Take Me To Europe Tours

Archaeology tours of the Mediterranean, run from Australia

Take Me To Europe Tours runs its own small-group history and archaeology tours in 4 Mediterranean countries: Cyprus, Greece, Malta and Italy, where it covers the islands of Sicily and Sardinia. It also designs custom private trips. The contact block gives an office at 300 Mount Alexander Road in Travancore, Victoria, Australia, and tour prices are shown in US dollars. The founder is Professor Monique Skidmore, an anthropologist who, the about page says, splits each year with her husband, Stephen Parker, between the Mediterranean and their home near Melbourne. She describes herself as "a globally renowned anthropologist and Myanmar expert" who speaks, reads and writes four languages.

The homepage sets out the model. On every tour, it says, guests are "accompanied by a local distinguished archaeologist to all archaeological sites" and travel with local tour leaders throughout. Groups are capped at 12, which the site contrasts with "other archaeological tour companies" that "accommodate 16-18 people". It calls itself "a new company" that is "not bound by decades of scripted tours", says it is a member of Responsible Travel and hires local archaeologists and guides preferentially, and adds that it offers "immersive dig experiences" for guests who want to excavate.

The tours, dates and prices

The homepage and destination pages list each tour with its next dates and a "from" price:

• Crossroads of Empires: Archaeological Treasures of Cyprus Tour, 15 to 24 April 2027 and more dates, from US$4,999, covering the island's three UNESCO World Heritage sites: Nea Paphos with the Tombs of the Kings, the painted churches of the Troodos mountains and the Neolithic settlement of Choirokoitia.
• Of Stones and Sea: Cyprus and Malta, 6 to 23 September 2027, from US$9,494, billed as "9,000 years of Mediterranean history".
• Malta Tour: Megalithic Temples and Maritime Fortresses, 24 April to 1 May 2027 and more dates, from US$4,395, with the temples of Ħaġar Qim, Mnajdra and Ġgantija, the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum, Valletta and Mdina.
• Sardinia Tour: Guardians of the Nuragic Legacy, 27 April to 6 May 2027, from US$5,146, moving "chronologically from southern cities to spectacular Giants' Tombs and sacred wells in the northeast".
• Sicily Tour: From Ancient Temples to Baroque Towns, April 12 to 26 and September 24 to October 8, 2027, from US$8,999.
• Malta and Sicily Tour: Sea Roads of the Old World, September 16 to October 8, 2027, from US$13,745.
• Secrets of the Labyrinth: Minoan Crete with Santorini & Athens, 12 to 24 October 2026, from US$8,166, a 13-day trip that, the homepage says, tours "all four UNESCO World Heritage Minoan Palaces in Crete open to the public".
• Ages of the Peloponnese Tour, a 10-day trip in May and September 2027, from US$5,994, with time at Mycenae and a "state-of-the-art dig simulator"; the homepage says a partnership with the Greek Mycenean Foundation provides "behind-the-scenes access" to sites such as Mycenae.
• The Cradle of Democracy: Ancient Athens Tour, 6 days in May and September 2027, from US$3,999, with archaeologist Professor Christofilis Maggidis.
• Gods, Oracles and Kings, a Northern Greece tour on 5 to 13 October 2026 through Pella, Philippi, Dion, Delphi and Meteora, listed without a price on the homepage.

The archaeologists and tour leaders

The about page names the specialists by tour. Dr Huw S. Groucutt, a Malta-based Welsh archaeologist who digs at two sites in Malta and lectures in Mediterranean prehistory, leads the Malta tour. Dr Elena Soulioti, a Minoan specialist with a Durham PhD and a licensed Greek guide since the late 1990s who guides "in Greek, English, Spanish, and German", appears on the Greek tours. Laura Sedda, who has excavated several Sardinian nuraghes and has been an accredited guide since 2010, leads Sardinia, and Dr Annalisa Costa, a Sicilian archaeologist and licensed regional guide, leads Sicily. In Cyprus, David Pearlman has worked on the island's excavations since 1977 and "guides primarily in English and also speaks German and Greek". Eleni Ellinas, born in Famagusta, is named as the company's "primary Cypriot tour leader".

How the tours run

The Cyprus and Italy FAQs answer the practical questions. Tours are "capped at a maximum of 12 guests", and solo travelers are "very welcome". The Cyprus FAQ describes the activity level as "relaxed to moderate walking, often on uneven ground at archaeological sites and in villages", with "no technical hikes", and says the guide paces each day to the group. Both FAQs say tours "typically include accommodation, most meals, transport during the tour, entrance fees to sites on the itinerary, and services of an expert tour leader", while "international flights are usually not included". The Cyprus page adds that guests should budget for free-time meals, drinks and optional activities, and that tipping of about 10% is customary in restaurants.

The Cyprus page times its tours for spring (April and May), early summer and fall to avoid peak heat, names Larnaca as a frequent gateway, and uses "coastal and mountain bases" to limit hotel changes. Its packing list covers closed-toe walking shoes, sun protection and modest clothing for monasteries and churches, and it says comprehensive travel insurance, including cover for trip cancellation, is "strongly recommended" for all Cyprus tours. The same page sets out the documents needed to visit the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus through the official crossing points, such as Ledra Street. Guest comments on the homepage, the company's own selection, mention the archaeologist as "an added bonus" and say "being a vegetarian, the food was just so good!"

Booking, and what the site leaves open

Travelers can email the team, use Schedule a Call, or book a one-on-one appointment with Monique Skidmore, and there is a downloadable catalogue and a subscriber list for advance deals. The footer links an FAQ, Booking Conditions and a Financial Protection page. The destination pages do not state the deposit, payment schedule or cancellation terms, which sit in the Booking Conditions, and the dates on the cards mix 2026 and 2027 departures, so availability is worth checking on the tour calendar.

Take Me To Europe Tours suits curious travelers who want to see Mediterranean sites with a working archaeologist in a group of 12 or fewer, and the homepage says no background is needed: "you don't have to be a history buff". The named specialists for each island and the clear inclusions make it easy to see what the price covers.