COMPLETE FILE

Overview

Self-drive tour of Greece

Discover Greece in all its glory on this superb self-drive tour: from the wonders of Athens to the unique landscapes and enchanting atmosphere of Olympia, “Cradle of the Olympics”. Though these magnificent sites are still worthy travel destinations, mass tourism has left its mark – so much so that such sites can no longer be said to represent this country’s unique personality. On this self-drive tour of Greece, we have combined these must-see destinations with a “Greekish” pause, so you can calmly sit back and relax at the kafenion and watch the hours go by, slowly, peacefully.

On this self-drive tour of Greece, you visit the highlights of this country, but you also discover its true identity. Be warned: this discovery could have a profound impact on your life: Greece is a country from which many never really return…

Historical Landmarks of Greece is a self-drive tour that blends together culture, history, and nature. Discover Athens’s legendary exuberance and its brand new Acropolis Museum. Travel through time at great historical and archeological sites, including the Mycenae, Epidaurus, Delphi, and Olympia. Visit Greece’s more recent history and witness the impact of the Ottoman occupation. Marvel at this country’s depth and authenticity. And let’s not forget the mountains and wild forests of the north, close to the Bulgarian border. One thousand landscapes, one thousand colors, one thousand pleasures – in one country!

Contact our Greece specialists today for more information on this self-drive tour of Greece!

Itinerary

Day 1| (preferably a Sunday) Montreal - Athens
Departure from Montreal – International flight

Day 2| Athens
Arrival at Athens airport, private transfer to your downtown hotel. You have the rest of the day to explore the area. Overnight in Athens.

Day 3| Athens
This morning, breakfast is followed by a guided tour of the capital (as part of a group). Enjoy leisure time in the afternoon and feel free to make your own discoveries (we suggest Plaka and Monastiraki districts).

Day 4| Athens - Nafplion
Breakfast. Rental car pick-up at your hotel and departure for Peloponnese. Today’s destination is Nafplion bay (180 km, approx. 2 hrs driving). On your way you can stop by Corinth Canal or ancient Corinth, once beloved city of the apostle Paul, where you can visit the Acropolis that towers 1700 feet above the ruins, the market square, whose layout hasn’t changed since the times of the Great Apostle, the Bema, where Paul preached, the Agora, the temple of Apollo and the fountain of Peirene. Overnight in Tolo.

Days 5 and 6| Nafplion region
These days are a great opportunity to discover this region. You can head to the Mycenae, Agamemnon’s mythical kingdom, or to Epidaurus and its sanctuary, known across the world for its theatre’s acoustics, where many performances take place throughout the summer. Make sure you visit the small museum here. In Nafplion you’ll have no shortage of options: take a stroll around in the city’s ancient streets, visit the Palamidi, or enjoy some downtime at the beach. Overnight in Tolo.

Day 7| Nafplion - Olympia
After breakfast, head for Olympia (173 km – 3 hours). To reach Olympia, you will cross one of the Peloponnese’s most beautiful regions: Arcadia, with small mountain roads and unique landscape. Olympia was Greece’s religious centre. Here once stood the Temple of Zeus, and the sanctuary of Altis (sacred woods). This is where the Olympic flame is traditionally lit. Overnight in Olympia.

Day 8| Olympia - Delphi
Breakfast. Visit the archeological site and museum of Olympia. Head for Delphi, approximately 224 km away, passing the Rion-Antirion Bridge on the way. You should have enough time to visit the small fishing ports of Nafpaktos and Itea. Overnight in Delphi.

Day 9| Delphi - Pelion region
Breakfast. Visit the archeological site and museum of Delphi. In ancient Greece, Delphi was the site of an important Pan-Hellenic sanctuary dedicated to the Pythian god Apollo. We strongly recommend the museum. Head for Portaria in the Pelion region (215 km – 3 hours drive time). Overnight in the Pelion.

Day 10| Pelion region
After breakfast, visit the Pelion, land of the centaurs, stronghold of Greek nationalism during Ottoman occupation. Here, the mountains drop right into the sea. The vegetation is very diversified, thanks to this region’s fresh and humid climate. Overnight in the Pelion.

Day 11| Pelion - Thessaloniki
After breakfast you drive to Thessaloniki (220 km – 2 hrs 40 min drive). Day of Leisure in Thessaloniki, once the capital of a Macedonian province in 168 BC, now Greece’s second largest city. Not to be missed: the fortifications, beautiful byzantine churches, the arch of Galerius, and some Turkish monuments, such as Hamza Bey and Ishak Pasha mosques. Overnight in Thessaloniki.

