2-Day Best of Peloponnese Tour: Ancient Olympia and Argos Cities

What's Included

Meeting and pickup

Itinerary

Day 1
ANCIENT CORINTH-CANAL-MYCENAE-EPIDAVROUS & NAFPLIO
12 stops
1
Corinth Canal
Our first stop is at the impressive Corinth canal as your driver describes its many interesting ill-fated and varied History’s from Ancient times to the present.The Corinth Canal connects the Gulf of Corinth in the Ionian Sea with the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea. It cuts through the narrow Isthmus of Corinth and separates the Peloponnese from the Greek mainland, arguably making the peninsul
10 minutes • Admission ticket free
2
Archaeological Museum of Ancient Mycenae
The Archaeological Museum of Mycenae is found at the entrance of the ancient site, just a few steps before the Lion Gate.
30 minutes • Admission ticket not included
3
Archaeological Site Mycenae
The archaeological site of Mycenae comprises the fortified acropolis and surrounding funerary and habitation sites, which are located mainly to its west and southwest. Most of the visible monuments date to the centre's great floruit, from 1350 to 1200 BC. Great Cyclopean walls surround the almost triangular acropolis, which is accessed from the northwest through the famous Lion Gate, the symbol of the Mycenaean rulers' power. The gate was named after the two opposing lions carved in relief and set into the relieving triangle, a typical feature of Mycenaean architecture, over the door.
30 minutes • Admission ticket not included
4
Lion Gate
The Lion Gate was the main entrance of the Bronze Age citadel of Mycenae, southern Greece. It was erected during the 13th century BC, around 1250 BC, in the northwest side of the acropolis and is named after the relief sculpture of two lionesses or lions in a heraldic pose that stands above the entrance. The Lion Gate is the sole surviving monumental piece of Mycenaean sculpture, as well as the largest sculpture in the prehistoric Aegean. It is the only monument of Bronze Age Greece to bear an iconographic motif that survived without being buried underground, and the only relief image which was described in the literature of classical antiquity, such that it was well known prior to modern archaeology.
15 minutes • Admission ticket not included
5
Citadel and Treasury of Atreus
The Treasury of Atreus or Tomb of Agamemnon is a large tholos or beehive tomb on Panagitsa Hill at Mycenae constructed during the Bronze Age around 1250 BC. The stone lintel above the doorway weighs 120 tons, with approximate dimensions 8.3 x 5.2 x 1.2m, the largest in the world. The tomb was used for an unknown period. Mentioned by the Roman geographer Pausanias in the 2nd century AD, it was still visible in 1879 when the German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann discovered the shaft
15 minutes • Admission ticket not included
6
Archaeological Site of Asklipiiou Epidavrou
Archaeological Museum of Epidaurus is a museum in Epidaurus, in Argolis on the Peloponnese peninsula, Greece. The museum, noted for its reconstructions of temples and its columns and inscriptions, was established in 1902 and opened in 1909 to display artifacts unearthed in the ancient site of Epidaurus in the surrounding area.
30 minutes • Admission ticket not included
7
Sanctuary of Asklepios
The Temple of Asclepius was a sanctuary in Epidaurus dedicated to Asclepius. It was the main holy site of Asclepius. The sanctuary at Epidaurus was the rival of such major cult sites as the Sanctuary of Zeus at Olympia and Apollo at Delphi. The temple was built in the early 4th century BC. If still in use by the 4th century AD, the temple would have been closed during the persecution of pagans in the late Roman Empire, when the Christian Emperors issued edicts prohibiting non-Christian worship.
15 minutes • Admission ticket free
8
The Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus
The Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus, Peloponnese: The Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus is regarded as the best preserved ancient theatre in Greece in terms of its perfect acoustics and fine structure. It was constructed in the late 4th century BC and it was finalized in two stages. Originally the theatre had 34 rows of seats divided into 34 blocks by stairs and walkways.
15 minutes • Admission ticket free
9
Palamidi Castle
Optional-(It is your choice if you want to visit the castle or spend more time walking at Nafplio beautiful city).Palamidi is a fortress to the east of the Acronauplia in the town of Nafplio in the Peloponnese region of southern Greece. Nestled on the crest of a 216-metre high hill, the fortress was built by the Venetians during their second occupation of the area (1686–1715). The fortress commands an impressive view over the Argolic Gulf, the city of Náfplio and the surrounding country. There are 913 steps in the winding stair from the town to the fortress. However, to reach the top of the fortress there are over one thousand, while locals in the town of Nafplion will say there are 999
