Specialised

Our program in the Netherlands provides us with a delicious taste of its delights. We view the main sights of old Amsterdam, a World Heritage Site, first on foot and then from the comfort of a cruise along its 17th century canals. Our exploration of Dutch gardens includes the Hortus Botanicus, an impressive university garden. Timed to enjoy what is perhaps the highlight of the program – a visit to Keukenhof’s bulb gardens. They contain more than 7 million tulips, daffodils and hyacinths which fill over 32 hectares.

The small group tour will see the opera performed in the city of Richard Wagner’s birth, Leipzig. We will not only experience his music in these 4 operas, but also be shown the influences of culture and family on the extraordinary composer’s life.

On this small group tour of Italy and Malta we trace the life of Caravaggio, exploring the artistic works he left behind and the tumultuous life he led. We follow him from his birthplace in Milan to Rome, Malta, Sicily and Naples. In Rome Caravaggio established his name as a brilliant though controversial painter until, accused of murder, he was forced to flee south. In each place he lived Caravaggio left behind a rich legacy of art for us to admire.

From medieval Knot Gardens to the English landscapes of Capability Brown, to the modern incarnations of Sackville-West and the Duchess of Northumberland, our 22-night tour traces and explores garden styles through the ages. We explore the gardens of Kent, England’s South West, Oxfordshire, Wales, The Borders and Edinburgh, Northumbria and the Peak and Lake Districts.

Explore 3,000 years of life on the mainland and on three of the islands. Only have time to examine segments of the country’s long and varied past. We will, delve deeply into a number of the events that shaped Scotland.

This programs gives participants a chance more to learn about this fascinating operatic duo, experiencing live performances and hearing from Gilbert and Sullivan experts. The tour also includes visits to several important museums, including the Black Country Living Museum, the Haymarket Theatre, and the Royal Academy of Music. The tour promises to be an unforgettable introduction to the world of Gilbert and Sullivan.

This program examines human occupation in Britain some 500,000 years before the Romans arrived. It begins in Shetland, the northern extremity of Britain and works its way south to Stonehenge, exploring the landscapes that represent some of the most important prehistoric sites in Britain. Most of the focus of this program will be experiencing these megalithic and earthen structures constructed between the Stone Age and Iron Age.

Delve into Barcelona’s history, culture, and cuisine, take day trips to Andorra and the beach resort town of Sitges. Experience the Fiesta De La Mercè (a huge city festival), discover the wondrous architecture of Antoni Gaudi, take wine tours, learn to cook Catalan food, visit the Picasso and the Salvador Dali Museum. We also visit the Santa Maria Monastery of Montserrat.

This trip is a rare opportunity to discover what is below the surface of one of Europe’s most complex and beautiful cities.

Our 18 night program takes us on a journey through England’s timeless countryside and picturesque villages. A visitor to England’s villages is a time-traveller encircling the semi-tropical fishing villages of Cornwall, then across Dartmoor, now more desolate than ever. Then to the Cotswolds, the storybook villages now busier than ever. On the English-Welsh border the villages and towns have found new importance as repositories and exchanges for the artefacts of England’s past.

Roman Gaul occupied France, Belgium, Luxembourg and South-west Germany. To this region the Romans brought roads, bridges, education, cities and, perhaps, above all the Peace of Rome. It was the freedom from pirates, bandits and other invaders which allowed the area to prosper. The remains of the Roman Gaul is explored today, 2000 years later.

Taken as a whole, Italian Civilization (which includes, of course, the splendid inheritance of Ancient Rome) is absolutely foundational to Western culture.  Music, Painting, Sculpture, Architecture, Literature, Philosophy, Law and Politics all derive from Italy or were adapted and transformed through the medium of Italy.

On this small group Paris tour, we take the time to get to know the Paris beyond the tourist centres. Staying in apartments, we  immerse ourselves in the city’s history, art, and culture, with a mixture of guided tours, day trips, and time to enjoy the city at leisure

Denmark, Sweden and Finland realised that the only way to remain competitive on the world stage was through the value of superior design. We explore the cities and towns where those high quality products, appreciated around the world, are created.

Titanosaurs the largest Dinosaurs to walk the planet. Their skeletons have recently been discovered in Argentina. This program spends 20 days travelling to visit and experience the dig sites where much of Argentina’s paleontological history has been found, Patagonia. With local paleontologists and guides providing an insight into this remote part of the country you get a unique opportunity to learn first hand about the research on the Argentinian Dinosaur collection.

Our tour features the best of the Italian countryside as well as the great cities and icons of Italy. We will see the Renaissance cities of Florence, Pisa, and Lucca as well as the Umbrian medieval cities of Perugia.

The Industrial Revolution brought great change to Britain with the linking of major rivers with canals and the development of railways. During our program we learn how engineers overcame geographical obstacles through the use of viaducts, bridges, aqueducts, tunnels and locks. Fortunately for us many of these impressive structures have been restored and now carry recreational boating with branch railways through spectacular landscapes.

During our Dinosaur Odyssey study program, we will visit two of the most exciting dinosaur sites in China – Zigong Dinosaur Museum. Your program leader will take us to behind-the-scenes places, field studies in the Sichuan Province and Dinosaur Valley, and in the Yunnan Province. Go behind-the-scenes places, field studies at the dig sites, with first-hand experience at  palaeontological dinosaur digs.

This is a round–the-world, 23 day program that visits two continents, staying in the major arts centres of Vienna, Paris, London and New York. For Odyssey Travellers, we have sought to assemble entry and show tickets to what many will consider the best arts experiences available in those cities during each program.

Houses and gardens of Southern Tasmania runs for five days and takes in ten different gardens and three heritage-listed houses. We will step back into the past and experience life as it was two centuries ago.

This Summer school course looks at the influence and contribution five key families in shaping today’s Italy. In the 15th and 16th centuries the principalities that became Italy were alive with new ideas. The boundaries of art, architecture, music, science, politics, religion and literature were pushed. It was also riven by bitter rivalry and even open warfare between the numerous independent city states.