Crossing the Peloponese in the footsteps of the ancient Greeks

Reception at the airport, private transfer to the hotel.
Depending on the time of day, discovery of the historic centre of Athens, dinner and overnight stay.

Morning drive to Epidaurus, and visit to this jewel of antiquity nestled among pine trees and oleanders. Lunch at an oil mill with tasting or picnic. In the afternoon, discover Nafplio, the ancient capital of Greece, and climb to its fortress to watch the sunset over the Gulf of Argolis. Dinner and overnight stay in Nafplio.

The morning visit to Mycenae, a surprisingly small site for such a long history! Then a road winding between Mount Parnon and the Aegean Sea takes us to Laconia and our final destination of Monemvasia.
Check-in at the hotel facing the fortified peninsula of Monemvasia. Dinner in the old town of Monemvasia

After breakfast, we will set off to explore the medieval, fortified city of Monemvassia, made famous by the Crusades but also as the homeland of the great poet Yannis Ritsos. Then we will take a small road to cross Laconia with a stop by the sea, to reach Mystras. Dinner and overnight stay in the village of Mystras at the foot of the Byzantine city.

Morning visit to the medieval site of Mystras, perched on a hill overlooking the plain of Sparta, it was the ‘miracle of the Morea’, the centre of Byzantine power in southern Greece, as witnessed by the many churches still standing today.
The road to Kardamili will take you around Mount Taygetos to reach Le Magne, an arid, wild region with remarkable stone architecture and fortified tower houses.
Visit to the typical little town of Areopoli and a tavern with friends in Neo Oitylo, on the seafront.
The day ends with a sunset drive to Kardamili.

A pretty road along the coast of the Magne will take us to the heart of Messinia, where we will stop off at the fig village of Maganiako.
Transfer to the remarkably rich site of ancient Messina.
We'll have plenty of time to wander around this 4th-century city, then dine in a taverna overlooking the site. Overnight stay on site or in Kalamata, famous for its tastefull olives.

Today, on the way to Ancient Olympia, depending on the season and the weather, we will either stop off at the Temple of Epicurean Apollo at an altitude of 1,000 metres or visit the spectacular waterfalls of the River Neda. In both cases, a short hike around the site will cut the day short and provide an opportunity for a picnic. We arrive in Olympia in the late afternoon. Dinner and overnight stay.

After visiting the great ancient site of Olympia, we will take the road that winds through the high mountains of Arcadia to Dimitsana, a small hilltop village that was a stronghold of Greek independence from the Ottomans. Dinner and overnight in Dimitsana

We will set off to explore the Loussios Gorges, whose crystal-clear waters have been sacred since Zeus bathed there. The Byzantine monasteries perched on the walls of these gorges since the 12th century still perpetuate this sacred character.
A short hike and swim in the lush green Loussios Gorges will allow us to visit one of these monasteries before ending up at a sanctuary dedicated to Asclepius, on the banks of the river, which are the remains of the city of Gortys.
Return to Dimitsana for dinner and overnight stay.

Transfer to Athens and departure or stopover in Corinth and extension of your stay in Athens or another destination.