Expert-led Cultural Tours & Gulet Cruises

Hello and Welcome to Peter Sommer Travels, I’m Peter Sommer. Originally an archaeologist then a TV documentary Producer/Director, in 1994 I walked 2,000 miles from Troy across Turkey, retracing the route of Alexander the Great, and in the process fell in love with this amazing country and travel in general. I led my first archaeology tour in 1995 and loved the opportunity to bring history to life in some of the most wonderful archaeologically rich locations. In 2002 I set up Peter Sommer Travels with the aim of offering the best prepared and highest quality expert-led tours for small groups, that exceed expectations, enrich people’s lives and are good value for money.

We’re a small family-run company based in Wales, headed by myself, my wife Elin and daughter Rebecca. Over the last 23 years, we have created a wide range of unique archaeological and cultural tours and gulet cruising holidays, escorted by the finest experts. We’ve gone on to win the UK’s Tour Operator of the Year award eight times since these awards began in 2015 and have received more than 900 glowing independent reviews spanning more than 11 years.

8-Times Tour Operator of the Year award-winner, 2015-2024:

• Gold Award 2024, 20222, 2017, 2015 – AITO (The Specialist Travel Association)
• Silver Award 2023, 2019, 2018, 2016 – AITO (The Specialist Travel Association)
• Best Travel Company for Arts and Culture Holidays Silver Award 2021/2022 – British Travel Awards
• One of the world’s “Top Ten Learning Retreats” – National Geographic Traveller

Expert Tour Guides:

We’re proud to have assembled a team of more than 30 of the finest guides, archaeologists and historians, who strive to vividly bring the past to life on our land-based escorted cultural tours and gulet cruises. Friendly and knowledgeable, they are natural enthusiasts steeped in the history and culture of Croatia, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Montenegro, Turkey and the UK.

What we do: Gulet Cruises and Escorted Tours

So, join us on a gulet cruise or private gulet charter along a turquoise coast and enjoy total relaxation, beautiful food, and superb swimming – the perfect vacation. Or discover some of the finest archaeological sites in the world on our spectacular ‘Exploring’ land adventures such as our Exploring Crete tour, Exploring Hadrian’s Wall, Exploring Sicily, Exploring the Peloponnese or Exploring Macedonia.

Small Group Tour Operator:

A UK-based specialist tour operator, we offer cultural vacations and holidays with a professional and above all personal touch. On our expert-led tours we take only small groups of like-minded people typically between 10 and 14 on our gulet tours and between 10 and 18 on our land tours – travelling in an easy-going informal style.

“Want a truly personal travel experience with a knowledgeable, friendly guide, and small groups? Consider joining of Peter Sommer Travels’ tours.”
Tom Brosnahan, originator of the Lonely Planet and Frommer’s travel guides to Turkey and creator of turkeytravelplanner.com.

Private Gulet Charters:

Alongside our scheduled gulet cruises and charters in Croatia, Greece and Turkey and most recently Montenegro, we also create bespoke gulet cruising holidays to order. Our private gulet trips feature comfortable and stylish boats, painstakingly prepared itineraries, a perfectly balanced mix of relaxation and activity and of course – delicious food, all accompanied by our expert guides and local guides. We provide a range of fully crewed boats, maintained to the highest safety standards, ranging from 4 to 14 cabins.

Private Group Tours: Tailor made Land and City Tours

Our tailor-made expert-led land tours can focus on a single region or city, or we can create a bespoke itinerary for you that weaves together several different regions within one country or several different countries. From family-run boutique hotels and country houses to 5 star luxury hotels, we will find the accommodation that most closely suits your needs. We pride ourselves on our flexibility and capacity to arrange all aspects of your journey so you can travel and explore with all the details smoothly taken care of.

We are a trusted and longstanding member of ABTA (The Association of British Travel Agents), The Specialist Travel Association (AITO), the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) and a number of other travel industry bodies.

We strive to offer the finest small group cultural tours. If you have any questions, please get in touch. We’ll be delighted to help.