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8 Day Self-Drive Tour to Mountains & Villages...
Book this 8 day self-drive holiday package Greece. View the most popular Greek self-drive tour itinerary and explore mountain villages combining a visit at the most historical UNESCO's heritage sites of the world, Meteora, Delphi, Olympia, Argolis. Explore Greece like never before with our 8 day amazing self-drive itinerary, read our travel tips for safe driving and be ready for a great getaway.
Our experienced staff will provide insights for planning an itinerary, road trip routes and tips and many other recommendations for each place. Hire a car and you are ready to explore Greece with our self-drive holiday package that includes, hotels accommodation, on call support & pre-programmed GPS. This self-drive road trip, is the safest and most affordable option. In addition, we created the best road trips through a modern road network that makes our travels easy and safe. You can, in a truly short time, reach wonderful parts of Western Greece and the Peloponnese.
Location
Day 1: ATHENS - METEORA - PERTOULI VILLAGE
- Start early in the morning our office representative will meet you at your hotel or Airbnb to deliver you the car you have hired. Having the first stop at the Monument of Leonidas in Thermopiles. Then you will reach at Meteora enjoying a unique and magnificent scenery of ageless monasteries, containing priceless historical and religious treasures, standing between Earth and Sky atop huge rocks. Continue your journey towards Petrouli, this scenic drive is looking like it could be a mini holiday itself! Pertouli is located at an altitude of 1,200m. It is one of the most beautiful and popular mountain and tourist centers of the prefecture of Trikala together with Elati, attracting many visitors since you will find cozy hotels and stone-built guesthouses, taverns, cafes and a ski resort. Enjoy the self-drive tour with your SUV or a family car with lots of photo stops and spend your night in the area.
Day 2: METSOVO - TZOUMERKA / KALARYTES VILLAGE - IOANNINA - PAPIGO
- Continue your self-drive tour package towards Metsovo, a wonderful traditional stone village. Spend a couple of hours there and stroll in the market where you can purchase hand-made traditional products. Our experienced team will provide you with very helpful insights for the country roads which you'll be driving through. Nevertheless, the navigation system of the car that you have rent from our company, includes all the destinations and routes that you should visit. Next stop is the area of Tzoumerka as it is considered to be one of the most beautiful regions of Epirus. Explore Kalarrytes, a mountainous settlement located on the western slopes of the Pindos mountain range of the Prefecture of Ioannina in Epirus. We recommend spending the night there in a traditional guest house or you can stay overnight at the city of Ioannina. Both places are worth spending a night.
Day 3: IOANNINA - PAPIGO
- Have a stop at the city of Ioannina to visit the "Island of Ali Pasha' and explore the castle of Ioannina or walk around the lake. Driving along central Greece, you will reach Papigo which has been described as a traditional settlement and gathers thousands of travelers each year. Megalo Papigo is one of the most beautiful villages of Zagori, 60 km from Ioannina, and will impress you with its impeccable architecture. Cobblestoned streets, mansions, beautiful fountains, old churches based on traditional Zagorian architecture makes this village a unique, off the path destination. In orde to get to Megalo Papigo you have to cross Aristi and the "railings" the winding road with 14 sharp turns. But worry not as all of our cars especially the SUVs are best known for their rugged capabilities. The proper maintenance of the vehicles as well as the fact that they are equipped with all the necessary amenities, make the self-drive road trip in Greece a unique experience. Overnight in Papigo.
