Itinerary
Arrive in Athens, where marble temples sit alongside busy avenues and neighborhood cafes. You are met at the airport and transferred to La Divina, set in a restored neoclassical building in the historic Thissio neighborhood. Its spacious suites and proximity to key archaeological sites make it an ideal base for exploring Athens. After time to settle in, meet your Expedition Leader for introductions and, for those who wish, a short walk through the Plaka neighborhood. Later, visit the Acropolis with a local guide. Trace the marble steps beneath the Parthenon and consider the vision that shaped this citadel nearly 2,500 years ago. From this rocky perch above the city, look across the city’s rooftops to the distant Aegean. This evening, we share our first dinner together at a local restaurant, sampling regional dishes served family-style, accompanied by wine and conversation.
Leaving Athens behind, we journey into the Peloponnese, a peninsula tied to some of a Greece’s best-known archaeological sites and enduring myths. Our destination is Nafplio, a seafront town long prized for its strategic harbor and graceful architecture. With a local guide, set out on foot through lanes edged with neoclassical facades and Venetian fortifications. Wrought-iron balconies overlook narrow lanes and stone stairways lead to quiet squares shaded by plane trees. This afternoon, visit a fifth-generation family distillery, where traditional Greek spirits are still crafted according to time-honored methods. Learn how recipes and techniques have been passed down through the same family for more than a century and taste the results of that enduring commitment. This evening, dine in Nafplio’s old town, sampling regional dishes paired with wines from the surrounding hills.
Today we venture into the countryside of Nemea, a region known since antiquity for its vineyards. On a guided walk through the archaeological site, discover the stadium and temple ruins that once hosted the Nemean Games. Walk the length of the ancient stadium, where competitors once lined up at the same worn starting blocks. Continue to a local vineyard for a guided tour among the vines and cellar. Learn about the grape varieties that thrive in Nemea’s red soils before a paired tasting of estate wines. We also take part in a hands-on food experience, preparing traditional Greek dishes alongside our hosts, followed by lunch with wine from the surrounding hills. Enjoy free time in Nafplio this afternoon or join your Expedition Leader for a walk-through town before dinner.
Travel south toward the rugged Mani Peninsula, where stone towers rise above the sea and villages cling to rocky hillsides. Along the way, visit an olive farm to learn about the cultivation and pressing of Greece’s most storied crop. An olive oil tasting reveals the nuances of this essential ingredient. After lunch, arrive in Mani and settle into our seaside hotel. In the late afternoon, walk with your Expedition Leader through the village of Areopoli, where cobbled lanes wind between the stone tower houses that once protected Mani’s fiercely autonomous clans. This evening, dine in a traditional Maniot taverna, where stone walls and sea air frame a menu designed around local, seasonal ingredients.
Explore Mani on foot today, walking between hillside villages and along rocky coastal paths scented with wild herbs. This morning, set out with your Expedition Leader to explore the region on foot, including a short, easy hike and village walks that highlight daily life in this stark corner of Greece. After lunch, take to the water aboard a privately chartered catamaran. Glide along the coastline and through sheltered bays, enjoying light refreshments on board. This evening, gather for a seaside barbecue dinner with drinks as the sun lowers over the horizon.
Depart the coast and head inland to Arcadia, a mountainous region of deep gorges and stone-built villages. En route, pause in Karytaina, crowned by a medieval castle. Those who wish may walk up for views across the river valley below. After lunch, visit Stemnitsa, long regarded as one of Greece’s most important silversmithing centers. For generations, artisans here have supplied ecclesiastical objects and fine metalwork throughout the country. In a local workshop, try your hand at traditional techniques, crafting a small piece to take home. Later, walk through the village’s stone lanes and pause at a café for coffee or dessert. By late afternoon, arrive in the village of Dimitsana and settle into En Dimitsani, reserved exclusively for our group. Originally a cobbler’s workshop, the building has been restored by the founder’s descendants into an intimate stone hotel overlooking the Lousios Gorge. During our stay, the owner himself prepares many of our meals, welcoming us into a setting that feels more like a family home than a hotel.
Arcadia’s mountain landscape has long demanded self-sufficiency. Beneath oak trees in the surrounding forests, truffles grow hidden in the roots, and this morning we head into the woods with a trained dog and local guide to search for them. Our finds become part of an outdoor lunch prepared in the field. Later, visit a local workshop to learn about the region’s woodcarving tradition, shaped by generations who relied on forest resources for both utility and artistry. Try your hand at carving before continuing to a nearby producer for insight nto honey-making practices that thrive in this highland environment, accompanied by tastings of honey and regional cheeses. Return to En Dimitsani for dinner prepared by the owner, featuring regional ingredients and traditional mountain recipes.
Choose between two hiking options this morning with a local expert guide, following forested paths above the Lousios Gorge. Arcadia was long associated with the god Pan, and the region’s rugged slopes and hidden ravines still evoke that ancient connection to wilderness. In later centuries, this same terrain offered refuge during the War of Independence. We visit the cliffside Moni Prodromou, built directly into the rock face above the river. Here, we meet members of the monastic community and share a simple coffee, gaining insight into daily life within these stone walls. During the Greek War of Independence, fighters sheltered in this monastery, using the steep surrounding terrain as a natural stronghold. After a picnic lunch, explore the Open-Air Water Power Museum in Dimitsana, where restored mills reveal how water once powered village industry—and how secretive gunpowder production supplied independence forces in the early 19th century. This evening, gather for a private performance by local musicians followed by a farewell dinner, reflecting on a journey that has followed Greece’s story from ancient foundations to the mountains where modern independence was forged.
Transfer to Athens this morning for flights home or onward travel, carrying with you the stories, landscapes and flavors of the Peloponnese.
