Athens and Greek Mainland road trip

ITINERARY OVERVIEW

Arrival/Athens

Athens Airport to Hotel

Upon arrival, your driver will be awaiting for you at the airport with a sign with your name on it. You will be transferred to your hotel.

Athens Orientation Tour

A perfect choice for your first day in Athens! Find your bearings, get the feel of a city which has been inhabited for 4000 years and discover its most significant landmarks.
With your friendly and knowledgeable local guide you will embark on an intriguing private sightseeing tour, where you will walk past all the must-sees of the ancient and modern city such as the Acropolis, the Ancient Agora, Plaka, Anafiotika, Syntagma and Monastiraki.

You will admire some of the most significant sites and attractions, learn about our culture and way of life and feel like a local.

Save yourself the stress and worry and let us show you the city’s most important landmarks as well as amazing hidden treasures off the beaten path.

Athens

Panoramic Tour of Athens

Visit the most famous landmarks in Athens, with an expert licensed guide who will take you all around the city on this Panoramic Tour of Athens. Located in the heart of the country’s capital, Athens, the Acropolis is where Democracy was born and where you will begin your tour.

Athens is an ancient city that has evolved into a contemporary metropolitan continuously keeping up with the new trends of the modern world. However, Greece’s capital is immensely proud of its important heritage and has successfully integrated the ancient sections into the new scene. The blend is unique and beautiful. Your tour will begin at the most significant ancient site, the Acropolis for 2 hours, followed by another 2 hours at the renowned New Acropolis Museum and a 2-hour vehicle tour around amazing ancient sites.

Rest of Day at Leisure

Athens’ heyday was around 400 years BC, that’s when most of the classical monuments were built. During the Byzantine and Turkish eras, the city decayed into just an insignificant little village, only to become the capital of newly-liberated Greece in 1833. Ahead of the 2004 Olympics, almost the entire infrastructure was transformed: the Metro, trams, new ring roads and viaducts have eased the pressure of the heavy traffic.

Athens is still a rather messy and chaotic place—it wouldn’t be Athens otherwise—and despite all the improvements, still retains a great deal of its oriental charm. The whole coastal stretch from Piraeus to the old Hellenikon airport has been improved with new plantings, viaducts, and paths for walking. The Plaka district is becoming more and more popular and it is on the way to catching up with Psyrri, Gazi, and Rouf as regards restaurants. Discover the beauties of the Anafiotika district, at the feet of the Acropolis, and visit the ancient village still housed amid the city.

Athens/Meteora

Your road trip begins

Your driver will meet you at the lobby of your Hotel.
Your drive will begin heading towards the North. Before you reach the final destination of the day, Meteora; you will make a short stop at Thermopylae.

Thermopylae, the battlefield of mighty Leonidas

Finally, the time to head back to Athens has come. On your way, you will have a short stop at the site of Thermopylae battlefield where Leonidas and his 300 Spartan warriors fought against the thousands of troops of the Persian army for 5 days.

‘Thermopylae’ literally means ‘Hot Gates’, probably due to the natural narrowing of the coastal road that connected Southern to Northern Greece at the point where the mountain masses that form the Pindos range meet the sea. In Greek mythology, it was a passage to Hades, the land of the dead. Thermopylae is world-famous for the battle that took place there between the Greek forces and the invading Persian forces. In 480 BC, 300 Spartans under King Leonidas, along with 700 Thespians, delayed the vast army of Xerxes in a legendary last stand, following the betrayal by Ephialtes, who showed the Persians how to outflank the Greek forces.

Today, you can see the famous monument depicting Leonidas in full armor opposite the historic hill of Kolonos, and the hot springs of Thermopylae, an important spa resort in Central Greece.

Meteora sunset tour

Meteora Sunset tour begins with a visit to a monastery of Meteora, Agios Stefanos, or Holy Trinity. Then it takes you to the Byzantine church of the Virgin Mary located in the old town of Kalabaka telling the town’s long history of 27 centuries. Visit the thousand years old hermitages of Bandovas, learn the stories and the legends, and enjoy great views from the most panoramic spots of Meteora.

