Description - What to expect

Ancient Greece Tour Itinerary

◾ Day 1: Thermopylae, Delphi, Olympia
You are picked up from your hotel in Athens and heading north to reach, in about two hours drive, the famous Thermopylae straits where Leonidas, the King of Sparta, and 300 fighters have encountered the Persian army and delayed their invasion in Greece.

See the monument of King Leonidas founded in 1955 and created by the sculptor Vasos Falireas. The brass sculpture of the Spartan King with his spear and shield is truly amazing and impressive. Visit the Thermopylae museum dedicated to the 480 BC battle that changed the course of Greek history and western civilization as we know it today. Experience the hot springs of Thermopylae described as a paradise of healing spa.

Continue your Ancient Greece tour with a drive to Delphi town and then to the archeological site. Delphi is famous for the ancient sanctuary that grew rich as the seat of Pythia, the oracle who was consulted about important decisions throughout the ancient classical world. The Greeks considered Delphi the navel of the world as represented by the stone monument known as the Omphalos of Delphi. The functions of the oracle grew over the centuries to include athletic games, cultural events, and most importantly the Pythian games. See the Temple of Apollo, the Ancient Theater, the Stadium, the Athenian Treasury, the Gymnasium, and the Sanctuary of Athena Pronaia.

Continue your Ancient Greece tour by visiting the Delphi Archaeological Museum which houses many important ancient Greek artifacts from the excavations at Delphi, including Frieze of the Treasury of Sifnias, the Naxian Sphinx, the Omphalos signifying the center of the earth, the Kouros of Kleobis, and the statue of Antinoos. Then, visit Arachova, a popular tourist destination, well known for its charming little shops and traditional tavernas and cafes. Lunch at Delphi, overlooking fabulous Itea and Amfissa plains.

Continue driving to Olympia and on your way admire the incredible Rio-Antirio bridge that connects the mainland of Greece with the Peloponnese. Check-in at your hotel in Olympia town.

◾ Day 2: Touring ancient Olympia
Olympia is the ancient site on Greece’s Peloponnese peninsula that hosted the original Olympic Games founded in the 8th century BC. Its extensive ruins include athletic training areas, a stadium, and temples dedicated to the gods Hera and Zeus, built in 590 BC. In modern times the torch of the Olympic flame is lit in its ruins by the god Apollo. See Philippeion the only circular building inside the Altis, one of the finest examples of ancient Greek architecture, it was dedicated to Zeus by Philip II of Macedonia after his victory at Chaironeia in 338 BC. The monument was completed by his son Alexander the Great.

Admire the Hippodrome and later Stadium a wide flat open area where the starting and finishing line was defined by a pole. Horse and chariot races took place here. See the Palaestra, built in the 3rd century BC as part of the gymnasium complex and used to practice boxing, wrestling, and jumping. Visit the workshop of Pheidias where the great sculptor crafted the gigantic chryselephantine statue of Zeus listed as one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world.

Next to your Ancient Greece tour visit the Archeological Museum of Olympia exhibiting incredible artifacts from the actual site, including the Statue of Zeus, a giant seated figure about 13 m tall. You can also visit the Museum of the History of the Olympic Games as well as the museum of Archimedes regarded as one of the leading scientists in classical antiquity. Visitors will have the opportunity to see replicas of his inventions and to interact with them. Enjoy a stroll through the beautiful town of Olympia buying your handmade souvenirs before you sit down to taste a delicious authentic Greek home-cooked lunch. End your Ancient Greece tour for the day with a drive to the City of Nafplio. Check-in at your chosen hotel.

◾ Day 3: Nafplio - Mycenae, and Epidaurus
A seaport town Nafplio is a charming town with a spectacular waterfront, small cobblestone streets, and historic buildings, crowned by the Palamidi fortress and the Bourtzi fortress. The town was the first capital of the modern Hellenic Republic after the 1821 War of Independence against the oppression of the Ottoman Empire.

