Arachova

Our first stop is going to be at the picturesque village of Arachova for you to enjoy the view and take a few pictures.

Tholos of Athena Pronaia

The Tholos of Delphi is among the ancient structures of the Sanctuary of Athena Pronaia in Delphi. The circular temple, a tholos, shares the immediate site with other ancient foundations of the Temple of Athena Pronaia, all located less than a mile east of the main ruins at Delphi, in the modern Greek regional unit of Phocis. The tholos is part of the Delphi UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Delphi Archaeological Museum

Delphi Archaeological Museum is one of the principal museums of Greece and one of the most visited. It is operated by the Greek Ministry of Culture. Founded in 1903, it has been rearranged several times and houses the discoveries made at the Panhellenic sanctuary of Delphi, which dates from the Late Helladic (Mycenean) period to the early Byzantine era. Organized in fourteen rooms on two levels, the museum mainly displays statues, including the famous Charioteer of Delphi, architectural elements, like the frieze of the Siphnian Treasury, and ex-votos dedicated to the sanctuary of Pythian Apollo, like the Sphinx of Naxos.

Temple of Apollo

Visit Delphi archeological site, a UNESCO-recognized archeological site that’s among Greece’s most iconic places. In ancient times was a sacred precinct that served as the seat of Pythia, the major oracle who was consulted about important decisions throughout the ancient classical world. The Temple of Apollo, god of music, harmony, light, healing, and oracles occupied the most important and prominent position in the Delphic Panhellenic Sanctuary. The edifice with the partially restored colonnade visible today dates to the 4th century BC; it is the third temple built at the same place. The famous oracle, the Pythia, operated inside the temple, the location chosen, according to one tradition, due to a sacred chasm beneath the site emitting vapors, which were inhaled by the Pythia. Some ancient writers state that the Pythia then entered a state of delirium and uttering inarticulate cries, which were then turned into equivocal oracles by the priests.

Delphi

After visiting the site you will have some free time for shopping and to enjoy your lunch at a traditional greek tavern at Delphi village before we continue our trip to Meteora.

Meteora

Late in the afternoon (after a three hours drive) we will arrive at Meteora, your driver will drop you off at your hotel to get some rest and he will pick you up the next morning to continue your tour.

Meteora

At their peak in the sixteenth century there were 24 monasteries at Meteora in Greece. They were created to serve monks and nuns following the teachings of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Much of the architecture of these buildings is Athonite in origin. Today there are six still functioning, while the remainder are largely in ruin. Perched onto high cliffs, they are now accessible by staircases and pathways cut into the rock formations. Breathtaking at first site, the Monasteries are of great cultural and natural importance, you will have the time to visit three of the Monasteries. Please be modestly dressed. Women are suggested to wear long skirts & long sleeves. If you do not have, you will be given a skirt in your way in.

Meteora

Free time for lunch at a traditional Greek tavern with your friends and family or shopping at Kastraki, a picturesque village near Meteora.

Leonidas Monument

On our way back to Athens we will make a stop at the battlefield of Thermopylae to admire the statue of king Leonidas. Leonidas was a king of the Greek city-state of Sparta and had a notable participation in the Second Persian War, where he led the allied Greek forces to a last stand at the Battle of Thermopylae (480 BC) while attempting to defend the pass from the invading Persian army; he died at the battle and entered myth as the leader of the 300 Spartans. While the Greeks lost this battle, they were able to expel the Persian invaders in the following year.

Athens

We will be back to Athens late in the afternoon.