2025 Grand Tour to Greece

The summer is young, but I, along with 11 other members of the Providence family, have already seen the world.

A few days ago I returned from a 13-day trip to Greece we call the Grand Tour. The trip was a whirlwind adventure through one of the most fascinating places on earth.

This junior-senior trip takes place every other year. This year six students and five parents followed in the footsteps of St. Paul from Thessaloniki in Macedonia to Athens in southern Greece. Along the way, we walked where the apostle proclaimed the gospel in Philippi, Berea, Athens, and Corinth. We walked the Ignatian Way, on which Paul traveled, and we stood beside the waters where Lydia, the first Christian convert in Europe, was baptized. We faced the Bema Seat in Corinth where Paul was put on trial, and we stood on Mars Hill, beside the Acropolis in Athens, where the apostle proclaimed Christ to the pagan philosophers.

In addition, we experienced many of the great sites and locations of Greece’s storied history. We visited the Temple of Apollo, seat of the oracle in Delphi, beneath towering Mt. Parnassus. We stood under the Arch of Galerius in Thessaloniki. We walked on the Acropolis in the shadow of the magnificent Parthenon, dedicated to Athena, the patron goddess of Athens. We visited the still unopened tomb of Philip II of Macedon, father of Alexander the Great. We hiked the slopes of Mt. Olympus and looked down at the sapphire waters of the Aegean.

And on top of all this history and culture, our group truly experienced Greek culture. We walked the streets of Greek cities and towns, ate the food (oh the food!), learned the language (a little bit, at least), sipped the coffee, tasted the gelato, and we enjoyed vistas filled with beautiful Greek coastlines, mountains, and olive groves. We relaxed on the rocky beaches of the Greek island of Hydra. We wandered the halls of some of the greatest museums in the world. We toured Greek Orthodox churches and monasteries. We stood on ancient soil among the ruins of the classical civilization that created the Western tradition and that persists today.

What an adventure we had together!

Providence parents, I want your student to experience this incredible trip when they reach their junior and senior year, so let me encourage you to begin saving today. The Grand Tour is more affordable than you think, when you factor in yearly fundraising.

This is truly a capstone experience for students who graduate from a classical Christian school. The classical and Christian history we study comes alive as we travel through Greece’s culture and history-rich landscape. Traveling aboard offers educational experiences that nothing else can really duplicate. And the fellowship of the students and parents is delightful.

So, come travel to Greece on the Grand Tour! World travel, adventure, and classical Christian learning await you all.