Delphi & Meteora

The two greatest sights of central Greece, done properly over three days instead of two exhausting sprints — the oracle on Parnassus, the monasteries above Thessaly, and the mountain roads in between.

Tour highlights

• Day 1 — Delphi: sanctuary, museum, the Charioteer
• Arachova and the Parnassus mountain road
• Day 2 — Meteora: monasteries and sunset over the pillars
• Overnight in Kalambaka beneath the rocks
• Day 3 — early monasteries before the crowds
• Thermopylae and the Leonidas monument en route
• Optional: Osios Loukas, a UNESCO-listed Byzantine monastery
• Your own private vehicle and driver throughout

About this journey

This is the trip for people who would rather see two places properly than five badly. Over three days you cover the whole of central Greece at a human pace, with the same driver and the same vehicle throughout, and your luggage stays where it is.

Day one takes the road north-west to Delphi, with time for the sanctuary, the Sacred Way and the museum — the Charioteer alone justifies the drive. Lunch is usually in Arachova, a thousand metres up the flank of Parnassus.

Day two crosses to Thessaly and the rock pillars of Meteora. Arriving in the afternoon puts you on the pillars for sunset, which is the light everyone photographs and few people plan for. You sleep in Kalambaka, directly beneath the rocks.

Day three starts early, while the monasteries are quiet, then works south again. On the way home the road passes Thermopylae, where the pass has silted up into a wide plain but the monument to Leonidas and the three hundred still stands beside it.

The price covers the private vehicle, the driver and all road costs for three days. Hotels, meals and entrance tickets are arranged to your taste and paid separately — tell us the standard you want and we will suggest where to stay.

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