Orthodox Peloponnese

1st day Arrival in Greece and accommodation

Arrival. Meeting at the airport. Accommodation in the hotel. Leisure time.

Your trip to the most fascinating and interesting attractions of Greece starts with your arrival in Athens at the international airport “Eleftherios Venizelos”. Representatives of Beleon tours will meet you at the airport and accompany you during the whole trip around Greece doing their best to make you stay in the country comfortable and informative. You will be transferred to the hotel and then the rest of the day is at leisure.

2nd day. Excursion around Athens

Breakfast in the hotel. City tour around Athens. Visit Acropolis, Areopagus (Mars Hill) and Orthodox shrines of Athens. Transfer to Loutraki resort. Accommodation in the hotel. Remainder of the day at leisure.

Your tour around Greece starts from visiting main historical, cultural and religious sights of the Greek capital city of Athens, such as Acropolis with its ancient temples, you will along Areopagus where the ancient Athenian Assembly met and where the Apostle Paul preached. Besides its ancient heritage, the Greek capital is also famous for numerous monuments and temples that belong to Byzantine historical period. Our professional guides will show and tell you about the Orthodox heritage of Athens: the Metropolitan Cathedral - symbol of liberated Greece, Russian Church of Holy Trinity, and one of the most important Christian churches in Athens – the Metochion of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem. We finish with Athens and travel to the Peloponnese peninsular, Loutraki resort. There you will make a check-in and take a rest.

Tour objects:

The city of Athens

Athens is the birthplace of democracy and the cradle of Western civilization, the famous ancient city, where life began more than 5 thousand years ago. It has been famous since the days of classical period as a center of philosophy, literature and arts. This city has an amazing destiny: simultaneously it is one of the oldest and one of the youngest European capitals. There are many numerous monuments from Antiquity, from the Middle Ages and neoclassicism. Acropolis is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.   

Acropolis

Acropolis erected in the 5th century BC is the main attraction of Greece. It is located on a cliff overlooking the center of Athens and is considered to be a unique temple complex of Classical Greece and includes the legendary temples of the Parthenon and the Erechtheion. Acropolis is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Parthenon

Parthenon is one of the most famous and fascinating architectural masterpieces that crown human culture. Built in the 5th century B.C. it still remains the symbol of Greece.
 

Erechtheion

It is the second important temple on the Acropolis. It was built exactly on the same spot where, according to mythology, the goddess Athena won a dispute with the God of the Seas Poseidon for her control of the city. The temple is decorated with the great Caryatids.

Areopagus

Hill of the Areopagus is not far from the Acropolis. It is the place where in ancient times the Athenian Assembly Areopagus met. According to mythology, this is the place where the trial of Ares, god of war, took place. Areopagus ancient Gr. Ἄρειος Πάγος meaning “Rock of Ares”. It is also said that the Apostle Paul delivered his famous speech from here.

Metochion of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher

This is a unique and sacred place for Orthodox Christians, one of the most important Athenian monasteries. It is here where the Holy Fire is brought from Jerusalem during Easter and kept all year long. It also here where the fragment of the Cross and Earth from Calvary are placed.

Athens cathedral

russian church of blessed trinity

loutraki

3rd day. Ancient Corinph and the Monastery of Osios Potarios

Breakfast in the hotel. Travel to the Ancient Corinth. Excursion. Excursion to the Monastery of Osios Potapios. return to the hotel in Loutraki resort. Leisure time.

Our next destination is Corinth, one of the centers of the ancient world. You will get to see and learn about Corinthian rich architectural heritage: Temple of Apollo, Lernaean read, Acrocorinth – fortress and acropolis of ancient Corinth, and many other sights. But architecture is not the only attraction of Corinth. Paul the apostle once preached here, here he wrote his world known “Epistle to the Corinthians”, was brought to trial for his ministry and was justified. Our next point is the Monastery of Osios Potapios. It is located on the mountain not far from Loutraki and there some of the Osios Potapios relics are stored. Then we shall return to the hotel and have a rest.

Tour objects:

Ancient Corinth. Archaeological Reserve Corinth

Monastery of St. Potapov Egyptian in Loutraki

Acrocorinth

4th day. Ancient Mystras and the Miracle of st. Theodora

Breakfast in the hotel. Transfer to ancient Mystras. Excursion. Trip to the Church of St. Theodora. Excursion. Backk to the hotel in Loutraki resort. Leisure time.

