If you are dreaming of passing 11 days in some of the most legendary places of Greece, then you should trust our knowledge and deep love and passion for our country shared in this amazing tour in the mainland of Greece.
Travelling back to time in ancient Athens and Delphi, traversing ancient routes, trekking in the Vikos-Aoos UNESCO Global Geopark, savouring flavourful traditional food, walking in picturesque villages, swimming in crystal beaches and meeting locals through their everyday activities are some of the basics of this travel proposal organized and offered by our team -of experts.
We are here to offer you unforgettable experiences planned with the point of view of the suspicious traveller, eager to learn, hear, feel and touch.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Athens Tour │Acropolis │Parthenon – with a guide or archaeologist
- The Sanctuary of Delphi, the 'Navel of the Earth'
- The Sanctuary of Dodoni
- The archaeological site of Acheron, the legendary gate to Underworld
- Trekking in the stunning paths of UNESCO GEOPARK of Vikos-Aoos – with an English speaking mountain guide
- Swimming in the amazing river of Voidomatis
- Swimming in crystal seas & pristine beaches of the west coast of Greece
- Visiting the beautiful and picturesque coastal village of Parga
- Hiking into the Vikos Gorge, the focal point of the Geopark – with a mountain guide
- Wavering in the alleys of the architectural miracles of Zagori villages and traversing the famous Zagori-stone bridges
- Tasting the healthy and delicious local Greek cuisine in local hangouts
Welcome to Athens, one of the oldest cities in the world with recorded history that dates back over 3,000 years. Philosophy, tragedy, comedy, history, art and architecture – all symbols of a city that is regarded as the birthplace of democracy.
Your transfer by taxi from the airport to your hotel in the centre of the city, will last approximately 45 minutes. At your hotel you will find in your room all the necessary documents for your trip to Greece. Free time to get a feel of the city at your own pace. Athens is vibrant and lively all year round!
Travel time: 36 km (45 min)
Accommodation: Hotel 3* in central Athens.
Included: Transfer by taxi from the airport to the hotel, accommodation, delivery of material for your trip
East meets West and classic meets contemporary in this iconic European capital. Athens is the crown jewel of Greece and a fascinating city for any visitor. A city of legends – legendary heroes, legendary beauty and legendary hospitality – Athens is a place to delve into ancient history and to be immersed in Europe’s exciting contemporary culture.
You can start our day with a visit to the world-renowned sites of Acropolis and the Parthenon and later head to the New Acropolis Museum. You can explore the archaeological site and the museum on your own or with the help of a certified guide (with an extra charge). Then you can have a walking tour through downtown Athens, visit the Greek Gastronomy Museum, where you will learn all about the culinary secrets of this country and later head to the colourful Central Food Market Varvakios Agora, a gastronomic delight, with an amazing range of local traditional products such as olives, spices, cheeses and deli treats. You can finish your day enjoying a dinner of traditional Greek cuisine in a restaurant in Monastiraki or Plaka.
Included: Accommodation, breakfast
Services with extra cost (optional): Escort by a certified guide for the archeological site
Visit to the Sanctuary of Delphi, the 'Navel of the Earth'
After your breakfast you visit the nearest to your hotel offices of the Car Rental Company in order to take your car.
You drive northwards, to Delphi. Visit Delphi – one of the most important archaeological sites in Greek history – on this full-day trip from Athens! Travel with us to explore the UNESCO World Heritage-listed town, home to the Temple of Apollo, and stroll around Delphi Archaeological Museum. Learn all about Greek mythology and history while seeing fascinating monuments, and visit the pretty village of Arachova.
Travel time: 182 km (2h 35min)
Accommodation: Hotel 3* in Delfi
Included: Car rental, mix insurance, accommodation, breakfast
Services with extra cost (optional): Escort by a certified guide for the archeological site
Arrival at Zagori and settling into the rooms.
Later in the day, meeting with our representative and discussion on the programme of the following days.
With the advices of our partner and the combined use of the detailed manual we will give you, you can travel by car to the villages of the western Zagori, starting from your hostel.
From the Vikos village, a small traditional village with incredible view to the Vikos gorge, Aristi village, the Voidomatis River, “Mikro (small) & “Megalo (big) Papingo” with the amazing architecture, the marvelous view to the “Rogovo Ovires”,, the Monodendri village with the very old monastery of Agia Paraskevi, the Oxia position point and the gorge of “Mega Lakos” and so many others..
Return to your hostel
Accommodation: Hotel 3* in the village of Kato Pedina of Zagori
Included: Car rental, mix insurance, accommodation, breakfast, meeting with our representative
Travel time: 387 km (5h 58 min)
Accommodation: Hotel 3* in the village of Kato Pedina of Zagori
Breakfast
This day you can focus on visits to some architectural miracles of Zagori. The BRIDGES… You can either visit various spots that we will recommend you on the road-book we will give you, or chose to hike 5 hours (a circular hike) that will pass you from all those wonderful monuments.
You can also chose to have an escort of our expert guide in order to do the hiking. In this case, you will pass from five stone arched bridges with different characteristics as the size, the number of arches and some of those exceed two centuries of life. Furthermore, you’ll move near the stone built villages like Kipoi and Vitsa while you will walk and admire the traditional architecture in the beautiful village of Koukouli. During the route you are walking in stone-made paths called “kalderimia” and natural paths in oak forests while we can see part of the Vikos gorge between the villages of Koukouli and Vitsa. It’s very impressive and one of the most important points of the itinerary is the ascent of the Vitsa stairs a sinuous path climbing the steep slope after the Misios Bridge in the village of Vitsa.
