Byzantine Peloponnese 10 Days/9 Nights

Departing from the hotel, we will take a panoramic tour of Athens, passing by the House of Parliament and the tomb of the Unknown soldier, the Presidential Palace, Panathinaikon stadium, Hadrian's Arch, and other main landmarks of Athens. Soon we will arrive under the sacred rock of Acropolis. Here we will visit the ruins of Parthenon, the Erechtheion and the Propylae. On our exit we shall stop at Mars Hill where Paul delivered his well-known sermon, and start descending towards the Agora, the ancient market where Paul spoke to the Athenians. Afternoon will be free to explore more of the city of Athens or visit the old part of the city, the so called Plaka.

We leaving from Athens driving the coastal road to the Corinth canal. Short stop for picture taking and we continue on to Argolis-Mycenae. First stop at  Epidaurus to admire the sacred site and sanctuary of Asklipios and marvel with the unique acoustics of the largest theater Epidaurus on mainland Greece preserved from the antiquity. After we will visit the fortified citadel of Mycenean civilization and see the famous Lion's Gate and the tomb of Agamemnon . Next stop is the picturesque village of Nafplion. Free time to stroll in its narrow streets, to admire the little island of Bourtzi optional and to enjoy a lunch next to the sea. We continue our drive to arrive in Sparta for overnight.

After our breakfast we will see the famous Mystras also known in the Chronicle of the Morea as Myzithras (Μυζηθρᾶς), is a fortified town and a former municipality in Laconia, Peloponnese, Greece. Situated on Mt. Taygetos, near ancient Sparta, it served as the capital of the Byzantine Despotate of the Morea in the 14th and 15th centuries, experiencing a period of prosperity and cultural flowering during the Palaeologan Renaissance, including the teachings of Gemistos Plethon. After exploring the graphic very old village of Mystraw we driving through smallvillages to picturesque Monemvasia which occupies a steep, rocky islet connected to the Laconian coast by a bridge. The settlement was founded in the 6th century A.D. by the inhabitants of Laconia. A second settlement was later founded on a lower level, and gradually developed into a town of significant strategic importance. After a short domination of the Popes, the area was captured by the Venetians in 1464. In 1540 it was occupied by the Turks and its decline became more evident. In 1690 it was given over to the Venetians and in 1715 was recaptured by the Turks. It was the first among the fortified towns of the Peloponnese to be liberated by the Greeks in 1821. Monemvassia is among the most beautiful castles in Greece offering spectacular views. We return to our hotel in Sparta for overnight.

Leaving Mystras behind, we shall take the winding but truly picturesque road,to arrive and stop first at the small fishing village of Gythion and continue passing Areopoli to stop at the famaous Dyros Caves .It is not just the drop in temperature that gives you the chills as you descend underground to start the 40-minute boat tour of Vlychada, the biggest cave of the Diros complex. It is the beautiful and dramatic formations of stalactites and stalagmites, formed millions of years ago, when the sea, located just a few meters away, started to rise and formed the lake we see today. It is the excitement of not knowing what can be hiding in the darkness beyond the illuminated 1.5k route, and the realization of the sheer size of this underground miracle of nature: a series of vast caverns stretching 15k into the rock, with 2,800 waterways – and this is only what we know of so far. we continue with the staup on Taigetos mountain and back down from the other side to reach the city of Kalamata for overnight

Today we will explore ,admire and see the wild but also rare beauty of Mani.The landscape of Mani is special both in terms of its natural configuration and in terms of its architectural physiognomy. In Mani there are many stone towers, 7 castles, a variety of archeological sites, Byzantine and post-Byzantine churches with excellent paintings. In the area are 98 of the 118 settlements of the Peloponnese that have been officially declared traditional, along with many caves, cobbled streets and gorges for hikers. The villages of Mani retain their traditional architecture and their special way of life. Nestled among the inaccessible mountains, beautiful and imposing, they wait to tell their story to visitors. From the landscape of Western Mani, stand out: Kardamili, with the Byzantine monuments and the gorge of Byros, Stoupa, Lagada with the stone tower houses, the villages of Mount Taygetos, Tseria, Kastania and Milia. Gythio with the port and the special architecture, Areopolis with its cobbled streets and towers that have been declared monuments. The caves of Diros, Limeni opposite the Homeric Itilo, Gerolimenas, Vathia, Kotronas with its beaches and traditional architecture, the Forest, Porto Cayo, Lagia, Cape Tainaro, the Nyfi and Kotronas are attractions of the municipality of East Mani.

As we continue our tour of the Peloponnese, our today's first stop will be Pylos, a picturesque village in the bay of Navarino, dominated by two castles on top of two hills above the town. We shall be visitingNiokastro, the newer one before we continue to Methoni and its castle that lies at the southernmost end of the west Peloponnesian coast. The site was fortified as early as the 7th century B.C., and in the period between 395 A.D. and 1204 A.D. was used as a Byzantine fortress. The area was dominated by the Franks for a very short period and in 1206 was captured by the Venetians who strengthened the fortification, incorporating the pre-Christian defensive structures. In 1500 Methoni was captured by the Turk Bayazit Pasha, again came under Venetian occupation from 1685 until 1715, and was for a second time dominated by the Turks who kept it under their control until 1829, when it was liberated by the French general Maison, along with other towns of the Peloponnese. Next stop is the Palace of Nestor. This is the best preserved of the Mycenaean palaces. It's a complex of various buildings. It consists of 105 ground floor apartments. It has four main buildings (SW building, central building, NE building, wine store) and some smaller ones. The most important compartments of the palace are the big rectangural "throne room" with its circular hearth, the room with the clay bath tube and the stores with their numerous storage vessels. The walls of the palace were decorated with fine wall paintings.Our long day will end with a drive to the village of Olympia for overnight

Our tour of the Peloponnese wouldn't have been complete without a visit to ancient Olympia, one of the most important sanctuaries of antiquity, dedicated to the father of the gods Olympian Zeus. Olympia is the birth-place of the Olympic Games. The area, of great natural beauty, has been inhabited uninterruptedly since the 3rd millenium B.C. and in the late Mycenaean period it became a religious centre. See the Temple of Zeus, the Heraion, the stadium and visit the local museum with unique findings like the statue of Hermes of Praxitelis. After lunch, we take the road back to Athens to arrive in the evening for overnight.

After breakfast, we take the road to the capital of Peloponesus, Patras and from there afteρ 2 hours we will get on the fantastic scenic train from Diakopto to Kalavrita Railway, commonly known as the Diakofto - Kalavrita Cog (or simply Cog) Railway, is a narrow gauge railway line in Achaia that connects Diakopto with Kalavrita. On March 10, 1896 under the government of Theodoros Diligiannis. It was one of the most difficult projects for its time due to the very inaccessible terrain but also the high altitude at which it ended, as Odontotos is the most mountainous railway in Greece. To overcome these difficulties the railway was constructed with the toothache technique in which the train is hooked, using suitable gears, to toothed rails on the tracks where the slope of the ground exceeds 10%. The railway crosses the Vouraikos Gorge passing through long tunnels and bridges, covering a total distance of 22 km.Free time at the city of Kalavrita for lunch back to Athens to arrive in the evening for overnight.

After your breakfast we will transfer you to th eairport for your flight back or you can continue your Holidays in Greek Islands