Greece for Women Tour Guides & Experts
Shelley Warren Hagan
Shelley Warren is the co-founder and a principal of Wisdom Tours. For more than 30 years she has traversed the globe. She was one of the first tourists on the island of Samos, Greece in the 70′s. With her home base in the Bavarian Alps, she made several overland treks to India traveling with the locals through Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. She has hiked the Himalayas in India and Nepal, studied metal casting in a family run foundry in Patan, Nepal. Selecting her favorite destination, a place she calls home, she now personally leads every Wisdom Tours trip to Greece.
Shelley was formally trained as a sculptor at Yale School of Art. She exhibits her work nationally and has taught art to University students for over two decades. On our tours, she combines her passion for travel with her love for the arts. Over the years, she has made many friends in Greece, in Athens and on the islands. From guides, restaurant owners, hoteliers and shop keepers, when you travel with Shelley, you become part of their family!
Catherine Hall
Catherine Hall has co-led our tours to Greece for 8 consecutive years. Born in England, she first came to the US on a fellowship for graduate study. She is an art historian and successful studio artist. Catherine has led art and cultural tours to Mexico, Spain and Greece. She spends part of every year at her family’s cottage in Wales.
Catherine enjoys getting to know our travelers. She enthusiastically shares her knowledge of Greek art, history and mythology. Our travelers love her sense of humor and availability to visit any museum, any time of the day, in small groups or on a solo excursion. During free time, she is often arranging small groups to hike to a mountain village, visit a remote beach or to visit yet another museum!
Nely Sfigopoulou
Nely Sfigopoulou was Wisdom Tours’ first guide in Athens. Greeting us all with radiating warmth and hugs, we knew she was the perfect guide! Now Facebook friends with more than 150 of our travelers, she is one of our most beloved guides. She is young and exuberant with a diverse background. She holds a Nursing degree, is a prolific writer, Athens correspondent for Epoch Times, and plays the harp.
Nely is passionately Greek — check out her popular Wisdom Tours Blogs. She will treat you as a friend, not a client. Our travelers enjoy her warmth and accessibility. In Athens she will take you to all the special meeting places where the Athenians frequent. Stroll with Nely through Thissio at night to experience where the Athenians hang out and street artists sell their wares.
Giota Mantziou
Wait until you meet Giota, you will love her! Her tours of museums and archeological sites are most engaging, with a wealth of information to share. Her unique style of weaving Greek mythology with contemporary Greek life is extraordinary. As she takes you back in time, you will feel as though you are living amongst the ancients in 500 BC!
Part of her formal education took place on the Island of Crete. She has studied at the major historical sites throughout mainland Greece and on many of the islands. Giota is a Licensed Tour Guide through the Ministry of Tourism of Greece. Young, vibrant and savvy, she is trained in alternative forms of tourism, making her tours most dynamic and enjoyable.
