Thermopylae - Meteora

Thermopylae - Thermopylae is a historic location in Greece known for its narrow coastal passage in ancient times. The Battle of Thermopylae was a significant conflict between Greek city-states, led by King Leonidas of Sparta, and the Persian Empire under Xerxes.

The Gates of Fire: Named after the hot sulfur springs and, in Greek mythology, the cavernous entrances to Hades.

The monument of King Leonidas: Built in 1955 by sculptor Vasos Falireas, this brass statue of the Spartan King with his spear and shield is truly remarkable.

Thermopylae museum: This innovative museum is dedicated to the 480 BC battle that altered the course of Greek history and Western civilization.

Hotsprings: The baths of Thermopylae are a haven of healing spas. High-end hydrotherapy facilities focus on balneotherapy, not only for treating specific ailments but also for promoting general well-being. Of the 60 pending springs, 34 have been officially recognized so far.

Drive to Meteora

Check in at your chosen hotel in Meteora

Meteora - Visit the “Hanging Monasteries” (1 to 2 monasteries).

The town of Kalambaka.

The village of Kastraki.

Experience the breathtaking Meteora sunset.

Late lunch - early dinner at a traditional taverna.

Stroll among the village shops to buy handmade souvenirs for your family and friends.

Overnight at Kalambaka or Kastraki.

Meteora

Meteora - Breakfast at Meteora

Visit the remaining “Hanging Monasteries”

The monasteries that will be visited are:

St Nicolaos

Rousanou

Varlaam

Metamorphosis Sotiros (Grand Monastery)

St Trinity

St Stefanos

Lunch at a traditional Greek taverna in Kalambaka or Kastraki

Coffees

Drive to Delphi

Check in at Delphi

Option for dinner at Arachova

Overnight at Delphi

Delphi

Delphi - Breakfast at Delphi

Delphi, also known as Pytho, is famous for its ancient sanctuary, which became wealthy as the seat of Pythia, the oracle consulted for important decisions in the ancient classical world. The Greeks considered Delphi the navel or center of the world, represented by the stone monument known as the Omphalos of Delphi.

Visit Delphi archaeological site: A UNESCO World Heritage Center, Delphi is one of Greece’s most important archaeological sites. The oracle’s functions grew over the centuries to include athletic games, cultural events, and most importantly, the Pythian games. The Temple of Apollo, the Ancient Theater, the Stadium, the Athenian Treasury, the Gymnasium, and the Sanctuary of Athena Pronaia are truly captivating.

Visit Delphi Archaeological Museum: This museum houses many important ancient Greek artifacts from the excavations at Delphi.

Frieze of the Treasury of Sifnias

Naxian Sphinx: Dating to 560 BC, this is one of the earliest representations of the demonic creature with a lion’s body, bird’s wings, and a woman’s head in art.

Metopes of the Athenian Treasury: From the early 5th century BCE, these depict scenes such as Theseus and Antiope, Theseus and the Minotaur, Theseus and the Marathonian bull, Heracles and the cattle of Geryon, Heracles battling the three-bodied giant Geryon, Heracles subduing a Centaur, Heracles and Cycnus, Heracles and the Nemean lion, an Amazonomachy scene, and many more.

Omphalos: Signifying the center of the earth and kept in Apollo’s temple.

Kleobis and Biton: Statues of two brothers from Argos, typical of the kouros type, attributed to a Peloponnesian workshop and dating to the end of the 7th century BC.

Statue of Antinoos: This statue portrays the celebrated youth and favorite of Emperor Hadrian as a god. It is considered one of the finest examples of the neoclassical style revived in the 2nd century AD.

The famous Charioteer: Part of a statuary complex of a chariot run by four horses, which included a second male figure.

Delphi Village: A popular tourist destination, the village of Delphi has many hotels, guesthouses, tavernas, and bars.

Enjoy your lunch on the Caldera at Delphi, overlooking the fabulous Itea and Amfissa.

