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Greece: the Peloponnese, Nafplio, the Mani, Monemvasia and Olympia
8 days from Athens through the quiet south: two nights in Nafplio for Mycenae and Epidaurus, Byzantine Mystras, a night inside the walls of Monemvasia, two nights in Kardamyli in the Mani, and Olympia.
8 jours · Départ et retour : Athens · jusqu'à 12 voyageurs
The Cyclopean walls of Mycenae, built of blocks so large later Greeks credited them to giants Photo: George E. Koronaios, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Cyclopean_walls_of_Mycenae_on_October_27,_2019.jpg)
Les faits
En bref
- Durée
- 8 jours, 7 nuits
- Départ et arrivée
- Départ et retour : Athens
- Taille du groupe
- 7 à 12 voyageurs
- Trajet le plus long
- 4 h le jour 8Aucun trajet ne dépasse 4 heures.
- Niveau d'activité
Modéré
Two to three hours on foot most days, on uneven ancient paving, polished marble, cobbles and steps, often with little shade. The hardest walk is optional: day 6 is about 2 to 3 hours on a rough stone mule path from Kardamyli up to the hill village of Exochori, with a shorter 20-minute walk or the van instead. Mystras is a steep walk mostly downhill, Monemvasia's upper town is about 20 to 30 minutes up a stone path, and the Palamidi fortress in Nafplio is several hundred steps; each has an easier choice. The longest day in the van is the last, about 4 hours from Olympia to Athens, broken by a coffee stop and lunch; the others are 2 to 3.75 hours, broken by sites and lunch.
- Repas compris
- 7 petits-déjeuners, 7 repas du midi, 4 repas du soir
- Chambre individuelle
- + CAD 800 (prix estimé)
- Saison
- April to June and September to October
Points forts
Pourquoi ce voyage
- The Acropolis at its 8 am opening with a licensed guide, then the Corinth Canal on the way to Nafplio
- Two nights in Nafplio, with Mycenae's Lion Gate in the morning and a coin dropped on the stage at Epidaurus
- Walk down through Byzantine Mystras, from the castle gate to the frescoed churches
- A night inside the walls of Monemvasia, and the climb to Agia Sofia at 8 am
- By small boat through the flooded galleries of the Diros caves
- Two nights in Kardamyli and a walk up the old path to the tower village of Exochori
- Olympia's stadium track in the late afternoon, after the cruise groups have gone
Ce qui distingue ce voyage
Des trajets courts, tous publiés
Chaque trajet est indiqué jour par jour, et aucun ne dépasse 4 heures.
Le temps libre fait partie du programme
Le temps libre et les choix sont indiqués les jours où ils ont lieu.
En solo, sans pénalité
Une chambre individuelle coûte + CAD 800 (prix estimé).
Jour par jour
Itinéraire
Le trajet le plus long dure 4 h, le jour 8.
Touchez une étape de la carte pour ouvrir ce jourCliquez sur une étape de la carte pour ouvrir ce jour
Arrive in Athens
Athens International Airport to your hotel in central Athens
- Repas du soir
- Nuit : Athens
- Environ 45 min de route

Fly into Athens International Airport (ATH), about 35 km east of the centre, and a driver meets you in arrivals for the drive to your hotel; plan to land by about 3 pm. At about 5 pm your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a short briefing on the week ahead, then we walk. From Syntagma Square we cut through the shade of the National Garden to Hadrian's Arch and the columns of the Temple of Olympian Zeus, then climb into Plaka and up to Anafiotika, a cluster of whitewashed island-style houses built by stonemasons from Anafi in the 19th century, tucked under the north face of the Acropolis. From its lanes the city spreads out to Lycabettus Hill and the mountains beyond.
Soir
As the light goes we walk down to a taverna in Plaka for a welcome dinner of meze, and you meet the people you will spend the week with. Tomorrow we are at the Acropolis gate when it opens, then we leave for the Peloponnese.
