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The Comic Odyssey: A Journey Through Greece
Some people have all the luck. Over the past 10 years, Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon have collaborated on four iterations of The Trip, a TV series turned feature-film franchise that has taken the pair to some of Europe’s most enchanting landscapes, including the Italian island of Capri and the Spanish port city of Santander. Directed by Michael Winterbottom, their final jaunt — now available on streaming platforms — is frequently hilarious and often touching, following Coogan and Brydon as they travel around Greece, visiting ancient ruins while swapping banter over decadent meals.
Itinerary Inspired by Homer’s Odyssey
Their itinerary, based loosely on Homer’s Odyssey, begins at Troy, located in present-day Turkey, carries them to historic landmarks in Athens, Delphi, and Stagira, and is sprinkled with leisurely lunches on sun-soaked terraces and refreshing swims in the Aegean. “Of course we do work,” Coogan says. “But it’s wonderful.” Here, the pair reminisce about their final adventure while sharing what they’ve learned from their buddy trips.
Impressions of Greece
Had you been to Greece before? Any surprises on this visit?
RB: I’d been to Athens. In fact, Steve and I filmed in Greece almost 20 years ago on a different project. However, this time, we were there at the beginning of June, a beautiful season, when it’s just so lush and green — that surprised me.
Standout Restaurants
What were the standout restaurants?
RB: A favorite is Pirgos Mavromichali (entrées $16-$35), in the village of Limeni. It’s on the Mani Peninsula, where we had a swimming race, and it’s a lovely setting. Throughout the four films, the restaurant I will always remember is Il Riccio (entrées $37-$57), on Capri. Positioned on a cliff overlooking the sea, the food and service there are wonderful.
SC: I’ve since returned to Il Riccio. In England, the first restaurant we visited to film was The Inn at Whitewell (entrées $19-$34), in the Forest of Bowland, in the northwest of the country. It also held sentimental value for me since I’d visited it in my younger years, so I will likely return there time and again.
Memorable Hotels
How were the hotels? Any places stick in your mind from previous films?
RB: In Athens, we stayed at the Hotel Grande Bretagne (doubles from $447). It featured a roof terrace with white tablecloths and stunning views of the Acropolis, which I absolutely loved.
SC: I, on the other hand, disliked it. I get uncomfortable with tablecloths; the more rustic the table, the better.
RB: Well, there we are. I enjoyed having my morning croissant while gazing at the Acropolis. Moreover, in Greece, in the port city of Kavála, we arrived late at night via ferry and stayed at the Imaret (doubles from $382), a charming hotel with an intricate layout, rich in stone architecture, and uniquely styled guest rooms. It had a very higgledy-piggledy feel.
SC: On our trip to Spain, in the northern city of Sigüenza, we stayed at the Parador de Sigüenza (doubles from $109), a site that was bombed during the Spanish Civil War.
RB: It’s the very site where the Marlon Brando movie “Christopher Columbus: The Discovery” was filmed, and we actually shot in the same room he had filmed in.
A version of this story first appeared in the June 2020 issue of GoTravelDaily under the headline A Comic Odyssey.
