Athens To The Birthplace Of Olympic Games & Medieval Monastery

First stop is the Canal of Corinth. It is a canal that was finally built in 1890, although the idea of its passage already existed from 602 BC. The view from here is breathtaking.

The birthplace of Olympic games, the stadium that happened the games from 776 BC until 393 AD, 12 centuries of glory, 12 centuries for the honour and win. Olympia was established in Greece as the most important religious and sports centre. The archeological site of Olympia, one of the largest in the country, gave us one of the richest sets of monuments and works of art, such as Hermes of Praxiteles. Here we will see, in addition to the stadium (45,000 seats), the temples of Hera and Zeus, the Philippion, the Council house, the laboratory of Feidias and in the museum the HELMET OF GENERAL MILTIADIS that won the Persians at marathon 490 BC.

The tour have 2 options you can choose which you like. first option is to visit the Great Cave of Gortynia, which has been built on a rock of the Lousios Gorge. According to tradition, the monastery was built during the 12th century by monks who lived in nearby hermitages. At the end of the small courtyard of the monastery, with its stone-built fountain (1748), a heavy, imposing door that carries the holes from the Turks’ bullets 1779. The interior, as well as part of the rock that surrounds it, are embellished with frescoes of the 16th century. The welcoming monks offer worshippers coffee, refreshing water, and olives while they enjoy the unique view of the gorge of ascetic paradises. The monastery has a significant library, while the monks practice the art of iconography and sewing of ecclesiastical vestments.

Second option swimming & lunch close to the sea. After a dip in history, we will go for a dip in one of the most beautiful beaches of the Peloponnese, located near ancient Olympia. There we will also have lunch before our return to Athens. (Swimming on the beach, concerns the summer months)