The greatest chance to enjoy 4 days combining visits to sites of great historic importance and places of amazing natural beauty!
Visit the famous Oracle of Delphi, the phenomenal rocks of Meteora, the “Queen” of the North, Thessaloniki and the Ancient Kingdom of Macedonia!
Itinerary
1st Day
450km - 5,5 hours driving
Early in the morning, we will be departing from Athens and driving north for 2 hours so to arrive at the Monastery of Osios Lucas in Steiri. The Monastery was founded by Osios Lucas in 950AD and it is the best preserved Monastery of the middle Byzantine Period. The relic of Osios Lucas is hosted in the church of Saint Barbara. Your visit at the Monastery will last approximately 90 minutes. At a 40-minute distance from the Monastery of Osios Lucas, perhaps the most important religious place of Greek antiquity, the oracle of Delphi, awaits for visitors to be mesmerized by its grandeur (visit approximately 2 hours). In the archeological site of Delphi, among other things, you will see the Temple of Apollo, the sanctuary of Athena Pronea, the Sacred Road, the Treasury of the Athenians, the Castalia spring, the Theatre and the Stadium.
Leaving Delphi, we will also make a stop to visit the battlefield of Thermopylai, where the famous battle of the 300 Spartans took place. There, you will visit the information centre and the statue of King Leonidas.
After a three-and-a-half-hour drive from Delphi we will finally arrive at Meteora. Meteora, is a very important place for the Greek Orthodox Religion and also an impressive geological phenomenon. Of the 24 Christian Orthodox Monasteries of the 15 th century, only 8 are still preserved and stand proudly at the top of the dark boulders.
Overnight꞉ Kalampaka or Kastraki (towns at the foot of the Meteora rocks)
2nd Day
250km, 3 hours driving
In the morning you will visit some of the Monasteries of Meteora (Grand Meteoron, Varlaam’s Monastery, Saint Nickolas’ Monastery, Holy Trinity Monastery, Rousanou Nunnery, and Saint Stephen’s Nunnery). We will also make many stops to enjoy the astonishing panoramic views and take some amazing pictures of the rocks and the monasteries. Once we leave Meteora and after a two-hour drive we will be arriving at the archeological site of Vergina, the burial site of the kings of Macedonia. At this location, you will also see the tomb of Philip II, father of Alexander the Great. You will also visit the town of Veroia, which is located next to Vergina and where you can visit the step of Apostle Paul. Having completed your visits, you will be driving for an additional hour to finally reach the city of Thessaloniki where you will be spending the night.
Overnight꞉ Thessaloniki (the biggest city in Northern Greece)
3rd Day
350km, 4 hours driving
Starting from Thessaloniki we will be driving for 2 hours towards Kavala, another one of Apostle Paul’s steps in Greece. Near Kavala is where the Ancient city of Philippi is located. This is going to be your first visit of the day. Among a variety of archeological sites you will see an ancient theatre, ruins of private houses, as well as the first Christian church ever built on European soil, founded by Apostle Paul. This is also where the first woman named Lydia was baptized. After a visit to the picturesque town of Kavala and its castle, we will be driving back to Thessaloniki.
Overnight꞉ Thessaloniki
4th Day
500km, 5,5 hours driving
The last day of the tour you will be touring Thessaloniki. Thessaloniki has many churches from the early Christian and Byzantine Period. Some of them are the Holy Apostles’ church, St. Sophia, St. Dimitrios, and St. George (Rotunda). Among other sites you will also see the famous White Tower and the Eptapyrgion. After the tour in Thessaloniki, we will be driving south for 5 hours towards Athens.
Customize the tour
Don’t hesitate to ask for changes in the itinerary.
We are very flexible and able to adjust the itinerary as you wish.
You have the option to skip a site or extend the tour in order to add other sites or spend a day at leisure in Thessaloniki.
Some nice ideas for places you can add in this tour are Pelion or Chalkidiki.
Info
Tour Duration: 4 Days
Overnight꞉ Kalampaka, Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki
Tickets:
Museum & Archaeological Site of Delphi
Full: €12 / Reduced: €6
Meteora Monasteries
€3 per person / free for children under 12 years old
Vergina
Full꞉ €12 / Reduced꞉ €6
Philippi
Full꞉ €6 / Reduced꞉ €3
Reduced ticket: European citizens over 65 years old, University students
Free entrance: people under 18 years old, students from European Union
Holidays
January 1st: closed
March 25th꞉ closed
May 1st: closed
Easter Sunday: closed
December 25th: closed
December 26th: closed
Free admission days
March 6th (in memory of Melina Mercuri)
April 18th (international monuments day)
May 18th (international museums day)
Last weekend of September (European heritage days)
October 28th
Every 1st Sunday from November to March
Tips
Prefer to wear comfortable clothes and shoes
A proper dress code (long is required for the visit of the Monasteries
Photography is allowed during the tour. Don’t lose a chance to take some nice pictures of the amazing scenery in Meteora.