Duration: 3 Days, 2 Nights
THE MOST FAMOUS SITES IN THE GREEK HISTORY.
Experience the most famous Tour, through the ancient and modern times, from Athens to Corinth canal, ancient Olympia, Delphi, Meteora, and Thermopylae.
First day Drive on the coastal road to Corinth Canal (short stop).
Depart for Olympia through Central Peloponnese and the Towns of Tripolis 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. 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.
Overnight in ancient Olympia.
2nd day: Depart from Olympia, to Nafpaktos, Arachova, Delphi, Thermopylae, Meteora.
Start in the morning, Athens Taxi tour will drive you through Patra, over the biggest bridge in Europe which connects west Greece & Peloponnese, on to Nafpaktos, Delphi. Arrive in 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. Depart for Kalambaka a town located at the foothill of Meteora.
The drive includes driving through towns of Central Greece (AMPHISSA, LAMIA and TRIKALA) crossing the Thessalian plain, the granary of GREECE, to reach KALAMBAKA late in the afternoon.
Overnight in Kalampaka.
3rd day: Visit the breathtaking METEORA and its monasteries built on the top of high rocks standing between Heaven and Earth.
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 Meteoro.
* The Monastery of Rousanou. It is dedicated to ‘The Transfiguration’ but honored to Saint Barbara.
* The Monastery of St. Nicholas Anapausas. It is the first to meet on our way from Kastraki to Meteora.
* The Monastery of St. Stephen. It is one of the most attainable as we don’t have to cope with innumerable stairs to reach it.
* The Monastery of Holy Trinity is very difficult to reach. The visitor has to cross the valley and continue high up through the rock before we arrive outside the entrance.
After our visit to Meteora we will drive back to Athens stopping and visiting Thermopylae.
Thermopylae (hot gates) 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 we will drive back to Athens.
We’ll arrive in Athens ending our private tour in the afternoon.