Shopping for your family and friends

Coffees

Drive to Olympia.

Check in at your chosen hotel

Option for dinner at “La Belle Helene” to enjoy home-cooked Greek meals

Overnight at Olympia

Ancient Olympia - Nafplio

Olympia - Breakfast at Olympia

Olympia is an ancient site on Greece’s Peloponnese peninsula that hosted the original Olympic Games, founded in the 8th century BC. Its extensive ruins include athletic training areas, a stadium, and temples dedicated to the gods Hera and Zeus.

Visit the Temple of Zeus: Dedicated to the god Zeus, this Doric temple, built in the second quarter of the 5th century BCE, was the model of the fully developed classical Greek temple of the Doric order.

Temple of Hera: Known as Heraion, this ancient Archaic Greek temple was dedicated to Hera, queen of the Greek gods. The temple was built around 590 BCE. In modern times, the torch of the Olympic flame is lit in its ruins by the god Apollo.

Philippeion: The only circular building inside the Altis, it is one of the finest examples of ancient Greek architecture. It was dedicated to Zeus by Philip II of Macedonia after his victory at Chaironeia in 338 BCE and completed by his son Alexander the Great.

The Hippodrome and later Stadium: The Hippodrome was a wide, flat open area where the starting and finishing lines were defined by a pole. Horse and chariot races took place here.

The Palaestra: Built in the 3rd century BC as part of the gymnasium complex, it was used for practicing boxing, wrestling, and jumping.

The Workshop of Pheidias: This is where the great sculptor crafted the gigantic chryselephantine statue of Zeus, listed as one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world.

The Archaeological Museum of Olympia: This museum exhibits incredible artifacts from the site.

Statue of Zeus: A giant seated figure about 13 meters tall. The huge ivory and gold statue was even larger than that of Athena in the Parthenon.

The Museum of the History of the Olympic Games in Antiquity: Since 2004, this new museum has been in operation. It is based on the collection of Georgios Papastefanou, who believed in spreading the Olympic Idea and Education through a museum.

The museum of Archimedes (Mathematician): Regarded as one of the leading scientists in classical antiquity, this unique museum in the center of ancient Olympia is dedicated to the “Greatest Mind” of all time. Visitors can see replicas of his inventions and interact with them.

Olympia village: Located in the western Peloponnese, in the beautiful valley of the Alpheios river, this village is the most celebrated sanctuary of ancient Greece. You will be amazed by the serene feel of this village.

“La Belle Helene” meeting wonderful Konstantina and enjoying her delicious authentic Greek home-cooked meals

Stroll among the village shops to buy handmade souvenirs for your family and friends.

Drive to Nafplio

Check in at your chosen hotel

Overnight at Nafplio

Nafplio - A seaport town in the Peloponnese. A charming town with a spectacular waterfront, small cobblestone streets, and historic buildings, crowned by the Palamidi fortress and the Bourtzi fortress. The town was the first capital of the modern Hellenic Republic after the 1821 War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire.

Palamidi Castle: Nestled on the crest of a 216-meter-high hill, this Venetian-built fortress offers an impressive view over the Argolic gulf. There are 999 steps to the top of the castle! Climb them if you must!

Freedom Square: Thanking the French for their contribution to our War of Independence against the Ottomans, an obelisk is erected here depicting a French and a Hellenic woman in their struggle for Liberty.

Bourtzi: The water castle of Bourtzi is a Venetian fortress located in the middle of the harbor.

Constitution Square: The most important and historic square in Nafplion. The square is named after the Constitution that Otto, the first king of Greece, was obliged to grant after the 3rd of September uprising in 1843.

First Hellenic Parliament: Strolling down the old world near Syntagma square, you will find an imposing mosque. Built in 1730 with a large hall and characteristic dome, the mosque housed the first Hellenic parliament from 1825 until 1826.

Anastasios of Nafplia church: Located in the old world, you will be impressed by the church’s dome and the wall paintings decorating the spiritual interior. A true Christian Orthodox religious pragmatism.

