed for every student. Page per day, prompts that map to the assessment, a slot for the photo and the receipt. Becomes the souvenir parents keep.

For teachers' eyes

The honest pricing page.
What you'll actually quote parents.

Headline rates per student, ex-flights, full-board, all activities and entry tickets included. Price ceiling is held once we sign — no surprise top-ups even if the euro moves.

Per-student rate (ex-flights, all-in)

Group size5 days7 days10 days
16 — 24 students€890€1,180€1,560
25 — 36 students€790€1,050€1,390
37 — 50 students€720€960€1,290
51+ studentsFrom €680From €890From €1,180

What's in & not in

  • All accommodation (private villas / partner hotels)
  • Full board incl. dietary needs
  • All ground transport in licensed coaches
  • Every activity, kit, entry, and guide
  • One free teacher place per 10 students
  • 24/7 on-the-ground support
  • Flights — we'll quote separately if useful
  • Travel insurance — we recommend a partner
  • Spending money & souvenir budget

Bursary place — one per twelve paying

For every twelve full-paying students from a partner school, we place one student on the trip free. Your school nominates them; we do not need-test. The aim: a kid for whom €1,180 is a hard "no" gets to come anyway.

Schools that have travelled with us

A handful of the thirty-seven.

Kings College School
Wimbledon, UK
American Community School
Athens
International School of Geneva
CH
St. Catherine's British School
Athens
Stowe School
Buckinghamshire, UK
Phillips Exeter Academy
NH, USA
UWC Adriatic
Duino, IT
Lycée Saint-Joseph
Lyon, FR
Marlborough College
Wiltshire, UK
ETH Zürich (geography fac.)
CH
Trinity College Dublin
IE
New Zealand Sec. Schools Assoc.
NZ
"

We've taken Year 12 to Italy, to Berlin, to Iceland. Messinia is the only one where the kids ask, on the bus to the airport on the last morning, when can we come back. The risk paperwork comes back from the head before lunch every year.

Dr. Helena Marsh
Head of Geography, Stowe School — five trips since 2019
From first email to debriefed return

Six steps. Roughly five months.

I

First conversation

A 30-min call with our schools lead. We ask about your group, your aims, your dates, your worries. Whether or not you book, you leave the call with a list of three things to think about.

Week 0
II

Draft itinerary + costings

Within seven working days. A working document, not a brochure — built so you can edit and forward it to your head.

Week 1
III

Co-design + sign-off

Two or three iterations, usually. We lock the itinerary, the price, the rooming, and the risk assessment together. You sign once.

Week 2 — 4
IV

Pre-departure pack

Eight weeks out. Parent letter, kit list, payment schedule, the lessons. Your bursar gets the invoice on the day you ask, with VAT split out.

Week —8
V

On the ground

Met at the airport by a named lead. WhatsApp group with daily photos for parents (opt-in). 24/7 senior contact. Daily teacher debrief.

On trip
VI

Debrief + receipts

Two-week-later video call. All receipts, photo library, a written report you can share with the head and the parent body. Used for next year's recruitment.

Week +2
Questions teachers ask

The eight that come up the most.

Not finding yours? Ask us directly — we'll add the answer here once we've answered yours.

  • Are your guides safeguarding-checked?+
    Yes. Every guide working with under-18s holds a current Greek-issued criminal record check (Antígrafo Pinía Lefkó), DBS (UK) or equivalent on file. We re-run them annually. Available on request before contract.
  • What if a student needs medical care?+
    Two clinics within 25 minutes of every base. The hospital in Kalamata is a 50-min drive — General Hospital of Messinia, public, EU-card eligible. Your trip lead drives to the clinic; we never put a sick student on a coach. We pay first, claim later from your insurer if needed.
  • Dietary requirements?+
    Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, halal, kosher, severe nut allergies — all routine. Send the list with the booking; we audit the kitchens. Annual menu sign-off by an Athens-based dietitian for medically-significant cases.
  • What if the weather closes the kayaks?+
    Every activity has a Plan B and a Plan C, written into the itinerary. Sea-kayak day cancels into a guided coastal walk + cooking class. Hike day cancels into the museum at Pylos + a swim. We refund nothing because we never deliver less.
  • Behaviour policy — what if a student crosses a line?+
    A written one-page policy goes home with the consent form. First incident: senior lead + lead teacher + student conversation. Second: parents called. Third: the student goes home, accompanied, at the family's cost. Has happened twice in fourteen years.
  • Coach safety?+
    Greek-licensed operators only, seatbelts on every seat, drivers' tachograph compliant. We use two operators we have driven with for over a decade. Vehicle history available on request.
  • How do payments work?+
    15% deposit at sign. 50% at twelve weeks out. Balance at four weeks out. Bursar-friendly invoices with PO matching, VAT split, sterling or euro. Payment-plan flexibility for parent-funded trips on request.
  • Cancellation?+
    Standard tiered scale: full refund 90+ days out (less €100/student admin), 50% at 60 days, 25% at 30 days, 0% inside 14 days. Force-majeure (FCDO advice / earthquake / pandemic) — full refund or rebook, your call. Written into the contract; we don't hide behind Ts and Cs.
Start the conversation

Tell us about
your students.

Send the form below or write directly. We reply inside one working day, usually the same morning. The first call is 30 minutes, no obligation, and no sales script.

schools@exploremessinia.comSophia Papandreou — Head of educational programs
+30 694 858 3138Direct line, in English. Mon — Fri 09:00 — 18:00 EET
Reply inside one working dayOr you'll hear from our director directly

We don't share enquiries with anyone outside our team. We don't put you on a list. We don't email you a brochure unless you ask.

Two months of planning.
One trip they'll talk about for years.

Most groups start the conversation 5 — 8 months out. The earliest sign got us a 9-month run-up; the latest, six weeks. We'll do our best either way.