Today you will see one of the most unusual attractions of Orthodox Greece. We shall head for ancient Mystras, one of the most important cultural centers of Byzantine. Mystras is known for its architecture: numerous Byzantine churches with mural paintings of 13-14 centuries, palace and a castle. Our next point is the Church of St. Theodora, a truly unique place. It is a small shabby temple with 17 trees coming through its walls and roof never reaching the ground. But the impressive moment is that they do not ruin the building, on the contrary they are supporting it more than hundred years. In the end we shall return to the hotel and respite.

Tour objects:

Mistra

Saint Theodora church

5th day. Chursh of st.Andrew of Patras. Mega spileo and Agia Lavra Monasteries

Breakfast in the hotel. Travel to Patras. Excursion to the Church of St. Andrew of Patras. Transfer to Kalavryta. Excursion to the Monastery of Agia Lavra. Continue to Diakopto and the Monastery of Mega Spileo. Excursion. Return to Patras. Accommodation in the hotel. Leisure time.

Our programme starts with the transfer to once powerful city of the ancient world, Patras. There we shall see the Church of St. Andrew. Then we shall head for Kalavryta town, a symbolic birthplace of modern independent Greece. Here we are going to visit an Orthodox monastery of the 10th century Agia Lavra, from where the Greek War of Independence 1821 started. In the picturesque settlement of Diakopto we shall take a train to one of the oldest monasteries in Greece Mega Spileo. Its main attraction is the icon of Mother of God “Spileotissa” painted, as it is believed, by Luke the Apostle. Upon finishing ur program we are coming back to the hotel for respite.

Tour objects:

The City of Patras

The city of Patras became an important economic centre in the Roman times. It even had been given a right to mint its own coins. It is also here where St. Andrew martyred and was crucified.

The Town of Kalavrita

The town of Kalavrits became known for its fierce fight against the Turkish occupation and struggle in the World War II.

Monastery of Mega Spelaio

This cave monastery can boast with rich history. The exact date of its foundation is unknown but historians mention about the year 326 AD, which makes this monastery one of the oldest in Greece. The monastery is carved into the rock and hence it got its name. It houses the main object of worship, the icon of Virgin Mary (Panagia Megalospiliotissa). It is said to be Apostle Luca’s work that he made out of wax and mastic and it is a vivo image of Virgin Mary. This icon preserved until the present day despite of many historical upheavals and fires. The huge number of relics, that was brought from Mount Athos during the struggle of the Ottoman yoke, is also stored here.

The Monastery of Agia Lavra

The monastery of Agia Lavra was founded in the 10th century and throughout its history has always been an important spiritual and cultural center of the region. It played an important role during the Turkish yoke. The monastery is often called “the cradle” of the uprising in 1821. It was here where the Archbishop of Patra Hermanos declared the independence of Greece and the beginning of the revolutionary struggle against the power of the Ottoman Empire. Here the flag was raised with the image of the Assumption of the Virgin. The flag is carefully preserved in a small museum. Moreover, there are also holy relics of St. Alexios in the museum. 

The Basilica of Saint Andrey (Agios Andreas)

Saint Andrew was the patron of the city of Patra and one of the Disciples of Christ. He was martyred in this city. The cathedral, built in the honor of St. Andrew is the largest Orthodox church in Greece. Inside the church the relics of the saint are kept, which consist of part of the top of the cranium and a small part of the cross on which he was martyred, all kept in a special shrine. There is an old church of St Andrew located nearby. It keeps the beautiful old icons and relics of the Apostle in a silver reliquary. Both churches regularly hold services.

Diakopto

Diakopto is a small town and is decorated by the small picturesque gulf. The local railway station has become a center of attraction for tourists. There is nothing surprising about it because from here, from the most beautiful railway of Greece surrounded by lush pine forests, deep ravines, rapid rivers, and fascinating waterfalls, pilgrims and lovers of religious architecture begin their journey to the monasteries of Agia Lavra and Mega Spilaio.

6th day. Departure

Breakfast in the hotel. Travel to Athens. Transfer to the Athens airport. Return flight to home.

After having breakfast in the hotel, we shall travel to our starting point, Athens. Beleon Tours will take care about your transfer to the airport “Eleftherios Venizelos”. So this is the end of your trip and we hope that you will take home only pleasant memories and good impressions about your “Greek holidays”. We wish you a safe journey and we shall wait to see you here again!