Day 4: EXPLORE THE COMPLEX OF 46 VILLAGES OF ZAGOROCHORIA
- The villages of Zagorochoria is a complex of 46 mountainous picturesque villages on the northeastern part of Greece famous for their natural beauty. Visit Tsepelovo, Kipoi, Monodenri and walk the famous Vradeto steps, get a good look of the Voidomatis River and hike to the Beloi viewpoint for panoramic photos of the Vikos Gorge, one of the deepest gorge in the world! Overnight in Papigo
Day 5: SELF-DRIVE TOUR IN DELPHI & COSMOPOLITAN VILLAGE OF ARACHOVE
- Leave Papigo to reach the village of Arachova. The well-publicized village of Arachova attracts everyone's attention with its traditional architecture, magnificent views and the varied options for entertainment and food against the backdrop of the-usually snow-covered- Parnassos. Arachova has picturesque narrow cobblestoned streets and give the feeling of walking into tradition. You will definitely enjoy the traditional architecture. Do not leave Arachova, if you do not see the Clock, the Bridge and spend a couple of hours to visit Delphi, the center of the world. Overnight in Arachova
Day 6: TOWARDS MOUNT MAINALO IN PELOPONNESE
- Continue your journey to Peloponnese through the most lively and tourist-developed Mount of Mainalo. Driving with your comfortable SUV through the magnificent gorge of Vouraiko, you will first reach at the first traditional village of Kalavryta. Explore kalavryta and go ahead to visit the "Cave of Lakes" at the foot of Mt Chelmos. A rare creation of Nature. Small and large lakes, 13 in total, with different colors each one. Finally enjoy your lunch at "Planetero area" full of trees and natural springs! As you leave behind the region of Kalavryrta, on your way to Dimitsana Village, you will make a short stop to admire the so called "Vine Tree of Pausanias" the oldest vine of the world, dating over 3.000 years ago. Reaching in Dimitsana, you will be speechless as you will witness the uncreatable stone streets of the village, where the houses are dominated by local black marble. Around the square you will find good taverns to eat, cafes-bars and shops with wood carvings and local products (mainly cheese and pasta). Overnight in Dimitsana
Day 7: EXPLORE THE VILLAGE OF MT. MAINALON & PAY A VISIT AT ANCIENT OLYMPIA
- One of the most traditional narrow streets among the tree lines. Strategically located, Vytina village combines easy access to the ski resort, but also to the villages of Mainalo and Gortynia, such as Stemnitsa, and Lagkadia. That is the beauty of not committing, with this self-drive tour with a spacious car. It is difficult to imagine from just a map how exciting this place is. Do not miss the chance to taste 'tsipouro" and a surprising wide variety of pies such as cheese and spinach pies. We strongly suggest you a tour to Olympia from Athens, an UNESCO World Heritage site and the birthplace of the Olympic Games, one of the four most worshiped athletic event in the Ancient Greek world, is never enough. Visit the Temple of Zeus, once decorated with a gold and ivory statue of the father of Gods, crafted by the famous Phidias which was among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World Overnight in Dimitsana
Day 8: RETURN TO ATHENS VIA NAFPLIO, MARVELING AT CLASSICAL & HISTORICAL SCENIC
- Reaching the end of self-drive towards Nafplio, you will pass by Elliniko village in order to visit the "Pyramid" which is definitely worth a stop. It is the only pyramid in Greece. It dates to the Classical or Hellenistic period. Then you will have a short break at Nafplio where you can wander in the narrow streets of the old town. Afterwards, follow the road to Epidaurus and on your way there you will have the opportunity to take photos of the Mycenaean oldest bridge of the world of the Mycenaean dynasty. On your way to Athens through the coastline, you should visit the monastery of "Panagia Agnoudos" built on the temple of Apollon! Overnight in Athens. (Next morning our office representative will meet with you at your hotel to pick up the rented car)
***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 Insurance
- Monument of Leonidas in Thermopiles
- Monasteries of Meteora,
- Pertouli Village
- Metsovo - Tzoumerka / Kalarrytes Village
- City of Ioannina, the Castle & he Island of "Ali Pascha"
- Papigo Villages
- Complex of Zagorochoria Villages
- Cosmopolitan Village of Arachova
- Kalavryta Village
- Dimitsana Village
- Villages of Stemnitsa & Lagkadia
- The "Vine Tree of Pausanias"
- The "Ancient Pyramid" at Elliniko area
- The monastery of "Panagia Agnoudos"
- Cave of Lakes in Kalavryta
- Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus
- Romantic city of Nauplio
- Archaeological site of Delphi
- Archaeological site of Ancient Olympia
- Coastline city of City of Naupaktos
Inclusions
- Self-Drive Planned Itinerary
- Pikcup & Drop off of the car from your hotel in Athens
- 8 Night's Hotel Accommodation
- Daily breakfast at your hotel
- 8 day Car Rental with free Kilometers (credit card is required)
- Car Insurance with CDW & Theft Waiver
- 24H Call support - 24H Road Assistance
- Welcome bag upon our meeting
- Mineral water & Tissues upon your arrival
- All Taxes
Exclusions
- Meals and personal expenses
- Private Driver (available with extra cost)
- Fuel, Tolls
- Hotel City tax
- Pay close attention to speed limits: Besides the road condition you must pay attention to speed limits and signs. As there are a lot of traffic cameras in the roads you should be careful not to exceed the speed limit but also the marking, which may be different from what you are used to. Of course, before the fines, we must first think about our safety!
