• Athens - Guests will be collected from their hotel, apartment, Airbnb, or Piraeus port.
• Mount Parnassus - Located in central Greece, Mount Parnassus rises majestically above Delphi, north of the Gulf of Corinth. It offers numerous benefits to the Greek population. In times of peace, it provides breathtaking views of the countryside, featuring olive groves and rolling hills. The mountain is also home to sites of historical, archaeological, and cultural significance, such as Delphi. Recreationally, Parnassus’ slopes are ideal for hiking during the warmer seasons and skiing in winter. Its melting snow supplies water to nearby communities, extending as far as Athens. Composed of limestone, the mountain’s rock contains bauxite, an ore rich in aluminum. During wartime, Parnassus has served as a center of resistance, offering cover and refuge to partisans.
• Monastery of Hosios Loukas - Hosios Loukas is a historic walled monastery near Distomo, in Boeotia, Greece. It is a significant monument of Middle Byzantine architecture and art, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site alongside the monasteries of Nea Moni and Daphnion. The monastery is located on the scenic slopes of Mount Helicon and was founded in the early 10th century AD by the hermit, Venerable (Greek: Hosios) Luke of Steiris (Greek: Lukas), whose relics remain in the monastery. The main shrine is the tomb of St. Luke, initially in the vault but later moved to the junction of the two churches. The monastery’s wealth, including construction funds, came from the relics of St. Luke, which were believed to exude myron, a perfumed oil said to produce healing miracles.
• Arachova - Arachova is a mountain town and former municipality in western Boeotia, Greece, originally known as Karyai (also spelled Caryae). Its name, of South Slavic origin, signifies a place with walnut trees. It is a popular tourist destination due to its mountainous location, traditions, and proximity to Delphi. Arachova boasts panoramic views, quaint uphill houses, and cobbled streets with picturesque architecture. The town center features a steep cliff, the Bell Tower, covered in dense ivy, with a large 10-meter-high clock at the top. Arachova is renowned for its black wine, brusque, colorful textiles, carpets, rugs, handicrafts, and woodcut creations.
• Delphi - Arrival at the archaeological site of Delphi after a 2.5-hour journey.

Enjoy a leisurely walk at:

• sanctuaries of Apollo and Athena Pronaia
• ancient stadium and theater

Duration: 30 minutes

• Tholos of Athena Pronaia - The tholos at the sanctuary of Athena Pronoia (Ἀθηνᾶ Πρόνοια, “Athena of forethought”) is a circular structure built between 380 and 360 BC. It featured 20 Doric columns with an exterior diameter of 14.76 meters and 10 Corinthian columns inside. The Tholos is about half a mile (800 meters) from Delphi’s main ruins. Three Doric columns have been restored, making it a popular spot for tourist photos.

The gymnasium, located half a mile from the main sanctuary, was a series of buildings used by Delphi’s youth. It had two levels: a stoa on the upper level providing open space, and a palaestra, pool, and baths on the lower floor. These pools and baths were believed to have magical powers, allowing communication with Apollo himself.

