Ancient Greece Exploration: Private Tour of Mycenae, Epidaurus, Nafplio & Isthmus Canal From Athens
5.0
11 Ratings
Athens
Embark on a private tour of Mycenae, Epidaurus, Nafplio, and the Isthmus Canal in Ancient Greece. Explore UNESCO World Heritage Sites, admire Venetian architecture, and experience the incredible acoustics of the Epidaurus theater.
Duration: 9 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Athens - Pickup from your chosen Hotel, Airbnb or apartment in Athens
  • Corinth Canal - Visit the Isthmus Canal, one of the most important projects and 19th century engineering masterpieces, playing a catalytic role for the Mediterranean trade.

Visit Ancient Diolkos, a paved trackway in Ancient Greece which enabled boats to be moved overland across the Isthmus of Corinth.

  • Mycenae - Rich in gold! King Agamemnon’s mythical kingdom sung in Homer’s epics. It is the most important and richest center of the late Bronze Age.

The Lions Gate: The main entrance of the Bronze age citadel of Mycenae erected during the 13th century BC.

Grave Circles A and B: Royal cemeteries situated to the south of the Lion Gate and outside the Bronze Age citadel.

The Cyclopean Walls: The main characteristic of the Mycenean walls is that they are made of huge limestone boulders. Only the mythical Cyclopes had the strength to move the enormous boulders that made up the walls of Mycenae and Tiryns.

The Royal Palace: Consisting of domestic apartments, the Throne Room Suite, the Grand Staircase, a collection of rooms for officers or palace officials and the Forecourt.

The Treasury of Atreus: A large tholos or beehive tomb constructed during the Bronze Age around 1250 BC.

Tomb of Clytemnestra: A Mycenean tholos type tomb built in 1250 BC named after Clytemnestra the wife of king Agamemnon and leader of the Greeks in Trojan war.

The Mycenean Archaeological Museum: The most important Mycenean artifacts are exhibited here. You will be dazzled by the gold grave goods, burial masks, jewellery, weapons, worship idols and frescoes.

  • Nafplio - A seaport town in the Peloponnese. A charming town with a spectacular waterfront, small cobblestone streets and historic buildings, crowned by the Palamidi fortress and the Bourtzi fortress. The town was the first capital of the modern Hellenic Republic after the 1821 War of Independence against the oppression of the Ottoman Empire.

Palamidi Castle: Nestled on the crest of a 216 m high hill, this Venetian built fortress commands an impressive view over the Argolic gulf. There are 999 steps to the top of the castle! Climb them if you must!

Freedom Square: Thanking the French for their contribution in our War of Independence against the Ottomans, an obelisk is erected here depicting a French and a Hellenic woman in their struggle for Liberty.

Bourtzi: The water castle of Bourtzi is a Venetian fortress located in the middle of the harbor.

Constitution Square: The most important and historic square in Nafplion. The square is named after the Constitution that Otto, the first king of Greece was obliged to grant after the 3rd of September uprising in 1843.

First Hellenic Parliament: Strolling down the old world near Syntagma square you will find an imposing mosque. Built in 1730 with a large hall and characteristic dome, the mosque housed the first Hellenic parliament from 1825 until 1826.

Anastasios of Nafplia church: Located in the old world you will be impressed by the church’s dome and the wall paintings decorating the spiritual interior. A true Christian Orthodox religious pragmatism.

St.Spyridon church: It was here outside this church one of the blackest events in modern Greek history took place. The assassination of Ioannis Kapodistrias, the first Greek Governor in 1831!

Lunch at one of the many unique traditional tavernas

Antica Gelateria di Roma for the best gellato and Italian delights

Pergamonto for the best ‘loukoumades’in Greece (puff balls with honey or chocolate and almond nuts)

Stroll amongst the town’s shops where you can treat yourself and buy handmade souvenirs for your family and friends.

  • Epidavros - One of the most popular archaeological sites in Greece! Located on the NE side of the Peloponnese in the region of Argolis.

The Epidaurus amphitheatre: Famous for its classic Greek construction and astounding acoustics. Enjoy the arts! Be captivated by the theatrical performances from Euripides, Sophocles, Aristophanes and Aeschylus. Drop a pin or coin on the stage… it will be heard even if you are sitting at the last seats of the theater.

The Epidaurus Archaeological Museum: Noted for its reconstructions of temples and its columns with inscriptions.

The Asclepius: The sanctuary dedicated to the ancient Greek demi-god of medicine Asclepius. A marvelous ancient medical retreat.

  • Athens - Return to your chosen Hotel, Airbnb or apartment in Athens
What's Included
  • Skip-the-line ticket service (on-request)
  • On-board WiFi
  • Professional Tour Drivers with in-depth knowledge of Greek history
  • Fully Private Tour
  • Bottled water & refreshing wipes
  • Hotel/Port pick-up and drop-off service
  • Transportation by private first class vehicle
  • Fluent English speaking and multi-lingual drivers
What's Not Included
  • Entrance fees to the sites, Mycenae, Epidaurus 12eur per person, per site
  • Airport pick-up and drop-off (additional cost)
  • Food & Drinks
  • Tips & Gratuities
  • Licensed tour guide to accompany guests into the site and museum (additional cost on request)
Additional Information

Marvel at the spectacular piece of modern engineering that is the Corinth Canal (Isthmus Canal).

Venture through the ancient route from the Corinthian to the Saronic gulf, including the sub-ducting bridge. Take the opportunity to relax with a coffee or bite to eat in a charming café as you watch boats navigate the canal.  

Experience the journey to Troy once again at Mycenae, the realm of Agamemnon and a World Heritage UNESCO Site. 

Explore the charming township of Nafplio, taking the time to admire the Venetian architecture. 

