6-Day Scenic Tour: Little Trains of Greece Meteora, Delphi, Kalavryta & Olympia

Day 1: Athens - Corinth - Cave of Lakes Kalavryta - Journey With Cog Railway - Nafplio: 

• Our driver will picks you up from your hotel to our first stop, at the Canal of Corinth (6 km length and 80m height). Next stop in Ancient Corinth: We continue to reach at Ancient Corinth which was one of his beloved cities of Saint Paul. Then we will arrive at "Diakofto" to take the Cog Railway (Odontotos) which links Kalavrita with Diakopto through Vouraikos Canyon; one of the most beautiful natural sights and of the most spectacular railway rides in Greece. It has been mentioned as the most beautiful train trip in Balkans. The little train travels through streams climbing the fantastic narrow gorge up into the mountains, through tunnels, over waterfalls, along cliffs and through forests of pine and oleander. The journey ends at the town of Kalavryta.
  Our driver will meet you there to continue the tour at the mysterious, magnificent and unique "Cave of the Lakes", a rare creation of Nature. Consisted of 13 in total Small and large lakes, with different colors each one, depending on the oxides contained in the rocks. You will see the wonderful «hanging bridge» and the «waterfalls» «falling» that will cause you the feeling a floating corridor.  Also you will admire strange stalactite formations. In winter when the snow melts, the cave is transformed into a subterranean river with natural waterfalls. We have a stop for lunch at the picturesque village of Kalavrita. Our day ends in Nafplio. Overnight in Nafplio

Day 2: Napflio - Mycenae - Epidaurus - Olympia:

• After your breakfast, we will have a panoramic tour in Nafplio and you will have time to visit Palamidi castle with amazing view, which you can reach by climbing 999 steps (!), or to take a small boat and visit ''Bourtzi',' the fortress at the entrance of the harbor. Then, we will leave for Epidaurus and we will visit the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus, famous for the breathtaking acoustics that is still functioning today!  Next visit will be at the famous ancient town of Mycenae and the Archaeological site - the Lion Gate, the Cyclopean Walls, the Royal Palace and the tomb of Agamemnon. Leave Argolis to   reach at Ancient Olympia for Overnight.

Day 3: Ancient Olympia – Little Train to Katakolo - Delphi: 

• Today we will visit the archaeological site of Ancient Olympia, where the first Olympic Games took place in 776 B.C. The temple of Zeus is located there which is the most celebrated sanctuary of ancient Greece, one of the 7 wonders of the Ancient world. You will also visit the temple of Hera, the shrine of Pelops (one of the oldest in the sanctuary), the Council house where the athletes took the Olympic oath, the Treasury houses, the Gymnasium and the Palestra where they used to exercise for a month prior to the Games. 
  You will get the little train for a wonderful journey from Olympia to Katakolon lasts for approximately 45 minutes. It’s a beautiful and extremely popular route to reach at the small scenic harbor of Katakolo is the main heaven of Pyrgos and a beautiful tourist attraction. Small forested hills surround the port of Katakolo, which is a popular stop for cruise ships on tours of the Mediterranean and the Ionian Sea. Enjoy the coffee next to the sea! Leaving Katakolon, we will cross over the amazing bridge of Rion – Antirion, one of the biggest bridges in Europe. Then we will head to Naupactus, a beautiful seaside small town, where you can visit the Venetian Castle, the Venetian Port, and after lunch we will reach at Delphi for overnight. 

Day 4: Delphi - Meteora - Sunset around the Rocks: 

• After your breakfast, our driver will drive you at Delphi: A History of the Centre of the Ancient World. Delphi in the 6th century B.C. was the religious center and symbol of unity of the ancient Greek world. You will visit the tholos of the sanctuary of Athena Pronaia, Ancient theatre of Delphi, Treasury of the Athenians, Ancient gymnasium of Delphi,You will see the Castalian Spring fountain was the sacred source of Delphi, and its water played an important role in the cult and procedure of the temple and of the oracle.
  The temple of Apollo, the most important building in the sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi (the center of the earth). It was also the place from which the Pythia, the oracle priestess spoke. Apollo was the "seer" the Pythia was a vessel through whom Apollo spoke. Finally, we will visit the Archaeological Museum of Delphi, one of the most important in Greece, exhibits the history of the Delphic sanctuary. We have lunch in Delphi area or at the traditional Village of Arachova, where you can taste the traditional cheese, Arachova’s formaela, in various forms, before we depart for Meteora. Enjoy the sunset around the rocks of Meteora as the most highlight of your trip.Overnight Meteora. 

Day 5: Meteora – Pelion (Portaria) : 

• Visit Meteora enjoying a unique and implosive scenery of ageless monasteries, containing priceless historical and religious treasures, standing between Earth and Sky atop huge rocks. We are going to visit the first great monastery of Varlaam, founded on the 16th century and located on the top of a rock at 380m height! 
  Our second visit will be at the Monastery of St. Stephan, of the 15th century, also built on the top of the top of another huge rock where you will admire a small treasure of Byzantine and Christian items at the museum inside the monastery!  At the end of your visit we will head to mount Pelion, the summer habitat of the twelve gods of Olympus and visit Portaria one of the traditionsl villages of the complex. Pelion is a place of indescribable beauty and irresistibly attractive. Mt Pelion allures all the visitors. 
  With a breath-taking view over the endless sea, settlements that are architectural gems, and an ancient culture, it welcomes myriads of visitors every year. Lush vegetation and an extensive network of mountain paths enable the visitor to wander through a bewitching land, still echoing to the legendary Centaurs.
  Check in and then have free time to explore the village. You can stroll around and explore the incredibly dense network of cobblestone trails and enjoy the taverns with delicious food. We strongly suggest to following the Centaurs Path starting from the very central part of the village marked with red circles on stones. The path leads you to breathtaking landscapes of fountain high trees and rich nature. Overnight in Pelion (Portaria).

Day 6: Pelion – Little Train Ano Lechonia – Milies – Athens:

• After breakfast we will head to Ano Lechonia in order to take the little train departing at 10:00 to get to Milies after about 90 min and 15km. The train’s only intermediate stop is at the Ano Gatzea station. Up until Milies, the route is filled with natural beauty and features numerous architectural landmarks, especially arched bridges, tunnel entries and retaining walls. Here one can marvel at the church of Taxiarhes, which had been constructed before 1741 and the library which is one of the oldest in Greece or visit the museum of folk art. It is said that the cave of Centaur Chiron can be found in the village of Milies on Mt Pelion. Later we return to Athens passing by the small towns of Domokos, Kamena Vourla, at the seaside and Thermopiles where the statue of Leonidas is on display as a memorial of the battle of the 300 Spartans against thousands of Persian soldiers of the Persian Empire. Our driver will drop you off at your hotel late in the afternoon.

** The train Ano lechonia – Milies only operates at weekends and selected dates. If the train doesn’t operate, we will tour mount Pelion and visit its villages by car or we will modify the tour accordingly

***TRAVEL INSURANCE: We would also like to draw your attention to the importance of taking out an insurance policy in the event of an unexpected happening that may cancel or interrupt your trip.
Here is the link to see what the travel insurance covers: Click Here for Travel Insuranc