Compris
- Pick-up at Athens International Airport (ATH)
- Welcome briefing with your guide
- Evening walk: Syntagma Square, the National Garden, Hadrian's Arch, the Temple of Olympian Zeus from outside, Plaka and Anafiotika
- Welcome dinner in Plaka
Temps libre : Free until the 5 pm briefing
Activité : About 2 hours of easy walking, with some steep lanes and steps in Anafiotika.
The Acropolis at opening, then to Nafplio
Athens to the Acropolis, the Corinth Canal, then Nafplio
- Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
- Nuit : Nafplio
- Environ 2 h de route

Matin
We are at the Acropolis gate for its 8 am opening, with a timed ticket and a licensed local guide, ahead of the cruise and coach groups that build from mid-morning. Climb through the Propylaia to the Parthenon, built for Athena in the 440s and 430s BC, then walk round to the Erechtheion and its porch of Caryatids, with the city laid out to the sea. We walk down by the old lanes of Anafiotika and leave Athens at about 10:30. An hour west, the Corinth Canal cuts the isthmus between the Greek mainland and the Peloponnese: walk out on the bridge and look straight down the narrow cut, dug between 1881 and 1893, to the water far below.
Après-midi
Lunch is a sit-down meal nearby. Then it is about an hour across the plain of Argos to Nafplio, the first capital of modern Greece, arriving by about 3 pm. After a rest, your guide walks you through the old town's Venetian lanes to the harbour and the island fortress of Bourtzi.
Soir
Dinner is your choice.
Compris
- The Acropolis at its 8 am opening with a licensed local guide: the Propylaia, the Parthenon and the Erechtheion
- The Corinth Canal
- Sit-down lunch near the canal
- Evening walk in Nafplio's old town with your guide
Option plus facile : Wait in the shade below the Propylaia while the group walks the far side of the Parthenon; the van meets you at the bottom of the hill.
Temps libre : Late afternoon and dinner free in Nafplio
Activité : About 2 hours on foot on the Acropolis, on steep, polished marble with no shade.
Mycenae and Epidaurus
Nafplio to Mycenae, then Epidaurus and back to Nafplio
- Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
- Nuit : Nafplio
- Environ 2 h de route

We leave Nafplio at 8 am and reach Mycenae at about 8:30, soon after it opens and well before the coaches. In Homer's telling this was Agamemnon's citadel, at its height around 1350 to 1200 BC. With a licensed guide we walk in under the Lion Gate, past Grave Circle A, where Heinrich Schliemann found gold funeral masks in 1876, and up to the palace on the summit, then down the road to the Treasury of Atreus, a beehive tomb with a stone dome about 13 m high. About an hour east is Epidaurus, the sanctuary of Asclepius, the healing god, and its 4th-century BC theatre: climb to the top row while someone on the stage drops a coin, and hear it land. Mycenae and Epidaurus are both UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Après-midi
Lunch is a sit-down meal in a village near the theatre. We are back in Nafplio by about 3 pm, and the rest of the day is yours: swim at Arvanitia beach, wander the old town or climb to the Palamidi fortress.
Compris
- Mycenae with a licensed local guide: the Lion Gate, Grave Circle A, the palace, the Treasury of Atreus and the site museum
- Epidaurus with a licensed local guide: the theatre, the Sanctuary of Asclepius and the site museum
- Sit-down lunch near Epidaurus
- Entry to the Palamidi fortress in Nafplio
Activités en option
- A boat ride around the Bourtzi island fortress (paid locally, when it runs)
Option plus facile : At Mycenae, stay in the lower citadel and skip the uneven path up to the palace; at Epidaurus, watch from the lower rows of the theatre.
Option plus active : In the free afternoon, climb the long stone stairway to the Palamidi fortress, built by the Venetians in the early 18th century about 216 m above the town; entry included.
Temps libre : Afternoon and evening free in Nafplio
Activité : About 3 hours on foot over the two sites, on rough stone paths and steps; the Palamidi stair is several hundred steps.