Visit Palamidi Castle nestled on the crest of a 216 m high hill. This Venetian-built fortress commands an impressive view over the Argolic Gulf. There are 999 steps to the top of the castle! Climb them if you must! Admire the beautiful Freedom Square. Thanking the French for their contribution in the War of Independence against the Ottomans, an obelisk is erected here depicting a French and a Hellenic woman in their struggle for Liberty. Marvel at Bourtzi, the water castle of Bourtzi, a Venetian fortress located in the middle of the harbor. Admire Constitution Square, the most important and historic square in Nafplion. The square is named after the Constitution that Otto, the first king of Greece was obliged to grant after the 3rd of September uprising in 1843.

See some of the impressive buildings scattered around the old town of Nafplion including the first Hellenic Parliament, housed in an imposing mosque built in 1730 with a large hall and characteristic dome, the impressive Anastasios of Nafplia church with its grand dome, and the wall paintings decorating the spiritual interior, and much more. Lunch at one of the many local traditional tavernas and restaurants.

Continue your ancient Greece tour with a drive to Mycenae and Epidaurus two of the most popular archaeological sites in Greece. The Epidaurus amphitheater is famous for its classic Greek construction and astounding acoustics. Enjoy the arts! Be captivated by the theatrical performances of Euripides, Sophocles, Aristophanes, and Aeschylus. Drop a pin or coin on the stage… it will be heard even if you are sitting in the theater's last seats. Visit the Epidaurus Archaeological Museum known for its reconstructions of temples and its columns with inscriptions and the Asclepius, a sanctuary dedicated to the ancient Greek demi-god of medicine Asclepius. A marvelous ancient medical retreat. Enjoy refreshments overlooking the Epidaurus Theatre before continuing to drive to the famous Mycenae.

Rich in gold! King Agamemnon’s mythical kingdom, sung in Homer’s epics. It is the most important and richest center of the Late Bronze Age. See the Lions Gate, the main entrance of the Bronze age citadel of Mycenae erected during the 13th century BC as well as the Grave Circles A and B, Royal cemeteries situated to the south of the Lion Gate and outside the Bronze Age citadel. See the Cyclopean Walls, made of huge limestone boulders, and the Royal Palace consisting of domestic apartments, the Throne Room Suite, the Grand Staircase, a collection of rooms for officers or palace officials, and the Forecourt, the Treasury of Atreus, the Tomb of Clytemnestra and finally the Mycenean Archaeological Museum full of gold grave goods, burial masks, jewelry, weapons, worship idols, and frescoes.

Continue your ancient Greece tour with a drive to Ancient Corinth and Check-in at your chosen hotel. Dinner is served at an authentic Greek taverna on a terrace overlooking the Temple of Apollo

◾ Day 4: Acrocorinth archeological site - Return to Athens
For your last Ancient Greece tour visit Acrocorinth, the acropolis of ancient Corinth, a monolithic rock overseeing the ancient city of Corinth. It is one of the most impressive and dominant acropoleis of the Peloponnese. See Gates, a system of 3 circuit walls reinforced by towers, Peirene Spring, located within the encircling walls, a gift of Asopus to Sisyphus, the Temple of Aphrodite, the Frankish Tower as well as important remains of churches, mosques, houses, fountains, and cisterns. Enjoy breathtaking views of the Corinthian gulf and the SW coast of the Peloponnese before you drive to Ancient Corinth.

Visit Ancient Corinth Archaeological Museum housing a large collection of artifacts from the local site and smaller sites in the neighboring area. See the Temple of Apollo, one of the earliest Doric temples in the Peloponnese and the Greek mainland with monolithic columns, rare in the ancient world, built around 560 BC. Then visit Agora, a rectangular construction 160 m long and 70 m wide, consisting of central shops, small temples, the altar, and the renowned podium or Bema from where Apostle Paul addressed the Corinthians in 52 AD.

See St. Paul’s church and admire a magnificent mosaic mural depicting Saul’s vision from Christ as he was traveling to Damascus to persecute the Christians. Stroll amongst the village shops where you can treat yourself and buy handmade souvenirs for your family and friends. Stop at the Isthmus Canal, one of the most important construction projects and 19th-century engineering masterpieces, playing a catalytic role in the Mediterranean trade. Drive to Kechries Port tracing the footsteps of St Paul.

Lunch by the Saronic sea at the village of the Baths of Helen of Troy. End your ancient Greece tour with a drive back to Athens and a drop-off at your hotel.