Did the ancient Greeks go on holiday?

Answer 1

Depends what you mean by holiday!

Rich Greeks did travel during the classical period. For instance the Greek historian Herodotus apparently traveled widely across the ancient world including all over Greece, Italy, Egypt, Persia and even to modern day Russia. However the purpose of this travel was probably more to do with making educational and political contacts than lying on the beach.Only the very best educated and richest Greeks would have traveled in this way.

Poorer citizens would have also have traveled for reasons ranging from military campaigns, trade and setting up of new colonies but again none of these could be classed as holidays. However citizens did travel for religious ceremonies, drama competitions and athletic games, probably the closest the ancient Greeks got to having a holiday.

Several hundred years later, about 150 years after Christ, a Greek writer called Pausanias wrote a sort of travel guide to Greece, almost like a modern Blue Guide.

By this time, at the peak of the Roman Empire, there were many well heeled tourists among the Romans who had made fortunes from the Empire. Many traveled to Greece and Egypt on sight seeing trips or had very lavish holiday homes constructed in places like the island of Capri or in countryside outside Rome or in southern Italy.

Answer 2

Yes - the religious festivals.