A great journey to Arcadia starts by Hiking in Lousios Gorge

Lousios Gorge is a deep canyon in central Peloponnese situated in an impressive mountain area, with small picturesque villages and ‘cliff-hanging’ monasteries.

This is a bit off the beaten track. For those that like to go hiking this is a great area to visit. A five (5) kilometer gorge with several hiking trails, and a very good bridge crossing Lousios river. You can walk from one village to another following a dirt road through the mountains in beautiful scenery that even has some small waterfalls. The Lousios river is where Zeus used to bath himself, In the spectacular densely vegetated gorge and in the river’s crystal clear waters.

The Lousios (Greek: Λούσιος) is a river and a gorge in western Arcadia that stretches from Karytaina north to Dimitsana in Greece. The river begins near Lykochori and flows through the Lousios Gorge. The river is treacherous and flows rapidly. It empties into the Alfeios 2.5 km northwest of Karytaina and south of Atsicholos. The river forms a deep, narrow gorge. Its length is approximately 15 km from north to south and its width is approximately 2 km wide. The gorge is very popular amongst hikers. At the northern end of the gorge lies the town of Dimitsana. At the southern end of the gorge is the ancient city of Gortys with the temple of Asclepius. Much of the gorge is heavily forested, and there are steep cliffs.  Definitely, a journey to Arcadia will give you unforgettable memories!

An Unesco protected heritage located only two hours and a half away from Athens offers a view into the myths of the country. The tour in Delphi will provide you with a full experience of what was the oracle of Delphi and the Pythia.

We will learn about ancient Greek myths, like Apollo’s killing of the serpent Python and subsequent exile.  The visitors will have the chance to visit the temple of Apollo, the treasury of the Siphnians and the Athenians, the theater and the stadium where the Pythian games were held.  Subsequently, we will visit the museum where we will admire some of the most remarkable artifacts that were discovered in the area like the famous charioteer and the statue of Antinoos and will discuss in depth about the role of the sanctuary.  Finally, we will visit Itea to enjoy the ancient port of Delphi , the ancient Kirra and to discover the magic landscape of the plain of Krissa.

Tour  Description:

After meeting your tour leader, you will begin your tour in Delphi. Along the way, you will see the plain of Beotia, an agricultural center surrounded by cotton plantations and you will also pass through the city of Theva, the birthplace of King Oedipus. You will continue towards Mt. Parnassos, making a brief rest stop outside the town of Livadia.

You will then drive on to Delphi, which dates to the ninth century B.C. and whose allure includes an amazing hillside setting and ruins that will intrigue even the most skeptical among you. Delphi was the site of the Delphic oracle, the Greek world’s most important oracle. The area was also a major site for the worship of the god Apollo after he slew the Python, a deity who protected the navel of the Earth (center of the world) in this location. You will see the Roman Agora, walk along the Sacred Way, and view the monument of the Argive Kings. the treasury of the Athenians, the Athenian Stoa, the Polygonal Wall, the monument of Platea and the Temple of Apollo where the oracle resided. Above the Temple, you can visit the well preserved 3rd-century Theater. On the lower slope of the mountain is the Tholos, a building whose exact purpose is unknown but architecturally speaking is considered one of the masterpieces of the ancient world. You will also see the Palestra where the athletes trained in preparation for the Pythian Games.

After your visit to the archeological site, you will visit the adjacent Delphi Archaeological museum which houses the ancient artifacts that were found at the site. As its centerpiece, are the antiquities found in the complex of Oracle which dates from the 18th century B.C. when the oracle was founded to its decline around 300 A.D. Exhibits include the frieze of the Treasury of the Sifnians, the Naxian Sphinx, the metopes of the Athenian treasury, the famous Charioteer, originally created to commemorate a victory during the 476 B.C. Pythian Games, and many other artifacts.
After your visit to the museum, rejoin your transportation and begin the drive back to Athens. Along the way, a stop will be made for a traditional Greek lunch. After lunch, you will start your drive back to Athens.