Byzantine Mystras, then Monemvasia
Nafplio to Mystras by Tripoli and Sparta, then Monemvasia
- Petit-déjeuner, repas du midi et repas du soir
- Nuit : Monemvasia
- Environ 4 h de route
We leave at 8:30 and cross the mountains of Arcadia by Tripoli to the Sparta valley, about two hours and 145 km, with the long wall of Mount Taygetos ahead. Mystras climbs a spur of that mountain: it was a Byzantine town of the 13th to 15th centuries and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Constantine XI, the last Byzantine emperor, was crowned here in January 1449. The van drops us at the upper gate below the castle so we walk mostly downhill with a licensed guide, through lanes of empty houses to the frescoed churches of the Pantanassa convent, still home to a few nuns, and the Peribleptos, and on to the palace of the despots.
Après-midi
Lunch is a sit-down meal in Mystras village. Then about an hour and three quarters and 100 km south and east to Monemvasia, a walled town on the seaward side of a great rock, joined to the shore by a short causeway. Cars stay outside the gate, so we walk in with light bags while the rest follows.
Soir
Dinner together tonight inside the walls.
Compris
- Mystras with a licensed local guide: the castle gate, the Pantanassa, the Peribleptos and the palace of the despots
- Sit-down lunch in Mystras village
- Walk into Monemvasia's lower town through the gate
- Dinner in Monemvasia
Option plus facile : Ride the van between Mystras's upper and lower gates and visit only the lower town's churches.
Option plus active : Climb from the upper gate to the castle at the top of Mystras before walking down with the group.
Activité : About 2.5 hours on foot at Mystras, mostly downhill on steep, uneven stone lanes and steps. Monemvasia's lower town is car-free cobbles; luggage is carried in for you.
Monemvasia's upper town, then the Diros caves and into the Mani
Monemvasia to Gytheio, the Diros caves and Areopoli, then Kardamyli
- Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
- Nuit : Kardamyli
- Environ 3.5 h de route
At 8 am, before the heat and the day visitors, we climb the zigzag path from the lower town to the plateau on top of the rock, about 20 to 30 minutes up, where the church of Agia Sofia stands on the cliff edge over the sea. The rest of the upper town is ruins and wild flowers.
Après-midi
We leave at about 10:30 and drive west to Gytheio, the old port of Sparta, for a walk out along the causeway to the islet of Marathonisi and lunch by the harbour. Then into the Mani, the bare middle finger of the Peloponnese, a land of stone tower houses and family feuds. At the Diros caves, by about 2 pm and well before the last boats, a boatman takes us by small boat through flooded galleries of stalactites, then we walk out. In Areopoli we stop in the square where the Maniots declared their part in the War of Independence in March 1821. A last hour on the coast road brings us to Kardamyli by about 5:30 pm. In all it is about 3.5 hours of driving in four short legs.
Soir
The evening is free.
Compris
- The upper town of Monemvasia and the church of Agia Sofia
- Gytheio: the harbour and Marathonisi
- Sit-down lunch in Gytheio
- The Diros caves by boat
- Areopoli's square and tower houses
Option plus facile : Stay in Monemvasia's lower town for a slow coffee by the sea wall instead of climbing to Agia Sofia.
Temps libre : Evening free in Kardamyli
Activité : The upper-town path is steep, polished stone with no shade, about 20 to 30 minutes each way. The cave boats are small and low; you sit still and duck under the rock.
Kardamyli: the tower village walk
Kardamyli to Old Kardamyli and Exochori on foot, then back by van
- Petit-déjeuner, repas du midi et repas du soir
- Nuit : Kardamyli
- Environ 30 min de route
A day on foot, in the outer Mani between the Taygetos mountains and the Messenian Gulf. At 8:30 we walk up from the harbour to Old Kardamyli, a fortified hamlet of stone towers and a church with a tall belfry, the seat of the Troupakis family, who fought in the War of Independence. Then the path climbs on through olive terraces and stone walls, with the sea opening up behind us, to the hill village of Exochori, about 2 to 3 hours at an easy group pace. The writer Patrick Leigh Fermor, who made his home in Kardamyli, scattered the ashes of his friend Bruce Chatwin near Exochori.
Après-midi
Lunch is a long sit-down meal in a village taverna under the plane trees, then the van brings us back down. The afternoon is free: swim off the pebble beach at Ritsa, rest in the shade, or wander the harbour.
Soir
In the evening we eat together, on the last night by the sea.
