Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
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 days · Round trip from Athens · up to 12 guests
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)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 8 days, 7 nights
- Start and end
- Round trip from Athens
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Longest drive
- 4 h on day 8No drive day is longer than 4 hours.
- Activity level
Moderate
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.
- Meals included
- 7 breakfasts, 7 lunches, 4 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 800 (estimated price)
- Season
- April to June and September to October
Highlights
Why this trip
- 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
What makes this trip different
Short drives, all published
Every drive is listed day by day, and none is longer than 4 hours.
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 800 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
The longest drive is 4 h, on day 8.
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Athens
Athens International Airport to your hotel in central Athens
- Dinner
- Stay in Athens
- Drive about 45 min
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.
Evening
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.
Included
- 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
Free time: Free until the 5 pm briefing
Activity: 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
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Nafplio
- Drive about 2 h
Morning
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.
Afternoon
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.
Evening
Dinner is your choice.
Included
- 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
Easier option: 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.
Free time: Late afternoon and dinner free in Nafplio
Activity: 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
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Nafplio
- Drive about 2 h
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.
Afternoon
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.
Included
- 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
Optional experiences
- A boat ride around the Bourtzi island fortress (paid locally, when it runs)
Easier option: 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.
More active option: 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.
Free time: Afternoon and evening free in Nafplio
Activity: 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
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Monemvasia
- Drive about 4 h
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.
Afternoon
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.
Evening
Dinner together tonight inside the walls.
Included
- 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
Easier option: Ride the van between Mystras's upper and lower gates and visit only the lower town's churches.
More active option: Climb from the upper gate to the castle at the top of Mystras before walking down with the group.
Activity: 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
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Kardamyli
- Drive about 3.5 h
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.
Afternoon
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.
Evening
The evening is free.
Included
- 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
Easier option: Stay in Monemvasia's lower town for a slow coffee by the sea wall instead of climbing to Agia Sofia.
Free time: Evening free in Kardamyli
Activity: 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
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Kardamyli
- Drive about 30 min
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.
Afternoon
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.
Evening
In the evening we eat together, on the last night by the sea.
Included
- 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
Easier option: Walk only to Old Kardamyli, about 20 minutes each way, then meet the group for lunch in Exochori by van.
More active option: Walk back down to Kardamyli on the path after lunch instead of taking the van.
Free time: Afternoon free in Kardamyli
Activity: 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
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Olympia
- Drive about 3 h
Morning
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.
Afternoon
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.
Evening
Farewell dinner in the village.
Included
- 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
Easier option: Visit the museum and the stadium only, and rest under the pines while the group walks the full site.
More active option: Run the length of the ancient stadium track, about 192 m.
Activity: 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
- Breakfast and lunch
- Drive about 4 h
Evening
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.
Included
- 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
Activity: 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 night
- Nafplio2 nights
- Monemvasia1 night
- Kardamyli2 nights
- Olympia1 night
- Athensend
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: 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.
Want this plan in your inbox?
Get the day-by-day itinerary by email, or ask us anything about this trip. A trip planner replies the same or next business day.
Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- 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
Not for you if you want
- 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
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
7 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Athens1 night
- Nafplio2 nights
- Monemvasia1 night
- Kardamyli2 nights
- Olympia1 night
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 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
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group for the whole trip
- Licensed local guides at the Acropolis, Mycenae, Epidaurus, Mystras and Olympia
Activities
- 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
Meals
- 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
Not included
- 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
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 800 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
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+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
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.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
Book your Tour
Get in Touch
- Toll Free1-888-961-6584
- Local1-289-271-9767
© 2026 See Sight Tours. All rights reserved.