Peloponnese Archeological Sites, 2-Days Private Tour

What's Included

Meeting and pickup

Itinerary

Day 1
Ancient Corinth, Corinth Canal, Epidavros, Nafplio, Mycenae.
5 stops
1
We first go to the Isthmus of Corinth, a narrow piece of land connecting mainland Greece and the Peloponnese. There we will see the manmade canal which connects the Corinthian and the Saronic Gulfs. The canal was finished in 1893, but its history dates to as early as 602 BC. It has a length of over 6km, and its sides are 78m tall at the highest point. There are bridges across the canal for cars and people to pass, and which sink up to 12m underwater to let boats through. See and learn the history of the Corinth Canal.
20 minutes • Admission ticket free
2
The ancient city-state of Corinth was located on the narrow strip of land connecting the Peloponnese to mainland Greece, known as the Isthmus of Corinth. It is a site of extraordinary history, being inhabited for the first time in the Neolithic Period. In ancient times the city grew wealthy due to this strategic location and its control of the transportation of ships from the Corinthian to the Saronic Gulfs and vice versa. It became one of the most important trade powers in ancient Greece, rivalling Athens and Thebes, and had an extensive network of colonies. In 400 BC it had a population of 90,000 people. It was also the location of countless ancient myths, such as the myth of Sisyphus. The city was destroyed by the Romans, who re-built a new city in its place. With a professional guide, we see extensive ruins of the Temple of Apollo that testify to Corinth’s great prosperity. It is also one of the places that Saint Paul visited and wrote letters to.
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission ticket not included
3
Epidaurus, the famous theater. Built in the 4th century BC, it is famous for its acoustics - they are so perfect that words spoken on stage can be heard perfectly wherever you are in the audience.
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission ticket not included
4
The kingdom of Mycenae was one of the first great centres of the Greek culture; settlement on this site dates back to the second millennium BC. According to Homer, Mycenae was the seat of Agamemnon, who led the Greeks against the Trojans to take back Helen, the wife of his brother Menelaus. The ruins of the ancient city are famous for the amazing “Cyclopean walls” - so named because the later Greeks thought that only a Cyclops could move such huge rocks into place. You will see the Lion Gate, which formed the entrance to the royal court and palace. Nearby there are the tombs of legendary figures such as Aegisthus and Clytemnestra.
1 hour • Admission ticket not included
5
Stepping forward in history, we see the Palamidi Castle in Nafplio (the first Capital of modern Greece), built by the Venetians and famous for supposedly having 999 steps. According to legend, there were once 1000 steps leading to the castle, but one of them was crushed by Theodoros Kolokotronis, a leader of the Greek war of independence, during celebrations for a victory against the Ottomans.
1 hour • Admission ticket not included
Day 2
Ancient Olympia, Diolkos
2 stops
6
We head to the valley of the river Alfios where a professional guide accompanies us to see the ruins of the ancient Olympia, the historic site of the Olympic Games. This was the greatest of the Panhellenic Games and every four years Greeks from all the different city-states would put aside their disputes and come together to compete. The importance of Olympia can still be seen from its ruins, including the Temple of Zeus, which once contained a 13 meter statue of the god made of gold and ivory, the Temple of Hera, the stadium and the Shrine of Pelops. Even today, the Olympic Flame is lit in Olympia and then taken on a relay across the world to end up in the city hosting the Olympic Games.
2 hours 30 minutes • Admission ticket not included
7
And we finish our 2day tour by seeing the Diolkos, an ancient "road" that connected the Saronic Gulf and the Corinthian Gulf. they would pay tolls to drag there ships from one sea to the other.
30 minutes • Admission ticket free

Additional info

• Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
• Service animals allowed
• Specialized infant seats are available
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels
• All prices are for 1 private vehicle, for 1 to 3 passengers with a sedan, 4-6 passengers (on request 8 passengers) with a minivan, usually Mercedes Benz
• Children/Youth under 18 must be accompanied by an adult

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