Walking time: 5 hours
Accommodation: Hotel 3* in the village of Kato Pedina of Zagori
Included: Car rental, mix insurance, accommodation, breakfast
Services with extra cost (optional): Escort by our specialized English-speaking mountain guide and pick-nick in nature
Breakfast
Using the detailed travel book we will give you, you can spend your day visiting various wonderful destinations, of simply… rest in your beautiful, cozy and comfortable guesthouse in the village of Kato Pedina.
In case you decide to get acquainted with some of the most interesting productive activities of active young locals, you could request to participate to the following ones:
Option 1: «Apiculture in Dilofo»
ONLY FOR JULY AND AUGUST
We’ll visit an apiary to discover bee’s life into the beehive. We’ll walk around the region to see which flowers or trees the bees are visiting for nectar or pollen. Depending on the time of the season we’ll harvest honey, we’ll collect and clean pollen or we’ll watch how to produce royal jelly. We’ll learn to handle the beekeeping tools.
The duration of the program is 4 hours (question for allergies)
Extra cost per group: Escort by our specialized English-speaking mountain guide and pick-nick in nature
OR
Option 2: « to collect mushrooms »
ONLY FOR APRIL, MAY AND JUNE
Depending on the season we’ll walk into the woods in order to identify and collect different types of wild edible mushrooms that grow in the Zagori region. The edible types can be cooked with different ways like in a mushroom pie, fried with vegetables or grilled, in the Lithos restaurant with the help of the chef “Takis” and finally we’ll enjoy them with a beautiful view towards the mountains relaxing in the restaurant’s balcony.
Extra cost per group: Escort by our specialized English-speaking mountain guide and pick-nick in nature
OR
Option 3: «Beeswax and products in everyday use» (ALL YEAR ROUND)
We are looking for the beeswax journey from the flower and the blister to our door. We discover its miraculous uses in the hive but especially in our everyday life.
The fire is burning and together we produce the romantic candle that also renews the atmosphere, the hydrative and healing balm, the protective lip balm.
A multisensory approach that will follow us during our trip.
Duration 3 hours.
Extra cost per group: Escort by our specialized English-speaking mountain guide and pick-nick in nature
Option 3: «honey bites» (ALL YEAR ROUND)
Exploring the honey production from the bee.
Learning its uses and properties.
Discovering ideas for its use in our daily cuisine.
We prepare together honey bites: bars with unbaked honey, sesame, dry fruits but also honey balls with unbaked honey, cacao, fruits and pollen.
We’ll enjoy them and keep them for the rest of the trip.
Duration: 3 hours
Extra cost per group: Escort by our specialized English-speaking mountain guide and pick-nick in nature
NOTES:
Bear in mind that these activities are organized privately. They do not have a tourist character. Participating in them will give you the opportunity to feel like locals, since you will participate in the procedures they follow in order to prepare their products.
Also, during the day, you will be offered a light snack of high quality and flavor natural, local, fresh products prepared by our collaborates (no matter which activity you chose).
Accommodation: Hotel 3* in the village of Kato Pedina of Zagori
Included: Car rental, mix insurance, accommodation and breakfast.
Services with extra cost (optional): Escort by our English speaking expert / producer / manufacturer and presentation of one of the thematic programs presented above with all the material /equipment required and with a very special snack (cost per activity mentioned above)..
Breakfast and meeting with the English speaking guide. We walk in the deepest and most spectacular gorge of Greece in the heart of the Geopark Vikos-Aoos, starting from Monodendri to the Vikos village, through a route of impressive vertical limestone rocks that were created in the bottom of the ocean millions of years ago.
In the last part of the route we meet the first springs of Voidomatis river, the most clean and cold river of the country with annual temperature 8,5 C where the more daring visitors can refresh themselves.
Trekking time: 6 hours
Accommodation: Hotel 3* in the village of Kato Pedina of Zagori
Included: Car rental, mix insurance, accommodation, breakfast, escort by an experienced English speaking mountain guide, transfer by a local back to the parking area to pick up the car
After your breakfast, you drive towards the West-Sea coast. There you can find some amazing beaches to spend your day: Syvota Perdika, Karavostasi. The driving distance Ioannina-Karavostasi is 2h30. In the middle, and before arriving to the beached, I strongly recommend that you stop at the significant archeological site of Dodoni.
In the afternoon, you continue your trip to the charming coastal village of Parga, where you will overnight.
Travel time: 2h00
Accommodation: Apartment at Parga, neat the beach, without breakfast
Included: Car rental, mix insurance, accommodation, breakfast
Next day, you profit of Parga as well as of the incredible beaches you will find on the surrounding area of Parga. Possibility also to visit Acherontas and the cave of the Death, the legendary passage into the underworld!
Overnight at Parga.
Accommodation: Apartment at Parga, neat the beach, without breakfast.
Included: Car rental, mix insurance, accommodation without breakfast
You depart for Athens. The trip is long, but we will make some suggestions to you about the places you can make pauses. You return the car to the company.
Travel time: 485km (6h54 min)
Accommodation: Hotel 3* in Athens with breakfast
Included: Car rental, mix insurance, accommodation without breakfast
After your breakfast you are transferred by taxi to the airport.
Flight back home
Included: Transfer to the airport, breakfast
Conditions of payment
In order to confirm your reservation you have to pay a deposit of the 50% of the total price of your trip either with a credit card or with direct debit, by clicking on the link that will be provide by your local agent.
You should have paid the remaining 50% of your trip at least 30 days before your departure.
Conditions of cancellation
All cancellations need to be done by e-mail to the local agency. The money to be paid varies depending on the date of the cancellation:
SERVICES RENDERED
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