- Two drivers are better than one: Driving for a long time is quite tiring, so make sure everyone changes to the role of driver. Divide the trip into shifts and "share" the steering wheel for a more comfortable and safe journey.
- Prepare your music playlist: Road trips are better with music! Prepare a road trip playlist in advance and choose your lovely music that will satisfy the whole company.
- Road maps may come in handy: Cell phones and GPS may run out of battery at some point or be out of reception. Make sure that you have a power cable so you can charge from the vehicle (or a power bank). In the worst case scenario, a traditional road map will be very useful to you in case everything else fails.
- We suggest you have local tour guides in each area
- Our experienced team can arrange for you to meet local tour guides in each place in order to make your road trip more exciting and full of information
- We are the owner of car rental company www.premiumrentacar.gr with a wide range of fleet options such as Minivans, SUVs & Sedans; that's why we are as competitive as possible.
- From 1 to 5 persons, we suggest sedan cars, type VW Passat, Mercedes E class or MPV 7 seats or similar
- From 6 to 9 persons, we suggest a Minivan type Mercedes Vito, fully air-conditioned or similar
- If you are scheduled to arrive at Athens airport we can provide you a transfer from Athens Airport to your Hotel or Piraeus port and the next day we will deliver the car at your most convenient place to start the road trip.
- For travelers which are not EU residents is required international driving license ID
- Minimum age 25
- Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) / Security deposit - Credit card is required for CDW
- Our driver will deliver your rental car at your hotel in Athens or Air B&B address. If you arrive at Athens airport or Piraeus, our representative driver will be waiting for you with a sign with your name written on it, will help you with your luggage and escort you at your car, offering you mineral water & tissues.
- Afterwards, he will provide you all the necessary documents for your self-drive road trip in Greece.
- We provide you mixed of 3* & 4* star hotels or boutique hotels, depends the availability.
- After your request received, we will send you our suggested hotels. Note that we will be will able to confirm you the hotels on the time that you will proceed with the booking.
- You can extend your self-drive holidays and our staff can arrange your accommodation and extension of your car rental one day prior to the start of your self-drive tour or after the completion of your tour.
Our self-drive tours are customizable. You can add or remove everything from our proposed program in order your self-drive tour to be modified and adjusted by & to you.
In order to take full advantage of your stay in Greece, we would also like to draw your attention to the importance of taking out an insurance policy in the event of an unexpected happening during your trip. To this effect, we have collaborated with INTERAMERICAN, the largest private insurance company in Greece
- 1,5 euros per room per day for 3*star hotels - Paid at the hotel
- 3 euros per room per day for 4*star hotels - Paid at the hotel
- Winter: November 1 to March 31 - 08.30 until 15.00
- Summer: April 1 to October 31 - 08.00 until 19.30
- 10 euro / person for Acropolis Museum
- 20 euro / person for Acropolis
- 8 euro / person Ancient Corinth & Museum
- 12 euro / person for Ancient Epidaurus
- 12 euro / person for Mycenae & Treasury of Atreus
- 12 euro / person for Ancient Olympia & Museum
- 12 euro / person for Delphi & Museum
- 3 euro / person for each monastery of Meteora
- 8 euro / person for Vergina
- 8 euro / person for Pella
- 8 euro / person for Dion
- Children under 18 years of age are free of charge
- Students from E.U ( ID is required )
Cancellation Policy
- In order to confirm any booking, 30% payment in advance is required, fully refundable in case of any written cancellation received 40 days prior the arrival date.
- For any cancellation OR change between 39 days to 20 days prior the first day of arrival, cancellation fees equal to 50% of the total cost of program applies.
- For any cancellation OR change within 19 days prior the first day of arrival and/or non shows, full cancellation fees applies – the total cost of the program.
- A written notification of any cancellation or change is necessary to be sent to PRIVATE TOURS Greece.