Day 12| Thessaloniki - Halkidiki region
After breakfast you drive to Halkidiki region (83 km), a large peninsula south of Thessaloniki that splits into three smaller peninsulas: Kassandra, Sithonia, and Mount Athos. This is where you’ll find Greece’s most beautiful beaches. Overnight in Afitos (you can sign up for Greek cooking classes here or in Ouranoupolis, schedule permitting).

Day 13| Halkidiki
After breakfast, you have the whole day to discover the area in complete freedom. Overnight in Afitos or Ouranoupolis

Day 14| Halkidiki - Ioannina
Enjoy breakfast and then head for Ioannina (356 km – 4½ hours drive time), capital of Epirus, built on the shores of lake Pamvotis. Close by, you can visit the antique theatre of Dodona. 22 km away from Ioannina, Dodona is an oracular sanctuary dedicated to Zeus and to the mother goddess known as Dione. Herodotus claimed this site was the site of the first ancient Greek oracle. Perhaps going back as far as 2,000 BC, priests and priestesses from the holy copse came here to interpret the rustling of the oak leaves in the wind. The great amphitheatre located next to the entrance was built in the 3rd century and expanded upon by the Romans. Overnight in Ioannina.

Day 15| Zagorohoria
Enjoy your breakfast and then drive for about 29 km towards the small traditional villages of the Zagori region, Zagorohoria, where you find exceptional natural landscapes and well preserved architecture. Overnight in Zagoria or surrounding village.

Day 16| Zagorohoria – the Meteora
Breakfast and then it’s off to Kalambaka, where you enter a completely unique site at the foot of the Meteora (141 km, about 3 hours on the road). Monasteries perched on rocky peaks, balanced between earth and sky – this unique place’s atmosphere borders on the mystical. Overnight in Kastraki or Kalambaka.

Day 17| Meteora- Athens
Enjoy breakfast, visit one or two monasteries, and then head to Athens (350 km – 4 hrs 40 min). Rental car drop-off before 7 pm at your hotel. Overnight in Athens.

Day 18| Athens - Montreal
Breakfast and transfer to the airport for your flight to Montreal.

Budget

**Rates published on this website are for information purposes only and are not legally binding (since departure dates are not given). Prices on this website are known to fluctuate frequently in relation to changes in currencies and hotel pricing. In order to obtain a definite quote, please click here.

Other fees

Lodging

4-Star Supplement
Prices for the above program are based on 3-Star accommodation. Please note that for those looking for a little extra comfort, it is possible to follow this itinerary while staying in higher-end 4-Star accommodation. Should you choose this option, the following are the hotels where you will be staying (subject to availability):

Athens: Hotel Herodion www.herodion.com
Nafplion area: Hotel Ippoliti www.ippoliti.gr
Olympia: Hotel Europa www.hoteleuropa.gr/fr/index.html
Delphi: Hotel Anemolia (Arachova) www.anemolia.gr
Pelion: Hotel Archontiko Naoumidis (suite) www.naoumidishotel.gr
Thessaloniki: Hotel Anatolia www.anatoliahotel.gr
Halkidiki: Hotel Petrinos (junior suite) www.petrino-hotel.gr/en/index.html
Ioannina: Hotel Krikonis suites www.beehappyhotels.com
Zagarohoria: Hotel Archontilo www.archontiko-zarkada-monodendri-zagorohoria.focusgreece.gr
Kalambaka: Hotel Meteora Kastraki www.meteora-hoteltsikeli.clickhere.gr/kalambaka.htm

Overview

Greece boasts 16,000 km of coastline evenly split between its thousands of islands and the mainland. The Greek shores offer exceptionally diverse landscapes: long, clean beaches, sheltered bays and small coves, sandy beaches lined with dunes, pebble beaches, rocky peaks towering over underwater caves, black sand beaches typical of volcanic soil, coastal wetlands, etc. The diversity of these shores combined with the crystal clear waters that surround them have made the world-famous Greek islands extremely popular. In 2004, 378 Greek beaches and 7 marinas were awarded the blue flag under the “Blue Flags of Europe” program, placing Greece among Europe’s best.
The Greek shores are easily accessible and you can discover these in complete freedom, usually with few other swimmers around. There are also dozens of beaches offering a number of quality services, including parasols, chairs, changing rooms, cafés, bars, restaurants, etc.
Apart from swimming, many other water sports are available, including water skiing, windsurfing, scuba diving, parasailing (solo or duo), tubing, banana boating, jet skiing, pedal boating, etc.