Compris
- Guided walk from Kardamyli to Old Kardamyli and its towers
- Guided walk on the old path to Exochori
- Sit-down lunch in Exochori
- Dinner in Kardamyli
Option plus facile : Walk only to Old Kardamyli, about 20 minutes each way, then meet the group for lunch in Exochori by van.
Option plus active : Walk back down to Kardamyli on the path after lunch instead of taking the van.
Temps libre : Afternoon free in Kardamyli
Activité : About 2 to 3 hours on a rough stone mule path with a steady climb and some loose sections; wear shoes with grip and carry water. The exact route and climb are confirmed with our local partner.
By the Messenian coast to Olympia
Kardamyli to Kalamata and the Kyparissia coast, then Olympia
- Petit-déjeuner, repas du midi et repas du soir
- Nuit : Olympia
- Environ 3 h de route

Matin
After a late breakfast we leave at 9 and drive round the head of the Messenian Gulf through Kalamata, then up the west coast past Kyparissia, with the Ionian Sea on one side and the hills on the other: about 3 hours and 175 km, with a coffee stop on the way.
Après-midi
We reach Olympia, in the green valley where the Kladeos stream meets the Alpheios river, for lunch. In the heat of the early afternoon we start indoors, with a licensed guide in the Archaeological Museum of Olympia: the pediment sculptures of the Temple of Zeus, the Nike of Paionios and the Hermes attributed to Praxiteles. At about 5 pm, when the cruise groups from Katakolo have gone, we walk the site (if heat or shorter hours close it early, we walk it at 8 am on day 8 instead): the palaestra, where wrestlers trained, the workshop of Pheidias, the fallen drums of the Temple of Zeus and the Temple of Hera, where the Olympic flame is still lit. Then through the vaulted tunnel to the stadium, where you can run the track.
Soir
Farewell dinner in the village.
Compris
- The Archaeological Museum of Olympia with a licensed local guide
- Ancient Olympia in the late afternoon with a licensed local guide: the palaestra, the workshop of Pheidias, the Temples of Zeus and Hera and the stadium
- Sit-down lunch in Olympia
- Farewell dinner in Olympia
Option plus facile : Visit the museum and the stadium only, and rest under the pines while the group walks the full site.
Option plus active : Run the length of the ancient stadium track, about 192 m.
Activité : About 2.5 hours on foot at Olympia, on flat gravel paths with some shade. Site hours are confirmed for your dates; if the site closes early, the walk moves to 8 am on day 8 and we leave Olympia at 10:30.
Back across the Peloponnese to Athens
Olympia to Patras and the Gulf of Corinth, then Athens International Airport
- Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
- Environ 4 h de route
Soir
This is the long drive home, about 4 hours and 330 km, and the one day at the cap: there is no shorter way from Olympia to Athens, and breaking it with another night would take a night from the Mani. We keep it easy. We leave at 8:30 and take the motorway north to Patras, with a coffee stop near the Rio-Antirrio bridge, a cable-stayed crossing about 2.9 km long over the mouth of the Gulf of Corinth. Then the road runs east along the gulf shore, with the mountains of the mainland across the water. We stop for a sit-down lunch by the sea before the isthmus, then cross back over the Corinth Canal to Athens. We reach Athens International Airport at about 3:30 pm, or drop you in the centre if you are staying on. Your guide checks your flights before saying goodbye. If you want more of Greece, our mainland trip to Delphi and Meteora starts and ends in Athens too.
Compris
- Coffee stop by the Rio-Antirrio bridge
- Sit-down lunch on the Gulf of Corinth
- Drop-off at Athens International Airport (ATH) or central Athens
Activité : Book a flight leaving after about 6:30 pm. For an earlier flight, ask us: we can leave Olympia at 7 am and skip the lunch stop.
