JULY 2023
In May I did the perfect road trip to Greece. I know most people come to Greece for the islands, but I can assure you that the mainland is just as beautiful and less crowded. In this blogpost I will share the day-to-day-activities that we did on our road trip, to show you how many different things you can see in Greece in only one week! I hope to inspire you to do something different and not skip the mainland of Greece!
Itinerary
Day 1: We arrived late on a Friday evening to the Athens airport, so I booked a hotel near the airport to be as comfortable as possible. I had been to Athens before, so decided not to visit on this road trip. We paid € 130 for a giant three person room in Mikelina Boutique Hotel, which included a great breakfast.
Day 2: Let’s go to Delphi! Delphi is the second most famous ancient site in Greece, after the Acropolis and definitely worth a visit. The drive from Athens to Delphi is about 2,5 hours. The roads weren’t too busy and I found them well maintained. I would factor in about 1,5 hours of time to visit Delphi. Near Delphi you can find charming Arachova, which would be perfect for lunch. You can find all the details on Delphi here. After lunch you continue driving to Meteora, where you will arrive in hours. We booked a hotel in Kalampaka, which I found the perfect hub to explore the area.
Day 3: A full day of exploring Meteora‘s monasteries and rock formations. If you do not want to do any hiking, one day should be enough to get a good feel of the area and explore a few monasteries. You can find my full blog on Meteora here. Kalampaka is definitely charming at night too, there are many lovely restaurants on the main square where you can have an elaborate and affordable Greek dinner.
Day 4: This will be your big driving day. We drove all the way South to the Peloponnese island via the spectacular Rion-Antirion bridge. On your way to the Laconia area you have the possibility to visit the Mystras site. In the afternoon you will arrive to your comfortable hotel in Elia, which will be your hub to explore Laconia.
Day 5: After breakfast you will head to the natural wonder “Caves of Diros” where you will do a boat ride on canals through a cave. In the afternoon you stop for lunch in fisherman village Gytheion, before enjoying the swimming pool of your hotel. Please find my blogpost on this day here.
Day 6: Time to leave Laconia and head to Nafplio, but first a little detour. From Elia you only have to drive 40 minutes to visit magical Monemvasia. A city which is built on a rock formation in the sea. Find out all about Monemvasia here. After exploring the village you will drive to Nafplio to your next hotel.
Day 7: Explore Nafplio, which will be blooming with bougainvillea from May-October. In Nafplio you can undertake many cultural activities, or just enjoy the restaurants and shopping. If you love bougainvillea just as much as I do, you have to check out this blogpost.
Day 8: Daytrip! You drive to Ermioni to take the ferry to Hydra Island, which is only a short boat ride away. Enjoy a day of swimming, eating and relaxing in this relatively undiscovered island! You can find all the details on Hydra here.
Day 9: Visit the theatre of the Epidauros before you head back to the airport for your flight back home.