St. Spyridon church: It was here, outside this church, that one of the darkest events in modern Greek history took place—the assassination of Ioannis Kapodistrias, the first Greek Governor, in 1831!

Lunch at one of the many unique traditional tavernas

Antica Gelateria di Roma for the best gelato and Italian delights

Pergamonto for the best ‘loukoumades’ in Greece (puff balls with honey or chocolate and almond nuts)

Stroll among the town’s shops to buy handmade souvenirs for your family and friends.

Epidaurus - Mycenae

Epidavros - Breakfast at Nafplio

Visit the breathtaking Palamidi fortress…Acronafplia / Arvanitia

Drive to Epidaurus

One of the most popular archaeological sites in Greece! Located on the northeast side of the Peloponnese in the region of Argolis.

The Epidaurus amphitheater: Famous for its classic Greek construction and astounding acoustics. Enjoy the arts! Be captivated by the theatrical performances from Euripides, Sophocles, Aristophanes, and Aeschylus. Drop a pin or coin on the stage… it will be heard even if you are sitting in the last seats of the theater.

The Epidaurus Archaeological Museum: Noted for its reconstructions of temples and its columns with inscriptions.

The Asclepius: The sanctuary dedicated to the ancient Greek demi-god of medicine Asclepius. A marvelous ancient medical retreat.

Drive to Mycenae

Mycenae - Visit Mycenae

Rich in gold! King Agamemnon’s mythical kingdom sung in Homer’s epics. It is the most important and richest center of the late Bronze Age.

The Lions Gate: The main entrance of the Bronze Age citadel of Mycenae, erected during the 13th century BC.

Grave Circles A and B: Royal cemeteries situated to the south of the Lion Gate and outside the Bronze Age citadel.

The Cyclopean Walls: The main characteristic of the Mycenaean walls is that they are made of huge limestone boulders. Only the mythical Cyclopes had the strength to move the enormous boulders that made up the walls of Mycenae and Tiryns.

The Royal Palace: Consisting of domestic apartments, the Throne Room Suite, the Grand Staircase, a collection of rooms for officers or palace officials, and the Forecourt.

The Treasury of Atreus: A large tholos or beehive tomb constructed during the Bronze Age around 1250 BC.

Tomb of Clytemnestra: A Mycenaean tholos-type tomb built in 1250 BC, named after Clytemnestra, the wife of King Agamemnon and leader of the Greeks in the Trojan War.

The Mycenaean Archaeological Museum: The most important Mycenaean artifacts are exhibited here. You will be dazzled by the gold grave goods, burial masks, jewelry, weapons, worship idols, and frescoes.

Drive to Ancient Corinth

Check in at your chosen hotel

Late lunch - early dinner at an authentic Greek taverna on a terrace overlooking the Temple of Apollo

Overnight at Ancient Corinth or Loutraki

Ancient Corinth - Acrocorinth - Isthmus Canal

Akrokorinthos - Visit Acrocorinth, the acropolis of ancient Corinth, a monolithic rock overseeing the ancient city of Corinth. It is one of the most impressive and dominant acropoleis of the Peloponnese.

Gates: A system of 3 circuit walls reinforced by towers.

Keep

Peirene Spring: Located within the encircling walls, a gift of Asopus to Sisyphus.

Temple of Aphrodite: On the highest of the two peaks of the mountain are traces of the temple of Aphrodite on the site.

Frankish Tower: At the southwest edge of the precipitous rock, fortified during Frankish times, forming the inner keep of the fortress. Remains of churches, mosques, houses, fountains, and cisterns are preserved here.

Views of Geraneia Mountain: Enjoy breathtaking views of the Corinthian gulf and the southwest coast of the Peloponnese.

Drive to Ancient Corinth

Corinth - Hadgimoustafa spring: A fountain built during the Ottoman Empire.