And as the sun begins to descent, getting ready to touch the mountain ridges we’ll bring you to a magical spot to enjoy the most captivating sunset views. Sitting on the edges of cliffs you will feel the evening cool breeze blowing through giant cliffs rising above the valley. Allow your senses to explore moment by moment the dimming of the light as the sun sinks behind the mountains. It will be a perfect way to end a beautiful day at Meteora with an awe-inspiring tour to be remembered forever!

Meteora

Discover Meteora on this Sightseeing Tour

Visit 3 monasteries of Meteora and discover the natural beauty and the cultural heritage of this area. This Meteora Half-day Sightseeing Tour will take you back to the dark ages and the story of the first hermits and monks, who laid the foundations of what later on became the monastic community of Meteora.

Forest Truffle Hunt

This unique truffle hunt experience will take you deep inside the impressive and mesmerizing forests and plains in the wider Pindus region. The woods around here are lovely no matter what season you visit them. So it doesn’t matter if you want to experience the hunt like a long relaxing walk with the possibility of a delicious surprise or like a treasure hunt for one of the best tastes in the world. The truffle is one of the best flavorings used in the kitchen and is preferably consumed fresh. It fully displays its qualities once ripe. Each truffle has its own particular, typical aroma, which is suitable for specific culinary uses. So it is always a bonus to see what kind of truffle the dogs will dig up for you.

Of course, the perfect end to such an experience is tasting your catch through a local recipes dinner with truffles.

Meteora/Delphi

Your road trip continues

Your driver will meet you at the lobby of your Hotel.
Your drive will begin heading towards the South. Before you reach the final destination of the day, Delphi; you will make a short stop at the traditional village of Arachova.

Arachova

You will enjoy some leisure time in the morning to freely explore Arachova, that is a picturesque cosmopolitan mountain village situated at a 970-meter elevation on the southern slope of Mt. Parnassos, Arachova is a favorite with skiing and snowboarding enthusiasts, celebrities, and visitors who come to enjoy the breathtaking mountain landscape. The town, with its cobbled streets and landmark clock tower on a rock, bustles with boutiques and traditional shops selling local produce such as the formaela cheese, woodwork, hand-woven textiles, and local Parnassos wines.

Olive Oil tasting, the Gold of Greece

Your next stop will be at a local olive oil producer. Under the breathtaking views of the Delphic scenery and the Itea Olive grove, the largest continuous olive grove of Greece, you will have a tasting of the local “Amfissa” olives variety as well as the high-quality olive oil produced in the area. This family-run business produces olive oil for many generations by cultivating their centuries-old olive trees with traditional methods.

Delphi

Divine Delphi guided tour

In the early afternoon, you will reach Delphi. Once believed to be the Centre of the world and the site at which Apollo spoke through his oracle, Delphi is one of Greece’s most important archaeological sites. Pilgrims from all over the then-known world would visit the Oracle to receive counsel, in the form of prophecies, for matters ranging from the everyday, mundane issues faced by the peasant to essential issues of state, life, or death. Its prominence and power rose steadily throughout antiquity, so much so that it also became the base of a political and military alliance, apart from a religious sanctuary.

You will enjoy a 2-hour tour of storytelling with your expert private guide, who will explain everything about the oracle’s functions and the role it held during ancient times while browsing the site to admire the Temple of Apollo, the Treasury of the Athenians, and the ancient theatre. You will also visit the Museum, containing some of the most important artifacts found in the area, such as Delphi’s Charioteer’s famous life-sized bronze statue.

Delphi/Olympia

Your road trip continues

Your driver will meet you at the lobby of your Hotel.
Your drive will begin heading towards the South. Before you reach the final destination of the day, Olympia; you will make a short stop at the traditional seaside village of Galaxidi.

Galaxidi

Galaxidi is a quaint fishing village used to be known as ‘the island on the mainland,’ as up to 1963 when the Nafpaktos-Itea road was completed, it could only be reached by boat. With its 2 harbors, mountain backdrop, bougainvillea-lined alleys and seaside promenade, Galaxidi will enchant you with its charm.

Rio-Antirrio Bridge

You will then leave mainland Greece and head to the Peloponnese peninsula. During your drive, you will have the opportunity to cross the Rio-Antirrio Bridge, an impressive construction that is the longest multi-span cable-stayed fully suspended bridge in the world.

A sweet stop!

You will end your day with a sweet and delicious visit to a local honey farm to learn all about the production of honey and taste some delicious local sweets.

