Why Choose a 5 Day Peloponnese Tour Based in Nafplio
Most multi-day tours of Greece have you packing your bags every morning. This private 5 day Peloponnese tour from Athens does it differently: one night in Athens, then three nights in the same hotel in Nafplio, the first capital of modern Greece, with day trips to the island of Spetses, Byzantine Mystras and the wine country of Nemea. You travel door to door in a private air-conditioned Mercedes with your own English-speaking driver, at your own pace.
- Four UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The Acropolis, Epidaurus, Mycenae and Mystras, plus Ancient Corinth, where the Apostle Paul preached, and Sparta.
- Athens with a local. A guided Acropolis tour with timed entry tickets included, then a Greek food tour in Monastiraki that starts with a warm koulouri from Mr. Babis and his cart on the square.
- A day trip to Spetses. A car-free island with the mansion museum of Laskarina Bouboulina, the old harbor boatyards and time for a swim.
- Nemea wine tasting. A visit to a family winery in the largest red wine appellation in Greece, home of the Agiorgitiko grape.
Ideal for couples and families who want the highlights of Athens and the Peloponnese without changing hotels every night. Choose your dates and hotel category and book your private 5 day tour from Athens online in a few minutes.
Instead of changing hotels every night, this private 5 day Peloponnese tour from Athens keeps you in one place: three nights in Nafplio, the first capital of modern Greece, with day trips to the island of Spetses, Byzantine Mystras and Sparta, and the wineries of Nemea. It starts in Athens with a private Acropolis tour and a Greek food tasting, and covers four UNESCO World Heritage Sites along the way. Your own driver, and no group to wait for.
Day 1: Private Acropolis Tour and Athens Food Tour
- 09:00 Acropolis: Your private driver picks you up at your Athens hotel and takes you to the foot of the Acropolis, where your licensed guide is waiting with your timed entry tickets, so you skip the ticket line. On your private Acropolis tour, walk up through the Propylaia to the Temple of Athena Nike, the Erechtheion with its Caryatids and the Parthenon, completed in 438 BC, then look down on the Theater of Dionysus on the south slope.
💡 Insider tip: The marble on the Acropolis is polished smooth by millions of visitors and can be slippery, so wear shoes with good grip.
Continue on foot to Monastiraki and the lanes of the old market. Your Athens food tour usually starts with a warm koulouri, a sesame bread ring, from Mr. Babis and his cart on the corner of Monastiraki Square, an Athens breakfast for generations. Then try loukoumades, spanakopita (spinach pie) or tiropita (cheese pie), a Greek coffee and souvlaki, with your guide explaining where each comes from and how Athenians eat it. Your guide walks you back to your hotel. Overnight in Athens.
Day 2: Ancient Corinth and Epidaurus on the Way to Nafplio
- 08:30 Departure: Your private driver picks you up for the Peloponnese. First stop is the Corinth Canal (approx. 1 hour), 6.4 km long and cut up to 90 meters deep through solid rock.
At Ancient Corinth, see the 6th century BC Temple of Apollo and the Bema, where the Apostle Paul stood before the Roman governor Gallio around 51 AD. In the museum courtyard is a stone lintel inscribed "Synagogue of the Hebrews", from the community Paul preached to.
Continue to Epidaurus, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its 4th century BC theater seats about 14,000 people, with acoustics so precise that a coin dropped in the orchestra can be heard from the top row.
Arrive in Nafplio (approx. 30 minutes), the first capital of modern Greece until 1834 and your base for the next three nights. Walk the old town and the seafront promenade before an optional dinner. Overnight in Nafplio.
Day 3: Day Trip to Spetses Island from Nafplio
- 09:00 Departure: Your day trip to Spetses starts with a drive across the Argolid to Kosta (approx. 1.5 hours) and a short boat ride across to the island. Visitors' cars are not allowed on Spetses, so it moves at the pace of bicycles, scooters and walkers.
Visit the mansion of Laskarina Bouboulina, the heroine of the 1821 War of Independence who commanded her own warship, now a museum run by her descendants. Walk along the waterfront to the Old Harbor, where boatyards still build traditional wooden caiques, and stop for a swim or an optional lunch at a seaside taverna.
💡 From our experience: If you travel in September, ask us about the Armata festival, when the island reenacts its 1822 sea battle and sets a replica Ottoman flagship on fire in the bay.
Return to Nafplio in the late afternoon. Overnight in Nafplio.
Day 4: Mystras and Sparta Day Trip
- 09:00 Departure: Your Mystras and Sparta day trip heads south to Mystras (approx. 1 hour 45 minutes), a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the last great center of the Byzantine Empire, where Constantine XI, the last Byzantine emperor, was proclaimed in 1449.
Walk through the abandoned medieval town on the hillside, past the restored Palace of the Despots and the frescoed churches, to the Pantanassa Monastery, where nuns still live today.
💡 Our tip: Mystras is steep. Your driver drops you at the upper gate and collects you at the lower one, so you walk the whole site downhill.
Continue to Sparta, 10 minutes away. See the statue of King Leonidas in front of the modern stadium and the remains of the ancient acropolis and theater, then visit the Museum of the Olive and Greek Olive Oil. Return to Nafplio (approx. 2 hours) for an optional dinner. Overnight in Nafplio.
Day 5: Mycenae and Nemea Wine Tasting on the Way to Athens
- 09:00 Nafplio: Take in the view from Palamidi Fortress, built by the Venetians in the early 18th century, then drive to Mycenae (approx. 30 minutes), the citadel of Agamemnon and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Walk through the Lion Gate, built around 1250 BC, see Grave Circle A, where the gold Mask of Agamemnon was found in 1876, and step inside the beehive-shaped Treasury of Atreus.
Continue to Nemea, the largest red wine appellation in Greece and home of the Agiorgitiko grape. On your Nemea wine tasting, visit a family winery, walk through the vineyards and cellar and taste their wines with the winemaker.
Stop at Ancient Nemea, where the Panhellenic Games were held in honor of Zeus, to see the restored columns of his temple. Then drive back to Athens (approx. 1.5 hours), arriving at your hotel in the early evening.
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