The islands...
In the Aegean sea, little white houses bask in a bright and warm sun, surrounded by crystal clear waters: welcome to the Cyclades! The Greek islands are probably the country’s most famous asset. They are an integral part of society and have shaped its culture and traditions.
There are 6,000 islands and islets scattered between the Aegean and Ionian seas, only 227 of which are inhabited, a phenomenon unique in all of Europe. The Greek islands boast 7,500 km of shores, for a national total of 16,000 km. These shores display exceptionally diverse landscapes: long, clean beaches, sheltered bays and small coves, sandy beaches lined with dunes, pebble beaches, rocky peaks towering over underwater caves, black sand beaches typical of volcanic soil, coastal wetlands, etc.
Many beaches have received awards from the Blue Flags of Europe program. Apart from swimming, they lend themselves to scuba diving, snorkeling, water skiing, sailing and windsurfing. As they represent the cradle of some of the most ancient and prosperous European civilizations (the Cycladic, Minoan civilizations, etc.), the islands boast unique archaeological sites, an outstanding architectural heritage, and centuries-old, fascinating local traditions of a multifaceted cultural past. It’s not surprising then that 58.5% of the country’s lodging establishments and 62.6% of hotel beds are found on the islands (data for 2003). All the above, combined with the ideal climate, the safety of Greek waters and the short distances between ports and coasts, have made these islands extremely popular among Greek and foreign visitors.

Geography

Greece is a mountainous country, with more than 300 mountains of varying sizes on its territory. The Pindus Mountains, often called the “spine of Greece”, form the country’s main mountain range, extending from the mainland down to the Peloponnese and Crete. Most Greek islands are actually the peaks of the underwater Aegean mountains that long ago connected Greece with continental Asia. The country’s highest mountain is the mythical Mount Olympus in Macedonia, where Mytikas peak culminates at 2917 m. Some 40 mountainous areas spread across the country have peaks rising over 2,000 meters. The Greek mountains are characterized by their diversity, their unique landscape and their exceptional forests, some of which are among Europe’s oldest natural forests. To help protect their unparalleled natural wealth (flora and fauna), many of these forests are classified as natural reserves.

Culture

Greece is filled with prestigious archeological sites and charming monuments rich in history, each a reminder of a specific period in this country’s long and impressive history. Visitors have the opportunity to make a unique journey into Greece’s past and discover its historical and cultural wealth, each of the country’s regions bearing a local reminder of one of this ancient civilization’s many facets.

The following archeological and cultural sites are on UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites:

• Mount Athos (monastery complex)
• Athens (Acropolis)
• Bassae (temple of Apollo Epicurus)
• Vergina - Aigai
• Delphi (archeological site)
• Delos (archeological site)
• Epidaurus (archeological site)
• Paleochristian and Byzantine monuments in Thessalonika
• Meteora monasteries
• Mystras (medieval town)
• Monasteries of Dafni (Attica), Hosios Loukas (Phocida) and Nea Moni of Chios
• Archeological sites of Mycenae and Tiryns
• Olympia (archeological site)
• Patmos (Saint-John monastery and cave of the Apocalypse)
• Medieval city of Rhodes
• Samos (Pythagoreion and Heraion)

Climate

The climate in Greece is Mediterranean, which means plenty of sunshine, little rain, and warm temperatures. Thanks to its geographical location, mountainous terrain, and a territory split between the sea and the mainland, Greece’s climate varies considerably as one travels from one place to another. In the summer, the Meltelmi winds bring a breath of fresh air on the warmer days, while the temperatures remain lower in the mountainous areas. In the plains, winters are fair with little snowfall, while the mountains receive their fair share of snow. Temperature variations within the same season are frequent (for example, coastal temperatures are warm while it’s very cold in the mountains).

When to sail?

April/May/mid-June:
Spring in the islands offers lots of sunshine. The flowers are in bloom and the air full of Mediterranean fragrances. Moderate winds and a warm breeze mean the conditions are right for family sailing. The sea is still cold in April, but once May rolls in the water becomes more inviting.




Mid-June/July/August:
Warm and dry summer, more demanding sailing conditions due to Northern winds: the Meltemi. Enjoy fine evenings and refreshing sunsets as you drop anchor in a warm and lively port in the Cyclades.

September/October:
“A lovely autumn that doesn’t fear winter”. After summer, things calm down. Winds become moderate. The days get shorter, but the sunsets are more beautiful. Having been warmed by the sun all summer long, the water temperature is ideal. Smooth sailing and fair weather for those who dread the summer heat.