3 Days Private Tour: Kalavrita - Olympia - Mycenae - Epidaurus & Corinth

On the first day we will take a little train from Diakofto to visit mountainous Kalavryta and the birthplace of the Olympic Games.

Begining with a drive along the coast, you will get the chance to see some Greek seaside villages and the island of Salamis. Salamis is where the historical naval battle took place between the Athenians and the Persians. 

Our first stop of the day, the Corinth Canal. Eventually opened in 1892 separating the Peloponnese from the rest of Greece all the while connecting the Saronic Gulf to the Corinthian Sea. Having time to walk across on a pedestrian bridge and admire the canal closer, you may go bungee jumping on some days (if you’re game).

Kalavryta is a mountainous small town full of narrow streets with shops, cafes and restaurants. Where you will find many locally produced products and like honey, herbs, spices, pasta etc. 

Kalavrita also played an important part Greek history. It was in the Legendary Agia Laura (a monastery of the territory) that the Greek War of Independence began. In 1821 the first revolutionaries took an oath ‘to fight or die’ for freedom and the flag of the revolution was raised there. 

The site also is a martyr of World War II. In 1943 one of the most vicious holocausts in Greek territory happened there. The town is dominated by inscriptions and crosses commemorating that fact.

We will arrive on a little traditional train that crosses the impressive Vouraikos Gorge.

Olympia is an ancient site on Greece's Peloponnese peninsula that hosted the original Olympic Games, founded in the 8th century B.C. Its extensive ruins include athletic training areas, a stadium and temples dedicated to the gods Hera and Zeus.

Here we will overnight.

After visiting the birthplace of the Olympic Games, we will head to a picturesque little town, Nafplio, to overnight.

On our second day we will visit the archaeological site and the museum of Ancient Olympia. This is one of the largest sites in Greece, the birthplace of the Olympic Games and the Sanctuary of Olympian Zeus. Walking through the site you will pass by the Gymnasium, the Palaistra, the workshop of Phidias, the Temple of Zeus and you will end up at the Stadium where for every four years the Greeks competed for glory and for spiritual elevation honoring their cities.

The museum is also quite unique as it includes the renowned statue “Hermes of Praxiteles” with its perfect analogies and tools that belonged to Phidias himself. With the tools he created one of the seven wonders of the world “the gold ivory statue of Zeus”.

The Museum of the History of the Ancient Olympic Games hosts 463 ancient works, from the Temple of Zeus at Olympia, and other museums in the Greek territory. The exhibits cover a wide chronological range, from the 2nd millennium BC until the 5th century AD. Ancient exposed in thematic units and through them shows the history of the Olympic games, the longest ancient institution. Apart from ancient art, the visitor has the possibility of detailed information through rich visual material. 

From here we will travel through time towards a more recent history of Greece and to the city of Nafplio. Nafplio is considered the most scenic city which also functioned as the capital of Greece until 1834. It offers you an impressive combination of fortresses and castles (Palamidi, Bourtzi), an enormous port opened to the Aegean Sea and the unique architecture of the old city of Nafplio revealing Venetian, neoclassical and oriental elements. Lunch will be at a traditional tavern by the sea, before leaving we’ll drive up until the castle of Acronafplia for a panoramic view of Nafplio.

Here we will spend the rest of the day and overnight.

After breakfast we will drive to some of the most famous sites of the region, Mycenae, Epidaurus, Corinth.

On the go again we will be off to the site of Epidaurus, a short drive away and you will be able to see one of the most important ancient Greek sanctuaries. Dedicated to God Asclepius, he was the god of healing and medicine.

Epidaurus is located in peaceful environment and spread out on a hilly area, its highest point being the actual theater of Epidaurus. As the best preserved ancient Greek theater (dated 4th century B.C.E.) it is proof of what miracles the ancient Greek minds could create. Test the acoustics great even today and climb up to the higher seats just to close your eyes and dream you are attending an ancient Greek tragedy.

Then it’s back on the road and heading for Mycenae (dated to the 2nd millennium B.C.E) which represents the era of Achilles, Agamemnon and Helen of Troy, this palace gave its name to a whole era. 

Actually in the site, you will see the renowned Lions' Gate (the oldest architectural sculpture in Europe), the cyclopean walls, the burial circle A and the remains of Agamemnon’s Palace.

Within the site there is a modern museum exhibiting the findings of the “City of Gold”.

Just before leaving the site we will make a small stop at the treasury of Atreus, the best preserved Tholos tomb found and one of the finest examples of the Mycenaean architecture. 

Ancient Corinth, located at the foot of the hill includes the Roman Agora of Corinth, the temple of God Apollo and a small museum. Apart from its archaeological and historical interest Ancient Corinth is also one of the most popular religious destinations in Greece as this was where the Apostle Paul preached Christianity, was judged by the tribunal in the Agora and established the best organized Christian church of that period.

The temple of Apollo at Corinth is one of the earliest Doric temples in the Peloponnese and the Greek mainland. Built around 560 B.C.E., of local monolithic limestone on top of an imposing, rocky hill to the north of Acrocorinth, the Archaic temple was an emblem for the Greek city of Corinth, reflecting its growth and prosperity.  

The last stop will be the site of Acrocorinth, the oldest and largest castle in southern Greece to see the incredible view from the castle and take photos.

And after that we will drive back to Athens.