45 minutes • Admission ticket not included
10
Bourtzi
Enjoy the view of the water castle of Bourtzi, a Venetian castle located in the middle of the harbor of Nafplio, and take fascinating photos from the harbor side.
10 minutes • Admission ticket free
11
The Acronauplia is the oldest part of the city of Nafplion in Greece. Until the thirteenth century, it was a town on its own. The arrival of the Venetians and the Franks transformed it into part of the town's fortifications. Later, part of it was used as a prison until the Greek government decided that the view provided from its location would benefit the local
10 minutes • Admission ticket free
12
Nafplio
Free time for lunch, coffee, or shopping at the ‘Naples of the East’ rich in Venetian architecture, cobbled squares, and towering castles with commanding views of the Argolic Gulf. Afterwards, unwind by the harbor or get lost in the colorful back streets of the most elegant town in mainland Greece. Nafplio is a seaport town in the Peloponnese in Greece that has expanded up the hillsides near the north end of the Argolic Gulf. The town was an important seaport held under a succession of royal houses in the Middle Ages as part of the lordship of Argos and Nauplia, held initially by the de la Roche following the Fourth Crusade before coming under the Republic of Venice and, lastly, the Ottoman Empire. The town was the capital of the First Hellenic Republic and of the Kingdom of Greece, from the
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission ticket free
Day 2
ANCIENT OLYMPIA
4 stops
13
Archaeological Museum of Olympia
The Archaeological Museum of Olympia is one of the principal museums of Greece, located in Olympia. It is overseen by the Ministry of Culture and Sports, and, as of 2009, is directed by Georgia Chatzi. When the original building was completed and opened in 1882, it was the first museum in Greece outside of Athens. The museum houses discoveries from the surrounding area, including the site of the Ancient Olympic Games. The collection includes objects produced and used in the area from prehistory to its time under Roman rule. The principal pieces in the museum are Hermes and the Infant Dionysus (attributed to Praxiteles), some objects from the Temple of Zeus, the Nike of Paionios, as well as an oenochoe that belonged to Phidias. The extent of its bronze collection makes it one of the most important in the world.
1 hour • Admission ticket free
14
Archaeological Site of Olympia
The archaeological site held over 70 significant buildings, and ruins of many of these survive. Of special interest to Greeks of all times is the Pelopion, the tomb of the quasi-mythical king, ancestor of the Atreids, the two kings who led their domains to war against Troy. The Peloponnesus is named for Pelops. The tomb suggests that he may not have been entirely mythical.
1 hour • Admission ticket not included
15
Museum of the Olympic Games
The museum presents the long history of the Olympic Games and hosts findings related to the period when the ancient games took place. The 463 ancient findings hosted in the museum date back from the 2nd millennium BC to the 5th century A.C. and they are carefully lined up in thematic sections. The exhibition includes 14 thematic sections starting from the birth of the sports festivals in Greece with ceramic findings and objects from the Mycenae period. The permanent exhibition of the museum displays ancient findings from several excavations, dating from the prehistoric times to the Early Christian period, whereas copper and stone inscriptions witness the way that the games were organized. Apart from the ancient artworks, visitors have the chance to browse through a detailed visual material.
30 minutes • Admission ticket free
16
Olympia
Olympia was a sacred place that attracted worshipers from around the ancient world. Starting from the 8th century BC, the religious celebrations at Olympia became associated with the Sacred Olympic Truce, honored throughout the Greek world following an agreement between the Spartan Lykourgos and the King of Elis, Iphitos. In the 5th century BC, Olympia became a place where ideas were spread, with dozens of thinkers and influential individuals coming here to exchange and pass on their knowledge and ideas.
1 hour • Admission ticket free

Additional info

• Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
• Service animals allowed
• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Specialized infant seats are available
• Not recommended for pregnant travelers
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels

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