Classical Peloponnese

Athens Airport is the meeting point, at your arrival time, and our driver takes the road west to the Argolida. At Epidaurus a licensed guide walks the sanctuary of Asklepios and the theatre with you, gently, for one to two hours. The theatre’s 55 rows still carry a voice from the stage to the top seats, and the guide will usually prove it. From there it is on to Nafplio, a free hour to settle in, and the hosted welcome dinner in town. Wear flat shoes with grip: the limestone seats are worn smooth.

A short drive north from Nafplio reaches Mycenae in the morning, and we arrive as the site opens. A licensed guide spends one to two hours on the citadel with you, at an easy pace: the Lion Gate, the grave circle and the walls of stones too large for any human arm, which later Greeks credited to the Cyclopes. Above the gate, the two carved lions have lost their heads. Lunch is back in Nafplio and the afternoon is free. Dinner is your own tonight; tell us by breakfast and we book a table.

Breakfast is early, because this is the day with the most road: south through Sparta to Mystras, then west over the Langada pass to Kalamata. At Mystras a licensed guide leads you through the churches and lanes of the hill town for one to two hours, on steep stone paths taken slowly. Mystras held out as the last capital of Byzantine Greece until 1460. Lunch fits around the visit before the climb across Taygetos, and the evening ends at the hosted dinner in Kalamata’s old town. Keep a warm layer in the vehicle: the pass runs high.

The guide who works Ancient Messene year round meets us at the site, north-west of Kalamata. With them you walk the walls, the theatre and the stadium over one to two gentle hours, on paths that stay mostly level. Nearly 9 km of fortifications, built in the 4th century BC, still ring the city. After lunch the drive back to Kalamata leaves the afternoon free, and the evening is yours. Ask us at breakfast if you want a table booked for dinner.

Olympia is a full day out from Kalamata, north along the west side of the Peloponnese. A licensed guide takes you through the sanctuary for one to two hours, from the stadium to the workshop where Pheidias built the gold-and-ivory statue of Zeus. Lunch is included before the return to Kalamata, where our team hosts the farewell dinner. If a long road day suits you less, we can swap Olympia for a day on the coast or in town; tell us when you book.

Kayak or a short gorge walk: the last morning is your choice, both easy, with equipment included. It is a change of pace after five sites, and the only time on the trip the stone gives way to water or shade. Once you are back and changed, our driver takes the road from Kalamata to Athens, the final transfer of the trip. Pack swim kit and a towel in your day bag if you choose the kayak.