• Delphi Archaeological Museum - The Delphi Archaeological Museum is one of Greece’s principal and most visited museums, operated by the Greek Ministry of Culture. Founded in 1903, it has been reorganized several times and houses discoveries from the Panhellenic sanctuary of Delphi, dating from the Late Helladic (Mycenean) period to the early Byzantine era. The museum, organized into fourteen rooms on two levels, mainly displays statues, including the famous Charioteer of Delphi, architectural elements like the frieze of the Siphnian Treasury, and ex-votos dedicated to the sanctuary of Pythian Apollo, such as the Sphinx of Naxos. The exhibition space exceeds 2270m2, with storage and conservation rooms for mosaics and ceramics. Delphi’s modern museum, 500m east of town, perfectly complements the ancient site. Whether visited first or last, the treasures here bring ancient Delphi to life. Rich and powerful petitioners flocked to the site.
• Temple of Apollo - The Temple of Apollo, dedicated to the god of music, harmony, light, healing, and oracles, held the most important position in the Delphic Panhellenic Sanctuary. The partially restored colonnade visible today dates to the 4th century BC; it is the third temple built on this site. The famous oracle, the Pythia, operated within the temple, chosen for its location above a sacred chasm emitting vapors, which the Pythia inhaled. Ancient writers claimed the Pythia entered a state of delirium, uttering inarticulate cries that priests interpreted into equivocal oracles.
• Delphi - The Greeks told many tales about Delphi’s origins. The site was initially sacred to Gaia (also known as Ge), the ‘Mother Goddess,’ whose cult centered on the Korykeon Cave, high on Mt Parnassos. After slaying a snake or she-dragon (known as Pytho) here, Apollo adopted the local name of Apollo Pythios. For a thousand years, pilgrims sought guidance at his sanctuary. Its fame peaked between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE, after the Amphictyonic League, a federation of 12 tribal states, took control following the First Sacred War (595–586 BCE). As an autonomous state, Delphi prospered from benefactors, including the kings of Lydia and Egypt, and the Roman emperor Hadrian. Nominally neutral, it was a center of political power.
• The Tholos of Delphi - An intriguing architectural marvel within the archaeological site of Delphi, the Tholos offers a glimpse into the ancient world and its rich tapestry of beliefs and traditions.

The Tholos of Athena Pronaia is a circular building with a distinctive architectural design, featuring a ring of Doric columns surrounding a central chamber. Built in the 4th century BCE, this unique structure served as a sanctuary dedicated to Athena Pronaia, a variant of the goddess Athena worshipped in Delphi. Standing before the elegant columns and intricate stonework of the Tholos, one can imagine the awe and reverence it inspired in ancient worshippers. In the shadow of Mount Parnassus and overlooking Delphi’s sacred precincts, this sanctuary was a focal point for religious rituals, offerings, and oracular consultations.

• Treasury of the Athenians - The Treasury of the Athenians was built to commemorate victory at the Battle of Marathon.

From the entrance of the upper site, continuing up the slope on the Sacred Way almost to the Temple of Apollo, there are numerous votive statues and “treasuries.” These were constructed by various Greek city-states to commemorate victories and thank the oracle for her advice, believed to have contributed to those victories.

These buildings housed offerings made to Apollo, often a “tithe” or tenth of battle spoils. The most impressive is the now-restored Athenian Treasury, built to commemorate their victory at the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC.

The Siphnian Treasury was dedicated by the city of Siphnos, whose citizens gave a tithe of their silver mine yields until the mines were abruptly flooded by the sea. One of the largest treasuries was that of Argos.

• The Ancient Theater of Delphi - The ancient theater at Delphi was constructed further up the hill from the Temple of Apollo, offering spectators a view of the entire sanctuary and the valley below. Originally built in the 4th century BC, the koilon (cavea) leans against the mountain’s natural slope, while its eastern part extends over a creek that directed water from the Cassotis fountain beneath the Temple of Apollo.

The orchestra was initially a full circle, with a diameter of 7 meters (23 feet). The rectangular scene building ended in two arched openings, with foundations preserved today. The theater at Delphi could accommodate about 4,500 spectators.

Its façade was adorned with relief scenes from Hercules’ life. Further repairs and transformations occurred in the 2nd century AD, as noted by Pausanias, under Herod Atticus’ auspices. In antiquity, the theater hosted vocal and musical contests as part of the Pythia.

• Treasury of the Athenians - Stoa of the Athenians

The stoa, an open-sided, covered porch, is located along the base of the polygonal wall retaining the terrace on which the Temple of Apollo sits. The stoa opened to the Sacred Way. The nearby presence of the Treasury of the Athenians suggests this area of Delphi was used for Athenian business or politics, as stoas are typically found in marketplaces.