Olympia/Nafplio

Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympic Games & Guided Tour

In the afternoon you will reach the site of Ancient Olympia. Olympia is the most celebrated sanctuary of ancient Greece and the birthplace of the most significant athletic event of all times-the Olympic Games.

The Olympic Games took place here for at least 1000 years, held every four years until their abolition by Emperor Theodosius I in AD 393. Today, the Olympic flame continues to be lit here for the modern Games. You can walk through the impressive ruins of the area where athletes trained and run in the ancient stadium and visit the museum and get the chance to see some unbelievable sculptures such as the sculpted decoration of the temple of Zeus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the famous Hermes of Praxiteles and the statue of Nike of Paionios.

With your expert guide, you will walk through and learn everything about the impressive ruins and you will marvel at the numerous attractions of the site such as the massive temple of Zeus, the Museum, and the ancient stadium where athletes used to train and run 3000 years ago.

Your road trip continues

Your drive will begin heading towards the East. Your final destination of the day is Nafplio.

Charming Nafplio

You will then reach the romantic and charming town of Nafplion the first capital of the newly born Greek state between 1823 and 1834. It boasts stunning Venetian architecture and Ottoman structures making it the ideal location to learn about Greek history while walking in the narrow streets of the old town. The town also prides itself on its three fortresses. The spectacular Palamidi castle, perched above Nafplio. Climb the steps and you will be rewarded with remarkable views over the whole area. The Acronauplia fortress majestically stands behind the Old Town dates back to the Bronze Age. Finally, the Bourtzi fortress is located on a tiny island off the harbor built by Venetians.

Nafplio/Spetses

World Heritage Site of Mycenae

Your expert private licensed guide will walk you through this UNESCO World Heritage Site and will explain to you how this city flourished between the 14th and 13th century BCE. Apart from admiring the architecture of the structure of the palace, you will also learn about the numerous legends that encircle this enchanted area. It is where the Greek hero Agamemnon is believed to have been not only king of Mycenae but of all the Archaean Greeks and leader of their expedition to Troy to recapture Helen. End your Mycenaean tour at the archaeological museum that is within the archaeological site of Mycenae and be amazed by many ceramic vases, jewelry, wall paintings, tools, and weapons in exhibition rooms.

The spectacular Epidaurus visit & guided tour

In the afternoon you will visit the spectacular archeological site of Epidaurus. Its ancient town stands on Argolian land, overlooking the Saronic Gulf. Here, you will have the chance to admire the world-famous ancient theater, still in use today, as well as the sanctuary of Asclepius and the Ancient Stadium of Epidaurus.

Asclepius was the ancient god of medicine, and the sanctuary dedicated to him also functioned as a healing place for the ailing. It is considered to be the birthplace of modern medicine because the healing methods applied here were markedly distanced from the archaic practices that pertained to superstition and attributed ailments and cures to the divine. It soon grew in size, developing into a vast medical complex whose influence was extended throughout the ancient world; It is calculated that more than 200 healing centers operated under Asklepieion’s authorization throughout the Eastern Mediterranean area.

The ancient theater of Epidaurus is probably the most beautiful and best-preserved of its kind. The theater was built in the 4th century BC by Polykleitos and is famous for its stunning acoustic as the rows of limestone seats form an efficient sound filter that hushes low-frequency background noises.

Spetses

Spetses Day at Leisure

Spetses island is not only super classy – hosting jet celebrities from all over the world that comes to taste its specialties – but also rarely beautiful, making all sorts of travelers longing to experience its unspeakable nature and culture!

Being one of the Saronic Gulf gems, amazingly green with unique beaches, as well as with remarkable architecture and high-quality services for its visitors, this island is car-free, like Hydra, and captivating by all means!

Whether you choose to visit Bouboulinas Museum or have a carriage ride along the sea, enjoy some relaxing spa or walk along the old harbor and taste the extremely delicious local cuisine, Spetses will leave you dazed in every option.

Spetses/Athens/Departure

Departure Day

Today, you will have to say goodbye to beautiful Greece. Your host will help you to get to Spetses port and take the hydrofoil towards Piraeus Port.  Your driver will pick you up at Piraeus Port and transfer you to Athens International Airport where you will check in to your international flight and depart Greece.