Be enchanted by the impressive acoustics of the Epidaurus theater, a favorite amongst archaeological sites in Greece and a monument listed on UNESCO’S world heritage registry.

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Location
Athens
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(11 Ratings)
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Excursion20663031161
Jun 14, 2024
Amazing, fun, knowledgeable, Customer Oriented, entertaining, Generous, and incredible ancient sites - Despite having our tour on the hottest day of the heat wave, our tour guide, Tas, was amazing! Not only was he extremely informative, punctual, helpful, courteous, funny, entertaining, customer oriented, and generous with his time, he was also extremely knowledgeable of the history and even current events for the region, which was fun to listen to while engaging with our son who is a history major. He kept us hydrated with tons of water bottles. engaged, and equipped us with relevant as well as surprising tidbits at each site that we weren’t able to gain on our own by reading online or in books. We finished our day in Nafplio at a delicious restaurant and then the best ice cream shop before driving us home. If you want to really learn about the history of these spots, while having a fun time along with engaging conversations throughout the day, you must take a tour with Tas!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Michelle_r
Jun 14, 2024
Amazing, Customer Oriented, Generous, Knowledgeable and Fun! - Despite having our tour on the hottest day of the heatwave, our tour guide, Tas was amazing! Not only was he extremely informative, punctual, helpful, courteous, funny, entertaining, customer oriented, and generous with his time, he was also extremely knowledgeable of his history and even current events for the region which was fun to listen to while engaging with our son who is a history major. He kept us hydrated, engaged, and equipped us with relevant as well as surprising tidbits at each site that we weren’t able to gain on our own by reading online or in books. We finished our day in Nafplio at a delicious restaurant and then the best ice cream shop before driving us home. If you want to really learn about the history of these spots while having a fun and engaging conversation throughout the day, you must take a tour with Tas!
Review provided by Viator
Jessica_s
May 24, 2024
Fantastic Tour - This was a wonderful tour, all of the sites we saw were fantastic and such beautiful scenery. While they were all great Nafplio was our favorite, we could easily spend a few days in that village. Our tour guide George was terrific, he was friendly and open to working with our schedule to give us more time or less time at each site as we wanted. We would absolutely do this tour again.
Review provided by Viator
Traveldogsamerica
May 14, 2024
Ancient Greek tours company.Nafplio, Mycenae, Corinth canal, Epadarus. Outstanding!Yannis is superb guide - This without a doubt was the best tour I’ve ever had, and I have traveled for years throughout the world. I recommend ancient Greece tours more highly. Then any other tour group I have worked with. Yannis was our tour guide . he is the most compassionate and passionate man about his work and his country and to let you know the important things about what you are visiting My friend was ill and he made it possible for her to stretch out in the van and enjoy most of the day. He made us so comfortable. We started the day out by stopping and picked up coffee and pastries for us to eat and drink along the way, it was the best treat ever to start the morning . We went to the canal and looked over and watched bungee jumpers. Then we continued to Mycenae acropolis. Each place we went he gave us the briefing on what we were going to be seeing and what we were going to be doing. He knows this country so well and he loves what he does. You cannot go wrong with this company and requesting YANNIS as your tour guide. We really enjoyed seeing nafplio and having lunch there and walking along the marina. Just go with all of his suggestions, and you will have a very successful enjoyable day and so memorable! Our pick up point was confusing and he called me and said he would come to exactly where we were and made it so easy. What a perfect day. Thank you to Ancient Greek tours
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kathleen_b
Nov 22, 2023
Learning about Greece - It was a wonderful learning experience and the area was beautiful. Our guide Yannis took extra time with us and made it one of our best experiences in Europe. I would recommend this trip to anyone that wants to get away from the busy large cities in Europe.
Review provided by Viator
Aleka_s
Jul 12, 2023
Great day in Argolis - Eirini was a great driver and guide throughout the day - she tailored our experience to our preferences (I opted to go to acrocorinth instead of Corinth canal which was incredible if a steep climb) and never rushed us. The car was very nice and she had water and a snack waiting. A very pleasant way to go see a busy Argolis itinerary without the stress of renting and driving yourselves. Since it is not a guide who accompanies you to the sites, I suggest reading up on the sites or listening to a podcast during the drive but she had information to share as well.
Review provided by Viator
Debra_x
Jul 5, 2023
Wonderful tour! Wonderful Guide! - Our lovely tour guide ειρηνη (Irini) drove us around all day, while sharing helpful information about the sites we visited. She even helped us with the itinerary to make the best use of our time. The car was stocked with snacks, water and juice. Highly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Viator
Craig_g
Aug 16, 2022
Fantastic Tour - Highly Recommended - We had an amazing time. Our guide was very friendly and very knowledgeable aboutbthe sites we visitied. This was the best activity we did on this trip and that was thanks to our guide. We have no issues recommending this tour to other visitors.
Review provided by Viator
Wai
Jun 27, 2022
Great day trip out of Athens - It was a great day tour out of Athens, especially for a Monday where the town of Nafplio is especially quiet and nice to stroll around and the view from Palamidi is breathtaking! Our driver and guide, George, is an excellent guide! He comprehensively answers all our questions, from history, culture, economics, geography, food, to even politics! And his excellent English makes it easy for up to interact. George is also very nice and patient with our kids. All in all, a great value for money experience!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Greatescaper5
Feb 27, 2020
Great opportunity to see a variety of attractions - We had a great full day. Our guide Manos was very knowledgeable. The van was very comfortable. We really enjoyed all of the sights, the ruins at Mycenae and museum were very interesting, Epidaurus was really cool and we loved the town of Nafplio. Manos brought us to a great restaurant there and ice cream and a amazing little church. I highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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