- Athens1 nuit
- Nafplio2 nuits
- Monemvasia1 nuit
- Kardamyli2 nuits
- Olympia1 nuit
- Athensarrivée
- Étape avec nuitée
- Excursion d'une journée
- En bateau ou en train
Faune et météo : April to June and September to October are warm and bright, with wildflowers on the Mani hillsides and in the ruins of Mystras and Monemvasia in spring, and a warm sea for swimming in Kardamyli and Nafplio in early autumn. July and August often pass 35 C and the south is at its busiest. Orthodox Easter fills Nafplio and Monemvasia with Greek visitors, and from November most sites keep shorter winter hours.
Vous voulez recevoir ce programme par courriel?
Recevez l'itinéraire jour par jour par courriel, ou posez-nous vos questions sur ce voyage. Un conseiller en voyages vous répond le jour même ou le jour ouvrable suivant.
Avant de réserver
Ce voyage est-il pour vous?
Ce voyage vous convient si vous recherchez
- Travellers who have seen Athens and Delphi, or never want a coach, and want the quieter south of Greece
- People who want Mycenae, Epidaurus and Olympia with a guide, plus Byzantine Mystras and Monemvasia
- Walkers who want one real day on foot in the Mani, with an easier choice
- Solo travellers who want one steady group and one guide all week
- Anyone who would rather ride in a 12-guest minibus than a full-size coach
Ce voyage ne vous convient pas si vous recherchez
- Step-free access: every site, Monemvasia's lanes and the Mani path have uneven stone and steps
- An island holiday: there are no islands on this trip
- First-timers set on Delphi and Meteora: those are on our mainland Greece trip
- Anyone who dislikes one-night stops: Athens, Monemvasia and Olympia are one night each
- Travellers who want several days in Athens: this trip gives it an evening and a morning
Réservez vos vols une fois votre place confirmée.
7 nuits
Où vous logerez
Vos hôtels sont nommés dans la confirmation de votre voyage.
- Athens1 nuit
- Nafplio2 nuits
- Monemvasia1 nuit
- Kardamyli2 nuits
- Olympia1 nuit
Un seul prix
Ce que le prix comprend
Compris
Hébergement
- 7 nights: 1 in central Athens, 2 in or near Nafplio's old town, 1 inside the walls of Monemvasia, 2 in Kardamyli, 1 in Olympia
- Hotels of at least a 3-star-plus standard, central and walkable, named when we confirm your dates
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
- Greece's per-night accommodation fee
Transport
- Pick-up at Athens International Airport (ATH) on day 1
- Drop-off at Athens International Airport (ATH) or central Athens on day 8
- Our own air-conditioned minibus and driver for the group for the whole trip
- Motorway tolls
- The boat ride through the Diros caves
- Luggage carried into Monemvasia's car-free lower town
Votre guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group for the whole trip
- Licensed local guides at the Acropolis, Mycenae, Epidaurus, Mystras and Olympia
Activités
- Athens: an evening walk from Syntagma Square to Plaka and Anafiotika
- Athens: the Acropolis at opening
- The Corinth Canal
- Nafplio: a guided evening walk and the Palamidi fortress
- Mycenae: the citadel, the Treasury of Atreus and the site museum
- Epidaurus: the theatre, the Sanctuary of Asclepius and the site museum
- Mystras: the castle gate, the churches and the palace of the despots
- Monemvasia: the lower town and the upper town with Agia Sofia
- Gytheio: the harbour and Marathonisi
- The Diros caves by boat
- Areopoli: the square and tower houses
- Kardamyli: the walk to Old Kardamyli and Exochori
- Olympia: the museum and the site
Repas
- Breakfast daily (7)
- 7 sit-down lunches: near the Corinth Canal, near Epidaurus, in Mystras, Gytheio, Exochori and Olympia, and on the Gulf of Corinth
- 4 dinners: a welcome dinner in Plaka, a dinner in Monemvasia, a dinner in Kardamyli and a farewell dinner in Olympia
Non compris
- International flights to and from Athens
- Travel insurance
- Visa or travel authorisation fees, if any apply to you (ETIAS, scheduled to start in late 2026, is expected to apply to 2027 dates)
- Meals not listed (dinners on days 2, 3 and 5 are on you)
- Drinks
- Tips
- Optional activities, such as the Bourtzi boat ride in Nafplio
- Personal expenses
Suppléments
- Chambre individuelle
- CAD 800 (prix estimé)
Quand partir
Dates et prix
Choisissez votre date de départ au moment de votre demande de réservation. Nous vérifions cette date et la confirmons dans votre devis.
