Ancient Corinth, Mycenae, Epidaurus & Nafplio Full Day Private Tour

Starting early in the morning from Athens and after an hour of driving we will be stopping at the Corinth Canal, a great piece of work completed in 1886, which connects the Aegean to the Ionian Sea and technically transforms the Peloponnese peninsula into an island. Originally what used to be an isthmus, meaning a narrow strip of land connecting Peloponnese to Mainland Greece, is now a canal, which joins these two regions with several bridges.

As our trip continues, we will be arriving at the site of Ancient Corinth. Ancient Corinth, due to its strategic location next to the Isthmus, exceeded Athens in terms of wealth. Ancient Corinth played an important role at the Persian and the Peloponnesian Wars and was also an important city-state from the classical times to the Roman Times, as a capital of the Roman province of Achaia, and until the Byzantine period.
At the site you can see the temple of Apollo (7th Century BCE), the ruins of the Roman city (44 BCE) and the Acrocorinth, a fortress which was continuously fortified from the Neolithic times until the end of the Ottoman occupation (1822).

After a 30’ scenic drive through orange groves and vineyards we will be arriving at Mycenae, the kingdom of mythical Agamemnon, first sung by Homer in his epics. Mycenae was the richest and most important palatial centre of the Late Bronze Age (14th century BCE) in Greece. Its name was given to one of the greatest civilizations of Greek prehistory, the Mycenaean civilization. During your stay you will walk through the “Lions’ Gate” and live the myth of a powerful kingdom, which started a war against Troy in order to take the beautiful Helen back. Your experience will be enhanced as you visit the amazing royal tombs of Mycenae.

After Mycenae, we will be traveling for 30’ and 16 thousand years forward to finally arrive at the picturesque seaside town of Nafplio, the first capital of independent Greece. This was the place where the hero of the Greek revolution, Theodoros Kolokotronis, who liberated the city from the Ottomans, was imprisoned by the Greeks and where the first governor Ioannis Kapodistrias, who dedicated himself to the country’s progress, was assassinated by one of the leaders of the war of independence. You will have the chance to wonder around the old city and see the three highlights of Nafplio which are the three castles: Acronafplia, Palamidi and Bourtzi and have lunch at a Greek local restaurant in the traditional centre of the town, or at one by the coast.

Last but not least, we will be visiting the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus the most amazing and best preserved of all the ancient theatres, widely admired for its phenomenal acoustics. There, you will also visit the Sanctuary of Asclepius, a healing centre which dates back to the 4th century BCE. Now after a long day you will have the chance to relax and enjoy the scenic drive by the coast to the Corinth Canal and back to Athens.