Argolis & Epidaurus Extended Full Day Private Tour

The Extended Full Day Tour of Argolis begins with a seaside drive around the port of Piraeus and to the west side of Athens through the industrial areas of Aspropirgos and Eleusina past the oiled derricks and the shipyards to watch the cruise ships and tankers arrive in the port of Athens from far away.

The island of Salamis is clearly visible on the way out of Eleusina and into the highway. While gaining height the bay between Salamis and mainland Athens is becoming visible. This is where the Athenians defeated the Persian empire once and for all in the naval battle of Salamis in 486 B.C.

The drive continues on the highway along the Argo-Saronic gulf past small towns and villages for about 30 minutes. Then Peloponnesus peninsula becomes visible and it’s time to make the first stop for approximately 15 minutes to explore the Canal of Corinth, Isthmus, that separates Peloponnesus from mainland Greece.

The tour then proceeds over Isthmus, on the highway for another 15 minutes until reaching the city of Ancient Corinth and Acrocorinth (Acropolis of Corinth). A short drive around the archaeological site is offered before entering, in order to see the highlights from a higher perspective, like the monolithic Temple of Apollo, the Agora, the Bema (Pontium) where Apostle Paul preached, the Imperial Temple and Fountain of Glafki. Visitor are free to explore the archaeological site for 60 minutes.

The next destination is Mycenae, located approximately 30 minutes away from Corinth. Mycenae is popular for The Mycenaean Fort that is located encircling a hill, The Lions’ Gate that was a show of strength and the trademark of Mycenae, The Cyclopian Walls that a legend had groups of Cyclopses helping in the construction, The Ruined Palace of Agamemnon in which the unfortunate king was murdered by his wife Clytemnestra, The Tomb of Atreus or "Tholos" where the body of the first king of Mycenae and his treasury is located and The museum of Mycenae for black figure pottery, coins and trading lines. A visit of 60 minutes is recommended for this archaeological site.

The next stop is Nafplio. Located 20 minutes away from Mycenae, Nafplio became the capital of the First Hellenic Republic and the Kingdom of Greece from the beginning of the Greek Revolution of 1821 until 1834. Nafplio is a traditional seaport town on the Argolic Gulf popular for its old Venetian style, pedestrian streets, shopping areas, The Venetian Fortress Palamidi located on a 200m hight hill and accessible by 999 steps, Acronafplia (Acropolis of Nafplio) over Nafplio providing an impressive view of the old town and a small castle fortifying the seaport named Bourtzi. This is a 1,5 hour stop, ideal for lunch and free time to explore the old town.

The next and last stop for Epidaurus is located 40 minutes away from Nafplio. The main attraction in Epidaurus is the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus with impressive acoustics, still used nowadays for theatrical performances of Ancient Greek comedies & tragedies, written by the best play-writers of antiquity. The second highlight this area is Asclepion. A ruined healing center dedicated to the god of medicine, Asclepius, where the patients were visited by their favorite god and told what to do in order to be healed. The average visiting time for this site is 60 minutes.

The tour ends with a beautiful seaside drive on the north east side of the region, along the Saronic Gulf, over the canal of Corinth and back to Athens.