Vous préférez voyager sans groupe ni guide? Demandez-nous d'organiser vos hôtels, vos transports et vos visites de ville pour voyager en autonomie.
Avant de réserver
Conditions de réservation
Rien n'est facturé maintenant. Les conditions complètes et le barème d'annulation accompagnent votre devis, avant que vous acceptiez.
Adresses de l'entreprise
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Avis des voyageurs
Ce que disent nos voyageurs
Avis de voyageurs ayant participé à nos visites d'une journée.
5/5
5/5
5/5
5/5
5/5
Bon à savoir
Questions
What does the price include?
Seven nights in central hotels, breakfast daily, 7 sit-down lunches and 4 dinners, airport transfers both ways, our own minibus and driver with tolls, your See Sight Tours guide throughout, licensed local guides at the sites, and every entry in the day plan: the Acropolis, Mycenae, Epidaurus, Palamidi, Mystras, the Diros cave boat and Olympia.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests in one minibus. That is small enough to hear the guide at Mycenae, share one table at lunch, walk the Mani path together and fit through Monemvasia's gate, where many mainland Greece tours run to 16 or travel by full-size coach.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group from the airport on day 1 to the airport on day 8, so you have the same guide and the same group every day. Licensed local guides join at the Acropolis, Mycenae, Epidaurus, Mystras and Olympia. We name your guide when we confirm your dates.
How fit do I need to be?
Moderately fit: expect two to three hours a day on foot on uneven stone, cobbles and steps, often in the sun. The longest walk, about 2 to 3 hours up an old mule path to Exochori in the Mani, has a 20-minute version and the van. Mystras, Monemvasia's upper town and Palamidi each have an easier choice.
I'm travelling solo. Is there a single supplement?
Yes, a room of your own is CAD 800 more, about 17 percent of the price, shown up front with no surprise at checkout. Solo travellers get the same group, the same table and the same guide as everyone else. If you would like to share a room with another solo guest, ask when you book and we will tell you if a share is possible.
When is the best time to go?
April to June and September to October. Days are warm and bright, the Mani is green with wildflowers in spring, the sea is warm in early autumn, and the sites are quieter than in summer. July and August often pass 35 C. From November most sites keep shorter winter hours.
How does booking work?
Choose a start date and request to book. We confirm your place within 24 hours, and no payment is taken when you send the request. The small group starts from CAD 4,695 per person sharing, taxes included, and the private trip from CAD 8,450.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. Besides the small group, the trip runs as a private trip for your party only, on a date you choose, with your own guide and vehicle. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section and we will quote the same hotels, drivers and site guides for you.
Do I need a visa for Greece?
No visa, but plan on ETIAS. Canadian and US passport holders can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period in the Schengen area, which includes Greece. The EU's ETIAS travel authorisation is scheduled to start in the last quarter of 2026 and is expected to apply to 2027 dates; apply online at travel-europe.europa.eu before you fly.
How is this different from your mainland Greece trip?
Our mainland Greece trip covers Athens, Meteora, Delphi, Olympia and Nafplio. This one skips Delphi and Meteora and goes deeper south instead: Mystras, a night in Monemvasia, two nights in the Mani at Kardamyli and the Diros caves. Both share the Acropolis, Mycenae, Epidaurus and Olympia, so pick the one whose new places you want most.
How long are the drives?
Most days are 2 to 3.75 hours in the van, each broken by a site or a sit-down lunch: the two longest southern days stop at Mystras, Gytheio and the Diros caves. The longest is the last, Olympia to Athens, about 4 hours and 330 km, with a coffee stop by the Rio-Antirrio bridge and lunch on the Gulf of Corinth.
What are the Diros caves like?
The Diros caves, near Areopoli in the Mani, are visited mostly by small boat: a boatman takes you through flooded galleries hung with stalactites, then you walk out on a short dry section. The boats are low and you duck under the rock, so it is not for anyone who dislikes tight spaces; you can wait outside instead.