By the end of your tour you will have experienced everything that is representative of the Greek culture that is, Greek food, archaeological and religious sites, Byzantine art, sea and mountain scenery, local village people, olive groves, Greek hospitality. We have carefully selected for you special family guesthouses where the owners will welcome you and prepare homemade delicacies for you. We follow an interchanging route of mountain and sea scenery of fertile valleys, densely vegetated mountains to rugged barren stone landscapes.
Tour Itinerary:
Day 1: Arrival in Athens. Arrival in Athens Arrive in Athens International Airport, where your English speaking guide will be waiting for you. There is one major transfer from the airport “Eleftherios Venizelos” to the hotel, which is conveniently located in the heart of Athens. Settle to the hotel. In the evening meet with your guide for a short walking tour of Athens and enjoy dinner in a traditional Greek tavern in the old part of Athens, in Plaka.
Day 2: From Athens travel to Olympia. After breakfast, half day sightseeing tour of Athens. Visit Acropolis, the Parthenon and Panathinaikon Stadium, the stadium where the first Olympic games were held in 1896. Early in the afternoon, we depart to Olympia (4.5 hours). On our way, we will stop to admire the famous Corinth Canal; a wonder of the world cuts the mainland Greece off from the Peloponnese Peninsula and is one of the 3 waterways on earth only. The Canal cuts the Isthmus of Corinth in a straight line 6.346 m long. Canal width is 24.6 m at sea level and 21.3 m at bottom level.
Continue to Olympia settle to our hotel and enjoy dinner. Overnight in Olympia.
Day 3: Archaeological site of Olympia and travel to Dimitsana. In the morning, we will meet our professional guide who will walk with us back in time in the archaeological site of Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympic games. Apart from the archaeological site of Ancient Olympia, we will visit the recently renovated archaeological museum, the Museum of the Olympic games and the monument of Pierre de Cubertin.
After lunch we will drive towards the centre of the Peloponnese, in the region of Orini Arcadia. On our way we will make a small deviation to visit the ancient sanctuary of Epikourius Apollo in Vasses (a temple constructed by Iktinus - the architect of the Parthenon himself). Settle to the picturesque stone village of Dimitsana and in our cosy stone guesthouse. Overnight in Dimitsana.
Day 4: Hike in Loussios Gorge and travel to Kardamlyli. An easy downhill hike offering a beautiful combination of history with nature. We will walk amongst trails of dense vegetation going parallel and criss crossing the Lousios River. We visit monasteries that appear to be literally hanging from the cliffs and end the trek at the archaeological site of Ancient Gortys. This is one of the most stirring of all Greek sites as it is based along the rushing river known in ancient times as the Gortynios. After this hike we will drive to the seaside village of Kardamyli in the Messinian Mani. Overnight Kardamyli.
Day 5: Discover the foothills of Mt.Taygetus. Kardamyli is a picturesque village by the sea under the western majestic slopes of Mt.Taygetus, a mountain with very interesting hiking trails amongst olive groves, Byzantine churches and stone castles houses dating back in time. In the evening we will have time to stroll in the beautiful village and relax in the cafes overlooking the sea. Overnight in Kardamyli.
Day 6: Travel into the deep Mani – olive oil tasting - Cape Tainaro. Today we will enjoy a scenic drive along the Mani peninsula in a route with wonderful views of the sea. We will pass via beautiful villages rich in history, with beautiful Byzantine churches and amazing landscapes of olive groves. We will stop to an olive press, where we learn about the process of olive oil making and do some olive oil tasting.
We continue our drive to deep Mani to the fish village of Gerolimenas. In the afternoon we will walk to Cape Tainaro the southernmost area of the continental Europe and admire the sea from the lighthouse. After our trek we return via the settlement of Vathia to our hotel for our overnight.
Day 7: Cape Maizapos – Gythio - Arna. Another beautiful trek in Cape Tigani (saucepan due to the shape of the area) with ruins of the castle that was built by Frankish Guillame de Villeardhuin. Continue to the fish harbour of Gythio and settle to Arna village in the southern foothills of Mt.Taugetus.
Day 8: Visit Mystra and the Olive Oil Museum. After our homemade breakfast we will depart to Mystra Byzantine citadel. We will have a lot of time to walk amongst the ruins of the castle that was built initially by the Frankish and prospered during the Byzantine era.
Amongst the citadel we can visit many byzantine churches with well-preserved fresco’s, a monastery where a few nuns still live there, the museum of Mystra, the despots palace and the Frankish castle on the top offering stunning views of the valley of Sparta and Mt.Taygetus. After lunch we will visit the Olive oil museum and depart for our trip back to Athens.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Prices:
- €1500 for 13-16 persons;
- €1650 for 10-12 persons;
- €1800 for 7-9 persons;
- €1950 for 4-6 persons.
Also see tour packages in:
Europe
Greece
Cultural Journey
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