Smithsonian Journeys

01/04/2025

Is Egypt on your 2025 travel list? Join Smithsonian Journeys on our Ancient Egypt and the Nile tour and visit the Grand Egyptian Museum, which has finally opened 22 years after the first foundation stone was laid.

The Museum is the largest archaeological museum in the world. It encompasses 12 galleries covering three themes: society, kingship, and belief, through four time periods stretching from prehistory to the Greco-Roman era. The exhibitions offer insight into the history and lives of the pharaohs, but also of ordinary people in ancient Egypt.

Egyptologist Huub Pragt and Smithsonian Journeys traveler Kellie Mecham shared first impressions from their visit to the museum with us in October 2024, read more: https://s.si.edu/41PzyQi

11/15/2024

Visit the Grand Egyptian Museum when you travel to Egypt with us on our Ancient Egypt and the Nile journey: https://www.smithsonianjourneys.org/tours/ancient-egypt-and-nile/itinerary/

Egyptologist Huub Pragt and Smithsonian Journeys traveler Kellie Mecham share first impressions from their visit to the museum just days after its long-awaited opening.

10/31/2024

Iceland’s volcanic landscapes are so infused with folklore and myth that every site seems to harbor resident elves or ogres. The sea stacks you’ll see along Reynisfjara beach are considered cursed trolls turned to stone for their bad deeds. The powerful cascade of Skogafoss shields a treasure chest hidden by a sorcerer. And a half-ogre, half-man lords over the Snaelfellsnes Peninsula from atop its ice-capped volcano. Glaciers, volcanoes, and geothermal curiosities take on a whole new life when you discover the magic that abounds here.

Learn more about our Glaciers and Waterfalls: An Active Journey to Iceland tour on our website: https://www.smithsonianjourneys.org/tours/active-journey-to-iceland/itinerary/

10/31/2024

For much of the English Civil War, Oxford was a royalist stronghold and the refuge of the ill-fated King Charles I. After Oliver Cromwell condemned him to death by beheading, legend has it his ghost returned to the hallowed halls of the university to linger in Christ Church College and occasionally the Bodleian Library. 📚

It is still unknown whether he mingles with the other distinguished spirits said to haunt the campus, including the Archbishop of Canterbury William Laud and a Royalist colonel whose ex*****on was ordered King Charles I himself.

Learn more about our Smithsonian at Oxford tour on our website: https://www.smithsonianjourneys.org/tours/oxford/itinerary/

10/30/2024

It’s not for nothing that the Brothers Grimm drew inspiration for Hansel and Gretel and many of their other somewhat sinister tales from Germany’s Black Forest. Several mythological creatures are said to inhabit these misty mountains blanketed with dense woods, from a headless horseman who passes through upon a white horse to a cursed soldier who was transformed into the werewolf of Morbach.

Expect no such spooky sights on our river cruise to holiday markets along the Rhine: as you travel through the Black Forest to charming Freiburg, the only spirit you’ll encounter will be the Christmas kind! 🎄

Learn more about our Holiday Markets: A Rhine River Cruise tour on our website: https://www.smithsonianjourneys.org/tours/france-germany-markets/itinerary/

10/30/2024

Within the stately Recoleta neighborhood of Buenos Aires lies La Recoleta Cemetery, one of the city’s most prestigious burial spots since it opened in 1822. Designed to resemble a city, its narrow lanes are lined with tombs and crypts of all sorts, some meticulously kept and laden with fresh flowers, others crumbling and laced with cobwebs. The most famous resident is undoubtedly former first lady Eva “Evita” Perón, whose embalmed body took a macabre two-decade journey to get there, having been stolen by political foes, shipped across the Atlantic and back, buried and disinterred in several countries, and even tended to by her husband’s third wife.

Learn more about our Patagonian Explorer tour on our website: https://www.smithsonianjourneys.org/tours/patagonia/itinerary/

10/29/2024

Ancient Egypt was brimming with supernatural beings—from Anubis, the half-man, half-jackal god of the underworld to the fertility goddess Hathor, often depicted as a woman with a cow’s head.

But the spookiest of all? Well, mummies of course! New discoveries have shown that Egyptians were wrapping their dead in linen strips and resin to protect them for the afterlife as early as 3500 BC. On our journey to Egypt, you can see the world-renowned collection of royal mummies at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization. And as of this month, you’ll also view the mummies of several legendary pharaohs at the newly opened Grand Egyptian Museum!

Learn more about our Ancient Egypt and the Nile tour on our website: https://www.smithsonianjourneys.org/tours/ancient-egypt-and-nile/itinerary/

10/29/2024

Prehistoric Mysteries of England and Ireland 🔍

Perhaps it’s not surprising that a country known for druids and leprechauns is also considered the birthplace of Halloween. During the Gaelic festival of Samhain, which is said to have originated at a cave in Rathcroghan known as the “gateway to the Otherworld,” costumes and masks were worn to ward off wicked spirits.

Rathcroghan isn’t the only mystical site you’ll encounter on our adventure into prehistory: you’ll also visit pagan passage tombs, the mysterious megaliths of Stonehenge, and the creepy Cashel Man— one of the stunningly preserved Iron Age corpses found in Ireland’s peat bogs.

