Mythical Arcadia and more

Arcadia of the mountains and myths, Olympia, Nemea and Argolis, a unique route that combines well known antiquities with incredible sites off the usual tourist routes

• Day 1 | Athens – Corinth canal – Nemea Winery – Arcadia

  Departure for our tour of Arcadia, a mountainous land of myth, that in the modern times it came to represent something close to Utopia. Short stop at the famous Corinth canal.
  We continue towards the mountains that lead us to Arcadia, but first a visit to the wineries of Nemea, producing only red wine from local varieties, from the ancient times. The myth has it that when Heracles arrived in Nemea to kill the Nemean Lion and fulfill his first labour, the blood from his wounds imbued the ground and ever since only red wine comes out of the land, the blood of Heracles. Overnight in Arcadia, the mountainous heart of Peloponnese, at one of the stone villages on the mountains.

• Day 2 | Arcadia – Epicurean Apollo temple Figaleia – Olympia – Arcadia

  We start our day in the mountains with a visit to the temple of Epicurean Apollo in Figaleia, a magnificent 5th century temple, constructed with limestone at an altitude of 1.130 mts. The imposing structure appears even more impressive considering the aditional difficulties of building at such an inaccessible and rough mountain terrain. We start our descent to the west for our visit at the archeological site and museum of Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympic Games. The spirit of the past permeats the remains of the vast site, where Greeks from all cities gathered, in peace, every 4 years, to participate in the games. We return to the mountains for overnight.

• Day 3 | Arcadia – Nafplion – Athens

  We continue our tour of Arcadia with visits to the stone villages Stemnitsa, Dimitsana, Lagkadia. The multistoried stone buildings demonstrate the craftmanship of the stone builders of the past and the structure of isolated mountain societies between the 17th and 19th centuries. Early in the afternoon we arrive at the seaside and the city of Nafplion, the first capital of modern Greece. The old city is well preserved with beautiful neoclassic buildings and pedestrian roads. Early evening arrival in Athens.

 
Alternative pick-up points:

• Araxos International Airport
• Patras Port
• Kalamata International Airport