Day 1: Athens, Corinth Canal, Ancient Corinth, Sparta
Your private tour starts after picking you up from our meeting place and our first stop is the Acropolis site, a complex of buildings that includes the Parthenon (main temple), Erectheion (the temple with the 6 female figurers, Caryatides), Temple of Athena Nike (Wingless Godess), Propylaia (the monumental Gate), Odeon of Herodus Atticus, Dionysus theater and finally the Mars Hill or Areios Pagos (the first ancient court and the place that St. Paul preached the Christianity for the first time in Athens).
Our next stop will be the temple of the Olympian Zeus (the largest temple in Hellenic and Roman times), the Panathenian Stadium (the stadium of the first Olympic Games on 1896), the memorial of the Unknown Soldier and the changing of the Guards (Euzones) in front of the Greek Parliament, opposite the Syntagma or Constitutional square.
Let’s continue and see the Trilogy of Athens (the Academy, the First University of Athens and the National Greek Library) and finally the Lycabettus Hill (the highest point of Athens) and don’t forget to take some pictures and a memory in your mind and heart of the entire city. When you feel hungry, get ready to taste the famous Greek cuisine and have a memorable lunch. The tour will guide you to a traditional Athens restaurant or tavern. It’s up to you to choose from a variety of flavors of the most known Greek dishes.
After your lunch, it’s time to drive to the peninsula of Athens, Peloponnese and visit the Corinth Canal that connects the Ionian with the Aegean Sea and Ancient Corinth (the city of Apollo and Aphrodite, plus one of the most important visits of St. Paul).Ancient Corinth was an important state city during the ancient years, the richest and most famous port of the ancient Greece. There you can visit both Greek and Roman architectures at the archaeological site and the museum.
Now, it is time to head to Sparta where you will spend the night.
Day 2:Sparta, Mystras, Monemvasia
Sparta is the home town of the brave Spartans. The Spartans invest on their military NOT in their culture, that’s why they became so fearless. They were following the “Agogi” system, training from their 7th year till their 30th age to be SOLDIERS. That was their profession! There are some cultural structures mainly built from the Romans on the 1st century AD, when they captured the city.
You will visit the archaeological site, where is the Acropolis of Sparta ,olive trees and columns that prove the greatness of the city once. Have some great photos in front of King Leonidas Statue, who fought the Persian army in Thermopylae along with his 300 men. Then, you will visit the archaeological and the oil museum.
When you feel hungry, get ready to taste the famous Greek cuisine and have a memorable lunch. The tour will guide you to a traditional tavern at the small village of Mystras. It’s up to you to choose from a variety of flavors of the most known Greek dishes. Mystras was one of the last Byzantine Outposts and the place that Constantinos Palaiologos, last Byzantine emperor lived.
Situated on the mount Taygetos, near to ancient Sparta and served the capital of the Byzantine Despotate of Morea in the 14th and 15th centuries. Very important fortification buildings and churches can be found there from that time.
There, you will visit the palace and the monasteries in Mystras, beginning from the Fortress Gate and ending at the Main Gate. After your lunch, we will drive you to Monemvasia and overnight there. Free leisure time.
Day 3: Monemvasia – Diros Caves – Olympia
Monemvasia is in the southeastern Peloponnese and separated from the mainland by an earthquake in 375 A.D.After that it was called the Gibraltar of Greece. This marvelous city was founded in the 6th century by the Byzantines and used as a very important port.
After breakfast, there’s lots to see such as St. Sofia’s Byzantine Church, Byzantine houses and public buildings and the vast cistern that ensured a water supply under a siege.
Even Turks used Monemvasia as a Turkish Fortress in the Greek War of Independence and it was so well fortified that took 4 months to be taken back by the Greeks after a difficult siege in July of 1821.
We will drive to the east south at Diros Caves, one of the most excellent lake caves in the world. They are located in Mani area, and were explored since 1949 because of their size and structure. About ten thousand square meters was explored until now. Stalactites and stalagmites that form imposing pillars are a unique sight in the chambers of Diros Caves and can be seen by small boats.
When you feel hungry get ready to taste the famous Greek cuisine and have a memorable lunch. The tour will guide you to a traditional tavern .It’s up to you to choose from a variety of flavors of the most known Greek dishes .
By the end of the Monemvasia tour, we drive to Olympia and overnight there. Free leisure time.
Day 4: Olympia, Athens
Ancient Olympia is the birthplace of the ancient Olympic Games in Classical times. There you will visit both the archaeological site and choose between Archaeological Museum of Olympia with a great amound of artifacts and statues in it, and the Museum of the Olympic Games. The Games were held every 4 years from the 8th century BC untill 4th century AD.
You will visit the Temple of Zeus, Pelopion the stadium, the Temple of Hera, the Phillipeion, the Phidias workshop and many other structures that worth your attention. You can feel the aura of the Olympic Games, fighting on the Pallestra or running around the stadium and understand why ancients took so seriously the cultivation of body, mind and soul When you feel hungry get ready to taste the famous Greek cuisine and have a memorable lunch. The tour will guide you to a traditional restaurant or tavern. It’s up to you to choose from a variety of flavors of the most known Greek dishes.
After your lunch at Olympia, we will head back to Athens
Check this out: The tour is private so we can easily customize it by adding days and places according to your interests!
PRICE INCLUDES :
Transportation in private vehicle
English Speaking driver
Pick up & Drop off from hotel or designated meeting points
Accommodation in a 3* hotel (higher hotel rate upon request and extra charge)
Daily Breakfast
All Taxes
PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE:
Entrance fees
Meals
Licensed English speaking Tour Guide
Hotel City Tax (1.5 euro per room, per night in 3* hotels)
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