Although Delphi’s architecture is generally Doric, a plain style in line with Phocian traditions, the Athenians preferred the Ionic order, which is floral and ornate, though not as much as the Corinthian. The remaining porch structure contains seven fluted columns, unusually carved from single stone pieces (most columns were constructed from a series of discs joined together). The inscription on the stylobate indicates it was built by the Athenians after their naval victory over the Persians in 478 BC, to house their war trophies.

• Delphi - Delphi’s Hippodrome Once Site of Chariot Races

At the Pythian Games, prominent political leaders, such as Cleisthenes, the tyrant of Sikyon, and Hieron, the tyrant of Syracuse, competed with their chariots. The hippodrome where these events took place was mentioned by Pindar, and archaeologists sought this monument for over two centuries.

In 2012, Professor of Classical Archaeology Panos Valavanis announced he had found the hippodrome site at “Gonia,” at the west end of the olive grove at Delphi, nearly 1.5 km northeast of Itea, running parallel and adjacent to the Kefali mountain range, between the Aghioi Anargyroi and Gla hills.

• Delphi - Stop At: Delphi, Delphi, Phocis Region, Central Greece

Enjoy free time for lunch at a traditional Greek tavern with friends or shopping at Arahova Village.

• Delphi - Serpentine Column
  Immediately east, the replica of the Serpentine Column, or Tripod of the Plataeans, was erected in 2015. The original bronze column commemorated the Greeks who defeated the Persian Empire at the Battle of Plataea (479 BCE). Removed by Constantine the Great in AD 324, it now resides at the Hippodrome of Constantinople, in modern Istanbul.
• Delphi - Free time for lunch at a traditional Greek tavern with friends and family or shopping.
• Delphi - THE POLYGONAL WALL

This retaining wall was constructed to support the terrace housing the second Temple of Apollo in 548 BC. Its name derives from the polygonal masonry used in its construction. From 200 BC onward, the stones were inscribed with manumission contracts of slaves consecrated to Apollo. Approximately a thousand manumissions are recorded on the wall.

Delphi’s sacred spring, the Castalian Spring, lies in the Phaedriades ravine. The preserved remains of two monumental fountains that received water from the spring date to the Archaic and Roman periods, with the latter cut into the rock.

• Pick-up and drop-off service from Athens Hotel, Airbnb, or Port
• Exclusive small-group experience in a luxury mini van (2–4 guests)
• Transportation via modern, first-class private vehicle
• Expert English-speaking tour drivers with extensive historical knowledge
• Vehicles equipped with WiFi, A/C, and bottled water
• Travel expenses, fuel, and tolls included

• Entry or admission fees for Archaelogical sites
• Entry /Admission-Archaelogical site Delphi
• Entry /Admission - Archaelogical Museum of Delphi
• Licensed guide to accompany you into archaeological sites
• Entrance fees for archaeological sites and museums.
• Kindly note that gratuities and tips are not included in the price and are left to your discretion.

Explore the Enchanting Connection of Ancient Delphi & Hosios Loukas Monastery

Embark on a journey where mythology, history, and spirituality converge on this exclusive private tour from *Delphi to the Monastery of Hosios Loukas in Arachova. Follow in the footsteps of ancient pilgrims, oracles, and Byzantine saints as you visit two of Greece’s most breathtaking UNESCO World Heritage Sites in one seamless experience.

Why Choose This Tour?

• Discover Delphi’s Mysteries – Stand where both royalty and commoners once sought prophecies from Apollo’s Oracle. Stroll along the *Sacred Way, admire the Temple of Apollo, and interpret ancient wisdom at the Delphi Museum.
• Experience Byzantine Grandeur – Visit the 10th-century Hosios Loukas Monastery, a marvel of medieval art and architecture. Exclusive & Personalized – Enjoy a private driver guide, customized storytelling, and flexible pacing, avoiding crowds. Ideal for history enthusiasts, spiritual seekers, or culture lovers.
• Third party activities and especially extreme sports are not allowed during the tour. This can be a cause for immediate cancellation of the tour.

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