A comprehensive tour with visits to a wealth of ancient sites where history and legend are woven into a wondrous fabric of pleasure and beauty.
Corinth (visit), Mycenae (visit, lunch), Epidaurus (visit),
Patras (dinner, overnight), Olympia (visit, lunch), Patras
(dinner, overnight) , Delphi (lunch, visit, dinner, overnight) Kalabaka, (dinner, overnight, visit, lunch), Athens.
1st day
Drive along the coastal highway, past Daphni and Eleusis to Ancient Corinth and the glorious temple of Apollo, then on to Mycenae, the legendary capital of King Agamemnon, that flourished once in the style and grandness of the late Minoan period. Today’s sightseeing includes also the awe— inspiring theatre at Epidaurus, its perfect preservation only heightened by its harmony with nature and the drama of its acoustics still ringing with the throngs that once lined the many tiers.
2nd day
A full day scenic motor excursion to Olympia the site of the first Olympic games and one of the most important sanctuaries of the ancient world full of temples, altars and sacred precincts. These vast ruins lie today shrouded in the shadow of giant pines and forgotten with the passage of time. Before driving back to Patras visit the remarkable Museum of Olympia housing some unique examples of ancient Greek Sculpture, works of antiquity’s most famous sculptors who brought their art to a perfection never attained before or since.
3rd day
Leave Patras after breakfast and motor to Delphi. Dedicated to the worship of Apollo, Delphi achieved more than passing distinction as one of the most sacred sites of antiquity, its fame and certainly its wealth reaching vast proportions by the unceasing flow of pilgrims, who climbed its giant steeped landscape to hear and interpret the mysterious oracle. A complete and comprehensive tour of this magnificent site perched thousands of feet above the plain.
Visit among others the great temple of Apollo, the most important building in the sanctuary , the impressive Treasury of the Athenias and the unique sanctuary of Athena Pronaia with its elegant Tholos, a masterpiece of ancient Greek architecture.
4th day
Continue the sightseeing to the historic site of Delphi and to the remarkable museum with its magnificent collections and unique masterpieces dating back to the archaic and classical periods. After lunch motor through charming little towns, colorful villages and across the plains of Thessaly to Kalambaka and visit the amazing Meteora a striking complex of aerie—like monasteries and hermitages standing high atop the crags.
5th day
Early after breakfast visit the remarkable Monasteries dating back to the 13th and 14th century, unique in their architecture with magnificent frescoes and impressive wall paintings, and enjoy the panoramic views over the Pinios Valley and the majestic rose—tinted massif of the Pindos range. Return to Athens in the evening.
