Across the Peloponnese

Route

You travel straight through the Peloponnese, from the Corinth Canal and Nafplio to the rugged Mani region and Olympia, with an elegant finale along the Athenian Riviera. Curves included, rushing not required.

Rhythm

Nicely balanced. Active exploration alternates with slower moments, long lunches and the occasional decision to stay put because the view simply asks for it.

Highlights

Mycenae and Epidaurus, Monemvasia, the tower villages of Mani and Olympia. Athens awaits at the end, for those who are not quite done yet (spoiler: most people aren’t).

Accommodation

You stay in carefully selected Caractère hotels, comfortable and thoughtfully spread along the route. Always a great place to start the day — and an even better place to end it.

Profile

For travellers who enjoy discovering Greece in depth. With history, landscapes and enough freedom to abandon plans whenever the moment feels right.

Day 1: Departure to Athens - Náfplion

Your journey starts in Athens and after you have collected your rental car, your adventure can begin. Set sail along the impressive Corinthian Canal to the ancient city of Akrokorinthos, one of the most bustling trading cities of antiquity. This way, you continue on to Náfplion, the first capital of Greece. Náfplion is a small port with an old town that exudes a lot of charm and an Italian atmosphere. In this town, you will stay two nights in one of our Caractère hotels.

Day 2: The sites of Argolída

Day 2 kicks off with a visit to Mykene, where you'll find a walled palace. Mykene symbolises the sombre aspect of Greek civilisation that of wars, looting and the blood that sticks to Greek history. This is where the Trojan expedition was prepared and where Clytaemnestra had her royal husband Agamemnon killed. But Mykene is also associated with Heinrich Schliemann, the German archaeologist, who believed he was looking into Agamemnon's golden eyes here, the world-famous golden mask. Via the temple of Hera in Iréo, you continue to Árgos, a town that boasts one of the largest theatres in the world. You then drive to Tíryns, a castle ruin with walls seven to eight metres thick. Lastly, you will visit the famous theatre of Epidauros with its perfect acoustics, the epitome of theatres.

Day 3: The towers of the Máni

Your journey continues via Spárta, the most formidable and militaristic city-state in Greek history, and then up to Mystrás. This wondrous ghost town, set in a landscape of Byzantine houses and churches is a Unesco World Heritage Site. Drive on to the mysterious Máni, the southernmost point of mainland Greece. To explore this region further, stay three nights in one of our hotels.

Day 4: The stronghold of Monemvassía

On day 4, you visit Monemvassía, a picturesque town that sits like a peninsula in the sea, hiding behind a colossal rock. It is the ideal way to spend your afternoon, strolling through its narrow alleys and cosy squares.

Day 5: Explore the unspoilt Máni

On day 5, a sightseeing tour is planned on the middle peninsula, you will be dazzled with beauty. You will enjoy a rugged landscape full of flowers dotted with strange villages. Their massive square residential towers are symbols of a martial past, where clans and families competed for the most fertile land from the 15th century onwards. They bear witness to one of the country's most feudal and violent histories. Via Aréopoli and Pýrgos Diroú, you set course for the little port of Geroliménas which is very attractively situated in a bay protected by a stately cliff. Then return along the Blue Creek of Kokkála, a beautiful sheltered bay with a church at the water's edge and the tower village of Flomohóri.

Day 6: The coast of Olympia

Via Areópoli and Kalamáta, the olive town, your adventure continues. On the way, you will make a stop in the beautiful village of Kardamyli. You'll drive along the west coast to ancient Olympia, where the greatest sports event in the world originated. Once you arrive, check into one of our hotels on the coast of Olympia for two nights.

Day 7: Olympia

Start your day off right with a visit to ancient Olympia, where 3000 years ago competitions, music and dancing were organised. The city where the greatest sports event in the world originated. Olympia's stadium is an immense complex in an oasis of olive and plane trees, rivers and pine trees. The streets of Dimitsána and Stemnitsa are still home to numerous artisan workshops. Your journey continues to Andritsena, known for its beautiful temple in Vassés.

Day 8: To the Athenian Riviera

Today you will return to Corinth towards the beautiful Athenian Riviera where you will stay another two nights at one of our Caractère hotels.

Day 9: Day of enjoyment and Athens

To end your trip, you can choose to relax by the pool of your hotel or visit Athens, the trendy capital of Greece where you can discover the sources of Western civilisation in beautiful ancient monuments and rich museums. A fusion of diverse cultures, Athens contains elements from the Roman, Byzantine and neoclassical periods, and certain neighbourhoods have an attractive oriental atmosphere. In short, Athens is a paradise for history buffs. Plaka is Athens' liveliest district, whose upper part - especially in the evening - has an extraordinary charm.

Day 10: Back home

Your trip is unfortunately over.After you have returned your rental car, you will fly back home with a suitcase full of wonderful memories. Don't feel like returning home already? Caractère is happy to arrange a few more nights for you to stay.