Itinerary
Day 1: Saturday 17th April
Arrival and Welcome Dinner: This evening congregate at our hotel, Central Hotel in Plaka, for a briefing about the tour and to meet your fellow travellers. We will have dinner together at a nearby local restaurant.
Day 2: Sunday 18th April
Corinth Canal, Nemea and the Peloponnese: Checking out of our hotel we drive west towards the Corinth canal. After a brief stop at this engineering marvel we continue to the Nemea region, one of the most important in Greece for red wine. We visit one of the leading wineries in the region where we will have a tour, tasting and lunch. We continue up into the hills to visit a family estate and taste their range of stunning wines.
Late afternoon we drive to Nafplion and check into the boutique Hotel Ippoliti near the seafront, which will be our base for the next three nights. This evening is free to explore this beautiful town, which was the first capital of modern Greece, and try one of the many fine restaurants.
Day 3: Monday 19th April
Epidaurus and Nafplion: Today is our first ‘cultural’ day. We drive to the ancient site of Epidaurus where a private guide will give us a tour of the museum and the majestic ancient theatre. We return to Nafplion at lunchtime and there will be the option to be dropped off at Palamidi castle which overlooks the town. This afternoon is free for swimming and sightseeing. This evening we will meet up for a BYO group dinner at a local taverna.
Day 4: Tuesday 20th April
Nemea Part 2 and Mycenae: Today we visit two more important Nemea wineries. In the morning at one of the top wineries of the region we will have an extensive tasting. Afterwards we continue to one of the pioneers of the modern Greek wine scene where we will have a tour, tasting and buffet lunch. Late afternoon we will have a private guided tour of the ancient site of Mycenae, made famous by King Agamemnon. This evening is free to try another of the many restaurants in Nafplion.
Day 5: Wednesday 21st April
Mantinea: Checking out of our hotel we drive south towards Tripoli and the wine region of Mantinea where we will visit two wineries for tastings. Lunch today will be at a beautiful boutique hotel converted from a family mansion. Afterwards we continue west to Olympia and check into Hotel Asty, our base for the next 2 nights. This evening is free to explore the town or to relax at the hotel.
Day 6: Thursday 22nd April
Ancient Olympia and Beach: This morning we will have a private guided tour of the ancient site of Olympia and its museum. Late morning we visit a historic wine estate where we will have a tour and tasting. This afternoon we will head to the coastal area of Katokalon and Agios Andreas beach for some lunch and downtime. Evening dinner is included as part of our stay at the hotel.
Day 7: Friday 23rd April
Cog Railway and Kalavrita: Checking out of our hotel we have an early start as we drive north towards Diakofto in the Northern Peloponnese to take the scenic ride on the famous Cog Railway to Kalavrita. Afterwards we drive back down towards the Gulf of Corinth, stopping at a winery where we will have a tasting and lunch whilst enjoy the stunning views. Late afternoon we drive back to Athens and check-in again at Hotel Central. This evening there is nothing officially planned though you may like to go to a local wine bar to try a few more Greek wines from other parts of Greece!
Day 8: Saturday 24th April
Attiki Wine Region: Around midday, we head back towards the airport and the wine region of Attiki (the province where Athens is situated) to visit two contrasting wineries – one which has a stunning modern winery and the other which is more low-key and where we hope to get out into their vineyard. For our final group meal together we will have dinner at a taverna in the resort of Porto Rafti overlooking the Aegean Sea.
Day 9: Sunday 25th April
Farewell: after breakfast – TOUR ENDS.
For those returning to London on a late flight there will be time for sightseeing – maybe a visit to the Acropolis and its excellent new museum or the National Archaeological Museum.