3 day tour on mainland Greece

October 27, 11:03 PMSanta Barbara Cultural Travel ExaminerRachel de Carlos

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Parthenon, Athens                                Wikipedia Commons/Tetraktys

For those who are anxious to set sail to the islands, but still want to visit some important sites on mainland Greece, here is a 3 day road trip that will take you from Athens to Olympia, the home of the first Olympic Games in 776 BC, through Patra, known for its Mardi Gras celebrations, and on to Delphi. The third major point of interest is Meteora, a group of tall rock formations with monasteries built at the tops.

Corinth Canal                                  Wikipedia Commons/Alterego

From Athens, it's an easy 2 hour drive to the Corinth Canal which was completed in 1893. Go out on the foot bridge and look directly down into the canal and see both ends of the 3.9 mile passage. It's very narrow and there are gouges in the rock where ships have rubbed against both sides while passing through. This canal has no locks, but it's still interesting to watch the ships because of the narrowness of the passage.

Olympia is 3 hours from Corinth, but the drive through the little villages will keep you from looking at the time. Don't be afraid to stop at the roadside stands to buy local fruit, jars of preserves, or wine sold in plastic water bottles. Fresh and traditional Greek products sold by villagers are real bargains and not found elsewhere.

Ancient Olympia                         Wikipedia Commons/Mai-Linh Doan

Olympia is a very small village considering the number of visitors to the ancient ruins. A few hotels and tavernas have popped up in modern times, but the site originally was a sanctuary with only those buildings necessary for the games and worship of the gods. Today, there are still plenty of ruins to see as well as the large playing field. Models of statues and other unique antiquities are in the places they were found. The original pieces are in the small Olympia museum to preserve them for future generations.

Rio-Antirio Bridge                                 Wikipedia Commons/Eusebius

From Olympia, take the coast route north to Patras and enjoy the varied landscape. At times there are pine forests, other times it looks like desert. Villages are scattered to either side of the road where tourists are very welcome to stop for refreshments, such as ouzo with a meze (appetizer), a souvlaki, or a piece of baklava with a cup of Greek coffee.

Patras is a port city where the ferries from Italy dock. It's also the place to cross back to mainland Greece from the Peloponnese. The Rio-Antirio Bridge was opened for traffic just one week before the 2004 Olympics.  Its shape brings to mind billowing sails and is a piece of art in its own right.

Delphi                                               Wikipedia Commons/Adam Carr

Delphi is only a couple hours drive from Athens, but it will take 3-4 hours from Patras. The archeological site and Delphi Archaeological Museum are one of the best kept in the country. A brochure that comes with the small fee to enter the site eliminates the need for a guide. It's very detailed and the ruins are in such good condition that there isn't much guessing involved as to what things are. Delphi is on a mountain top, so the view is spectacular, too.

Before leaving Delphi, stop at the Castalian Springs to drink some of the delicious icy water.  Visitors to the oracle of Delphi were first required to take a ritual bath here.  Washing the hair was enough to meet that requirement, but murderers had to wash themselves completely. 

Meteora Monastery                       Wikipedia Commons/Erud

For those interested in unique rock formations and odd building sites, Meteora is right up your alley. Gigantic rocks with steep sides are the homes to six monasteries, some of which welcome visitors. Not that the others don't want tourists, but the monks are actually lifted to the top in a basket with a rope. With no stairs to reach the monastery, the priests go about their daily duties in isolation. There are quaint hotels in Kalambaka at the foot of Meteora. It's a great place to spend the night and enjoy the sunrise at one of the monasteries.

Pelion                                  Wikipedia Commons/Holger Casselmann

Heading back to Athens, there are quite a few places of interest to stop. Pelion, located between Athens and Thessaloniki, has the best of both worlds. There are long sandy beaches with clear turquoise water, but a short drive will have you in lush mountain villages with streams and traditional style homes made from stone. This area is known for its herbs, vinegar, olive oil, apples and honey. The mom and pop shops that line the main road are happy to give samples of their wares, including drippy chunks of honeycomb.

Memorial to Leonidas                            Wikipedia Commons/Fkerasar

About 90 minutes outside of Athens is Thermopylae. You can stop for a photo opportunity at the Memorial to Leonidas, who led 300 Spartans and 700 volunteer Thespians to block the Persian army for 3 days in a famous last stand portrayed in the movie "300". The highway runs through this area now, with the Memorial on one side of the road and a truck stop on the other. If you miss the sign, you'll never even know you passed it.

Seaside taverna                               Wikipedia Commons/Christaras A

Kamena Vourla is the last worthwhile place to stop before merging back into the Athens suburbs. This is a popular spa resort among Athenians. There is an active night life, traditional Greek tavernas with grilled meats, or fresh fish tavernas right on the water's edge.

These villages will give a general overview of Greek culture, archeology, and cuisine, while leaving you time to visit several islands, all of which are very different from the other.  Take a look at some of the islands and what makes them special in the Greek islands section.

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