Learn more about our Prehistoric Mysteries of England and Ireland tour on our website: https://www.smithsonianjourneys.org/tours/prehistoric-mysteries-of-england-and-ireland/itinerary/

10/28/2024

Where did Halloween originate? Which hallowed halls are said to be haunted by a king’s ghost? From enchanted forests to medieval crypts, the world is filled with storied sites, and we travel to quite a few of them on our journeys. To pique some mystique this week of All Hallow’s Eve, we’ve rounded up tales from the places we visit that channel the spirit of the season. Follow along throughout the week!

Pictured: Capela dos Ossos (Chapel of Bones) in Evora, Portugal

10/23/2024

Oh the places they’ve been! Welcome back to our travelers, who have been exploring places near and far recently. Here are just a few:
📍 Turkey
📍 Uzbekistan
📍 Iceland
📍 Yosemite
📍 Turkmenistan
📍 Morocco

09/24/2024

Summer vacations are in the rearview mirror and some of the best months for travel lie ahead! Hoping to catch the spring cherry blossoms in Japan? Daydreaming about savoring the flavors of Italy next fall, or exploring America’s Canyon Country in the off-season? Our travel experts can craft a custom trip just for you and your traveling companions.

Our Tailor-Made Journeys are led by outstanding local guides and packed with special experiences tailored to your interests. Choose from more than 70 destinations—from Iceland to India and Brazil to Bali. Visit our website to start building your dream trip! https://www.smithsonianjourneys.org/tailor-made/

08/30/2024

Portugal is only slightly bigger than the U.S. state of Maine, but harbors hilltop castles, stunning beaches, whitewashed medieval villages, and a wine region so ancient and beautiful it earned a World Heritage designation.

Immerse yourself in Portugal’s charms on a trip that fits your travel style:

• Live in the heart of Lisbon for almost three weeks
• Hike along coastal cliffs and the Camino Portuguesa
• Cruise aboard a small ship from Lisbon and the Algarve to ports in Morocco, Madeira, and beyond
• Stay in historic pousadas and paradores across Portugal and Spain

With our experts and guides, you’ll encounter stunning azulejos and World Heritage-listed architecture, sample local wines and cuisine, and step back in time in vibrant cities and towns.

Join us in Portugal! Check out all of our trips on our website: https://s.si.edu/4dHGgee

08/22/2024

Go back to university during a week in Scotland or England with Smithsonian Journeys!

Embark on an intellectual adventure next summer: spend a week as a student, living and studying at Scotland’s University of St Andrews or Oxford University.

Smithsonian at St Andrews | June 21-28, 2025: Settle into life in the storied halls of Scotland’s University of St Andrews, and attend a course of your choosing taught by St Andrews faculty on topics including the history of the clans, Scottish literary greats, and legendary castles. Get acquainted with the charming town of St Andrews, and set out on excursions to Edinburgh, Dundee, and beyond.

Smithsonian at Oxford | June 28-July 5, 2025, and Sept. 13-20, 2025: Ensconce yourself in the intellectual atmosphere of Oxford, exploring a subject of your choice with fellow travelers who share your love of learning. Live at historic Merton College and attend engaging morning classes on history, literature, or archaeology taught by Oxford University experts. Linger in stately libraries and courtyards, dine in the college hall, and take excursions related to your course of study.

Visit our website for more information: https://s.si.edu/4dRBYk0

08/09/2024

It was 178 years ago on August 10 that the Smithsonian Institution was founded at the bequest of a British scientist who had never set foot in the United States. James Smithson sought “the increase and diffusion of knowledge”—and all these years later, Smithsonian Journeys is carrying out this mission through enriching, in-depth travel experiences led by knowledgeable experts on all seven continents.

Take a look at some of our uniquely Smithsonian programs, from a visit with our scientists in Panama to a spending an enriching week at Oxford University. Join us! https://s.si.edu/42bxf7X

📚 Smithsonian at Oxford - Spend a rewarding week as a student at Oxford.

🔹 D-Day: Retracing History from England to France - Gain a deeper understanding of D-Day, retracing the events of Operation Overlord with a military historian.

🌊 Panama and Costa Rica by Sea: The Natural Wonders of Central America - Gain insight from researchers on an exclusive visit to the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute's Punta Culebra Nature Center.

🌌 Prehistoric Mysteries of England and Ireland - Explore ancient sites across England and Ireland in the company of archaeologists.

07/23/2024

The Tour de France concluded this past weekend in Nice and the Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will take place on Friday.

But you don’t need a bicycle or to be an Olympian to complete your own tour de France with Smithsonian Journeys. Whether you prefer an easy-going river cruise on the Rhône or an invigorating hike on the flanks of Mont Blanc, there’s a journey that fits your travel style. Experience a new perspective on Paris, tracing the stories of the African Americans who called it home. Sail the Côte d’Azur to the Italian Riviera aboard a small ship, or unpack your bags and live in Provence for three weeks.

Bon voyage! Check out all of our trips to France: https://s.si.edu/3YgMtJo