Somewhere not to wet, maybe warm, and archaeologically spectacular for October?

[silverbirch]

Oh wise and experienced travellers ? we want to go somewhere overseas where it is not going to rain every day ? for October half term. Preferably somewhere with lots of spectacular archaeological remains for history mad dd (aged 8).

Thought about Pompeii but it looks like it might be a bit wet at that time of year ?
any ideas?

Thanks

Jordan?
Greece?
Egypt?

Mexico? The Yucatan peninsula is supposed to have good archeological sites, Mayan I think.

I was going to suggest Sicily, but if Pompeii looks wet, I guess Sicily might be too. We went to Rome in December once and it was lovely - chilly, but very sunny.

Or Egypt? It's about 5 hours flying iirc and obviously there's LOADS to see.

Also thought about Orkney, but if you don't want rain (ha).

Paphos in Cyprus?

Yep Sicily is a gamble in October as we found out to our cost.

tiredlady's suggestions all good

Was going to suggest Egypt or Greece. Is rain guaranteed in October in Pompeii? Would love to go there..

Egypt for truly spectacular.

For lots of very interesting historical sites, and a little cooler, Cyprus

Thanks - some good ideas there. What
is Egypt like with children (in terms
of safety, comfort in the heat etc. )?

Sicily
Siracusa, Piazza Armerina, Agrigento, Taormina.
I would be surprised if it rained there a lot in October

LOL at Orkney
Fab but WET

Crete - Knossos etc?

Less famous, but we found SArdinia fascinating archaelogically, and DS, 6 loved it.

there are many very well preserved pre-historic sites called 'Nuraghi' or something. Also well temples, buildings and barrows (live Avebury, a bit) that you can go into (some are very tall, cone shaped buildings built entirely rom small boulders - and have bats nesting in them) We went to Santa Cristina - on the list of the following link - and another famous and huge pre-historic settlement.

Also, a couple of beautiful towns with excellent museums - with an excavated grave in one - AND the fabulous Phoenician-Roman ruined city at Thassos. Also Tiscali, the castle at Cagliari.

It's a lovely country, fantastic scenery - we went in October and it was very warm, we could swim in the sea. We stayed in a cheap rented villa on the West coast at the Northern end of the Costa Verde.

I loved Sardinia - and it seemed not wildly expensive. Coastal resorts were very 'closed for the winter' while little inland towns were buzzing with brilliant cheap local restaurants, and beautiful streets.

some examples of Sardinian archaelogical sites

We went to Barumni and Santa Cristina on that list - both fantastic days out.

There are miniture wild horses living on mountainsides above Barumni that you can go and see, too.

And lagoons with millions of flamingos on the West coast near some town beginning with O.

Turkey - Dalaman, Hisoronu, Fethiye - nice beaches, cheap dining with some astonishing architecture very nearby - an abandoned Greek village from 2000 years ago, tombs on the river, turtle beach, and mudbaths
Excellent value

With Marina (as always ...), Crete. Nearly guaranteed fabulous weather.

Knossos, and what's the other one? Phaestos? something like that - are spectacular of course but can be tourist-ridden. However - we spent a week in April at the other end of the island - the White Mountains - and we managed some fantastic atmospheric deserted ruins, carpeted with wild flowers, which are at least as good as Skara Brae & made us not at all mind giving the heaving Knossos hordes a miss.

The other wonderful thing about Crete is that there isn't just the beaten track Minoan archaeology - everywhere you go there are remnants and echoes and feelings of revenants - Venetian and Roman and right back to prehistory ... especially deep in the White Mountains, where the back of your neck starts prickling.

Fabulous place.

ooh, yes, Bink, I went on a bit of a hike up a fantastic mini-gorge out of Souiga on the SW coast, to a cove called Lissos which had fantastic remains of a temple etc - and old shepherd's huts madly constructed from bits of column and statue that they had plundered from the ruins.

Ooooh...Sardinia looks nice - I would never have thought of that one.

dd would absoulutely love Skara Brae ...The boy with the bronze axe is one of her favourite books ... but I want to be warm!

...and dry(ish)