Minivan Tour "History and legend, Classical Greece and Meteora"

Arrival at Athens airport, welcoming of participants and departure towards Delphi (about 200km), on the slopes of Mount Parnassus.
Arrival at the hotel, Check-in assignment of the rooms.
Dinner and overnight stay.

Morning dedicated to visit of the archaeological site of Delphi, in a scenario of beauty and majesty, we find the remains of the Temple dedicated to the Delphic Apollo of Greek mythology.
Guided tour of the site and the archaeological museum.
We then set off again towards the West on the panoramic road that runs along the north side of the great Gulf of Corinth with its coastal villages Itea, Galaxidi, Glyfada, the small island of Trizonia (70 inhabitants!) and Lepanto' , scene of the famous naval battle between the Ottoman and Venetian fleets which took place on 7 October 1571.
A few more kilometers and we arrive at the Poseidon Bridge inaugurated for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, it is the longest cable-stayed bridge in the world (3km).
On the way stop for lunch (optional, not included); finally we reach the village of Krioneri, between the mouth of the Evinos river, at the foot of Monte Varasovas', an impressive rock that drops sheer to the sea from 1000m. of altitude. Dinner and overnight.

Departure crossing the lagoon of Messolonghi with its salt pans and the small city-island-fortress of Aitolikio, founded by the Byzantines in 900 AC and then occupied and embellished for a long time by the Serenissima they knew about lagoons, so much so that they were also called little Venice.
Reached the bay of Astakos in front of the uninhabited archipelago of the Echinades with its 20 islands that surround the more famous Itaka which can be seen on the horizon.
We then arrive at Mytikas, a village facing the verdant island of Kalamos (500 inhabitants) and the small Kastos (50 inhabitants); stop for lunch (optional not included).
Then we continue to the island of Lefkada, connected to the mainland by a swing bridge, where we will stop for a walk through the narrow streets of the capital "Santa Maura".
Finally we return to the mainland and through the submarine tunnel we arrive at
Preveza, theater of the famous battle of Actium where Marcantonio and Cleopatra were defeated by the emperor Octavian Augustus.
Dinner and overnight.

Departure along the coast of Epirus, endless beaches such as Kanali, Vrachos, Ammoudia. An appropriate detour will allow us to discover the enchanting Parga, a Venetian town for over 350 years, with pastel colors overlooking an amphitheater on a crystalline sea. Stop for lunch (optional, not included); we return to the main road to touch the Kalodiki swamp, an ecosystem with 300 types of aquatic plants, populated by 120 species of birds, 20 different mammals, 11 types of reptiles, 5 species of amphibians and various types of fish; part of the European Natura 2000 project, created to protect such important ecological environments. Finally we head to Ioannina, the capital of Epirus and an authentic jewel to be discovered on the shores of Lake Pamvotida.
Churches and Christian Monasteries alternate with Minarets and Synagogues, everyone has passed through here and every civilization has left deep marks. The Castro, the Seraglio, the extraordinary Silver Museum, the Byzantine Museum, the Ethnographic Museum, the islet of Nissi with the last residence of the Ottoman Governor Alì Pascià', to whom the history of the city is inextricably tied up!
Dinner and overnight.

Along the scenic north lake road we head to Metsovo, a picturesque mountain town at an altitude of 1,200m. above sea level, on the northern slopes of the impervious Pindo mountain range, a little man-made ecosystem where brown bears, wolves, jackals, foxes, roe deer and chamois still live among beech and black pine forests.
Small winter ski resort, renowned for wood carving, for the production of honey, cheese and wine production of which the Katogi Averoff winery is certainly the spearhead, slowly maturing vineyards for a mountain red obtained from red Syrah grapes and white Traminer grapes; if possible we will try to visit the suggestive cellar!
Here is the second most important art gallery in Greece, born around the private collection of Evangelos Averoff, a character to whom Metsovo owes much of its beauty, the gallery houses 200 works including paintings and sculptures by major Greek artists.
A brief stop for lunch (optional, not included) and then continue to Kalambaka, the small town that develops downstream of the surprising complex of Meteors.
An unforgettable sunset photo tour from a panoramic point awaits us!
Dinner and overnight.

Departure to admire the unique examples of Byzantine art on the top of enormous granite rocks, as if suspended in the sky: the Monasteries of the Meteors, which preserve fantastic historical and religious treasures inside.
To date there are 6 monasteries that can be visited, do we visit one or do we opt for an easy guided Trekking of the unknown Meteors (optional, not included)?
We then leave to reach Paleos Panteleimon considered cultural heritage of the European Union since 1978 as a typical traditional settlement, a reference point of the architecture of Northern Greece.
The houses are all in local stone worked by Macedonian artisans.
The panorama is fascinating with the summit of Mount Olympus on the left and in front of the immensity of the Aegean Sea.
The main square with the church, the old school, several taverns and cafés all in the shade of a huge centuries-old plane tree! Short stop for lunch (optional, not included) and then continue to Volos, birthplace of the painter Giorgio de Chirico and of the famous composer Vanghelis.
With 140,000 inhabitants, it is the capital of Thessaly, a modern city with mythical roots, home of the Argonauts, a very long sparkling seafront flanked by hundreds of bars.
Dinner and overnight.

Departure for Termopoli with a brief stop at the Monument of Leonidas. We continue to reach Chalkida, 110,000 inhabitants, capital of the large island of Evia, where we will observe the strange phenomenon of the Canal of Oedipus
Stop for lunch (optional, not included).
Visit of the city Archaeological Museum, the Karababas Castle, the Red House and the bust of Aristotle (he died here in 322 BC), the pedestrian shopping street and finally if we feel like it we can go and relax in one of the beaches surrounding the city (Alykes, Asterias etc).
Dinner and overnight.

Departure for a short visit to the starting point of the famous Athens Marathon followed by a visit to a typical Attic winery with relative tasting (optional, not included) and a typical dairy.
Reached Athens, check-in at the hotel and in the afternoon a guided city walking tour of the main places of this sparkling city, capital of western culture!

Possible activities (optional, not included) that it will be possible to do in Athens:

- Discover secret places of the city with an exciting and fun guided e-bike tour of the historic center, 2 hours of routes on closed-to-traffic roads, an alternative way to get to know Athens better!
- Dinner in a traditional place in Athens
- Dinner on the top floor of an elegant roof garden with a wonderful view of the Acropolis.... unforgettable!

Check-out and departure in time to reach the Athens airport where our tour will end.

Probably the nostalgia will be a lot but you can mitigate it by already starting to think about participating in one of our other exciting itineraries,
thanks for traveling with us, we are waiting for you again!