5 Day Special Tour Peloponnese, Sparta, Mystras, Diros Caves, Argolis, Delphi

Departure from Athens (pick you up from your Hotel at about 08.30 a.m.) and driving along the mainland coast to Peloponnese, we will have our first stop, 1 hour later, at the Canal of Corinth (6 km length and 80m height). Soon we reach at the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus, one of the best Ancient Theatres worldwide with amazing acoustic. We will stop for lunch or a coffee break, at one of the most romantic towns of Greece, the seaside town of Nafplio, first capital city of Modern Greece. Then, we will continue to the archaeological site of Mycenae, an ancient town with great power during the ancient years, with the famous ‘’Gate of Lions’’ and the ‘’Atreus King Tomb’’. Our first day will be finished at the famous town of Sparta for overnight. 

Start point: Our driver will pick you up from your hotel in Athens, Athina, Attica, Greece . Time: 08:00 – 09:00

During our second day, we will first visit the unique Museum of Olive Oil of Sparta, a great Museum showing the unique history of olive production in Greece. We continue to the nearby glory Byzantine town of Mystras. Let yourself be captivated by this destination’s medieval splendour. Wander around the castle city the Upper and the Lower Town, and sense through the silence the city`s sheer grandeur: the Palace of the Despots (Anaktora), the Houses of Laskaris and Frangopoulos, the beautiful Cathedral of Saint Dimitrios and the impressive Monasteries of Our Lady Pantánassa, and of Οur Lady Perivleptos. Afterwards, we will visit the second famous Tower Town of Peloponnesse, Monemvassia, a mystical stone-built settlement, nestled at the edge of a big rock by the sea that was founded by the Byzantines in the sixth century. Peer into the history of the fortress –the so-called “Gibraltar of the East”–, which was occupied by the Byzantines, the Crusaders, the Venetians, and the Turks in the past. Wander around its narrow cobbled streets, the Upper and the Lower part of the town, and admire the beautifully restored stone buildings. We suggest you to taste culinary delights at a fine restaurant on the roof of a tower house. Late in the afternoon we will return in Sparta for overnight.

After our breakfast, we leave Sparta and after a short stop at the picturesque small coastal town of Gythio, we arrive at Areopolis and Diros, famous for its marvelous subterranean caves, as a part of an underground river. About 5,000 meters have been exposed and accessible by small boats and through narrow passageways, surrounded by formations of stalagmites and stalactites. Caves have served as places of worship in Paleolithic and Neolithic times and their inhabitant believed that the caves were the entrance to the underworld. We can also visit the local museum and then we continue to some of the most beautiful places of Southern Peloponnese, the coastal villages of Stoupa and Kardamili, for swimming or lunch. We pass by the town of Kalamata and we will finally arrive at Ancient Olympia for overnight. 

Start early in the morning, visiting the archaeological site of Ancient Olympia, the place that the first ever Olympic Games took place in 776 B.C. Ancient Olympia lies in the lush valley formed by the Alfios river. There you will visit the temple of Zeus the most celebrated sanctuary of ancient Greece. Dedicated to Zeus, in antiquity the temple was housing one of the 7 wonders of the Ancient world, the gold and ivory statue of Zeus, which Phidias had created.  Visit the temple of Hera, the shrine of Pelops (one of the oldest in the sanctuary), the Council house where the athletes took the Olympic oath, the Treasury houses, the Gymnasium and the Palestra where they used to exercise for a month prior to the Games and finally the Stadium, where the marble starting blocks are still in position! Although secluded near the west coast of the Peloponnese, Olympia became the most important religious and athletic center in Greece. Leaving Ancient Olympia, we suggest that you pay a visit at the wine castle, with a unique landscape with the stunning view, founded in 1861, the oldest winery in Greece. Then we will cross over the amazing bridge of Rio – Antirio, one of the biggest in Europe, in order to reach at Naupactus. We recommend you having a lunch in this beautiful seaside small town, surrounded by the Venetian Castle, next to the Venetian Port. Afterwards, we will reach at Delphi for overnight.

Our driver will pick you up from your hotel at 09.00 in order to have a visit at the area of Delphi. You will visit the Castalia Sping, the Temple of Apollon, famous for its oracle, and Delphi museum, with its spectacular exhibits include the frieze of the Treasury of the Sifnians, the Naxian Sphinx, the Statue of Antinoos the metopes of the Athenian treasury, the famous bronze Charioteer, originally created to commemorate a victory during the 476 B.C. Pythian Games, and many other artifacts. The next visit will be at the wonderful Byzantine Monastery of St. Lukas. The Monastery of Saint Lukas is an 11th century monastery, the epitome of the Byzantine architecture, included in the UNESCO World Heritage list. Afterwards, you will have lunch at a traditional Greek tavern, before returning to Athens, late in the afternoon. .

End point: Our driver will drop you of at your hotel in Athens, Athina, Attica, Greece . Time: 17:00 – 19:00