Duration: 4 Days, 3 Nights
Start your tour driving from Athens,to Corinth canal, ancient Corinth, Micenae, Olympia, Patras, Nafpaktos, Delphi, Kalampaka, Meteora, Thermopylae, Athens.
1st Day:
One the most preferred tours, visiting some of the most important sites of the Grecian history, the Corinth canal, Ancient Corinth, the temple of Apollo, Mycenae, with it’s famous cyclopean walls, and the tomb of Agamemnon, Nauplio.
Enjoy a beautiful drive along the coastal road of the Saronic Gulf, our first stop (visit) the Corinth Canal. Our tour continues and shortly we will reach the ancient city of Corinth (visit) where St. Paul lived and preached for 18 months. Back in the ancient times Corinth was amongst the wealthiest cities. The ruins of this once splendid city lie high up on a hill above the modern town, overlooking both the Corinth and the Saronicos Gulfs. In fact, ancient Corinth owed it’s wealth and it’s power to the advantageous position being between two harbors, (Lechaion in the Corinthian Gulf and Kechreae on the Saronic Gulf ).
The principal sights include the Temple Apollo (6th C.B.C), The fountain of Pirene, the Market place, Theater, the Odeum. The tour continues as we drive through Nemea (wine country) towards Mycenae. Visit Mycenae with it’s Cyclopean walls, the Lions Gate Agamemnon’s Palace (acropolis) and the tomb of Clytemnestra and also the tomb of Atreus.
Lunch at Mycenae and we depart for Olympia through Central Peloponnese and the towns of Tripoli and Megalopolis. We will arrive with Athens taxi tour in Olympia, the Cradle of the Olympic Games.Visit the Archaeological Site with the Sanctuary of Olympian Zeus, the Ancient Stadium, and the Archaeological Museum.
Overnight in Olympia.
2nd Day
The next morning after breakfast we will visit the site of Olympia and the museum.
Olympia in Peloponnese Greece, was the birthplace of the ancient Olympic Games. The Games where held every four years by the Greeks and the whole known world participated bringing truce (Ekecheiria) until the games ended. Olympia is situated in a valley in Elis, in western Peloponnese (Peloponnesus), were the Alpheas River runs. In 776 BC, Iphitos, king of Elis, Kleosthenes of Pisa and Lykourgos of Sparta reorganized the Olympic Games in honor of Zeus and instituted the sacred ekecheiria, or truce. Soon it’s fame rests upon the Olympic Games, the greatest national festival and a highly prestigious one world-wide.The Olympiads included not only athletic contests,but also reciting of verse, reading debates on philosophical and other topics, and from 67 A.D.poetic,musical and dramatic competitions. The modern Olympic games were revived in 1896 in Athens. Even today the Olympic flame is lit every four years in the ancient sanctuary. Experience the center of attention during the ancient years, and the starting point of the Olympic Flame. Today you can still enjoy a run in the ancient Olympic stadium taking your position at the starting line which is still visible. You can visit in this private tour the Olympia Archaeological Museum and the most important sanctuary of God Zeus is situated here, also the original stadiums of the Olympic Games. The Museum of the Olympic Games.
Lunch at Olympia, and we drive on to Delphi, driving through Patra, over the largest Bridge in Europe, Nafpaktos, Galaxidi, Itea, Delphi.
Over night in Delphi, free afternoon.
3rd Day: visit Delphi.
Delphi, the ancient sanctuary of Apollo. (The grandeur of Delphi has to be seen to be believed). At Delphi you will visit the Archaeological site, with the Temple of Apollo, the Athenian treasury, the Theater, and also the Stadium. And also a visit to the Museum where one can see excellent pieces from the Archaic and Classical periods. Among other archaeological treasures, the unique bronze Charioteer, the pediments from the temple of Apollo, the “naval of the earth” the winged Sphinx.
Lunch in in the modern city of Delphi a picturesque mountain village.
After lunch we continue to drive towards Kalampaka, a very scenic drive driving on mountain roads. Drive through the towns of Central Greece (AMPHISSA, LAMIA and TRIKALA) crossing the Thessalian plain, the granary of GREECE, to reach KALAMBAKA late in the afternoon. Located at the foothill of Meteora in Kastraki or Kalambaka.
4th Day: Meteora, Thermopylae, Athens
Morning we will visit METEORA the most breathtaking rock formation and its monasteries built on the top of high rocks, standing between, earth & Heaven.
The monasteries of Meteora are:
* The Monastery of Great Meteoron. It is the biggest of the Meteorite monasteries.
* The Monastery of Varlaam is the second, after the Great Meteoron, big in size monastery.
* The Monastery of Rousanou. It is dedicated to ‘The Transfiguration’ but honored to Saint Barbara.
* The holly Trinity Monastery ( the most difficult to get to).
* The Monastery of St. Stephen.
* The Monastery of St. Nicholas Anapausas. It is the first to meet on our way.
Lunch at Kalampaka, and we start to drive back to Athens.
On the way back to Athens will we stop and visit Thermopylae, were the famous site of the historic battle between the 300 Spartans led by Leonidas and the Persian army of Xerxes 480B.C. The huge monument to Leonidas and the 300 cypresstrees commemorate the death of the heroic Spartans.
On the monument wall the words “Molon Lave” is written under the statue. The phrase means, “Come and get it”, this is the phrase that Leonidas said to the Persian king Xerxes when he was told to hand over his weapons. The phrase has become a slogan of defiance all over the world. Shortly after the battle the ancient memorial was placed just across the highway from the modern memorial. It is a small carved stone plaque that says, “Stranger, tell the Spartans that we lay here obedient to their laws”. This ancient memorial is on the small hill across the national road from the modern one.
After visiting Thermopylae we will drive back to Athens.
