Delphi and Meteora Three Days Tour from Athens

Tour Overview

Take this Delphi & Meteora Three Days Tour to enjoy a unique trip visiting two of Greece’s most impressive UNESCO World Heritage sites.The archeological site of Delphi with Apollo temple, also known as the ‘navel of the world’ and the stunning rock-tower monasteries of Meteora.Begin with pick up from Athens and board your luxury air conditioned bus with your professional guide.Visit the Delphi archeological site where the temple of Apollo was considered as ‘the navel of the wold’ in ancient Greece, a site that has played an extremely important role at the evolution and political situation of ancient Athens and the rest of Greece.We also visit the impressive Meteora. Meaning “suspended in air” the name Meteora soon came to encompass the entire rock community of monasteries, the biggest and most important group of monasteries in Greece after those in Mount Athos. The rock monasteries have been characterized by UNESCO as a unique phenomenon of cultural heritage.ItineraryDay 1Leave for Delphi via Thebes, Levadia and the picturesque village of Arachova, on the slopes of Mount Parnassus, arrive in Delphi and visit the Archaeological Site.Delphi was considered the center of the earth and the universe, and played a central role in the classical Greek world. Proceed though the sacred way to the Athenian treasury, the stoa of Athens, the temple of Apollo, where the oracle was and the theater.Then we visit the a archaelogical museum in which one can see among other archaeological treasures, the unique bronze statue of the charioteer, the sphinx of Naxos, the friezes of remarkable treasury houses as well as remainings of the gold and ivory statues of Apollo and Artemis.Spent the afternoon in leisureDinner and overnight stay in Delphi.Day 2The whole morning is free for you to see more of the ragged grandeur of Delphi and take photographs to remind you of its beauty.In the afternoon we leave Delphi for an interesting trip through Central Greece and the town of Lamia to Kalambaka.Kalambaka is a small town built at the foot of the majestic grey rocks, crowned by the Meteora Monasteries.We enjoy dinner and stay overnight in Kalambaka.Day 3After our breakfast, we depart for nearby Meteora surrounder by a particularly impressive scenery.The ageless Monasteries, containing priceless historical and religious treasures, stand between earth and sky atop huge rocks. Meteora is considered one of the most beautiful and inspiring area of mainland Greece, and its monasteries are one of the country’s most unique attractions.The monasteries are perched on top of towers of sandstone, which for centuries provided totally inaccessible retreats for the monks.  It is also the biggest and most important group of monasteries in Greece after those in Mount Athos.In the past there were no steps and the main access to the monasteries was by means of a net that was hitched over a hook and hoisted up by rope and a hand cranked windlass to winch towers overhanging the chasm. Monks descended in the nets or on retractable wooden ladders up to 40m long to the fertile valleys below to grow grapes, corn and potatoes. Each community developed its own resources and by the end of the 14th century, the Grand Meteoron emerged as the dominant community. The rock monasteries have been characterized by UNESCO as a unique phenomenon of cultural heritage.You will enjoy a guided tour of two of the six monasteries. Then you will start your drive back to Athens. On the way you will stop to visit the monument of Leonidas where the 300 Spartans fought against the Persian army at Thermopylae (Hot Gates) – short stop to see across the road the Leonida’s Monument.Continuing our journey, we arrive in Athens early in the evening.

Highlights