Ancient Corinth Archaeological Museum: Housing a large collection of artifacts from the local site and from smaller sites in the neighboring area.

Temple of Apollo: One of the earliest Doric temples in the Peloponnese and the Greek mainland, with monolithic columns, rare in the ancient world, built around 560 BCE.

Agora: A rectangular construction 160 meters long and 70 meters wide, consisting of central shops, small temples, an altar, and the renowned podium or Bema from where Apostle Paul addressed the Corinthians in 52 AD.

Roman buildings.

Bema or Pedestal

Theater and Odeon/Asklepieion

Lechaion road: Facing the Corinthian gulf leading to the port of Lechaion.

St. Paul’s church: Admire a magnificent mosaic mural depicting Saul’s vision from Christ as he was traveling to Damascus to persecute the Christians.

Stroll among the village shops to buy handmade souvenirs for your family and friends.

Drive to Ancient Diolkos, witnessing the ancient passageway from the time of Periander (tyranny)

Drive to Isthmus Canal

Corinth Canal - Visit the Isthmus Canal, one of the most important projects and 19th-century engineering masterpieces, playing a catalytic role in Mediterranean trade.

Drive to Kechries Port, tracing the footsteps of St. Paul

Lunch by the Saronic sea at the village of the Baths of Helen of Troy

Return to Athens

Athens - Return to your chosen Hotel, Airbnb, or apartment in Athens

• Skip-the-line tickets (on-request)
• Transportation by private luxury vehicle
• Fully Private Multi Day Tour
• English speaking and multi-lingual drivers
• Professional Tour Drivers with in-depth knowledge of Greek history
• On-board WiFi
• Bottled water & refreshing wipes
• Hotel/Port pick-up and drop-off service
• Fresh handmade Greek biscuits

• 5 nights accommodation (option for hotel reservation upon request)  
• Entrance fees to the sites
• Food and drinks
• Airport pick-up and drop-off (additional cost)
• Licensed tour guide to accompany guests into the site and museum (additional cost on request)

We kick off our journey at the historical site of Thermopylae! Here we will commemorate King Leonidas of Sparta and his brave 300 warriors by admiring the extraordinary statue built in their honor.

Next, we visit the awe-inspiring Meteora! Renowned as one of the most spectacular places in mainland Greece, the suspended monasteries of Meteora are an unparalleled sight in the country.

Nestled at the base of Mount Parnassos is the All-Greece sanctuary of Delphi, ancient Greece’s most revered oracle. Delphi was deemed to be the world’s “center”.

The ancient Olympia in Greece, where the old Olympic Games took place every four years, is our next stop.

Next, we uncover Mycenae, the empire of Agamemnon. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this place was unearthed by H. Schliemann. According to Homer’s epic poems, the journey to Troy began here.

Nafplio, the first modern capital of Greece awaits us next. This picturesque town, adorned with Venetian architecture, was known as the Greek Naples by the Venetians.

Our next stop is the remarkable theater of Epidaurus. Built in the 4th century BC for religious ceremonies in honor of the god Asclepius. Its symmetry, along with its preserved condition, which allows it to still be functional, makes it unique.

We’ll delve into the fascinating archaeological site of Ancient Corinth, where we’ll discover the courtyard, the temple of Apollo, fountain of Glauke, Sacred Spring, Peirene, Asklepieion, Odeion, Bema, Agora and so much more.

Our journey also takes us to Ancient Diolkos, where you’ll get to uncover the long-established passage from the Corinthian to the Saronic gulf and the subducting bridge.

Finally, prepare to be amazed by the engineering marvel and spectacular views of the Corinthian and Saronic gulfs at the Isthmus/Corinth canal.

• A dress code is required to enter places of worship and selected museums. No shorts or sleeveless tops allowed. Knees and shoulders MUST be covered for both men and women. You may risk refused entry if you fail to comply with these dress requirements
• Animals or pets allowed
• Confirmation will be received at time of booking
• Infant seats are available on request if advised at time of booking

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.