Activity Level: Difficult
Tour type: Historical, itinerayScenic
Duration: 10hours
Price: Depending on number of people

*Note: The itinerary may vary according to local conditions.

**Special Notes: All rates stated are in Euro funds. Our quotes include all taxes, vehicle and English speaking driver, highway tolls, car fuel, and parking and exclude lunch, entrance tickets and guides in sites unless stated otherwise on this page. Payments are to be made in cash (Dollars or Euros) at the end of the services or prepayment by PayPal (4% extra) and credit card (3% extra).

***Important Note: The driver will wait maximum 30 minutes after the indicated pick up time for your group, please be on time otherwise you will be charged for «Non-Show» fee and miss the tour.

Extended Delphi tours: There are so many things to do in the surrounding area: there is the Monastery of Osios Loukas, famous for its mosaics; the charming village of Arachova; and the imposing mountain of Parnassus. Your driver will learn your interests when he meets you, and tailor the experience based on what he believes you would like best.

Suggestions:

a) Delphi and Surrounding villages (Thebes, Livadia, and Arachova) Duration: 12hours

b) Delphi and Osios Loukas monastery. Duration: 11Hours

c) Delphi and Thermopylae Duration: 12hours

Restrictions :

Please note that on this tour, your driver is not licensed to accompany you inside the sites. If you want a licensed guide to tour the sites with you, you can hire one at extra cost.

Special Instructions:

The hillside site of Delphi requires almost continuous uphill walking over dirt and some paved surfaces to visit. Guests must be in good health and sensible walking shoes are a must. At the museum, there are steps to enter the building.

Dress: Comfortable clothing and sensible, flat-soled walking shoes are recommended. Sunglasses and sunscreen are suggested.
Tips:
Suggested starting time for this tour between 7:30am-8:30am

Our tour will start with a visit to the famous sanctuary of Demeter and Persephone of these two major goddesses of agriculture. The myth describes that Persephone one day went to collect flowers and the earth suddenly opened and Hades the god of the underworld abducted her.

Dimitra her mother totally heartbroken wandered around endlessly arriving at Eleusi where she sat at a stone, on the so-called mourning rock (agelastos petra).  Feeling betrayed  by the Gods when she discovered that it was Hades that had taken her daughter she abstained  from her agricultural duties and the earth seized to be fertile and famine spread around the world.

Finally Persephone was released with the intervention of Zeus and Dimitra allowed the earth, the flowers and the plants to bloom again. Visiting the land of Eleusi we will have the chance to follow the steps of the myth of the Hades and the Persephone. We will see the ritual chamber where the Mysteries of Eleusi were held, the cave of Hades that was the gate to the Underworld  and we will visit the archaeological museum . The site of Eleusi is a  really magnificent and enigmatic place and creates an interesting contrast with the industrial port that lies just in front of the museum.

Corinth
The second stop of our tour will be the city of Corinth. Corinth was one of the most important cities in antiquity especially from the 7th century onwards and throughout the roman times. A really remarkable city located between two harbors and under the shadow of the imposing fortress of Akrokorinthos.   A marvelous city full of secrets  where one can admire the most ancient temple of Apollo , the Fountain of Kastalia and a typical roman city with beautiful streets, baths and public buildings. Finally in Corinth the visitors can take a dive into the first Christian years by visiting the Vema of St Paul from where he preached for the first time the arrival of Christianity to the World. The visit will end with a glimpse into the Archaeological museum recently refurbished where the visitor can admire artifacts from the 1O th c. bc, and most important two newly exhibited statues, the two Kouroi from the area Klenia that were victims of antiquity smugglers but were found and were confiscated in 2010 and only recently restored and exhibited in the museum in a sumptuous space.

