Ancient Sites
Join an ATG walking trip that takes you back in time, where every step brings you closer to the civilisations that shaped Europe. Our walking holidays are designed to take in an array of ancient sites that reflect the continent’s rich history.
Discover Neolithic monuments, prehistoric cave paintings, castle ruins, ancient temples, burial mounds, troglodyte dwellings and more. While some of these sites are well known, others are off the beaten track and can only be reached on foot.
Portugal
Follow a high route along stone-paved paths and rocky trails through the mountains of the Peneda National Park – a little-explored corner of Portugal.
• Stays in hospitable, remote mountain villages
• Unique walking across ancient granite landscapes
• Visit the ancient Sanctuary of Nossa Senhora in Peneda
• Striking evidence of Megalithic civilisation & Roman occupation
Independent
Moderate to Challenging Walking
Duration: 5, 8 or 9 days
Route Open:May, June, July, September, October
Price: from £780 per person
Italy
Starting in Viterbo, walk between historic towns along ancient paths, wooded trails and tracks, passing a variety of unspoilt landscapes, all the way to Rome.
• Walk the medieval ‘Via Francigena’ and the Roman ‘Via Cassia’
• Remarkable Roman & Etruscan remains at Sutri
• Impressive finish in the ‘Eternal City’ of Rome
• Third stage of a three-part, continuous 225-mile route to Rome
Independent
Moderate Walking
Duration: 7 or 8 days
Route Open:April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November
Price: from £1,280 per person
France
Walk beside wide rivers and dramatic cliffs crested with fortified villages and castles to visit cave systems containing remarkable evidence of 20,000-year-old human habitation.
• Outstanding Cro Magnon rock shelters & cave paintings
• Fascinating churches, medieval chateaux & landscaped gardens
• Rich cuisine of Périgord – poultry dishes, chestnuts & truffles
• Opportunities for wild swimming & canoeing
Independent
Easy to Moderate Walking
Duration: 5, 6, 8 or 9 days
Route Open:April, May, June, July, September, October
Price: from £1,000 per person
France
Walk across meadows and wide valleys, carved out by the Dordogne, Lot and Célé rivers, and limestone plateaux (‘causses’), cut through by gorges.
• Visit the cliffside pilgrimage site of Rocamadour
• Dramatically situated castles & villages decked with flowers
• Astonishing cave systems with magnificent concretions
• Some of the best cuisine & wines in France
Independent
Easy to Moderate Walking
Duration: 8 days
Route Open:April, May, June, July, September, October, November
Price: from £1,540 per person
Portugal
Traverse the granite massif from the Lima to the Minho valleys, following ancient pilgrim paths through the remarkable wilderness of the Peneda National Park.
• Ancient granite villages & espigueiros (traditional granaries)
• Unique walking along ancient granite paths
• Visit the ancient Sanctuary of Nossa Senhora in Peneda
• Megalithic and Roman sites, wildlife & spectacular views
Independent
Moderate to Challenging Walking
Duration: 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9 days
Route Open:May, June, July, September, October
Price: from £680 per person
France
Walk from the rolling hills of Périgord to the Dordogne River and dramatic gorges of the Causses de Quercy, finishing in the cliffside pilgrimage site of Rocamadour.
• Fine monuments in Sarlat, Souillac & Unesco-listed Rocamadour
• Stay in perfectly preserved medieval towns & villages
• Ride on an electric train through caves of the Causses
• Fabulous local markets & exceptional regional cuisine
Independent
Easy to Moderate Walking
Duration: 5 or 8 days
Route Open:April, May, June, July, September, October
Price: from £920 per person
Italy
Explore with us the hidden highlands of central Sicily with extensive views across the island before descending along pilgrim paths through olive and citrus groves to the sea.
• Ancient routes to hospitable mountain villages of ‘Old Sicily’
• Chance to explore peaks of the Madonie National Park
• Delicious Sicilian cucina povera & Sicilian wines
• Magnificent cathedrals at Cefalù & Monreale
Escorted
Moderate to Challenging Walking
Duration: 8 days
Trip dates:
16 - 23 Oct 2027
Price: from £3,750 per person
Italy
A striking variety of landscapes, from mountain pastures with extensive views to ancient forest and vineyards, olive and citrus groves leading to the sea.
• Authentic Sicily, its rugged interior, unspoilt villages & warm hospitality
• Abundant flora & fauna of the Madonie Mountains
• Frequent reminders of Sicily’s succession of great civilisations
• Coastal finish in historic port town of Cefalù
Independent
Moderate to Challenging Walking
Duration: 8 or 9 days
Route Open:April, May, June, September, October
Price: from £1,320 per person
Italy
Historic paths between ancient volcanic crater lakes, surrounded by forest, hazelnut and olive groves, lead to fascinating Etruscan, Roman, medieval and Renaissance sites.
• Swim in the pristine lakes or wallow in thermal pool
• Two of Italy’s finest gardens: Villa Lante & Villa Farnese
• Visit a rock-hewn amphitheatre, walled medieval towns & castles
• Discover crag-top Orvieto, its splendid cathedral & frescoes
Escorted
Easy to Moderate Walking
Duration: 8 days
Trip dates:
05 - 12 Jun 2027
Price: from £3,660 per person
Italy
Follow tracks that have been travelled for millennia, across volcanic plateaux, low hills, woods and vineyards, with an array of sights to see on route.
• Roman rock-hewn amphitheatre & Etruscan necropolis at Sutri
• Renaissance gardens of Palazzo Farnese & Villa Lante
• Wallow, as the Romans did, in thermal pools and pristine lakes
• Papal palace in Viterbo & frescoed cathedral in Orvieto
Independent
Moderate Walking
Duration: 8, 9, 10 or 11 days
Route Open:April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November
Price: from £1,240 per person