– ‘Rhodian lady, how did you enter? An ancient custom does not admit women.’
– ‘I have a nephew, Eucles, a father, a son, three brothers: all champions

Part of the remarkable poem of Pindar written for Kalipateira, the mother of many champions, winners of the Olympic games , Games that were held in Olympia in the sanctuary of Ancient Elis in the northwestern part of the Peloponese.  The trip to Olympia is ad hoc an unforgettable experience.  On the feet of the mountain Kronios, just  in the middle  of olive trees and Judas trees lies the sanctuary of Altis , the most popular sanctuary dedicated to Zeus , where the Olympic games were born in the 8th century BC: a location of major attraction in antiquity that continues to attire thousands of travellers because of its unprecedented beauty and its historical importance.

Going back to the time and making a mental jump to antiquity we will enliven all the important buildings of the site, the magnificent temple of the Zeus with the colossal statue of Fidias, the most ancient temple of Hera, the Filipeion, the different athletic premises,like the palestra ,the gymnasium and the stadium and we will have the chance to talk in depth for the institution of the Olympic games from the antiquity to our age. The experience will be completed with a visit to the archaeological museum where the visitors will study the findings of the excavations in the territory and to contemplate on the  highlights: the sculptural decoration of the temple of Zeus, the Nike of Paioniou and the Hermes of Praxiteles.  The day trip in Olympia will be completed with a quick visit to the museum of the Olympic Games where the visitor will complete his knowledge on the various sports and athletic contests and on the procedures that the ancients were following during the Olympic games. Late afternoon return to  Athens via the majestic mountains of Arcadia, the paradisiac residence of the Pan and the nymphs.

A medieval stronghold with a holiday air,Nafplion is really two places in one-a modern seaside resort.and the old town which once served as aFrankish-Venetianbulwark with its fortress dominating the area from the summit of palamidi.Bourdzi,the venetian castle,is on a  smaller islet,in the middle of the Bay.

Half Day Tour of Ancient CorinthDrive westwards along the scenic coast, until we reach the Corinth Canal with its breathtaking views (short stop). Thereafter we reach the Ancient Town of Corinth (visit) where St Paul lived and preached for two years. Back in the ancients times Corinth was amongst the richest cities and this is quite evident by its remains, including the huge agora (market place) and Apollo’s Temple (6th c.B.C) brief stop at the site of the ancient port Kenchreai where St Paul disembarked. Return to Athens

Ancient Corinth is open: In winter :8am-3pm In Summer: 8am-5pm Ancient Corinth entrance ticket: 7euros*

Closed on Holidays: Jan 1st, March 25th, May 1st,Oct 28th, Christmas and Boxing Day. Good Friday: open from 12noon to 3pm. Holy Saturday: 08.30-3pm Easter Sunday: closed Easter Monday: 08.30-3pm

*Students of non European Union countries holders of an international student card are entitled to 50% discount on the entrance fee. Young people up the age of 18 are entitled to free admission. European Union students are entitled to free entrance while European Union senior citizens over 65 have 50% discount on entry to all Greek museums and archaeological sites.

Free admission days : 6 March, 5 June , 18 April, 18 May , The last weekend of September annually , Sundays in the period between 1 November and 31 March, The first Sunday of every month, except for July, August and September 27 September, International Tourism Day

Corinth (/ˈkɔrɪnθ/; Greek: Κόρινθος Kórinthos), was a city-state (polis) on the Isthmus of Corinth, the narrow stretch of land that joins the Peloponnesus to the mainland of Greece, roughly halfway between Athens and Sparta. The modern town of Corinth is located approximately 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) northeast of the ancient ruins. Since 1896, systematic archaeological investigations of the Corinth Excavations by the American School of Classical Studies at Athens have revealed large parts of the ancient city, and recent excavations conducted by the Greek Ministry of Culture have brought important new facets of antiquity to light. For Christians, Corinth is known from the two books First Corinthians and Second Corinthians in the New Testament. The 2nd book of Pausanias’ Description of Greece is devoted to Corinth. Ancient Corinth was one of the largest and most important cities of Greece, with a population of 90,000 in 400 BC. After the Romans built a new city in its place and made it the provincial capital of Greece in 44 BC, the city’s population was between 50,000 to 700,000 according to different sources.

Argolis is a peninsula in the Peloponnese where myth, legend and ancient historic sites weave a bewitching tapestry and claim to receive over 3000 hours of sunshine per year. Meet kings and heroes from Homer’s epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey: Agamemnon, Menelaus and others.

Includes a visit to the following sites:

• Corinth Canal
• Ancient Corinth (Temple of Apollo and Roman Agora)
• Epidaurus Theater (the best and most preserved ancient theatre in Greece)
• Mycenae (Lions Gate and Treasury of Atreus)
• Nafplion (short stop)

Description:

After meeting your driver you will depart Athens and drive along the coast. You will access the  peninsula by crossing the awe-inspiring Corinth Canal. You will realize the enormity of the achievement as you will have the opportunity to photograph it en route. After the Corinth Canal,you will continue to Ancient Corinth.

Ancient Corinth lies at the foot of the Acrocorinth citadel and dates back to 5000 B.C. Owing to its strategic geographical position, Corinth was a strong  trading link between the East and West. Excavations at Ancient Corinth have revealed ample remains of the Classical Greek period and also that of the Romans. Visit the Temple of Apollo (dating back to the 6th century B.C.), the fountain of Pinene, the market place, theater and Odeon, and several Roman buildings. A museum on the site is also of immense interest.

Now you are on to Mycenae (a UNESCO World Heritage site),the fortified royal residence of King Agamemnon, leader of the Trojian War. The mighty citadel is surrounded by huge Cyclopean walls. Entrance to its Acropolis is through the famous Lions Gate, which symbolize the power of the kings of Mycenae, «a city rich in gold» according to Homer. Beyond the Lions Gate is the stairway leading to the Palace complex, the grave circle with six  royal tombs, the courtier’s houses, sanctuaries, and other important buildings. Outside the walls are the beehive tombs, the largest of which is the so-called «Treasury of Athens,» ruins of private houses and a grave circle with 14 royal tombs and 12 tombs of private citizens.

After lunch ,your next (short) stop is  Nafplion, the first capital of Greece after the 1821 Greek revolution. Afterwards, you will continue on to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Epidaurus. In antiquity, Epidaurus was the center of the Greek medical world and birthplace of Asklepios, patron god of medicine. Psychotherapy, hydrotherapy and brain surgery were some of the treatments performed here. You will see the principal monuments, particularly the temple of Asklepios, the Tholos and the 4th century theater which is considered one of the purest masterpieces of Greek architecture. Its acoustics are still almost perfect today. After your visit, you will begin your drive back to Athens.

Activity level:Moderate/Difficult

Tour Type: Historical, Scenic

Duration:10.5Hours

Price: Depending on number of people

*Note: The itinerary may vary according to local conditions.

*Note: The itinerary may vary according to local conditions.

**Special Notes: All rates stated are in Euro funds. Our quotes include all taxes, vehicle and English speaking driver, highway tolls, car fuel, and parking and exclude lunch, entrance tickets and guides in sites unless stated otherwise on this page. Payments are to be made in cash (Dollars or Euros) at the end of the services or prepayment by paypal (4% extra) and credit card (3% extra).

**Special Notes: All rates stated are in Euro funds. Our quotes include all taxes, vehicle and English speaking driver, highway tolls, car fuel, and parking and exclude lunch, entrance tickets and guides in sites unless stated otherwise on this page. Payments are to be made in cash (Dollars or Euros) at the end of the services or prepayment by paypal (4% extra) and credit card (3% extra).

***Important Note: The driver will wait maximum 30 minutes after the indicated pick up time for your  group, please be on time otherwise you will be charged for «Non Show» fee and miss the tour.

Restrictions: Please note that on this tour, your driver is not licensed to accompany you inside any site or museum.If you want a licensed guide to tour the sites with you, you can hire one at extra cost.

Tips: Suggested starting time for this tour between 7:30am-8:30am.